claimed by Mr.billionaire

7 (A dinner)

"I made my decision, when should we meet?"

Victor stared at the message from Scarlett, his fingers hovering over the keyboard for a moment. His jaw tensed slightly before he finally typed,

"Tuesday at 7:00 pm. I'll send you the location when I choose it."

He exhaled softly, running a hand through his hair before returning to the papers in front of him. But even as he signed them, his mind lingered on the conversation.

Scarlett read his reply, her eyes fixed on the screen for a moment longer than necessary. She slowly lowered the phone, her gaze shifting to her tummy as she whispered, 'I will take care of this.'

Then, after a brief pause, a bitter chuckle escaped her lips. 'André cheated, and I’m the one who got pregnant. What a luck.'

Her phone screen dimmed, but she tapped it back to life, rereading Victor’s message. Tuesday. That means after a week.

The days that followed felt strangely normal—at least, that’s what she tried to convince herself. Hanging out with Gary and Mia, attending classes, studying. Avoiding André and Ashley was second nature by now.

But the one thing she couldn’t avoid was Victor. He invaded her mind and stayed there rent-free.

She found herself searching for him online, more than once. At first, it was just curiosity. Who was this man who had entered her life without an invitation?

And then she found his social media.

Oh.

She knew he was rich, but she hadn’t realized how rich.

Scrolling through articles and posts, the picture became clearer—Victor wasn’t just well-off, he was a billionaire. His name was attached to business deals, luxury events, high-profile charity galas. Now, his confidence about taking the financial responsibility of whatever her decision will be made sense.

The more she read, the more she searched, the more she found herself intrigued.

And just like that, Tuesday arrived.

A text popped up on her screen that morning. "Here's the location."

Scarlett clicked the link. A fancy restaurant.

Another message followed. "I will send you a car to take you and drive you back home."

She blinked at the screen.

A fancy restaurant and a personal driver?

She let out a small, breathy laugh, shaking her head. 'It kinda looks like a date.'

And for some reason, that thought made her stomach flutter.

She finished her studies earlier than usual, barely able to focus, and rushed back to her dorm.

Her heart was beating faster than she liked to admit as she stood in front of her closet. 'Why am I nervous? It wasn’t a date. It wasn’t even anything personal. Just a conversation. A necessary one.'

But when she thought back to their previous meetings, a realization hit her—Victor had never really seen her in a proper outfit.

Maybe that’s why, without overthinking, she pulled out a short black dress with short sleeves, pairing it with cherry-red heels. She ran her fingers through her hair, deciding on a simple yet elegant style. A touch of blush, a hint of eyeliner, and cherry-red lipstick to match her shoes.

By the time she was done, the phone rang.

'Miss Rider? I’m here.'

She took a deep breath, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door.

Victor sat in the restaurant, dressed in a sharp black suit, his phone pressed to his ear as he discussed business matters. A half-filled glass of champagne rested on the table, his fingers idly tapping against its rim while he listened to the man on the other end of the call.

Then she arrived.

For a moment, his mind went completely blank.

His fingers stilled against the glass, and the voice on the phone became nothing more than background noise. Scarlett stood at the entrance, the dim restaurant lights catching the soft waves of her hair, the black dress hugging her figure just right, and those cherry-red heels...

Damn.

His eyes widened slightly before he blinked, quickly snapping back to reality. He cleared his throat and cut the call short. 'Oh, I'll be calling you tomorrow to sort this together. Right now, something urgent just came up.'

He stood immediately as she approached, stepping away from his seat to pull out the chair for her.

'Nice to meet you again, Scarlett,' his voice was smooth, controlled, but there was something else there—something lingering. Then, after a brief pause, his lips quirked into a small smirk. 'I like your dress, by the way.'

Scarlett's heart flattered 'Thanks' as he went back to his seat, she was too nervous. He on the other hand was smiling charmingly and pointed to the waiter to take their order.

Scarlett shifted slightly in her seat, glancing at the leather-bound menu in her hands. The restaurant was elegant—too elegant. Even the menu looked expensive.

Victor, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. He had barely looked at the menu before setting it down.

'Do you already know what you want?' she asked, noticing how relaxed he was.

'I’ve been here before, this is one of my favourite restaurants' he admitted, taking a sip of his champagne. 'I'll have the Wagyu steak, medium rare.'

The waiter nodded, turning to Scarlett.

She hesitated, scanning the menu. Half the dishes had names in French or Italian, and while she recognized some of them, others felt like a puzzle.

Victor smirked slightly, noticing her struggle. 'Would you like a recommendation?'

She glanced at him before looking back at the menu. 'Please, I can't even pronounce half of the menu. Is this a spells book?'

He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. 'If you're not sure, try the risotto with truffle. It’s light but still rich in flavor.'

