The Billionaires' Darkest Secret

Six

“It’s been a long time, Naia,” I said and placed my hand on her grave, smiling as if the pain of her death faded away in my heart.

The wind blows so hard here at the cemetery and I can feel Naia’s embrace through the wind. I let out a deep sigh and looked at my side.

I saw a man standing in his car and leaning through it, holding a bouquet, and started walking towards me. I look at Danaia's grave and talk to her again.

“You left us so early that you didn’t even know how he courted me and how it feels to tell my best friend about the butterflies and love that I am feeling towards him,” I said before Liam heard it.

He stood beside me and put the bouquet on Danaia’s grave. He let his hands inside his pocket and talked to her too.

“Sorry for the late visit again Naia, we came back from the US and we make sure that this year we will come and visit you,” he stated and looked at me with a smile.

“I’ll tell her how I got your yes,” he said so happily and looked at Dania’s grave again.

I am just listening to what he is saying at Danaia and laugh when he tells something that is not true.

“You know what Danaia, Iris said yes when she got jealous of the transfer student when we were in third-year college,” he said and chuckled.

I crossed my arms and looked at him like he did something wrong.

“Why?” he said and laughed so hard.

“You know what Danaia, you shouldn’t listen to what he is saying to you. He revised it,” I whispered the last words and I heard Liam laughed and hugged me from the back.

“Hey,” I said and I don’t want anyone to see us like this.

“Why am I just hugging my girlfriend,” he said and I laughed.

We talked a little bit more until the sunset and the cold breeze embraced us.

“I will visit again,” I said and grabbed my jacket that fell off my shoulders and fixed it again back to its place.

“See you soon, Naia,” Liam stated, making me look at him and he smiled at me and we walked away from the cemetery.

Years have passed and still, the memories that Danaia left to me are here in my heart. I had no friends when we continued to study our third to the fourth year of our college years. I only have Liam by my side and the fact that we are both on the Debate team made me closer to him.

Being with Liam all the time reminds me how happy we both, as we have Danaia before. I can't be friends with someone like how I am with Naia. She’s my only best friend and Liam knows it.

“I’ll fetch you tomorrow morning" he stated and I smiled at him and went through my house.

“Good morning, Ms. Saavedra!” The staff here in the company keeps on greeting me like a boss and I am always shy at them.

They were smiling and friendly so I gave them too.

“Hey, are you not that confident? It’s been years and you are acting the same way,” Sarah said when she noticed how I greeted them back.

“I am not the boss, Sarah and I know they are just doing this because,” I stopped when the elevator door opened.

We enter the elevator and continue our conversation. I sigh and look at my reflection on the elevator’s door.

The cream coat and pants, a white long sleeve on it, a low fixed ponytail, the light makeup, and the sandals that I am wearing today are not how I am always.

“Because you are the girlfriend of the CEO of this company?” She looked at me with an unpleasant look.

Sarah is one of the girls who I am friends with here in this office. I barely talk to them but they insist hard and they are not that hard to be with. She’s talking straight to the point and an independent woman who decides wisely.

“I guess so,” I said and we stepped out of the elevator when we reached our desired floor and we will go to our designated chair in this office.

“I disagree on that matter, Iris. Let’s talk later, I have something to do,” she said and she sat in her place and I just looked at her and went to my spot.

“Iris, do you know the girl who’s with Mr. Acosta?” Klea went to my place to ask me a question.

I looked at her with an innocent face and fixed myself first before answering her question.

“Where and why should I know? I think it is just a business matter,” I told her and took out the papers that I needed to fill up.

“Hmm, I don't think so,” she stated and thought of it again.

I looked at her expression and laughed at it.

“You seem more curious than me,” I said and focused on the things I needed to do.

She left my spot and looked at the planner I have today’s Liam’s schedule.

“He had his free time this morning,” iI murmured to me and got curious a bit too.

I smirked and found out that I will somehow believe what Klea told me a while ago. I shrugged and continued to work and diverted all of my attention to it.

“I told you!” she stated with her high voice here in the cafeteria of the company.

She holds her mouth after she knows that she raises her voice and other employees are looking at us now.

“Describe what you saw earlier, Klea,” Reese said and got curious at what Klea talked about too.

“You know what guys, I think he used his free time for business purposes, why bother?” I told them and sipped on my coffee.

“Are you not bothered, Iris? Mr. Acosta, your boyfriend is with a top model in Canada?” Klea asked me with her cold tone.

I thought about it and shook my head to state no. Klea sighs and rolls her eyes at me.

“What is it? I am not a jealous girlfriend who will just get mad at small things,” I said to them that made them look at me.

“I am sure that girl is Icy Rivera, daughter of one of the business partners of this company and I think that the conversation between them that you saw Klea is just a business-related matter. Don’t tell me that you suspected Mr. Acosta, our boss, was cheating on her girlfriend, Iris, our friend?” Sarah told her that made Klea pouted at the moment.

“I am not saying that Mr. Acosta is cheating on Iris, I just want to make sure that our friend will know every single step and move by that girl. I smell something fishy on her, trust me,” she stated like she is so sure about it.

I smiled at her and she looked at me.

“You remind me of someone I treasure the most. Stop this nonsense issue Klea, just eat your food and we will work again this afternoon,” I said to her and smiled at her.

“I am just saying,” she said and gave up making a fuss about it.

“Speaking of, Iris,” Reese said and looked at me behind and so did I.

I saw Liam, giving us his brilliant smile that made me guilty of what we are talking about behind his back right now.

“Hi, can I excuse Iris for a moment?” he started and the three just nodded and smiled at him.

