The Billionaire Who Saved Me

“Didn’t I already tell you? Elice doesn’t love you. She came to you because she wanted your money. She’s only after your wealth, Ariel. And you don’t believe what I say? Huh?! Love? Hahaha.”

At the dining table, where life should be as smooth as the food served there, Farrah was seen slamming a photo. Right next to Ariel’s plate. Pausing his breakfast, the sight caused Ariel’s focus to shift. To that portrait.

Ariel picked up the photo with shaking hands. His eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw. Farrah chuckled and crossed her arms.

“Isn’t that proof enough for you?” Farrah taunted her son. “Isn’t this reason enough for you to open your eyes, Ariel? Oh my God! I told you repeatedly. Elice is just after your money. She’s just liked any other common woman. Getting close to a rich man to secure her life.”

Ariel struggled to swallow. He shook his head, either trying to reject his mother’s words or refusing to acknowledge the scene in the photo.

“Do you still not believe? With such concrete evidence now in your hands?”

Farrah shook her head. Then her gaze fell on a middle-aged man casually enjoying a cup of black coffee.

“Honey, tell your son. No more falling for blind love. Ck. Fortunately, it’s not too late. At least Ariel can escape this woman’s deception.”

Ariel ignored his mother’s words. He still stared blankly at the picture. A portrait of Elice in the embrace of a man. And that man was ….

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this either, Ariel.”

Finally, the head of the household, Kurt Sebastian Ramirez, spoke. He seemed to put down his empty coffee cup.

“But who would have guessed? Your mom’s guess was right. Elice is like most women. Getting close to a rich man just because of his wealth. And now we see it for ourselves. After failing to get you, she gets close to Garrett.”

The man was Garrett. Ariel knew that. And it filled his chest with a range of emotions, including anger.

“You’re lucky to be free of Elice. And you should thank me for that.”

Everything his parents said did not seem to reach Ariel’s ears. His body seemed to stop functioning because of what was happening around him. He was focused only on the reality captured in the photo.

Impossible. This couldn’t be. This couldn’t be happening.

Ariel shook his head. Then the photo shattered in his hands. He slammed it down on the dining room table. And he stood up. He pushed the chair roughly, startling Farrah.

“Ariel!” Farrah screamed, clutching her left breast. But Ariel left immediately, leaving Farrah screaming. “Never think of approaching Elice again, Ariel! Let that woman be with Garrett!”

But Ariel kept walking and left the dining room. Ignoring his mother’s warnings.

“Argh! That child!” Farrah grumbled. “Just because of a low-class woman like Elice, he ignores even his own mother.”

Kurt sighed heavily. He raised his hand and motioned to a waiter standing nearby. He spoke as he looked at his coffee cup.

“Make me another cup of coffee.”

“Yes, sir.”

Seeing her husband more concerned about coffee than the ongoing family problem made Farrah even angrier. She snorted in frustration.

“Am I the only one who cares about this family? Argh!”

*

“Are you Elice? Garrett’s girlfriend?”

“Frozen” was no longer an adequate term to describe Elice’s state at that moment. When an unknown older woman asked her that, Elice was naturally speechless. She couldn’t speak and her body felt numb.

Daphne cleared her throat and touched her glasses briefly. The brief look in her eyes seemed as if she had just realized something important.

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself,” Daphne said, exhaling. “I’m Daphne Billings Morales. I’m Garrett’s grandmother.”

Elice could not breathe. Even her soul felt as if it had been forcibly separated from her body.

“I-I-”

“I know exactly who you are,” Daphne interrupted. “Elice McLean. I think a couple of articles that came out this morning are more than enough to explain who you are.”

“A few articles?”

Really. When Elice worked for one of Oceana’s leading magazines, she never expected to be the subject of articles anywhere. Oh, the irony. She was supposed to be the one making the news. Instead, she became the news.

A man standing not far from Daphne seemed to move. In his unassuming forty-two-year-old appearance, he handed Elice a tablet. He was Carolus Powell, Daphne’s personal assistant for over fifteen years.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

With trembling hands, Elice accepted the tablet. Only to widen her eyes when she saw an article with blurry footage from a surveillance camera. The surveillance video showed Elice and Garrett laughing in a club.

Elice swallowed hard. Her face grew pale with an indescribable horror she couldn’t contain. It had already enveloped her entire body.

