The Billionaire Last Chance

Chapter 04: Jaxon’s POV

Oh, gosh, I’ve got to make a decision quickly. This woman has really backed me into a corner.

This is because of my father's dying wish. It's still shocking because, from the twenty-eight years I have lived with the man, he never made such dumbfounding decisions. We practically made decisions together and I grew up watching them make decisions, but this was nothing similar to the decisions we made in the past.

What if that was the reason Mary gave him that envelope? Chill, Jaxon, it may not be. I might just be paranoid. Nothing is the issue here. Just Mary.

To hell with that woman.

No, I can’t do this. Marriage was already outside all of my life plans. It had been scratched off since that very event. Perhaps being CEO wasn’t for me. I wasn’t destined to be a CEO. The sooner I accept that the better for me. The universe was visibly against me, s**t.

For crying out loud, it’d just been three days since my father died and I was already stressing about being CEO or not.

Father was right – I am selfish. And it didn’t matter what the heck was going on in my life, I’d always be selfish.

I let out a yell, hitting the wall in my room. Two things were what bothered me. One, I miss my late father, and bringing up anything unrelated to him made me sick and look self-centred. Two, I need my dreams to stay alive. I’d be empty and entirely useless if I ever dumped my dreams…

Could it get any worse?

There should be a way out of this. I couldn’t just sit there and give up on my dream of being the CEO. I know it might seem selfish right now, but I know father himself wouldn’t want me sitting all day in self-pity. He would want me to go get that seat and rule the empire.

And that’s exactly what I’ll do.

But first things first, how do I get a wife? I’ve got less than thirty days left to get it done. What to do, what to do?

I got off my ass and went straight into the bathroom, and took another quick shower before heading out, as I knew I had no idea how to get someone to marry me.

So I’d walk up to a random person and say, “Will you marry me?” that’s insane…there’s no way I was going to do that.

I dressed up and headed out. This time, I decided to go out without my driver.

I needed to be cool and have my privacy. If I walked down the neighbourhood's street, being the son of the prominent man who had just died, the press would drown me with questions. And that is something I don't think I can handle at the moment. I am barely holding my s**t together. I don't need any f*****g paparazzi.

I love and treasure my privacy, not some random people being nosy and looking for information and when they don’t find any, they make up one.

Ha.

I opened the car as I went in, only to see Steve in the back seat.

“What the hell are you doing here, bro?” I asked. I could swear I almost felt my heart jump out of my chest.

“I realized you were on your way out and decided to tag along if you don’t mind,” Steve replied.

“Of course, I mind. Especially when you just scared the crap out of me. Next time, try giving me a heads-up, so I don’t assume you’re a criminal.”

“Will do, brother.” He teased. “Where are you going?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps drive around the city to clear my head. A lot has happened.”

‘True. But I have an idea.”

“Shoot.”

“Let’s hit the club.”

“What?” yeah. He was that kind of person. The clubbing type who had all the girls all over him. For no reason, I can see at all. To me, he was ugly. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t, but I hate to admit he’s kind of handsome…so the case closed.

“Yeah, it’s going to be nice. I know one in particular. All of them are super nice with the best music and drinks. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

“You know I’m not into all that s**t right?”’

“It’s no news, but these are things one should do once in their lifetime. Especially in a time like this,” He insisted.

“Plus, from the looks of it, you need it. Especially with the event that just occurred.”

I had a rethink. Father’s death. Mary’s idiotic offer, the pressure… I needed a break from everything and maybe he was right. Maybe I need this. We all need to do certain things once in a lifetime. Giving something a try isn’t a bad idea. I looked at him, wondering how the hell he got me to consider the offer.

“You’re an i***t, little bro, you know that, right?” I asked and squeezed his hair as we both laughed out loud. I immediately started the car and drove off.

I better not regret this.

********

In as much, as Steve liked this type of thing, this place is not my kind of place. The music was damn too loud and the guys out there vamping got me pissed off.

The bass beat thumped through my veins as the smell of weed flushed through my nose. How better can I explain that I hate it here? It disgusted me already that I was on the verge of throwing up…

“Get me out of here this instant,” I said to Steve who had a couple of girls by his side.

“Chill, the party just started.”

For crying out loud, it was already past ten PM, and the party was only just starting. I didn’t get it. How were people still arriving this late? The music was loud, and the lights kept flashing. It was so noisy, and I wasn’t in the mood for any of it. I should’ve just stayed home.

I walked over to the drinks table. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. The guy serving drinks handed me a glass, and I gulped it down quickly. The drink burnt a little as it went down, but I didn’t mind. It felt good. The cold glass in my hand gave me something to focus on while everything else felt too much.

Soon, one drink turned into two, then three, then more. Before I knew it, I had lost count. The alcohol made me feel warm and a bit dizzy, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t here to have fun. I just wanted to feel better for a while.

As I looked around, I saw her. She was standing against the wall, not doing anything, just watching. Her dress was bright red, glowing under the party lights. She wasn’t dancing or talking like everyone else. She was just... quiet.

I couldn’t help but notice her. She wasn’t the most beautiful girl in the room, but there was something about her that caught my eye. She had dark reddish hair that fell over her shoulders, and her face looked kind of sad like she wasn’t enjoying the party. Her eyes were looking at something far away like her mind was somewhere else.

I kept watching her, feeling a bit drawn to her. It wasn’t love or anything like that, just curiosity. She wasn’t like the other girls here who were loud and wanted all the attention. She was different. She seemed quiet and maybe even a little lonely.

I took another sip of my drink and kept thinking about her. Something was interesting about her. Maybe it was the way she seemed out of place like she didn’t belong here. I could relate to that. I didn’t feel like I belonged here either.

But I wasn’t going to go over and talk to her. I didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t look like she wanted to be bothered. She had her arms crossed, and she looked like she wanted to stay alone. Still, I couldn’t stop looking at her. She was attractive, but not in a big, flashy way. It was more like she had something deeper going on.

I finished my drink and set the empty glass on the table. My head felt fuzzy, and the music was starting to make everything spin a little. I looked at her one last time. She was still standing there, looking like she didn’t care about anything happening around her.

If things were different, maybe I would’ve talked to her. But not tonight. Tonight, I just wanted to leave. The party was getting too loud, and I had no reason to stay.

Or what if I stayed? We were the same. Uninterested, antisocial, lonely and maybe hurt. Perhaps I’d talk to her. Yeah, there was no harm in doing that.

I pushed through the crowd and headed for where she sat. She looked more beautiful the closer I got.

Hold on, I’ve never said that about anyone lady since a century ago. I was definitely under the influence of the excess alcohol I took.

**AN HOUR LATER. **

I have always been careful. I was careful of the choices I made, careful of my life, and most of all, my heart. But that night, I didn't know what came over me, because this feeling of recklessness was what I felt. Something I hadn't felt since my break up with Maya.

It was probably just in my head.

Suddenly, I felt a squeeze in my stomach, and this heat felt like I was placed beside a furnace.

Almost immediately, I felt an arm wrapped around me. I brought myself to shift my eyebrows down only to see a naked lady asleep on me.

Oh, s**t!

I moved my hand to pick up my phone as the time turned 2:01.

So the saying was true, nothing good happens after two AM. Waking up to realize you had a one-night stand with an absolute stranger was not a good way to start a morning.

"Should I wake her up?" I whispered to myself.