The Billionaire’s Pawn

STRIKER

When the door squeaked, I felt it was her. Her presence just made the room too small for us. “You’re leaving again.”

“I’m not.” I couldn’t even look her in the eye. I was guilty of abandoning her years ago. It was still my fault that her mind and emotions were so volatile and fragile at that time, and it felt like I took advantage of it and didn’t think of the consequences.

When all I wanted at that moment was to reassure her that she would be okay, what I was doing was wrong. I got it now.

“Dad fired you.”

“It’s alright.” I put my gun in the duffel.

“Yet, you can’t even look at me.” I couldn’t stand it anymore when she sounded so disappointed like that.

I dropped what I was doing and stood up to meet her in the eye. “I will take the job offer permanently at the Cade premium. Desk job might suit me.”

“But?”

“No buts.”

“Dad warned you, didn’t he?”

“I’ll sort things out.”

“You told me we would talk after you talked with Dad. What did he exactly say to you, Cade?”

“Nothing that I can’t handle.” I breathed deeply. “What did you exactly remember?”

She stared at me for a moment. “We’re having dinner.”

“And after that?”

“We-”

“We sat in the family room. And-” Fuck. I checked my phone and went through the call logs. “I remember dialing Linden.” But it looked like I didn’t. “I swear I dialed his number, and he didn’t answer. It doesn’t seem like Linden. He always picked up.” I went to my outbox. “I typed SOS to him, but nothing. It seemed like it didn’t happen.” I stared at London in confusion.

“It was the wine, wasn’t it?”

“Lena came to bring us the wine.”

“Lena was off yesterday, Cade.”

I was more confused. “I swear, it was Lena who handed you the wine.”

“She’s off every Friday night.” She came to sit on my bed, sighing deeply. “I shouldn’t have forced you to drink.”

“It’s not your fault. I should have just focused on my job.”

“You regretted it, didn’t you?”

“No, Vanderford. Your father hates me. I broke his trust for something I could easily handle the situation. It never happened to me with my client before.” When I looked at her, she went silent. “I’m sorry for being a jerk.”

“It’s fine. I just wanted to give you the dinner I owed you. And we wouldn’t know that something like that would happen.”

“Can I ask something?”

“What? If I feel something? A muscle ache or something?” She rolled her eyes.

“Sorry. I have to go before your dad sends the entire cavalry to throw me out of your property.” I sighed again and went to my bag.

She held my arm when I took my bag. “When am I going to see you again? Do you still wanna see me?”

I stopped. “Let me sort things out.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She came to face me. “Did my dad warn you not to see me, too?”

“Just give me two or three days, okay? Then I’ll call you.”

“No, you won’t.” She walked away to the door.

“London.”

“After another two years, maybe.” And that was it-she walked out and slammed the door behind her.

I sent an SOS to the group chat as soon as I got into my car. One hour later, I arrived at our meeting place, the restobar near the firm.

“Did you receive a call from me last night?” I quickly threw a first question to Linden before I could even sit as if my life depended on his answer.

Linden just raised a brow at me.

“About what?” Sax Ryder asked. He was one of the team members to rescue London two years ago.

“This is a life and death situation,” I went into a 360 mood.

“No,” Linden answered quickly. “What happened? Are you okay? Is London okay?” He knew London well, and so as Linus.

“I think someone roofied us,” I said silently.

“What do you mean someone roofied you?” Kye asked. “Are you okay, bro?”

“Why didn’t you call right away? Or send me an SOS.”

“What exactly happened?” Linden asked again. Worry and confusion plastered over his face when I couldn’t find the right words to reply.

“Well, brace yourself because this is the most unexplainable and ridiculous circumstance I’ve ever been in. To make the story short, London and I had dinner-”

“Oh boy,” they chorused. Obviously, it was the worst idea. I knew it.

“Hear me out. We had dinner at her house, in her dining room. That’s all. She even asked her chef to cook for me. It was a joke when I said you owed me dinner.”

Sax and Kye weren’t impressed, but Linden seemed amused if I read his expression correctly.

“So we had dinner and had wine after.”

“Wow. When can I have a single client like her?”

“Shut up,” Sax elbowed Kye. “Probably an old bald man is all you got.”

“Then she told me you’re off tonight. She let me join her in the family room. Then these weird things happened. Lena, her helper, brought us another wine. When I asked London earlier, she said Lena was off every Friday night. I swear, it was Lena.”

“Then what happened next?” Linden inquired.

“I just had a sip of the wine because I know I had to keep my head clear and make sure London went to bed before I wrapped things up. She was slightly drunk, and she got a sip, too. She started babbling that she shouldn’t get drunk, then got drowsy. I quickly realized that the wine was spiked.”

“Where’s the wine bottle?”

“I don’t know, man,” I told Sax honestly. “I swear I dialed your number last night, Linden.” I looked at him, and I got more confused when he shook his head.