She bit her lip, debating for a second before nodding. 'Alright, I’ll take that.'

'Excellent choice, miss,' the waiter said before collecting the menus.

As soon as he walked away, Scarlett exhaled. 'I feel like I just took a test I didn’t study for.'

Victor let out a low laugh. 'Next time I'll tutor you, It will help you in the future, In case you wanted to impress your future crush or something.' He said sarcastically

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips. 'Next time?'

He tilted his glass slightly in her direction, his expression unreadable. 'Who knows? It's up to whatever was the decision you made.' He took a sip and continued 'We Will discuss that after food anyway, won't we?'

She nodded, feeling a familiar wave of nervousness creeping in. What will he think about her decision? Will he really support her?

She exhaled softly, gathering her thoughts. 'You're right, after the meal. But I have a question.' Her voice was quiet, yet steady as she met his gaze.

Victor raised an eyebrow. 'What is it?'

She hesitated for a second before asking, 'Why did you choose this place? We could have met anywhere… even in the street.'

A faint smirk tugged at his lips. 'I've been working for sixteen hours straight. I needed a place to relax.'

Scarlett frowned slightly. 'But… we’re here to discuss something really important.'

Victor leaned back in his chair, completely at ease. 'Yes, and? What’s wrong with discussing it over dinner?'

He studied her for a moment before adding, 'You need to relax too. I can tell you're nervous.'

She blinked, slightly caught off guard. He had noticed.

His gaze flickered toward her hands, resting tensely on the table, then back to her face. Without waiting for her to argue, he simply nodded as if sealing the conversation.

She sighed, conceding silently. Maybe he had a point.

The food arrived—small portions, yet exquisite. Each bite melted in her mouth, rich with flavor.

By pure coincidence, her gaze flickered toward Victor. He was eating with the same effortless confidence he carried in everything he did. The slow, deliberate way his lips moved as he took each bite sent an unexpected shiver through her.

Then, she saw it. A tiny drop of sauce lingering at the corner of his mouth.

Her breath hitched.

Before she could stop herself, her mind betrayed her—pulling her back to that night.

The way his lips had trailed hungrily down her neck. The heat of his breath. The way he—

Her fork clinked against her plate as she snapped back to reality, cheeks burning.

No. No, no, no.

She quickly lowered her gaze, focusing on her dish as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Forget it. Eat. Don’t think.

But the damage was already done.

Lucky her, Victor seemed lost in thought as he ate, completely unaware of the sudden blush that had taken over her face.

When the meal was finally over, he placed his glass down and looked at her. His gaze was sharp, expectant.

'So, back to the important stuff... What's your decision, Scarlett?'

Her stomach twisted. The moment had come. She took a breath, steadying herself.

'I thought deeply about this,' she murmured. 'I know very well the consequences of both choices.'

Victor gave a slow nod, his eyes locked onto hers. Listening. Waiting.

She exhaled. 'I'm keeping it.'

For a second, she thought she saw something flicker in his expression, but it vanished too quickly to read.

'I hope you understand,' she continued. 'I put myself in that baby’s shoes. Existence is a blessing... I don’t want to take it away.'

Silence.

Victor’s jaw tightened. His fingers curled slightly against the table before he sighed.

'You know what this means, right? You're going to be a single mother.'

Scarlett swallowed hard. 'I know. And I know my family will kill me when they find out.'

More silence. He was staring at her, unreadable. The weight of his gaze made her shift slightly in her seat.

Then, finally, he spoke.

'So, you're keeping the kid?'

She nodded.

His jaw clenched. A pause.

'Fine,' he said, voice steady but firm. 'I promised I’d take all the responsibility. And I will do it.' He waved to the waiter and gave him his card to pay the check.

She smiled, her voice was barely above a whisper 'Thanks'

'Don't mention it, that's what anyone is supposed to do.'

After they walked from restaurant Victor said 'Since you're keeping it, there's some arrangements we should agree on.' He said and Scarlett brought her attention to him.

He continued 'First of all, as we agreed before, I will pay everything, the doctor appointments, the meds, the vitamins everything a pregnant woman would need you'd find it before your feet.'

Scarlett smiled slightly as he continued 'Second thing is: You won't tell anyone about this. Having a child in my current situation will affect my reputation.'

She sighed 'I wasn't going to tell anyone, my reputation in college will be ruined and...' She lowered her head slightly 'My relationship with my family isn't that strong, I can't predict their reaction so I won't tell them now either. It will be our secret.'

Victor sounded reliefed before he added 'Good, we are one team now I guess, don't worry we will do our best.'

He let his driver, drive her home as he drove back to his penthouse. He sighed and mattered to himself 'I'm going to be a father? again? Oh dear lord.'