Billionaire's Paid Companion

2

Five years earlier

The private elevator dinged and the door opened. A petite woman who was sitting at the desk right outside Ricky’s cabin shook her head in annoyance. She knew Ricky did not have any appointments for the entire day and the weekly meeting was already attended and done with, approximately an hour ago. In fact, she had been working on the points that were raised in the meeting, until that elevator door sound reached her ears. This floor was an extremely private area and nobody was allowed to come there without prior appointment, unless they were told to, by her or Ricky.

All the staff who worked here knew this standing instruction very well. They were not allowed to disturb Ricky, unless it was an emergency or they were called in by the boss. Even the department heads were aware that Ricky totally hated such people and he was inflexible, enough to slap their faces with his words without so much as using many words. Their boss can be good if you do not cause trouble, but if you make one mistake then the consequences can be gruelling.

That meant, whoever was stepping out of the elevator was definitely not an employee, or they wouldn’t have dared to go against the order. The petite woman squared her shoulders after she silently cussed to her heart's content. She could hear footsteps coming towards where she sat. Somebody’s heeled shoes were making that clapping sound on the marbled flooring and the petite woman wasn’t really surprised at all. In fact, she had been expecting this visit for the last few days.

But that did not mean she liked those visits. In particular, today was not the right time. She was working on a few things that needed urgent attention. “Ah! Not again.” The petite woman huffed. “Jesus! Please give me the patience I need to throw this woman out.” She silently prayed and pretended not to hear those footsteps, as she was nose deep in her work. Not that she actually had even a single minute to waste. But she would always prefer to silently do her work, rather than get into the unnecessary argument that was about to happen.

“Hi there!” She heard the woman who had just stepped out of the private elevator trying to be friendly with her. The petite woman looked up and blinked expressionlessly. “You must be Celine, right? Ricky’s assistant?” The woman asked in a chirpy voice. Obviously, her excitement and the lively voice had nothing to do with meeting Celine for the first time. Celine was the gatekeeper to Lord Ricky’s cabin, so people had to be sweet and good to her if they needed access to see Ricky. This woman was no different.

Celine noticed the woman in front of her carefully, her eyes scanning the woman from head to toe. As she had expected, the visitor was alluringly beautiful. She had long brown hair, her eyes were a mixture of hazel and blue and the shape was like that of a cat. She had a face in the shape of a heart, and the long nose, above the bow-shaped lips were the perfectly fitted features. Even her eyebrows were a perfect arch. The visitor wore a yellow crop top and low waist pants. Her midriff was clearly visible and so was the line between her valleys. She was all ready to seduce her way into Celine's boss’s pants.

Still maintaining her nonchalant look, Celine asked, “Yes, I am Celine. But I don’t remember getting a call to fix an appointment..” Celine twisted her wrist to look at the watch, ”..at noon. Then what brings you here?” The woman smiled broadly, totally trying to butter her way to the cabin. “Celine..” The woman stuck out her hand, “I am Ela.” She introduced herself. Celine did not want to be rude, so she stood up and shook the hand extended towards her. She could sense the calmness before the storm that would hit in the next few minutes.

Celine smiled gracefully, “I know your name, Ms. Ela. The receptionist had already told me. What I want to know is what brings you here, because you clearly do not have an appointment.” Celine folded her hands across her chest, as she knew what discussion would follow. The series of questions that would be thrown back and forth and the argument that would happen.

Her smart-arse boss had his cabin sound-proofed, so he would not be disturbed, while Celine handled the turbulence for him. However, his hawk eye could see everything and everyone who passed by Celine’s desk. It was better to at least have an eye watching over her. Just in case one of the turbulent cases killed her someday, at least it won’t take forever to solve her murder mystery and the murderer won’t be able to get away with it.

Celine wasn’t blind to her boss’s charm. He was indeed rich in everything a man can possess-- of course, apart from having a family. But her boss seemed to be enjoying being alone, and using his ‘most eligible bachelor’ tag to the fullest. Almost every night, Celine’s boss had a brand new possession- s***h- bombshell clinging to him, and it took just a few hours—and fewer steps for him to get them to take him to their beds. Then, the next day, it was Celina’s duty to take care of the dish he had devoured the previous night, if she came looking for him.

