The Billionaire’s Bargain Bride

The Billion-Dollar Question

CENRIC

I was an asshole—a filthy rich asshole carrying a lot of baggage.

Walking away from my wife was the most idiotic and worse thing I’d done in my entire life. I was hurt and horrified after realizing I had just left her alone in the park. So much for protecting her.

Instead of going back to the office, I asked to meet Beck. I wanted to make things right with him, and I couldn’t afford to lose another brother because of my impulsive decision.

“What do you want?” He joined me in the bar.

“I’m sorry.” I faced him. “What I’d put you through was unimaginable. I realized that now it’s not your responsibility to keep my wife safe. It’s mine, and I took it lightly. I was stupid. Honestly, I was afraid to face it. I was afraid to tell her the truth—about everything. I’m terrified to lose her if this thing goes horribly wrong. And again, a while ago, I just left her after she brought me to the park.” I looked down as guilt twisted in my chest, and I’d never felt so ashamed until today.

“You’re the dumbest, stupidest person I know. You’ve hired someone to protect her from her family, and now that the situation is getting worse, and you left her there alone? What kind of fucking husband are you? Have you lost your fucking sense, man?”

I frowned deeply as the thought of what I’d done resurfaced. My chest constricted. My hand was shaking as I gripped the glass and emptied it. I let it burn down my throat, hoping I got the courage to face the truth.

He dialed his phone. He must be calling Devin or Linden. “Is she with you?”

He waited, took a deep breath, and nodded. “Okay. Do your fucking job well, or I will kill you this time.” He looked at me.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Frankly, I was out of my mind. I was so invested in this operation that I forgot how to get away from it. I hadn’t realized, or I didn’t think it through, that I already had a wife, and the worse scenario was, falling n love with her was not a part of the plan.

“Do you love her?”

His question didn’t catch me off guard. It was loud and clear—clearer than the blue sky. He knew it, and I knew my feelings towards my wife.

“Yeah.”

“Do you think she loves you?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You can feel it, asshole. You can see it through her eyes. Does she loves you?”

I stared at him and recalled her eyes the color of blue snow.

His expression turned impatient.

“I don’t know, man, but my gut is telling yes, and I wish I am right.”

Beck also looked hurt. “Your life is not complicated, man. You just made it fucking complicated. Your plan worked. You got your way in, and you’ve already got out, but you couldn’t just stop. You went back in and dealt with the devil. And it didn’t stop there. You also involved other people into this whole shebang you called taking down this criminal.”

“I know.” My voice was a low rasp.

“While you have a heart and conscience, but Hanslo hasn’t. He would not think twice taking you down.”Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

“That’s why I have a plan.”

“What is it? And make sure it works, or you’re a dead man. How do you think I should tell Sadie that her husband is just killed by her own father, huh? That’s not my decision to drop the bad news to her. And I don’t think I can, C.”

I pulled out a key. “It’s in my office in the penthouse. In the drawer, you’ll find a small zip lock bag. His hair and my wife’s.”

Mocking sneered in place. “How does a hair save your ass?”

“I want to confirm my suspicion. I don’t think Hanslo is Sadie’s father.”

“Are you certain?” he demanded.

“Until it’s proven. Send it for DNA. I need it ready by Sunday.”

“Consider it done. And stop drinking.” He patted my shoulder as he rose from the stool.

“Where’s my wife?”

He glared at me. “Why do you care? You left her in the park, remember? Go figure out where she is. And don’t you have a tracker implanted in her? You should start telling that to her too.”

I was trying to make amends of whom I failed terribly, and it was about to be over. But easier said than done.

“Do you have another sarcasm you want to throw at me?” I fished out my phone in my suit and dialed my wife. It went straight to her voice mail. “Fuck.”

“Good luck with your apology. You need it.”

I glared at Beck’s back before I texted a message.

CENRIC: Babe, can we talk?

I stared down at the screen after sending it, but it wasn’t seen, and it looked like she had no plan on replying to my text.

I dialed Devin.

He picked up. “Boss?”

“Where’s my wife?”

