Captivated By The Billionaire

Chapter one “This is it for me! "I am done! Not doing this anymore." "First it was Michael, now Mark. I don’t think love is meant for me.” Betty’s voice cracked as she screamed at her reflection in the restaurant bathroom mirror. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, and tears blurred the image staring back at her. She gripped the edge of the sink so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Is this a dream, someone please wake me up” She said to herself. And just yesterday I was so confident that I had finally met my soulmate, she said with a rueful smile on her face. It was Mark’s birthday. Her fiancé. The man she had spent the last three years loving, trusting, and hoping to spend the rest of her life with. On her way home from work, she stopped at a restaurant across town to pick up the custom birthday cake she had ordered weeks earlier. The place was famous for its cakes, and she wanted his birthday to be special. Mark had taken her there the first week they started dating to get a cake for his mom's 60th birthday, but she hasn’t been there since then. Their cakes are the best. She remembered him saying. She wanted to give him the best. As soon as she entered the restaurant, Betty noticed a crowd gathered near a corner table. Laughter and applause filled the air. Curious, she glanced over and saw a man on one knee, holding out a sparkling ring to a stunned woman.A smile tugged at Betty’s lips. She loved moments like that. She was about to join the cheering crowd when something made her freeze. The man looked familiar.Her smile vanished. No. Her heart skipped a beat. No, it couldn’t be. She stared harder, her eyes tracing the broad shoulders, the neatly pressed shirt, and the dark hair she had run her fingers through countless times. It was Mark. Her fiancé. The man she had come to celebrate. He was kneeling before another woman. Not just any woman. Paula. His ex-girlfriend. The same Paula he had repeatedly sworn meant nothing to him. The same Paula he claimed he hadn’t spoken to in months. She recalled her conversation with Mark six weeks ago when his phone rang while he was in the bathroom and the caller was Paula, and when she asked him, he said it was nothing to worry about; it’s just work stuff. She didn’t bother to probe further because she trusted him. I’m just an i***t, she whispered to herself! The restaurant erupted in cheers as Paula covered her mouth and nodded through happy tears. Mark slid the ring onto her finger. Betty felt the room tilt. The applause sounded distant and muffled, as though she were underwater. Her stomach twisted violently. She opened her mouth to speak, to scream, to demand an explanation, anything. No sound came out. For a moment, she simply stood there, invisible among the celebrating crowd, watching her entire future shatter in front of her. She looked at the ring on her finger, the ring Mark gave her about six months ago. She slipped it off with tears in her eyes. Then she turned and ran. She barely noticed the startled faces she pushed past as she rushed into the bathroom. The door slammed behind her. Now, staring into the mirror, mascara streaking down her cheeks, Betty hardly recognized the woman looking back at her.The woman in the reflection looked broken. Humiliated. Betrayed. Outside, people were celebrating an engagement. Inside, Betty was mourning her own. Betty stayed in the bathroom long after the sounds of celebration outside had faded into a dull hum. She couldn’t bear the sound, it felt like a knife piercing through her heart. She clapped her hands over her ears but the sound still echoed in her mind. Several Ladies came and went, casting curious glances at her reflection in the mirror. One lady actually stopped to ask if something was wrong but she just said she was fine. She hesitated near the sink, opening her mouth as if to say something but Betty quickly turned away. So she left. She couldn’t stay there anymore. Taking a shaky breath, she grabbed a handful of paper towels and wiped the streaks of mascara from her cheeks. The effort was pointless. Her eyes were swollen, her face pale, and the pain inside her chest remained exactly where it was. Another group of women entered the restroom laughing loudly. She knew she had to get out of that place. Betty lowered her head. She couldn’t bear another second in that place. Quietly, she slipped out of the bathroom and hugged the wall of the hallway. The restaurant was still buzzing with excitement. Waiters hurried between tables carrying trays of champagne while guests clustered around Paula, admiring the ring on her finger. Betty’s stomach twisted. She felt betrayed. How could Mark do this to her after all these years together she thought. She turned away before anyone could notice her. She didn’t have the strength to confront him. There was no point she said to herself, he has clearly made his choice. Without looking back, she pushed through the restaurant’s front doors and stepped into the cold night with tears streaming down her chicks. She didn’t even remember the cake she came to pick up. It didn’t matter anymore. Cool drizzle greeted her immediately. Tiny droplets settled on her hair and eyelashes. Only then did she glance at her wristwatch. 10:17 PM. She would have been rushing home by now, carrying Mark’s birthday cake and texting him excuses about why she was running late. The thought almost made her laugh. A hollow, painful laugh. Home. What home? The apartment she shared with him? The couch where they planned their wedding? The kitchen where they had argued over paint colors for a house they would never buy together? No. She didn’t feel like going there right now. Not yet. So she walked. Past glowing storefronts. Past crowded bus stops. Past couples sharing umbrellas. The drizzle became rain. The rain became a downpour. Soon her blouse clung to her skin. Water soaked through her shoes with every step. She didn’t even notice that the rain had started pouring down that heavily. She was lost in thought She just kept on walking. She wasn’t sure where she was going. Only that she couldn’t stop. Her thoughts chased each other in endless circles. Thoughts of Micheal, her first love flashed through her mind and the phone call that ended their relationship. "And now Mark” She muttered softly How long had Mark been lying? Why did he propose to her six months ago if he was still in love with Paula? Had Paula known about her? Each question cut deeper than the last. A distant horn sounded behind her. She didn’t react. A few moments later it sounded again. Longer this time. Betty kept walking, oblivious of the car following her. The horn blared a third time. Then headlights swept across the wet pavement beside her. A sleek black limousine rolled slowly alongside the sidewalk. Betty barely noticed. The vehicle continued matching her pace. What could he possibly want?