Hate To Love You My Billionaire Lover

She told him what had happened to her that year. As he listened intently, she spoke about the deaths of her grandmother and nanny and the betrayal of her first love and a good friend. But she did not reveal the truth about her parents; she just called them liars instead.

Arianna rarely talked this much. She mostly spoke to her nanny, grandmother, Janie, and her boyfriend in the past. But they were all lost now. Her parents were so busy that they barely talked to her as a child, so she didn’t have much of a relationship with them.

Now, she had found someone who could listen to her. Though he was a stranger, she trusted him unconditionally.

Travis was a good listener. He was focused and would not interrupt her or be impatient. Though she jumped between topics and was a little teary-eyed, he completely understood.

After Arianna finished speaking, they sat in silence for several minutes.

“These things all become trivial in two years. My dad died when I was in elementary school, and my mother passed away when I was in high school. Both of them were orphans, so I have no other family. They essentially made me an orphan, too.”

He continued, “My former girlfriend married my teacher. The scammers from my childhood are now rich in my family’s money. You see, am I not more worthy of sympathy than you?”

As he said this, his voice was relaxed. It almost sounded like he was joking. Arianna could not tell if he was being serious or if he was just trying to comfort her.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

She said, “You don’t seem like you have the slightest need for sympathy.”

Travis said, “Of course not. And people are not likely to be sympathetic to me anyway. My father was a criminal before his death, and my mother… She had a nickname, ‘La Traviata’. Do you know the story of La Traviata?”

Arianna’s eyes narrowed, and she looked at him quizzically. She replied, “You’re teasing me, right?”

“You think I am not the son of a criminal and social butterfly?” He held her stare.

“Well, I mean…” Arianna was at a loss for words. She deemed that there was no optimal comment to the situation and said, “Your parents must have been very good parents.”

Once again, she saw his beaming grin. It was so warm, she thought.

When the barista brought them the bill, Travis began to dig through his wallet. Arianna interrupted, “No, it’s okay, I’ll get it.” Travis slightly rolled his eyes.

“Okay, here. It’s like you paid the bill.” He said as he slid her a hundred-dollar bill.

He hailed a taxi and got in with Arianna. He asked, “Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”

Arianna rarely went home so early in the day. She always ate her meals at restaurants and returned home in the late evening. Her family was accustomed to it.

Her home on the large hill was very well known. It was a picturesque villa surrounded by fields of grass overlooking the city below. People loved to marvel at the architecture and its placement on the hill.

She didn’t want to tell Travis that she was the one who lived there, so she remained quiet for a moment, unsure of how to answer.

“Do you not want to tell me, or do you not want to go home?” He asked patiently and tilted his head sideways.

“I can get out anywhere you’d like. I’m not going home just yet.” She replied. It was only three in the afternoon. She needed to spend five or six more hours out of the house.

“A young woman should not say ‘any’ so easily. That can be dangerous.” Travis made a gesture to the taxi driver to begin driving forward.

He continued, “If you have nothing to do, you can help me wash that bedsheet.”

Arianna began to giggle. Her cheeks became rosy again as she remembered him teasing her about the bed when she woke up at his place.

But this time, Travis said it in a serious tone. When she turned to look at him, she noticed that he stretched out his other hand, the one that did not hold the necklace.

This hand had the same slender five fingers, but there was a long gash on his broad palm. The wound was new and had not completely healed yet.

Arianna couldn’t stand looking at wounds. When she saw broken skin and blood, her knees usually began to buckle, and her face became pale. She clenched her jaw and quickly looked out the window after seeing his hand.

“Ouch.” She said softly.

The taxi driver took them to Travis’s house. As the driver looked at the winding and bumpy path on the property, he hesitated. He wasn’t sure if his car could make it down the path without getting stuck or getting damaged.

To his relief, Travis requested to be let out at the side of the main road.

After paying the driver, they got out of the car and began to head towards the house. Arianna followed him step by step.

She vaguely remembered the path. The morning she walked out of there, she was too lost in thought to pay attention to her surroundings. But now, she was able to take it all in.

The path was long. Trees were densely packed on either side of them. Birds were chirping, and squirrels were chasing each other between the trees.

Travis was moving fast. There were about ten meters between them, and Arianna was in no hurry as she looked around.

But Travis walked in a special way. He didn’t hunch his back like most tall men, nor did he swing his arms from side to side like most young men. His back was straight, and his steps were steady.

He did not look back until they reached the front door. Travis paused and turned around to Arianna. She also stopped when he did, though she was still several meters away.

The sun shone into her eyes. She could not see his face again, but she heard him ask, “Do you really want to come in?”

Arianna squinted her eyes and hesitated.

He reminded her very gently, “You’ve already been here before, and I don’t bite.”

“Good point. You’re a very nice person.” Arianna mentioned.

“Character takes time to establish.” Several seconds passed in silence before Arianna asked, “That story you told me earlier was a joke, right?”

Travis replied, “I think it sounds like a joke too.”

Arianna didn’t know yet that Travis Cooper wasn’t a liar. If she ever thought he was lying, it was only her wishful thinking.

Travis was too arrogant and self-righteous to lie, especially when speaking to her.