UNRAVELING MR BILLIONAIRE

Episode 5

Christina has a nightmare.

In her sleep, she sees herself running down her family’s estate and her father chases her down with a rifle. He finally corners her and looks at her with disdain. He almost pulls the shot when she jumps up from her bed, breathing heavily.

Even when she escapes the old man in the real world, he still chases after her in her sleep.

She looks beside her and sees Junior sleeping peacefully. His stern, calculative eyes are now shut and is posture looks more relaxed. Her natural instinct is to hold him right there and protect him from all the dangers in the world.

She looks over at the alarm clock by the bedside. It’s just 11 o clock. Good. She stands up to refresh herself with some water. Tonight, she isn’t staying in the hotel. There are too many eyes on her now that their relationship is public.

So many people with evil intentions. Even without them, what will the tabloids say about the billionaire whose wife sleeps in a hotel room while he goes home to his bed. They will eat him alive.

“We will be staying at the family’s guest house tonight,” he says as the party wraps up.

“We?” Christina asks to confirm.

“Yes. Father offered. He knows I haven’t perfected your housing arrangement and he hates that you sleep in a filthy hotel,” she nods.

“Don’t worry,” Junior says. “I won’t touch you. I am a man of my word,”

“Father,” she thinks. All she knows about Junior’s father are the things she’s heard from the party. Which happens to be a lot. Goerge Vintage Senior is a very principled man and he seems to have a standard for the kind of people he allows to join the family.

So naturally, he doesn’t approve of the union. That is why he doesn’t come to the party. but he also doesn’t want news flying about the state of his daughter-in-law’s affairs, so he is on top of their situation.

“Don’t worry.” Angel reassures her. “He may look rigid, but he has a soft heart. He will come around,”

Angel seems to be delighted in her company, offering her drinks and introducing everyone to her, but no matter how much she tries to enjoy the night, Sophie is always around the corner with watchful eyes. She decides to ignore her. She can’t be intimidated forever.

“Hello,” the General walks over to her with a smile. Ever since she sees him giving speeches about them as a couple, she has tried to avoid him. She doesn’t know how to apologize for her unruly behavior that day.

“It’s alright,” The General replies when she attempts to apologize. “I was not trying to woo you or anything like that.” He looks over at her shoulder, and gives Junior a rigid stare. Something about his long gazes sed shivers down Christina’s spine.

“I know it’s not in my place,” he says. “But I know The Vintage. They are cruel and calculative. Whatever deal you have with them or they have with you is a sham. He will use you and them dump you. I know this from experience,”

Suddenly, her hands begin to twitch out of fear and she finds herself habitually calming herself by patting her leg. She did not anticipate this discussion going this route at all. Just who is this man and why is he into her business?

“What they do, call me,” he says. “You will always have a place with me,” he gives her a card. The name reads General Xavier Rhodes.

She soon finds out that The General is The Vintage’s biggest opposition in the estate business. He makes his rivalry known at every occasion and is always willing to take the next chance to bring the family down. He clearly can’t be trusted.

Christina soon shakes the thoughts away and is easily swallowed in the crowd of people waiting to socialize with her. She is gradually letting loose and allowing herself to enjoy the party.

“I know why you choose to marry me,” she tells Junior when they get to the guest house.

“Why don’t you tell me then?” he indulges her.

“You want a promotion and your father won’t give you because you aren’t man enough,” she says. “You think he will take you seriously now that you have a wife,”

“Wow!” he says, slightly impressed. “You figured all that out from a party?”

“The problem is,” she continues. “People are starting to figure out that this might be a scam,”

“What do you mean?” He seems interested.

“I am just an ordinary girl from nowhere,” she says. ‘Everyone thinks I’m just here for your money and you will soon discard me. If you want people to take this seriously, we have to make it look serious. Very serious,” she insists.

“What do you propose?”

What does she propose?

She still thinks about it as she drinks her water in the living room. The house is smooth with the marbled floor and the walls are decorated with several family pictures. She can see Junior, his dad, uncle and Angel. They are all smiling.

She can’t help but notice that even when Junior is with family, his smile is still not genuine. He still has that corporate smile where the face takes the shape of a smile, but all the light that warms your heart is gone.

This is not the way he smiles. She has seen the real him the night she first met, and she fears that he may never show that part of him again.

She is lost in thought when she hears a sudden gunshot. She freezes; her legs start to shake. Then, a hand touches her shoulder. She almost lets out a scream when a strange, cold hands cover her mouth.

“Don’t shout,” Junior’s stern voice whisper in her ears. “It’s me,” he says.

She turns back and without giving it much thoughts, she collapses in his arms. She can’t even remember when he wakes up, nor did she hear a thing when he walks up behind her.

“You need to go back to your room,” he says. “You’ll be safe there,”

“No,” she protests. “What about you?” she is almost moved to tears.

“I’ll be fine,” he says. “I promise,”

Then, they hear a loud bang on the door. They both become stiff. The men on the other side are ruthless and unruly, they keep hitting the door hard, waiting to bring it down.

“You need to go inside. Now,” he commands.

“Junior!”

“Go!”

She runs towards the room and quickly locks the door behind her.

She can hear the door in the living room break down and the ruthless men yell and scream at Junior. She covers her ears but she can still hear screams and gunshots.

What the hell has she gotten herself into?