Celine wasn’t very enthusiastic about this part of her job, but.. her boss paid her handsomely and sometimes, even with his handsomeness. So, poor Celine had to do what she was expected to do. Or else she must be ready to kiss her handsome salary, a sweet goodbye. And she would be replaced in a few days, maybe even a few hours. Any woman who was not blind could never be immune to Celine’s boss’s charm. They would be hopping on one foot to work for Mr. Insanely handsome and Ridiculously rich, Ricky Burns.

Her train of thoughts was cut short. “Then the receptionist must have also told you that I am here to see Ri—Mr. Burns.” Ela spoke with a hint of annoyance.

But, Celina didn’t care and was immune to such an attitude, so she still remained composed and smiled sweetly, “Yes, she did. But, Ms. Ela, did she warn you that Mr. Burns doesn’t allow anybody to come here for a visit without proper prior appointment? I’m sure she did her duty well and has informed you about the strict instructions from our boss. This applies to even the staff members here. So.. I was hoping you would please call us and book an appointment to meet him. Because I’m afrai—

Ela cut her short once again and let out a huff of vexation, “I don’t care what rules apply to the staff members. I am not one of them. And since I am not his employee, I am sure he will see me. If only you pick up that goddamn phone and give him my name, Celine.” But, to her disappointment, Celine continued what she was saying, as if Ela had not spoken at all, “Because I’m afraid that Ricky cannot be disturbed unless it is something very urgent as well as important.”

“Are you even listening, Celine?” Ela snarled. “Or are you trying to simply act smart and waste my time here?” Celine mentally huffed and rolled her eyes, “Yes, Ms. Ela. I heard you. And no, I’m not trying to act smart or waste your time. In fact, it’s the other way around.”

This made Ela angry and she raised her voice, “You—You are a bloody employee and I am your boss’s…” she paused, their relationship hadn’t yet been defined. Which is why Ela was there, she wanted to talk to Ricky and iron things out. He had left before she woke up this morning, and so he owed her answers. “..his—guest.” She added. “Know your place.”

Celine took a deep breath, before firing icily, “I am well aware of my place, Ms. Ela. And let me tell you this in a very basic language using simple words. Ricky is a busy man. We cannot expect him to leave all his important work behind, to entertain whoever walks in from that door. The people who know him.. be it employees or even clients for that matter, follow the rules. Because they have respect for Ricky, they know that every minute of the day is very important for him and they appreciate his work ethics.”

Celine paused to gauge her reaction, and Ela had the decency to look a little guilty. Or maybe she was just taken aback by Celina’s sudden change in attitude. Without waiting for Ela to spew nonsense and end this conversation right away, Celine continued to add, “And I’m not just an employee, Ms. Ela. I am his secretary. I hold the power to throw you out, if need be. But I would appreciate it if you walked on your own two feet and leave. Or else, I would be forced to make the call to the security, and I’m sure you would not want that.”

Ela surely had the brains to understand what Celine said was right. Perhaps that is why she did not argue anymore and turned to leave. But Celine wasn’t done yet. She had the duty to give Ela the final blow, so that the poor woman knew the fact that there was no need to come back. Her case was closed the moment Ricky Burns walked out of her apartment door. “Next time, please make an appointment, Ms. Ela. Or.. you could call him directly—that is, if he ever gave you his number.” Celine deadpanned.

Ela furiously turned to look at her, but Celine wasn’t making fun of her. She was actually trying to help the poor woman. When Ela noticed Celine wasn’t mocking her, she quietly walked towards the elevator to leave. The moment Celine heard the elevator ding, she waited for a few moments, then called the security to confirm Ela's departure. Finally. She had tackled this case successfully without getting harmed or having the need to call in the security department to throw Ela out.

“In my cabin. Now!” Ricky thundered. Celine nervously fiddled with the lanyard of her ID card as soon as the call that had come on the phone kept on her desk ended. Ricky was nothing less than a devil when he was angry. Her legs shook and her breath was caught in her throat. In sheer nervousness, her brain stopped working and so did her legs. Celine wondered what could be the reason behind the Devil’s call. But, now was not the time to think, it was time to face the music for whatever crime she may have unknowingly committed.

As she knocked on the Devil’s door, Ricky bellowed in his deep sensual voice. “Stop wasting my time and come in, Celine.” With wobbling legs, Celine stumbled into Ricky’s den. Her boss was sitting at his desk, frowning at his laptop. He peered at her shortly after she entered, and scowled at her. For what it was worth, Celine was the only person who was allowed to freely enjoy Ricky’s handsome self, which took her breath away every time.