And if that wasn’t enough to make Elice feel cold, the next article she came across would undoubtedly do the trick. It was another news report showing Garrett coming to her apartment. Then they hugged each other in front of the door.

Elice couldn’t bring herself to look at the next article. With shaking hands, she put the tablet down on the table. Carolus immediately took it back.

“I think everything is clear now. And that explains why Garrett has been trying to postpone his wedding for the past six months.”

M-marriage? For six months?

“I know a career is essential for a working woman. But it’s really not worth the person you’re involved with.”

Elice was sure that she had to explain what had really happened with Daphne. It was all a misunderstanding. She and Garrett were not as portrayed in those articles.

“Ma’am, I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding,” Elice said.

Daphne stared at Elice sharply, causing her to swallow all the words she wanted to say.

“With all these facts?” Daphne asked incredulously, looking at Carolus. “I’m sure he missed an important article here.”

Carolus understood. He immediately handed the tablet back to Elice, revealing an article with an unexpected photo. Elice’s eyes widened as she saw a clear picture of her and Garrett kissing at the hotel door.

Blurry, indeed. It didn’t show their true faces at all. And if Elice was worried about her reputation, at least journalistic ethics ensured that all articles included initials to refer to her name. But of course, that didn’t help much. Elice was sure that almost everyone could figure out who she was by now.

Elice couldn’t move. She could only curse the person who was so enthusiastic about digging up these facts. Even in a very short time, the events of that night had quickly become an article?

“Tell me. Are all these articles wrong?”

Of course not. The articles were correct. But that didn’t mean that Elice and Garrett really had a relationship as concluded by those articles and everyone who read them.

Daphne took a long breath. Together with her body leaning against the sofa, she seemed to want to relax a bit.

“I won’t talk much now. Everything that has happened is obviously not good for Garrett. As you know, Garrett has just appeared in public as the new owner of Pacific Energy. This kind of gossip and news about his love life is not something that should be out in the open. Especially in a humiliating context.”

Elice’s expression was helpless. Even now, when she wanted to defend herself, she had no proof. All the facts seemed to corner her from different angles.

“So,” Daphne continued. “I don’t think there’s any other way. Anyway, you and Garrett have to get married soon.”

“What?!”

Elice couldn’t control her hysteria this time. She was shocked by Daphne’s words. Her heart felt like it was tearing apart inside.

“H-how can Garrett and I-”

“How can’t you?” Daphne cut in quickly. “With your relationship this far along, why can’t you get married?”

Elice dramatically closed her eyes. She really didn’t want to imagine the reality of what was happening to her right now.

“You don’t have to worry about anything. All you have to do is let your mother know that you and Garrett are getting married. And, of course, about your job here…” Daphne lifted her face and looked at the manager’s office for a moment. “… you just think about it. Whether you want to keep working or not.”

Elice felt like dying. Even when Daphne and Carolus had finally left, Elice felt unable to get up from her seat. She really had no strength left.

The office door opened. Hollis entered with a face as pale as Elice’s. The middle-aged man, who was a friend of her mother’s, approached her.

“Elice.”

Elice opened her eyes to find Hollis sitting next to her. The man’s expression was one of concern and anxiety.

“How are you?” Hollis asked. “Are you okay? W-what’s going on?”

Elice didn’t answer any of these questions, because the answers were easy to guess.

Elice was not okay. And she didn’t know what was going on. Everything felt like it was spinning in her head.

Wiping her face and hair with both hands, Elice gave Hollis a tired shake of the head. Only to realize something important. She panicked and turned to the manager.

“Don’t tell Mom about this, sir. I beg you.”

Hollis stared at Elice. The man, now with white hair on his head, nodded. He clearly understood the woman’s fear.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell your mother. Although I’m not sure. Wilda might have found out.”

That possibility could indeed happen. But leaving that aside for a moment, Elice knew that there was something very important here. Something she had to take care of first.

Elice stood up. Hollis reflexively stood up as well.

“Where are you going?” Hollis asked when he saw Elice’s gesture indicating that she wanted to leave.

“There’s something I have to do first, sir,” Elice replied nonchalantly. She left quickly. “Excuse me.”

Elice left Hollis’ office and went straight to the restroom. Just to make sure all the stalls were empty. No one was there and she quickly pulled out her phone.

Just as Elice was about to contact a new number that had sent her a message last night, she found an incoming call. And of course, it was from that new number.

Elice answered it in a panic, just as panicked as she called out the man’s name.

“Garrett.”

*