THE BILLIONAIRES GROOM

chapter five

"Hey love what are you doing here, all alone". I could hear a voice call out to me as I sat by the pool. I turned and looked at her puzzled.

I am Elaine Monroe and these are my kids, Archer and Christine. Say hi, the beacons.

They stared at me. I could see the close resemblance between Christine and her mother, but Archer looked different. I could tell he looked more like his dad.

"Hi, I am queenie" I say.

I am Christine, she replies, come let's play in the pool." Archer come on. She tells her brother, who rushed into the pool with us. He looked more quiet than he actually was, he had begun to speak once we were in the pool.

We played for a while before their Monroe left and I went with them to their room. Mrs Monroe had made sandwiches for us even though she could have just ordered like my mom did.

We ate and showered and I stayed in Christine's room where she talked about all the kids in her class. I had the feeling I already knew each one even though I had not met them before.

Time had gone and I had not realized it. When I looked at the wall clock it was past eleven and I rushed out and went to our own suite, which was opposite. My mom was on the couch as usual with a bottle of moldon wine on the table and an empty glass on it. She seemed asleep.

I tiptoed to my room and when I was opening the door I heard a question pull me back.

Young lady, where are you coming from?

I was quiet and staring at my feet, my dad was back and it felt awkward. He was asking where I had gone to, it felt like a stranger was talking to me.

"You should not be out this late. You are just twelve!

"I was with a friend"

"Who?"

I was with Christine

My father had surprise on his face and he seemed to be a bit calmer now. Who is your friend he asked.

I met her at the pool, I said, and then he said " Go to bed. We will talk about it in the morning when your mother is awake."

I hurried inside my room and held Benny, my giant teddy bear, until I fell asleep. He was the only companion I had until I met Christine and Archer.

The next day, my father had gone to thank Mrs Monroe for letting me stay late. I was finely dressed behind him and my mother was by his side. They knocked on the door and handed a bottle of wine to the Monroes, who seemed to be at the door all at the same time.

The Monroes had asked my parents to lunch instantly and we were all heading for the elevator together.

The adults talked about themselves and us which slowly drifted to business while we talked about school some more, but she did all the talking. Since I wasn't popular at my school, I wasn't popular in any school that I went to.

She talked some more and by the end of the day I was pestering my dad to take me to her school.

My father did not object, since he had found out that the Monroes stayed on the same estate as we did back home.

And with a call, I had been transferred and would be starting when the break is over.

I then asked my dad to get me someone to take care of me. I will not be joining them on every trip. My father looked at me in shock before he called an agency.

In a flash, my life would be normal now. This was the first time in three years I have talked with my dad this long hard. Most of the time he wasn't far away, but he was never around.

Today we talked for thirty minutes and it felt like forever, and in that thirty minutes all I did was demand and all he did was agree.

From that night in Dubai I knew something about myself that no one knew. I did not really need anyone. All I had to do was ask and be given it. And as I grew, I took and the questions became a lot less.

Christine and I were always together, even when her parents went away, we would stay with my babysitter who practically lives with us now.

She was nice and it was all I needed. She helped me with everything even when I started to bleed, which came a year later.

My mother did not know and my dad did not care, but she did. Her name was Raina Cortez and she talked about her kids a lot to me too. It seemed everyone always had something to tell me about themselves.

I have never met them but I always had a picture of them in my head and how they made Mrs Cortez yell her lungs out.

Yes, she told me everything about them.

She was also there when I and Archer began to date. We were in love and I could feel the air on my body tingle every moment I was with him. Archer was sweet and kind, but something was wrong, something was wrong with him. Something is not with him.

He was everything until the day we kissed. It was odd, I wasn't feeling his kiss, it seemed the bulb in my mind had died immediately.

After that day, I did not want to be around Archer anymore, and Christine, who did not mind me and her brother, got worried that I had begun to distance him.

"Did he hurt you? she asked me once, but I could not answer since I knew what had happened. I knew it wasn't him, I knew I was not made to enjoy his touch.

"No, nothing," I replied.

I was uneasy and she said "tell me what he has done to you, tell me so I will tell. She always referred to her mother as she had given birth to both of us and I liked it.