Stranded with the Billionaire

I R E N A

Irena  tightened her coat  around her  as she stood in the mountains, waiting for Sage  to come along. Titan was barking and turning his head  in the fine snow. She shook her head. It will be very interesting. Try to survive with a  four-legged super creature.

She looked around and her heart pounded. Huge mountains rose up on either side of them. Absorbing the white spikes, she felt grateful that they didn’t fall so high. She could only imagine what it would be like to try to descend from the top.

She turned her attention  to the stretch of ice and snow that stretched out in front of them. The sun was hidden by  clouds, but every now and then it broke through, illuminating the ground with its light.

Sage  jumped out the door. A sad look crossed his face. She looked at the plane on the ground. He seems to have this attachment to the piece of metal. For a moment she wondered what it was.

He straightened his Yukon backpack and looked around until his gaze landed on her. As if sensing her question, he waved his hand towards the plane. “It’s a gift.” His voice dropped an octave. “My father’s.”

Irena ‘s eyes widened. How should it be? Take a plane for his birthday?

Sage  shook his head. “It’s not like that.”

“It’s an airplane,” Irena  exhaled.

Sage  looked around  then motioned for her to follow him. They started walking in the snow. It’s not as easy as it looks. Occasionally there are rocks protruding from under the snow and skis are not cushioned. Irena  tried not to wince as her feet moved across the hard plastic.

“You need to stop thinking about things in terms of dollars. Instead, it’s all about proportions,” says Sage , following her lead.

“What does that mean?”

“How much did your parents earn as a child?”

When it came to her parents, Irena  twisted her neck to relieve her tension. It didn’t help that she slept  with her head elevated a little. “Ten thousand.”

Sage  nodded, studying the view in front of him. “And what’s your favorite Christmas present?”

“You mean, other than the stuff Santa gave me?” This conversation made her uncomfortable. The truth was that her parents weren’t very interested in making a little girl’s Christmas dream come true. She’s lucky if she gets a gift.

Sage  looked at him. “Try your best.”

She stiffened. “So sorry. Hmm. . .” Lie. Lying is always better than having uncomfortable conversations about his past. “A doll.”

Sage  narrowed his eyes. “And they cost, what? 100?”

Irena  paused. “100 dollars? Where did you buy the doll?

Sage ‘s cheeks heat up. “I’ve never bought a doll.”

Irena  kept her balance as she continued  down the mountain. “I’m not surprised.”

“Okay, so, what, twenty?” he said to go behind her.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Yes. That’s probably almost true.

“If your dad makes $80, 000 a year and buys you a doll for Christmas, it’s . . .” He was silent. She glanced back and saw his jaw clenched and he was watching the snow as they walked. “That means  your dad spent 0. 025% of your gift.”

Irena  is back. It’s impressive. “Did you find that in your head?”

Sage  doesn’t look her in the eye. “Just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

Her eyes widened. “I never said  rich people are stupid.”

He looked at her. “I don’t get it from the way you treat me.”

“Me?” That’s why I treat you? What about the way you treat me?”

His Adam’s apple rises and falls as he watches her. “How do I treat you?” He turned and hissed as Titan walked away. The dog turned, pricked his ears, and ran back.

Her throat tightened. It was as if his body was trying to keep his emotions inside. History has taught him that speaking your mind will hurt you. This gave another ammo to use against you. And she wasn’t sure she was ready to give Sage  that  power over her.

“Forget it,” she said, stepping forward. Cold swelled around her feet as she stepped on them. The clouds had risen and the sun was shining down on her. It’s so good. It helped warm his icy skin.

“I’m sorry.” Sage ‘s voice startled her. She should have heard the rustle of  snow as he walked towards her, but her mind was too flustered to  notice.

“For what?”

“For all I’ve done to upset you.”

She turned around. “You’re apologizing and you don’t know why?”

Her lips twitched. “I’m just  a gentleman.”

Hot in the cheeks. ” Don’t do it. Don’t apologize just  because you think it’s the right thing to do. Do it because you feel sorry, or don’t do it at all.

He looked at her. “Extra-”

She shook her head. She hates imposters. People do things because society tells them it’s the right thing to do. One of the reasons she wanted to be a journalist was to defy the norm.

“Okay,” he said.

She turned and smiled. Maybe she can teach Mr. Rich Man a thing or two.

They continued down the mountain in silence. Titan runs around, sniffing and licking  random things. Irena  looked at Sage . She hated the awkwardness around them.

“Are you talking about percentages?”

He looked at her,  his expression  blank for a moment. Then he nodded. “That’s right, percentage. So for your gift, your dad spent 0. 025% of his annual income. Let my father  buy me a plane, it costs 0. 6 percent. That’s it.”

Irena  coughed on that number. “What? Are you serious? Did your dad spend less than one percent of his income buying you a private jet?”

“Oh, not annual income – net worth. But yes. It is more or less so.”

Irena  gaped at him. She knew he was rich, but that put things in a completely different way. “Wow you..” Words do not form in his mind. How do you understand so much money?

Sage  shuffles his bag as he looks around. “However, it doesn’t always have to be.”

Irena  blew on her gloves, trying to warm  her fingers. “How is it possible? Literally anything you want can be bought. Everything.”

His gaze found  hers. “Not all.”

There was a sadness in his expression. A yearning for something  she could not clearly recognize. the wave ran over her. Maybe he knew what it felt like to be abandoned like her. She moved her lips to say something – anything – to make him feel better, but nothing happened. Instead, she pursed her lips  and nodded.

They were silent for a moment before Sage  waved. “We have to keep moving forward,” he said.

Irena  nodded and followed. As she watched her flock move as he walked, her thoughts flashed through her mind. Could this billionaire sympathize with her? Here, he is given a plane for his birthday, but deep down, all he wants is just to be loved and accepted?

She shook her head, her thumb wrapped  around the strap of her backpack. Having those thoughts about Sage  won’t help him keep the press’s mind on him. They will impose her opinion, and then she cannot write an objective article.

She pinched her cheeks and sighed. Being a journalist is all she has left, and she can’t give it up just out of sympathy for Sage  Davenport. She must hold him back if she wants to survive  the desert and her heart.