“The last time I checked, she’s in the hotel.”

“And where the fuck are you?”

“Boss, she has no plan on running away. Trust me, but she’s so upset. She has wine and chocolate in bed. I just went to buy her work clothes for tomorrow. It seems that she has no plan going home, too.”

“Get back to her after that and keep me updated. What hotel?”

“King.”

“On my way.”

“You good?” Linden asked as soon as I entered the car.

“Yeah. King Hotel.”

“Lady Boss checked in in the hotel?” He looked amused.

“Shut that look off, Gabe. I’m not in a mood.”

“Whatever you say, brother. But it looks like you and Beck made up, huh. At least you did something productive today, besides leaving your wife alone.” The last words were a little harsh just to make his point.

“Just shut your mouth. I need a moment to myself.” Resting my head back, I shut my eyes closed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I ignored Linden humming to annoy me the entire ride. We finally arrived at the King Hotel, and my dilemma had not yet started.

“Sadie Wollf, which room is she?”

The receptionist just stared at me. Fucking woman.

“Miss, we are here to see Sadie Wollf. Can you tell us which room she checked in? Her phone must have run out of battery.”

I rolled my eyes at Linden and waited till the fucking receptionist was done searching for Sadie’s room.

“She’s in Catherine Suite, sir.”

“Thank you.”

We entered the elevator.

“If there’s one thing I noticed when there’s a trouble in paradise, you’re past useless.”

“I just wanna see my wife.”

“If she wanna see you. She didn’t go home for a reason. She’s not ready to talk to you. And you deserve this.”

“She doesn’t have a choice, does she?”

Linden glared at me. “Look, brother. This possessive shit-arranged marriage-thing is growing old, man. Treat her as your wife or as your possession or don’t. I learned to respect that woman and my brother’s wife. But if you just mistreat her, I’m done. Do this shit on your own.”

“I’m sorry. There’s just a lot going on, and all I did was mess everything up. The reason I’m here is to see and apologize. I appreciate that you care about Sadie, treat her as my wife, a friend, and not as what blood is running in her veins.”

We reached the floor, and Devin just came out of the suit.

“Well, fellas. She just passed out,” he said delightedly with a hint of sarcasm before giving me the key card. “It’s been a long day.”

“Is she okay?”

“Drunk, gonna wake up with a hangover, but she’s gonna be okay.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you need anything?” Linden asked.

“I’m good. Go check-in. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

I got in the suite. My wife was lying flat on the bed, slightly snoring with a blanket tucked above her chest.

Devin had proven his value to me. He did honestly care for my wife.

I walked closer and was glad she was safe. I planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’m so sorry, babe. I was an asshole earlier. I shouldn’t have left you, but I am here now.”

I took off my clothes and joined her in bed. I slipped my arm under the pillow and draped my leg over hers. I was exhausted physically and mentally. I closed my eyes, hoping to get some rest.

“Asshole!” That was the last word I heard before I found myself on the floor. I groaned in pain, and my head was killing me. What the fuck just happened?

“Babe?”

“Fuck yourbabe!”

Oh, fuck. And she just cursed me.

Squinting, I rubbed my eyes and looked at her. Her gaze was glued to my crotch. I realized my dick was hard as her head right now. “Did you just kick me off the bed?”

“Why are you even here? You left me, remember?” She pointed her finger at me. Her face flushed with anger. “And don’t even try pulling out that twenty-five million dollar shit on me because it doesn’t work anymore!”

I groaned. Damn my head. “I came here to apologize. You were sleeping. That’s why I just joined you in bed.” I sighed into a pit of despair as I was about to admit my mistake. “Look, I was an asshole back at the park, and I’m sorry.”

“Try a heartless piece of garbage. You cared so much about my safety, and you talked about you’d rather die than share it with me, and you left me, you piece of shit! I know you are under a lot of pressure every day, but you were way out of line back there, jerk!” she yelled at me. Her rage was still boiling up. “God! You think everything revolves around you, don’t you? Well, starting today, I’ll prove you wrong, asshole.”