BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Ryan’s POV

Mom is as curious as I am because of how she keeps darting her gaze toward the door Valerie and my father took.

Trying to think of something to say to light up the atmosphere and take her mind off them, I clear my throat. “You ok?”

She fixes her gaze on me and nods with a smile.

I am not asking her if she is ok now, I am asking if she is fine and healthy. There is no sign of being unhealthy and it keeps confusing the hell out of me.

“Do you think it’s about the promise we made to Adams? Is that why your wife wanted to see your father?”

I didn’t think of it that way. At first, I was scared Valerie wanted to see him because of her belief of him being her attacker but I trust her to play safe.

That will endanger her. My Dad can sue her without considering the fact that she is his daughter-in-law. He doesn’t take issues like this lightly and I’m sure he won’t do the same for the daughter of his enemy.

There is nothing to categorize his relationship with her father. Since they are not friends as they claim, then it means they are enemies.

I won’t let anyone hurt Valerie. Not even him.

The conflict should be between them. The two of us should be exempted from all of this.

To be honest, a part of me wants to believe Valerie’s story but I keep telling myself that Mother can never keep such a thing from me for years.

I trust her more than I trust myself.

I want to believe Valerie because I know what Father is capable of. I know how cruel he can be and I also know how he treats his mother sometimes.

But the part about him not being my biological Father or trying to poison my Mother is enough reason for me not to believe her.

They love each other. He can treat her badly but not kill her. Father might have once cheated on my Mother before but definitely not my Mother cheating on him.

It’s impossible. I know what My Mother can do too.

“Ryan?” her touch jerks me back to life.

I look up with a question in mind but before I can ask her what I have in mind, she beats me to it by repeating her question.

“Do you think it’s about the promise we haven’t fulfilled?”

Mother is blaming herself too for this. I didn’t want to inform her because I thought I could handle this on my own. But when it became apparent that I needed her help, I had to tell her and she promised me she wouldn’t let Dad know that I told her.

“I think so.”

She sighs. “Are you still going ahead with what we planned?”

“Yes, mom. It’s in place already”, I assure her and she heaves a sigh of relief before resting her back more comfortably on the chair, looking relaxed.

Everything Valerie said keeps ringing in my ears, taking me back to the question I want to ask Mom.

I know I didn’t plan for it to be now. Not this soon but this is an opportunity. We are still in the dining room.

Should I ask her?

“Mom…”, I trail off and shut my eyes to summon up enough courage to ask her what I have in mind. I don’t believe it is true but I want assurance that it is indeed false.

When I look up, I meet her intense gaze. If Mother isn’t showing any signs of being sick for over an hour that we have been here, then it means Valerie’s belief of seeing someone poisoning her is false.

What about her belief that my Dad isn’t my biological Dad? Is that also false? Did she see that in a dream?

“Ryan?” she calls, arching a curious brow at me.

“Is Father my biological Dad?” I find myself asking with my eyes tightly shut.

A loud gasp leaves her mouth, making me flutter my eyes open. She is stunned by my question but I can’t see the fear flashing on her expression out of guilt or anything.

What I see there is nothing but anger. “What?!”

I fake laughter after a while as she continues to stare at me with wide eyes and in disbelief. “I was just kidding. Come on.”

She does not look convinced so I say again. “You were looking so worried about her and I needed your attention.”

I take her hand and kiss the back before placing it back on the large table separating us.

She sighs angrily and looks away. We remain silent because I don’t know what else to say to convince her that I wasn’t serious.

I knew it.

Mother wouldn’t hide such a thing from me.

“I’m worried about her. I have a feeling she was involved in that accident because she was depressed about the baby she lost.”

That reminds me. I told her we lost the baby. I couldn’t keep up with the pretense. And the guilt I was feeling each time she brought the topic up was intense.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

So I decided to add one more lie to my already long list of lies. Now that Valerie and I are real with each other, we can start thinking of making babies.

There is absolutely no need to fake a pregnancy anymore.

“When I asked her about it, she didn’t look like she was hurt and I remember how you told me she took the news. She is indeed a strong woman and I admire her for that” She, sighs and I know she remembers her experience of losing a child too. “When your father and I lost our first baby, it was hard for me to live like nothing is missing. It was so hard for me to pretend as if I never carried him in my stomach for almost nine months. It was indeed hard for me to let go of him too.”

“She will get through it just like you did, Mother”, I assure her but before I can continue, something dawns on me.

I told Mother about the baby a day before Valerie’s accident. How then did she tell Valerie?

Valerie and Mother haven’t seen each other since the accident either. Mother didn’t visit the hospital but Dad did.

Did Valerie come behind my back to see Mother?

If Valerie was being honest about coming here a day before she had an accident, then it means that was the day Mother asked her about the baby.

I stand up abruptly, my head spinning with a lot of unanswered questions.

“Mom, I need to go now. I just remember I made a reservation for Valerie and I…”

“Oh, you should go.” She dismisses me without asking me anything else.

I grab my phone and turn around to peck her forehead just in time for Dad to come in. The way he chatted with me so freely tonight at Dinner is surprising. The way he is smiling at me right now is surprising too.

Where is Valerie? I almost voice out.

Instead, I find myself running towards the entrance and badding him goodbye at the same time.

I run inside the living room and further towards the front door. When I pull it open, Valerie is standing there, shaken and confused.

“Val?”

“Ryan?” she looks up at me, as though she can’t wait to start bombarding me with the questions in her mind.

I also have something to ask her.

I grab her hand and begin to walk toward the parking lot so no one would hear us.

Before we get there, she yanks her hand away from my hold and then to me. “I know who is behind this, Ryan.”

“I also have a question, Val, can we get home first?”

“No!” she replies sharply. “Ask your question.”

I nod in impatience. “Did Mother ask you about the baby?”

“Yes”, she answers rather sharply, making me furrow my brows at her.

“When did she ask you about the baby?” I ask her again, curious to know why she didn’t make an issue out of it. I know she doesn’t like it when I do something that involves us both without informing her first.

“When I came here that morning”, she replies, then rolls her eyes dramatically. “before my so-called accident. Why?”

My mouth drops open as I begin to put the puzzles together. Something is still missing, but I can’t figure out what it is.

How can I believe the whole story when some parts are impossible?

“Ryan, will you listen to what I have to say now too?” she isn’t showing interest in what I just asked her. She is less bothered about that.

I blink and watch her. “What is it?”

Has she discovered something new?

“Anita”, she mentions and I stiffen in fear. “Anita is the one poisoning your Mom.”

I blink several times to be sure I hear her right and that I am not dreaming. When her expression is unwavering and the words sink deeply into my system, I exclaim loudly in disbelief. “What?!”