The Billionaire Who Saved Me - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

I knew I had caused trouble. Although this dance teacher Riley was a bit difficult to get along with, he was definitely an expert.
An expert like him could see right through me. I tried to cover up my lack of skill, but it was obvious that I had failed.
I hid by the door, watching the situation in the hallway. Riley called out a few times, and then Mason walked out of the room, asking, "What's going on?"
Riley was so angry, he was practically losing it in front of Mason. "What's going on? You still have the nerve to ask? You promised me a dance genius. I flew all the way from Humdale, and this is what you show me?
"Didn't you say she was a natural-born dancer? That girl just gave me an aerobics routine."
Mason couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud, "Alright, it's my fault. But now that you're here, we can't just let you go back like this, right? It wouldn't look good for your reputation, Riley, would it?"
Riley sneered, "You're clearly playing me, banking on how much I care about my reputation."
"If I didn't say it that way, with your high standards, you wouldn't be moved by any amount of money anyway." Mason's flattery hit the mark, leaving me feeling a little embarrassed.
Riley scoffed, "That's true. Fine, let's go."
Mason's simple words instantly calmed Riley down, and the two of them walked toward the dance room together.
I couldn't help but admire how effective flattery was. I quickly returned to the center of the room, immediately adjusting my facial expression to appear shy, guilty, and confident all at once.
When Riley came back in, he seemed pleased with my expression. He didn't make things difficult for me. Instead, he taught me a few basic dance steps and then let me practice on my own.
Maybe I was a quick learner, but after a few moves, Riley nodded and signaled that we could move on to the next thing.
He pressed the button on the speaker again, and then waved to Mason, who was sitting nearby. "Come over here and take her through a routine."
Mason obediently walked over, gesturing with a flourish. "Miss, may I have the honor of a dance with you?" He was the perfect gentleman, following all the proper high-society etiquette.
"Of course, it would be my honor," I smiled, maintaining an air of pride as I placed my hand in his broad palm, standing straight with perfect posture.
Mason gave me a slight smile before gently pulling me into his arms, his warm hand resting on my slim waist as we started to dance to the music.
At first, I was a little nervous, my body stiff, but I didn't let it show on my face. Mason leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "Relax, I'll be with you the whole time."
His words were a huge encouragement, like having a strong anchor, and my nervousness quickly faded away.
As we continued to dance, we grew more in sync, keeping a distance no wider than a fist, and I could even feel the masculinity radiating from Mason. His soulful gaze stayed locked on my eyes, and I almost lost myself in that tender look.
But then, my mind flashed back to how Mason had reacted when he first saw my face and heard my voice, how quickly his attitude had changed.
Mason was too dangerous. I silently built up a wall in my mind. I reminded myself that with Mason, it was only about mutual use. I absolutely could not fall for him.
I still had a great debt to settle, and I hadn't healed from the pain of my past. At this point, love wasn't a luxury for me; it was more like a dangerous beast that I needed to avoid at all costs.
I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the dance. I had to earn Riley's approval to receive his guidance. It didn't matter how arrogant he was. The real goal was to master the skills, the ones no one could take away from me.
I didn't remember how long we danced, but when Riley pressed the button to stop the music, I realized my entire body, including my forehead, was drenched in sweat.
Mason was fine, but as soon as the music stopped, he immediately dropped the tender look in his eyes, released me, and walked over to Riley. "How did she do?" he asked.
Riley gave me an approving glance and answered, "Not bad. She's quite smart. She's got the potential to be a dancer. It's a shame she's a bit older. If she were younger, with proper training, she could be a star."
"She doesn't need to be a star. I just want her to look like a seasoned dancer. Can you do that in a month?" Mason asked.
"That's going to be tough."
"That's fine. She's not afraid of hard work."
They completely ignored how I felt, casually deciding on the next month's training right in front of me.
Then began my hellish routine. Every day, I spent an hour showering, eating, and resting. I got three hours of sleep, and the rest of the time was spent dancing. My training sessions stretched up to twenty hours a day.
In the first few days, my arms and legs felt like they weren't even mine anymore. But I kept pushing through, grinding my teeth.
Riley told me that if I could make it through the first week, I'd stretch out all the stiffness in my body.
Describing my intense training as just exhausting seemed accurate. I never once stopped sweating.
In the end, my hard work paid off. My efforts finally earned me a smile of approval from Riley.
By the time he left, I wasn't just proficient in tango, waltz, cha-cha, and rumba, the famous ballroom dances—I had even learned a little about some famous ancient dances from Andover.
At that point, I didn't know what all the hardship of learning these dances would be for, but later, it turned out they were incredibly useful in social situations.
In the third month, I had a new set of teachers—not just one, but several.
My training shifted from indoors to outdoors, and the activities expanded from dancing to horseback riding, swimming, shooting, combat skills, and more.
The island wasn't very big, but it had everything. In addition to the racetrack, swimming pool, and other basic facilities, there was even a small airport in the northwest corner of the island.
From the way the people on the island treated Mason, it was clear that this small island was likely his private property. Up until now, my understanding of him was limited to just his name.
But Mason's influence was enormous. The island itself and the teachers he hired for me were proof of that. Each of these teachers was a top expert in their field. Yet, they all started from scratch, patiently teaching me, a woman who knew nothing.
Except for Riley, the dance teacher, who was more or less "tricked" into teaching me, the rest of the teachers willingly agreed to help.
I certainly didn't let myself think that it was my charm that made them agree. When they spoke about Mason, they were full of admiration, and they never mentioned a word about his status.
The three months of training were finally over, and just as Mason had said at the beginning, it wasn't just my appearance that changed, but my inner world had been completely transformed.
The old me was shaped by Amelia to believe that nothing mattered more than my husband and mother-in-law. My world was so small it revolved around groceries and housework. But these past few months of training opened my eyes and completely changed me.