The Billionaire Who Never Loved

Ruth had always believed that the truest character of a person is reflected in what they do when no one is looking. That is why she did not concern herself with riches, luxurious wardrobes or fancy titles. She concerned herself with character. With honesty. And most of all, with God. Ruth was twenty-two and a university student, studying Information Technology. Her simple life consisted of attending classes, studying, going to church, having dinner with her parents over the phone and writing in the little notebook she carried with her wherever she went. In short, Ruth was not one of those girls who had to try hard to draw attention. She was quiet. Unpretentious. Reserve was her trademark. Maybe that was why Egide took notice of her. On an ordinary Tuesday afternoon, Ruth was sitting alone in a small cafe near campus, studying on her laptop. She had tried to focus on the assignment for close to an hour, but her gaze kept wandering to the open document beside it. One she had been reading with great interest just an hour before. In fact, Egide's article. Apparently, everyone had heard of him by now. Egide was a successful businessman who owned several enterprises and was known to be young, rich, arrogant and, most importantly, undeniably handsome. aside from being successful in business, he was also a part-time author, which meant that his articles sometimes found their way into newspapers and magazines. Ruth had read quite a few of them. She did not know what it was about the man, but she had always found his articles fascinating. Not the man. The articles. She had dreamed of one day becoming a professional writer, but she did not know where to start. She sighed and rested her chin on her hand. 'If only someone could teach me.' 'Teach you what? ' Ruth nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of a man's voice. Looking up, she saw a tall, well dressed man standing beside her. His expensive watch caught the sunlight as he casually tucked a hand into his trousers' pocket. Egide was his name. For a moment, Ruth couldn't find the words to respond. 'You? ' He gave her a charming smile. 'You know me? ' 'Of course.' His smile faltered slightly, replaced by surprise. 'That's disappointing.' 'Disappointing? ' Ruth arched an eyebrow. 'Why? ' 'I was hoping you would say no.' A small laugh escaped Ruth. 'I've read your articles.' 'Only my articles? ' 'Yes.' Ruth was not sure if he was mocking her, but the smile on Egide's face suggested that he was. 'Good answer.' The last thing Ruth expected was for the man to sit down at the same table. 'Excuse me, may I? ' Ruth hesitated for a moment before nodding. Egide sat across from her and Ruth quickly realized how different they looked. Dressed in a simple blouse and jeans, she felt underdressed next to the man who looked like he had stepped out of a magazine. 'Student here? ' 'Yes.' 'What? ' 'Information Technology.' Egide nodded. 'Interesting.' 'What about you? ' 'Aren't you supposed to ask me that? ' Ruth's smile was soft. 'No, I know what people say about you. I asked what you do.' For once in his life, Egide was at a loss for words. 'Business. ' 'That's all? ' 'What's enough to keep me busy.' She nodded and turned her attention back to her laptop. Egide studied her for a moment. It was rare for him to meet women like this. Most of the time, they were all talk and no action. They complimented his expensive car, his company, his lifestyle, his money. Some of them even went as far as asking if he was taken. They fawned over him. They were envious of him. But Ruth was different. Not in appearance, but in attitude. 'What are you working on? ' 'An assignment. ' She was studying IT and reading his articles? 'You want to be a writer? ' 'Articles. Stories. Maybe novels, one day. ' He chuckled. 'So you're a writer. ' A writer, not yet. 'Why not? ' 'Because wanting something doesn't mean you know how to do it. ' Egide leaned back in his chair. 'I can teach you. ' 'You? ' 'Yes. ' 'You teach writing? ' 'I write. ' 'That's different. ' He laughed. 'I'm hard to please. ' 'Not really. ' 'Don't lie to me. ' 'You know I'm not. ' Something about the way he said it made her uncomfortable. Ruth closed her laptop. 'I should go. ' 'So soon? ' 'I have class. ' 'Don't you have class tomorrow? ' She looked at him suspiciously. 'How do you know that? ' Egide smiled. 'I don't. ' "Then don't assume." He chuckled. Ruth stood up. As she tucked her laptop back in her bag, Egide was watching her. 'Give me your number. ' She hesitated. 'Why? ' '...So I can send you some writing material. ' It was unusual for Ruth to give her number to a man she barely knew. But this was also the first time someone was offering to teach her something she enjoyed doing. Eventually, she gave him her number. Egide saved it. 'Ruth. ' 'Yes? ' 'Nice name. ' 'Thank you. ' He stood up. 'I'll call you. ' She nodded and walked away. Egide watched her disappear around the corner. A strange smile tugged at his lips. Something was wrong with that woman. She wasn't loud. She didn't try to impress him. She hadn't even been impressed by him. That was a first. Very strange, indeed. As he turned back to his car, his phone beeped. A message from another woman. Are you still coming tonight? Egide looked at the message, then at the corner where Ruth had disappeared. Interesting. Very interesting. --- That evening, Ruth sat on her bed with her Bible beside her and her laptop on her lap. She had received a message. Egide: You disappeared quickly. She stared at the screen in disbelief. Then she typed. Ruth: I told you I had class. He responded almost immediately. Egide: You always follow rules? Ruth smiled. Ruth: Most of the time. Egide: That's boring. Ruth: Maybe. Another message appeared on the screen. Egide: Come over tomorrow. Ruth's smile vanished. Come over? She did not understand why Egide would ask her to come over when they barely knew each other. She typed slowly. Ruth: For what? There was a long pause before Egide responded. Egide: We can talk. I can show you some things about writing. Ruth reread the message. She knew what she believed. She did not visit strange men at strange places, especially not men she barely knew. Ruth: I'd rather we meet somewhere public. This time, Egide took his time before responding. Egide: You're serious? Ruth: Yes. Egide: Okay. Ruth put down her phone. She did not think about the conversation much after that. But Egide did. He was in his apartment, staring at her response. She always said no. No, no, no. It wasn't that he was angry. It was more like, he was annoyed. He tapped a response on his phone, then deleted it. Goodnight, Ruth. He did not send the message. He threw the phone on the couch. "She's different," he muttered. But he was not sure whether it was a good or bad thing. --- That morning, Ruth walked onto campus, her heels clicking against the ground as she passed the courtyard. On the other side of the street, Egide watched from inside his car. He had no business being there. He had a meeting in less than an hour. Yet somehow, he was sitting outside the university. He watched Ruth greet another student before walking into the building. His phone rang. He answered. 'Where are you?' His assistant's voice came through the receiver. 'I'm on my way. ' 'You're supposed to be at the office. ' 'I know. ' There was a pause. 'Is everything okay? ' Egide watched Ruth disappear into the building. 'More or less. ' He ended the call. For once, something, or rather, someone, had captured his attention without asking for his money. And that, more than anything, irked him. Egide started the engine. As he pulled away from the kerb, he made a decision. He would get closer to Ruth. Not because he loved her. He did not believe in love. It was a feeling people created when they were weak. People like Ruth, he was sure of it. One day, she would come to him and ask for something. It was only a matter of time. And when that day came, Egide would be ready. But until then, he was going to watch her. Watch her and find out what made this young woman tick.