Her Possessive Billionaire

THEIR PAST

CHAPTER 3

Island near Bataan, 4 p.m.

Aliyah left with Khalan as soon as the yacht docked on the island. She refused to take his hand when he offered assistance. She supported herself on the slipway until she reached the sand. 

Aliyah took her phone from her pocket and immediately took pictures of the island, leaving Khalan behind to do business with the owner.

The 20 hectares island is beautiful. She could highlight the island's captivating landscape in the architectural design to make it even more attractive. 

Aliyah imagined the creative design of a luxury hotel and its amenities befitting the beauty of the place. It was a project she wouldn't mind designing herself, she thought. Aliyah was captivated by its beauty and serenity instantly.

She was too engrossed in her exploration. She failed to notice Khalan's eyes which followed her everywhere. Even while he spoke with the owner of the property, his eyes continued to trace her whereabouts. 

Khalan's acquisition team would like him to inspect and approve the island's purchase before proceeding with the deal. It was why he sailed, combined with the need to escape from the pressures of his business and Aliyah's distant treatment. He never planned to see her last night, but it was an opportunity so good he might not get one like it again in his lifetime.

As soon as Khalan was done with his meeting with the owner, he immediately approached Aliyah. 

"What do you think of the island?" He asked her, his eyes expression concealed with the dark shades.

"Beautiful and serene, what's your target market?" she questioned indifferently.

"High-end," he responded briefly.

She nodded, "Big enough space,” concurring that it would fit the required space for the chosen market. Just like she thought the high-end facility would be perfect for the island. She queried, “Are you buying it now?" 

"Yes! I just approved the acquisition." Khalan affirmed.

"Can we bid for the design?" she inquired. Now she's interested in designing it.

"It's YOURS.” He smirked. Then he announced his plan “My team will coordinate with your firm as soon as we have the documents.”  

She arched her brows, a bit surprised when she learned that he would lift bidding. “Any budget in mind?”

"OPEN," Khalan said without flinching.

Aliyah's  lips curved into a broad smile on her lips that reached her eyes, "Awesome!" she exclaimed.

Khalan shook his head; he just saw her genuine smile for the first time in a long time. 

He missed that smile a lot. In fact, he miss everything about her.

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Their love story could have been beautiful until greed destroyed everything.

FlashBack 1 (Khalan)

Khalan bumped into the young Aliyah as he was rushing to attend a meeting in the conference area. He was late because his flight was delayed coming from the UK by two hours. He should have been here earlier, but now he was 10 minutes late. He was still the company's senior VP at that time, and he would meet the construction and architectural firm that won the bidding for their 2nd building in Manila.

With his perfectly muscled form, the slim lady could be thrown by the corner if he was not quick enough to grab her waist, "Oops, sorry! I was rushing."

The lady smiled sweetly, "It's ok, sir, and I was preoccupied. I'm looking for the conference area,"  Her angelic face was too attractive not to deserve a second glance.

He smiled as well, "I'm on my way there. Please, come with me." He offered.

"Thank you, sir--" she replied timidly.

The Chief Architect, then the boss of Aliyah, was already waiting for his assistant. He left some documents he needed for the meeting, so Aliyah went back to the car to retrieve them.

Khalan and Aliyah were attending the same meeting. She was an assistant to the architect whose firm won in the bidding. She was completing her two years' internship requirement before taking the board exam. Khalan found her attractive even then. Her face was adorable and sweet. Her deep-set eyes rest under naturally curved brows. Her pointed nose and luscious lips were inviting. Her body was perfectly shaped like an hourglass. Simple. Fresh. Naïve.

Khalan's fascination turned into a more profound attraction. They were young; she was 21, and he was 26. Brief courtship followed, then they became officially together. Both of them were young and carefree; they decided to live together. He was the first man in her life. 

Despite their difference in social status, they became a perfect couple. They look good together -a handsome gentleman and his beautiful lady. So madly and deeply in love. 

The relationship lasted for almost a year until Khalan’s grandfather intervened, forcing Khalan to make a drastic decision. --He had to make the hardest decision in his life.

Leaving her was his fault. They have never seen or heard from each other since. 

Until two months ago.

------

Khalan's deep thought was interrupted by the Captain.

"Sir, we need to set sail, the tide is going out," claimed the Captain.

"Alright, we will follow you." He looked at Aliyah. Her body bent while looking at something in the sand a ways away from him.

Then he called her, "Aliyah, we need to board."

Aliyah heard his loud voice. She came running as soon as she picked up the rare shell she saw by the shore. She’d use the "shell" as design inspiration for the island.

"Let's go," she urged passing next to Khalan without looking at him.

Khalan released a deep breath and in his thought to himself, “Aliyah is really stubborn. But I am more stubborn than you. I'm not too fond of you ignoring me. I don't like it at all!"         

-----

After dinner, Aliyah decided to stand at one side of the yacht where she could be alone. 

She left Khalan by the dinner table as soon as she finished her meal. She ate more than her usual dinner as fresh seafood plates were served --her favorite. She wanted to digest what she ate by walking and standing for a few minutes before resuming her work.

She gazed at the tranquil and vast seawater, meeting with the bright sky at some distance. It was one of those evenings that brought her serenity, definitely what she needed to calm down and relax. 

"Such a perfect night," she whispered and closed her eyes, feeling the calmness of the night.

Suddenly, she heard a commanding voice from a near distance.

"Do you have time now to spare?" 

She can’t help but think to herself, "Now, he ruined the perfect night." 

She coldly drawls to him instead... 

"Is there anything you want to discuss regarding the property?" She made a side glance at him. She saw his adam's apple move a bit.

"No, I want to talk about us," Khalan divulged calmly but firmly.

Aliyah closed her eyes and thought, Hmmm, here you go again, "Us, sir?" she countered with fake innocence.

"Yes, you have been avoiding me for a long time," his voice was more throaty, deep but very sexy.

"Oh, wait! There's no "us," sir. What we have is a commercial engagement," she stated crisply.

"Don't you want to talk about what really happened?” Khalan remained calm.

Aliyah scoffed, "Hey! We broke up clean. There's nothing more to talk about," remarking nonchalantly.

"Yes, we did, but…" he wanted to say something else; however, Aliyah rudely interrupted him.

"There are no buts, and we should move on... I did... I think it's best if you move on too. Aren't you married yet?" Aliyah thought he broke up with her because he was engaged to a person his family had chosen for him. He should be married by now. More so, she has no interest in what happened to him after they parted. Everything ended with them the moment he walked away from her.

 "No, I'm not." He gnashed his teeth. He heaved a deep sigh and asked impatiently. "Why is it so hard to talk to you?" he snapped with irritation from her his coldness.

Aliyah smiled, one that didn't reach her eyes. "On the contrary, I am trying to give you straight answers," Aliyah explained without emotion.

"Anyway, what happened?" She pretended to be interested, but she was not interested in knowing anything about him in reality.

"I turned my back on everything." Khalan was looking for any reaction on her face but found none.

After a few seconds...

"That's nothing new, but don't make a habit of turning back,"  Aliyah acknowledged him placidly.

 That made Khalan silent for a while...her words hit too close to home.