In Love With Mr. Billionaire - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

"So, this Aaron guy," Nadia said, pacing around her apartment, "he was playing you?"
I shook my head, "I don't think so." It was an honest reply. The little time I got to be with him, that thought had never crossed my mind whenever I was around him. And now when Nadia pointed it out, I disregarded it immediately. Playing people was my father's line of work and I knew Aaron was nowhere like my father.
"His father is friends with my dad. They both wanted him to get together with Lahaina. You know, like rich families do to improve their social standing," I explained to her.
"Alright. He also took you out on a date to an art museum and got the paintings delivered early for you?" She asked.
I smiled melancholy at the memory and nodded. Thanks to Nadia, I was in a much better mood. After Aaron's declaration of marrying Lahaina, I had gone straight to Nadia's car.
Unfortunately, she had seen Aaron enter my house and demanded to know what he was doing there. When I gave her the reason, Nadia had tried to go back inside the house and give the 'jerk' a piece of mind. It had taken a lot of convincing for her to let go of the idea.
After arriving at her apartment, I poured my heart out to her. She had listened silently, then without saying a word, had gone to her kitchen to cook me breakfast.
The egg and ham sandwich was now laid in front of me, paired with a cup of coffee, while she broke down the situation to make sense out of it. Sharing my feelings with her had made my heart feel lighter. Her anger at my family and Aaron—she refused to believe his actions were genuine—made me feel happy that I had decided to come to her place.
"This doesn't make sense, Caro," Nadia said, almost on the verge of her very own mental breakdown.
"It doesn't matter anymore, Nad. It's over. He's gone," the last word was almost a whisper, but Nadia heard it.
"It's his loss for being a jerk and not seeing he was trading the world's most wonderful girl for," she searched for a word, "for Lahaina." Nadia made a disgusted face at her name. I smiled at her attempt to comfort me.
"He might have a reason," I told her when I myself did not believe he did.
"Whatever the reason. If he can't take a stand for himself, then he should be out of your life." Nadia's eyes went to the half-eaten sandwich then back to me. "Eat," she ordered.
I picked it up and took another bite, wiping the crumbs off my lips. "You need new and better people in your life, Caro."
My mouth was stuffed with eggs and ham so all I could do was raise an eyebrow in question.
"You don't have a single good person in your life!" She declared, still pacing around. "Your father does not deserve to be called your father. Your stepmother and that Lahaina girl are rotten people to the core. That super-rich Aaron guy turned out to be a jerk. And your cousin is the worst person to exist in the history of mankind."
I frowned at the last statement. "Dylan is nice."
"Don't get me started on that, Caroline, but he isn't the one we are discussing right now. You tell me, what do you plan to do now?" Nadia stopped pacing and turned to look at me with her arms folded across her chest.
She was going to be really disappointed because this conversation was going to involve Dylan. "Dylan offered me to move to California."
"And you are?"
"I don't know. He said I'll be fine there. But I don't want to be a problem for him. I mean obviously, I will get a job and try to move out as fast as I can, but that's not what it is. What if dad goes after him? For all we know, his guards could show up at your door any moment to take me back now. What if me being with him gets him into trouble?" I told her all my worries about that offer.
Aaron was going to marry Lahaina. Just thinking about it made me feel nauseous, I would never be able to witness it with my own eyes. I never wanted to come across either of them ever again.
Not only going to California would help me get over Aaron, but it would also give me a fair chance at life. I would not have to be answerable to my father for everything, I would be free.
"Is that it? You don't want to move to California because you fear your father might hurt you?" Nadia simplified it.
"Not me. Him. Dylan," I told her.
Nadia laughed. She outright laughed. "Look Caro, your cousin may be the biggest jerk in the history of jerks, but I assure you, you'll be the safest with him. He owns a security company. He practically does that for a living."
Her arguments made total sense, I needed to make up my mind. Dylan had said dad would not be able to hurt him. Nadia claimed that as well. If I agreed to go with Dylan, I could leave all of it behind. All the pain. All the horrible memories. And even the few happy ones. I could leave Aaron behind too. It would be for the best.
Two days passed at Nadia's place and I finally felt I was ready to get back to my life. I had decided I was going to move to California. I was yet to talk to Dylan about it. There were a lot of things that needed to be done before that.
"I'm leaving!" I called out to Nadia who was working on some software on her laptop.
She had been the best—not like she was not always—these past few days. Nadia would do everything to cheer me up whenever I got sad or started to think about Aaron.
It was only when my father had sent two bouncers to her place to know about my whereabouts, did I realize that I had forgotten my phone at my place. Nadia being Nadia had taken up the charge to deal with the men themselves. At first, she had, quite bluntly, lied about me not being present at her place. When that had not worked she had threatened the big bulky men to never show up at her doorstep if they wished to live. The threat would have caused a scene usually, but the bouncers had decided to leave after they ensured I was here. It was an odd thing to do and it made me wonder if dad was going to really kill me this time around.
"Don't be sad when you see them. Just punch them in the face. Or better give me a call, I'll break their nose myself," she called back. Her eyes were fixed on the screen. Tomorrow was her deadline.
"I will, Nadia. Take care."
She jumped off the couch and came to me to give me a tight hug. "Don't waste your tears on people who don't deserve it." It was more of an order than a comforting statement.
I took a cab and stopped by my place to get into my office clothes and took my phone with me. It was dead so I would have to charge it at work.
Thankfully, no one was at home. Even at the workplace, it was unusually peaceful. Lahaina was nowhere to be seen and I stopped myself from thinking where or with whom she could be. Juliea, as usual, had packed herself to her cabin and dad had decided to do the same.
I was discussing my plans of resigning with Laci when we were disturbed by the ringing of her intercom. She answered it and her eyes flickered to me the instant she put the receiver to her ear.
"Mr Marshall wants you in his office, now," she told me after ending the connection.
I was frozen at my spot for a few seconds. What did he want now? He was going to be angry, wasn't he? He was going to ask me why I had run off to Nadia's place and I would have nothing to say.
I shivered by just the thought of going in front of him. Straightening my skirt and putting on a professional front, I knocked on his office door.
"Get in," came his voice. He was furious.
With slow steps, I walked to his desk then settled in a chair when he told me to do so. I dropped my gaze to my hands on my lap, unable to look him in the eye as he dug holes through my skull.
"Where were you?"
"At Nadia's place," I answered.
"I sent my men there. Do you know that?" He already knew the answer but I still had to speak it out.
"Yes."
"Then why the fuck did you not come back!" He snapped. His voice echoed through the office walls. I believed it may have escaped the door and echoed in the hallway as well.
With peripheral vision, I saw him clench his fists. He was trying to control himself to not hit me.
"I'm sorry," I told him. The phrase was too familiar to me now.
"Now that you are back, Ms Marshall," he said with immense distaste. "I'd like to ask you. Are you aware of what is going on in our family?"
I nodded.
"Are you aware that, very soon, there is going to be a wedding in our house?" His anger was barely under control, but his voice was not. He was screaming at me.
Only this morning, I had decided I was not going to think about Aaron again. I had successfully managed to go through half of the day without allowing my mind to wander to him. Now, I was forced to talk about him again. About his wedding.
"I know," I whispered to myself.
"Speak clearly, Caroline. I do not have the patience!" He shouted at me and I lost it.
All the pain, all the anger, all the hatred that I had been trying to suppress within me for so long erupted like fire through a dormant volcano.
"I said I know it. I know the day I left Mr Woodwords was there to talk about his marriage with your beloved daughter. I know about it, okay? I know it!" I shouted back at him.