THE BILLIONAIRE'S BARGAIN

CHAPTER 18

*****

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the sprawling estate, Harrison and Carmilla along with their mother entered the mansion. The grand foyer, adorned with ornate mirrors and expensive art, echoed with an uncanny silence.

It felt heavy, like the walls themselves were privy to the things they had just unearthed. Harrison still reeling from the police station visit, could sense the tension in the air, thick and suffocating.

His mother, a woman of striking beauty with a sharp, calculating gaze, had earlier dismissed the idea for an escort home.

“ There's no use in dragging this out, Harrison. You need to get back to the office”, she stated, her tone clipped and devoid of the usual maternal warmth. She pivoted her heels, Instantly returning to the facade of the composed drug dealer she has always been. Something no one knew except her husband. It wasn't like she didn't care; it was the unspoken understanding they share-some things were better left unsaid.

“ No”, Harrison replied firmly, his voice steadier than he felt.

“ I already decided to skip this one this time, Rachel will handle everything. Also, Crystal is at the office. I just need to breath of from this”, the insistence in his tone surprised even him.

With an impatient sigh, his mother waves him off.

“ Fine then. Just you two should stay out of my way for now”, she said tersely, walking away with a grace that is both beautiful and cold.

Harrison could see the less concern look concealed behind her meticulously crafted exterior. He wanted to ask her about what they told her earlier to get her opinion on the footage and if it connected to them, but he knew better than to bring it up.

When she disappeared into her room, Harrison felt an inexplicable hollowness settle in his chest. He headed into the room with Carmilla who was standing silently observing them. ‘ Carmilla also knew that her mother-in-law never really cared about her presence in the family, she was just fulfilling her parents demands. Even so, not everyone could do what she did, which left that unanswered’.

The enormity of the mornings event beared down on both of them as they entered into their shared room. The air was charged with an unsaid tension, the luxurious space was adorned with tasteful decor reflecting his families wealth.

Harrison had accepted the marriage, born not from romantic love but from the calcillated wishes of her parents, a strategic alliance meant to save Carmilla's family's company.

However, over the past week, the recent incident had caused a change in him. Gwaning at the edges of his resolve, he had begun to care deeply for her.

Carmilla moves methodically, setting her things down and shaking of the remnant of their tumultuous day. Her hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders as she slid off her shoes with a sigh, exhaustion etched into her slender frame. Harrison watches her quietly, noting the way her eyes carried shadows that belied her usual composure.

She was strong, a warrior in her own right, but her spirit seems to flicker beneath the weight of expectations and the pressures of their shared reality.

“ Hey”, he calls , breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them.

“ You should take a break. You've been running on empty”.

Carmilla looks up, her expression momentarily surprised.

“ What do you mean?”.

“ I just…. noticed you seem tired”, he replied, forcing a casualness into his tone.

“ We both need a little distraction, don't you think?”.

With a small smile, she shifted in her seat, allowing her guard to drop a little.

“ What do you have in mind?”

Harrison hesitated, the words swirling in his mind, unsure if they would sound trivial or amusing in the gravity of their lives.

“ How about we hang out tonight, here in the house? Just the two of us. We could watch a movie, play some games, or just talk- whatever you like”.

For a moment, her expression hesitated between surprise and appreciation. Then a flicker of warmth ignited in her eyes, a reminder of the person he had begun to see beneath the layers of the shared burdens.

“ That doesn't sound half bad. I could use some time to relax, but I'm not great at picking movies”, she admitted with a soft laugh, the tension visibly easing from her shoulder's.

“ I've got some few ideas”, Harrison said, grinning.

“ Let's see what we can find. Besides”, he added, his voice teasing,

“ I promise I won't let you fall asleep on me”.

Carmilla rolls her eyes playfully but couldn't suppress the smile that broke forth.

“ Challenge accepted”.

As they night broke forth, they headed to the theatre room, where an array of entertainment options awaited them. He chose a few films, trying to gauge her interest as he avoided the darker themes that reflected too closely on their reality.

When he finally settled on something lightheaded, he felt a surge of anticipation. Watching her laugh, even just a moment, would feel like winning a battle against the heaviness that surrounds them.

As the credits rolled, the laughter came easily, building upon itself as they traded jokes and silly commentary. Harrison found himself enchanted by the way her eyes sparkled, and for the first time, he could almost convince himself that they were adult ripped off of their happiness.

In the middle of the wonderful moment they shared , Carmilla's mind lingered a bit.

“ Have you thought about it?”, she ask, her tone shifting silently, as Harrison was about moving on to another film, stopping the comfortable cadence of their flowing conversation.

“ About me going back to LA”.

Harrison pauses,

“ You really want to go back?”, his voice became steady.

“ Yes. You know the reason why I came back, and due to some reasons I ended up here. But I love LA, a part of me is still there”, she admitted.

He leans forward, concern etched his features.

“ And what about us…I mean here?”

“ I don't know. Maybe it's just nostalgia talking, but I feel this pull back. I thought I could be happy here, but…”, she replied.

“ But?”, he promoted gently, as if afraid to push hard.

“ It's about the path I'd set for myself before all this”, she gestures between them, her fingers dancing in the air.

“ You're not bad at all, you and your family are amazing, but I need to be true with myself also”.

Harrison's expression softens, but a flicker of confusion crossed his features. He wasn't even sure about what he felt towards her. And even if he was sure, he doubted Carmilla wouldn't feel the same way.

“ Is that what you really want? To go back?”.

Contemplation fills the air as Carmilla held his gaze, trying to convey the depth of her feelings.

“ Yes, I need to go back”. Her mind being made up.