BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Valerie’s POV

Kissing two men in a day is something I never saw coming. This is another thing that reminds me of my friendship with Brenda who used to call me a judgmental bitch jokingly.

Now that I think of it, I’m sure she meant it.

I always nag her for going out with more than one man in a day and she tells me it’s nothing.

All my life, I have always wanted Fred to be my only man. Even after he left, I didn’t see the need to want to kiss some other man. I was irritated by the thought of it and now, I did not just kiss Ryan but also Fred in just a day.

When Fred kissed me, I was mad. Mad at myself for allowing him to do that. And mad at him for thinking he can get me jelly in the legs by kissing me.

But when Ryan kissed me, I wasn’t mad. Disappointment is the word for what I feel.

Almost two months ago, Ryan and I could barely stand each other. We signed a contract and he made some rules to ensure that we do not cross the line but he is the one breaking the rules himself.

I am highly disappointed.

He thinks kissing me would console me. But he is wrong. I will be inconsolable if anything happens to my father.

I blame myself for not being able to help him. I am married because of this yet I feel so helpless and useless.

Why can’t I use this to my advantage? Why am I even married to a billionaire in the first place?

My father is dying there just because he is about to lose everything he has worked his ass off for and here I am getting kissed by two men in a day without a sense of dignity and responsibility on how to take care of him.

I feel stupid.

“Valerie, what the hell happened?!” My mom yells as she grabs the collar of my top. Gently, I put her hand away, glancing down at her dress.

“Where are you coming from?” I attack her instantly, my gaze shifting back to her face.

When Ryan called me to inform me that my father was in the hospital, I was confused at first as to how Ryan got to know about my father before me. I called my mother and she wasn’t aware either, so I told her the hospital’s address while I drove here.

Where was she when he lost consciousness? What if Ryan wasn’t there, what would have happened?

“Mom, where were you…” she stops me from yelling at her again with her finger touching my lips to shut me up.

She moves closer and whispers into my ears. “I went to your father-in-law’s office.”

I blink and look at her again, from head to toe. She went to Ryan’s father’s office. What for?

This reminds me of what Ryan said a few minutes ago. He said he wanted to know the relationship between my father and his and then he will be able to figure out why his father isn’t helping my father as promised.

“Where is my husband? Where is he?” She tries to walk past me with worry and I grab her hand to stop her.

Before I can tell her how it happened, a man in a white coat comes out through a passage. When Ryan stands up to meet with him, I know immediately that he is the doctor handling my father’s case.

Mom and I rush toward him.

“How is he, doctor?” Mom asks him with impatience.

The doctor smiles lightly and answers. “He is awake now. It was just a mild case of heart attack and blood shortage. He also has a low sugar level. With the right drug prescriptions and enough bed rest, he should be up in a week or two.”

We all heave a deep sigh of relief. I am surprised to see that Ryan is relieved too.

Why? Isn’t this his father’s fault? Is he trying to remedy his father’s mistake?

When our eyes interlock, I look away and hold hands with my mom.

“Thank Goodness!” She exhales deeply. “I thought I was going to lose him. I thought I won’t see him again.”

My mother might be the true definition of desperate but she loves her husband. They love each other dearly. Her desperation was what made her leave him all alone in the house and go meet Ryan’s father.

Did she even meet with him? Now I am more than sure he is doing this intentionally. But why?

I can’t even get mad at my mother for leaving my father all alone in the house. At first, I was but right now, I am not.

This is no one’s fault. This was bound to happen even before Ryan and I got married. My dad is depressed about our situation. He has a good way of hiding his emotions. He isn’t like a mother who is too open like a book.

With a deep sigh, I embrace my mom and close my eyes as I mumble a word of praise to the Almighty for sparing my Father.

I can’t even imagine what life would be without him. He is a good man and I don’t know why Mr. Lorenzo is doing this to us.

Didn’t they say they were friends? Didn’t my mother emphasize on how good both families are to each other? Does this explain why I never found any of their faces familiar or why I never saw any of them pay a visit to our house and vice versa?

What is happening?

Was this all planned?

Is this betrothal thing a facade?

Is Ryan’s father behind it all?

I don’t even realize the doctor has left until Ryan speaks up. “You should go see him. I’m leaving now that he is fine.”

Mother pulls away from my embrace, wipes her tears, and says to me. “See him off.”

With that, she takes the passage and enters the ward.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

“I’m glad he is fine now,” Ryan comments, staring at me.

I nod without saying anything.

My head is spinning with a lot of questions and I am beginning to feel a slight headache again just like I felt this morning when I woke up.

Everything is so confusing and I don’t know where to start. I don’t know how to solve all of these.

I can’t help my father if Ryan’s father is responsible for this. This means this marriage was a mistake from the start as well.

“I should go”, he mutters again, shifting uncomfortably.

“Yeah”, I say with a nod.

When he takes a step away from me so he can go out, I stop him. “Why is your Father not helping us?”

This issue is about us, not only about my father. If anything happens to him, it will affect my mom and me so we are in this together.

I won’t support Ryan because he is my husband. My family comes first. Their safety and welfare matters to me also.

Besides, Ryan and I are not real. This marriage will soon be over.

Kiss.

The word jumps into my head again. The first time he kissed me was because he wanted to practice how we would do the same the next time we visited his parents.

Then why did he kiss me now?

We don’t need to pretend to be my mom. His mother is the case study here, not my own parents.

Did he do that because he saw my mom coming?

I look towards the door to see that there is no way in the world that he would have seen her coming from afar.

Quickly, with a shake of the head, I wave the thought away.

“I have no idea either. That was why I visited him. I believe your father knows something.”

“Really?” I ask sarcastically.

“Yes”, he replied without taking the clue.

If he knows something, then would he have an attack? I ask within me, then I remember Ryan said something about a call.

“Do you know who called him before he lost consciousness?” I interrogate him as he shakes his head in reply.

I guess I should find out who called him. That is the first thing to do. After that, I will ask him who Mr. Lorenzo really is and if he is doing this on purpose.

With a glare, I wave at him forcefully. “Bye”, then I walk away towards the ward.

Before I am out of sight, I turn to see him strolling out casually as if nothing happened between us. He is acting like we are cool with each other and he doesn’t care if I attach any importance to the kiss or not.