“I’m sorry, brother.” He showed me his incoming calls last night, and I didn’t see my name around that time.

“I wasn’t sure if I hit the send button of my SOS to the group chat when I checked my outbox or the last message I typed. Na-da. As if it never happened.” I leaned against the chair. “Then weird things happened. I woke in London’s bed-”

“You slept with your client?” Yeah, my friends were so predictable.

“Have I? Have I fucking ever?” I gestured my hands. “Are you all fucking serious right now?”

“This is London we’re talking about, Cade,” Linden pointed out.

“Yes. This is London, but I still wouldn’t do it as long as I work for her.”

“Just tell us what happened,” Sax was more interested in the juicy details, but he wouldn’t get it from me.

“I have no recollection of what happened after that wine. I just found myself naked in London’s bed. London was beside me, and she didn’t remember anything, too, but our clothes were everywhere on the floor as if we had fun, or it was staged to look like it, and the worse part was-”

“There’s still the worse part,” Kye interrupted me with a chuckle. “Aside from sleeping with the client. Wow.”

Linden was smiling at me, and I didn’t know why. My guess was Linus had called him already.

“You already knew,” I wanted to confirm it with him.

“Not this detail.”

“Did Linus call you before I arrived?”

“He called me to say he no longer needs your service.” That was all?

“Did he sound pissed or something? Disappointed?”

“No.”

I didn’t believe him.

“He found you in bed with his daughter this morning, didn’t he?”

“Yeah.” I looked down. “I betrayed Mr. Vanderford, broke his trust, and he didn’t want to see my face again.”

“Unless?”

I lifted my chin to look at him. “What made you think there’s unless?”

“Well.” Linden linked his fingers together. “I heard like this many times. First, from Cenric, Mykel, and the last one was your ex-boss, Rome, and now, you.”

“Well, I can’t wait for my turn, bro.” Sax patted my shoulder.

“She doesn’t deserve me.”

“Then why are we still talking about this?” Linden shot back, clearly not impressed. “You can just ask me for another assignment.”

Right.

I swallowed. I couldn’t give him the correct answer because it would be unbearable. I wanted to see London again. Fuck, I wanted to see her right now. I wondered what her father told her after I left. I wanted to be there at this difficult time. Yet, here I was.

“You have your answer. But why do you think she doesn’t deserve you?”

“Wait. I’m lost, bro. What’s going on?” Sax asked us. “Do you know what they’re talking about, bro?” He then turned to Kye.

“It doesn’t concern you anymore, Ryder.” Kye ignored him.

“She’s just too perfect, beautiful, kind, talented, and she’d been through a lot to be with someone like me. I mean, look at her. She has her life all figured out. Right now, I’m jobless, and she’s the CEO of her own brand. She’s the daughter of a billionaire, and I’m a nobody.”

“You’re not a nobody, bro. Don’t sell yourself too short. Her ex is the nobody,” Kye said, and somehow, it uplifted me.

“You know I know all your background, right?” Linden pointed out at me. “Your dad is rich if we talk about money.”

“I’m not talking about my dad. I’m talking about myself.”

“How much is her net worth without his father’s money?” Linden shrugged.

“At least she has a job.”

“Figure that out, brother. And let’s not forget that woman has been into you for two years. I didn’t even know why you were so eager to leave the country at that time?”

I suddenly felt ashamed to admit it. “She was too innocent and beautiful, and I’d never felt that kind of connection to anyone.”

“It scared you,” he added.

I swallowed hard again. “Yeah, it fucking terrified me. I was just there to help rescue her, but I couldn’t put her down and take my eyes off her. I told myself, if I don’t run away right now, I will only corrupt this girl, and she’d been through tough shit than most girls her age.”

“She was twenty-one at that time. An adult, Cade. You were just a scaredy-cat.”

“I have nothing to offer to her.”

“Maybe all she needed was your presence, your attention, but it’s never been too late. So what’s your plan?” He cocked an eyebrow.

Seconds passed by, and Linden was still waiting for my reply.

“I have no plan.” I shook my head.

“Are you fucking with us, Cade?”

I saw the annoyance that shot across his face. “What do you want me to do?”

“And let me guess, you already gave her your word to be with her,” he sarcastically remarked.

I blankly blinked many times in a row before I nodded in agreement.

“What are you so scared of?”

I grabbed the glass of cold water in front of me and drank it until empty. “That I have nothing to offer to her.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“She only needs you, not your fucking bank account. She already has that.”

“You’re wrong. She doesn’t need me. All she needs is to face the truth that she doesn’t need a man like me.”

“Did you tell her that?”

“Fuck you, Linden.”

“So is it okay if she just goes out there and enjoys being single? Or you’re willing to gamble that scaredy heart of yours and accept what has been blessed for you.”