“Where are we going?” I stated and he is just smiling at me while holding my waist.

“I have something to give to you,” he said as we walked through his office.

He placed a handkerchief on my eyes and guided me as I walked to his office.

“Liam, what are you doing? You know that I am not on to this stuff,” I said with my usual tone.

“I know that you don’t want to be treated like this, Iris but this is how I wanted to celebrate this wonderful day with, happy 5th anniversary,” he said and then let off the handkerchief and I saw how he decorated his room with minimal balloons and our pictures on it.

“Still the same,” I murmured and still amazed at what he did.

“Don’t you like it?” he asked me so worriedly as he heard what I uttered.

“No, I like it! I love it,'' I said to him and looked at his surprise again with an amazing look.

He never fails to amaze me with his gestures and loving language. I am the one who didn’t know how to be the girl who will give him everything that he likes. I look at him and smile.

“What’s with that face?” he asked me.

“Uh, nothing. I am just sad for you,” I said and he held my face with his two hands.

“Why?” he asked and rubbed my cheeks.

“I feel like I didn’t do anything to make you happy and I am sorry for being like this,” I said and looked down.

“Hey! You did everything for me. Even if you didn’t know what it was, I love you for who you are, always,” he said as he let me look into his eyes.

He assured me and hugged me. I feel so special every time he is like this. He is the clingy one in our relationship and I am the serious one. He is my boss but not every time he will be.

“It looks like my Iris has a soft heart now,” he teases me and I just rolled my eyes at him.

“Hey,” he said and chuckled and planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

“Let’s eat,” he said and we went out with his hand on my waist.

“Are you happy?” he asked me when the elevator door opened as we stepped back to the floor where the office is.

I smiled at him and nodded. He smiled back at me and he looked at his watch and thought about something.

“By the way, Iris, let everyone know that I will not entertain everyone from 3 pm to 5 pm, I have my virtual meeting with Mr. Santos,” he said and I smiled again and sat on my chair.

“I’ll do it,” I said and he smiled at me and walked into his office.

I sat on my chair and as I will resume the work I am working on earlier. An hour and a half had passed when the two girls went to my side and looked at me with their curious expressions.

“What are you two doing?” I asked them so innocently.

“Where did you went, huh?” Klea asked me and crossed her arms.

I looked at them and they are just giving me a clue based on their expression.

“We ate at the restaurant, okay? That’s all, now can you two go back to your work?” I said to them so defensively as they stood a woman in her black dress and shouted elegancy, butt in our conversation.

“Is Liam here in his office?” she looked at Klea and waited for her to answer her question and Klea looked at me. That made the woman look at me too.

“Anyone? who knows if he’s here or not?” she said as we didn’t answer her question for just a second.

“Uh, yes Ms. he’s in his office but I regret to inform you that I cannot let you step inside for he said that he had an important virtual meeting with his client for now. You can just wait here until 5 pm,” I said so professionally at her as she looked at me with her judgmental eyes.

“I don’t like to wait, besides it’s 4:55 in the afternoon, I bet he can talk to me now,” the woman stated and she stepped inside when I blocked her way.

She rolled her eyes at me and looked at me with her eyes from head to toe. That made me roll my eyes too. I don't like the attitude of this girl the moment she lets her presence here.

“Ms. as you told me it’s 4:55 in the afternoon, can’t you just wait at least 5 minutes?'' She crossed her limits and she is shocked by the way I talk to her.

“Wow! Look who’s talking so trashy at me, do you even know who I am?'' she said and crossed her arms as she raised her voice at me that made the other staff look at us.

I sigh so heavily and look straight into her eyes.

“Ms., I am sorry that I don’t know you but let us respect his time,” I stated that made her so angry.

She stepped back and looked at the other employees who were looking at us. She smirked and pointed her finger towards me.

“This girl doesn’t know who I am, should I tell you all?” she stated and I looked down to try to calm myself down.

“Ms. doesn’t disturb the other employees,” I said with a calm voice but inside me, I wanted to argue with this girl.

She reminded me of the brat that made Danaia suffer, Samantha Collins.

“Wow! Disturb? So I am a disturbance to you all now when in fact you are,” she said and pointed her finger at me now.

I look at her eyes and still try to calm myself. I can hear the other employees murmuring around and I look at Klea and Reese who are worried at me right now.

“Ms. it’s already 4:58 pm in any minute you can now enter his office,” I said to her and she crossed her arms and smirked at me again.

“You are just her secretary and acting as a special one! I will tell him to fire you, i***t trashy girl who doesn’t even know who I am!” She shouted at me that made me so angry with her, and the moment that I stepped my feet towards her, she did the same thing.

“Wow, so you are going to fight, huh?” she whispered at me.

“Don’t tell me that I am an i***t and a trashy girl when in fact the words you are saying to me reflect and bounce back at the girl I am talking with right now,” I said and smirked at her.

I can see that she is pissed now and at the moment her hand will lay on my face a man holds her wrist that shocked us all.

“Icy!” Liam shouted in anger.

“Liam! She told me something. She started the fight first,” she said to make her side good at Liam’s perspective.

I smirked and crossed my arms as Liam looked at me. I am standing beside me and he places his hands on my waist and the woman named Icy looks at it so surprised and looks back at Nathan.

“I don’t want this thing to happen again next time, Icy. Don’t talk to my girlfriend like that,” Liam told her, which made her more shocked.

“Your what?!” she asked.

Liam looked at me and smiled at Icy again.

“My girlfriend,” he said, which made Reese and Klea smile at what they heard.