Despite his angry look and her nervous self, Celine couldn’t help but notice his gifted, stunning look. His hair was disheveled, the tie was hanging loose on his neck and his suit was hugging his chair, instead of strong muscles that rippled beneath the button-down shirt. The room was filled with the masculine scent that oozed out of him. His bulky figure and blood-shot eyes were haunting, yet Celine’s mind ran thoughts about how lucky those arm-candies would be to get the opportunity, even if for just one night, to worship this delicious Devil.

Ricky wrapped his muscular arms across his broad chest, tightening his jaws and deepened his scowl at her. A little stubble on his jaw only enhanced his beauty further. “Celine!” he lowly growled, “You know I’m already swarmed with work these days and I depend on you to help me out here. Not drive me up the wall.” Celine had no idea what he was talking about, she was thoroughly confused out of her mind. But how was she supposed to ask.. ‘What did I do wrong, Ricky?’ and not risk her job.

A bang of his fist on the desk, pulled her out of her thought, “Get your act together, Celine, before things get out of hand here. Handling the small task of checking the quotation before sending it to the client is not too difficult. If things get out of our hands, then there would be no point in crying over spilled milk. And trust me, I will make you bleed tears if your mistakes keep hampering my work, Celine. I am trying my best to be patient here, but you keep getting on my freaking nerves with your stupid mistakes.”

Ricky rhythmically tapped his fingers on the desk as he waited for his assistant to speak or at least apologize. Celine was a delicate woman, shy and timid, but she stood like a mountain between Ricky and whoever came in, disrupting his busy schedule. She was good at her job, and fairly good-looking too, which is why it didn’t hurt Ricky’s eyes when she stood in front of him shivering in fear.

In fact, it brought a small smile on his face, because Celine was exactly what he needed in his assistant. Celine also had a smart brain with a shark's mouth. She bit a chunk out at every woman who claimed to have personal business with him, but Ricky was done doing business with them.

Celine made a few mistakes here and there, and could be replaced in the blink of her eye. However… Ricky would not do that. Because he needed Celine as his secretary. Most importantly, the only difference between Celine and other women dying to work for him was.. the woman that stood in front of him was perfect at handling the challenges of his ‘Fast and Furious’ lifestyle. If he had to confess the truth, then he really liked this woman.

Ricky had no doubt that Celine was attracted to him. It was written all over her face. Yet, his assistant was immune to him at the same time. She maintained her distance and treated him like a boss that he was to her. She wanted nothing more to do with him, and rejected his advances, refusing to get herself involved in his dirty business.

But at the same time, she cared for Ricky. Celine bought him lunch and stayed for dinner if he was working late. Quietly brought medicines if Ricky was unwell and made sure he took care of himself, while Ricky dug himself deep into his work. Ricky had his own reasons for burying himself with work, but Celine was a doze of home, or a family, that was currently not a part of his life. In fact, they had both started working here at the same time.

Celine was the only person who had a key to Ricky's step-father’s house.. The one he used to call home, when his mother was staying with them, because nowadays, Ricky preferred to stay away from that place. But Celina took care of that house, kept it clean and maybe even stayed there sometimes. Ricky wasn’t sure about it though, but he had his doubts. Though, he would never ask her anything, because he didn’t care. Furthermore, he trusted Celine. So if she needed that house permanently, she could go ahead without even asking.

His delicately beautiful secretary, with blond hair and smiling golden eyes and luscious lips, was the only person who knew bits and parts of what was going on in his life, presently. She had heard countless arguments between him and his step-father, watched him throwing things around and hide in his cabin. She did not leave when Ricky had temper issues, assured him every time he came after meeting his mother, strongly held the fort when those women came in, causing trouble.

But, that didn't mean Celine wouldn't be replaced if she continued to make mistakes.

As if on cue, he came barging inside from the door and Celine was saved by the disruption. Ricky sighed tiredly and held the bridge of his nose. He could feel the headache forthcoming. The person who barged in his cabin was none other than his step-father, who at that moment had a face like thunder. But the hell Ricky cared. His father slammed the folder on his desk and a few loose papers spilled out and scattered around the desk.

Ricky knew his father was there for the same reason he had called Celina in his cabin. And whatever happened next, Celine would witness it, as always. Yet, she would smile at him the next day.. as if she had heard nothing. Now, how was Ricky supposed to be angry at such a person, or even avoid her mistakes?

“I had no idea you were planning to destroy my business. If not, perhaps, you are too busy with unnecessary things to do your job meticulously.” Mr. Burns was a good business man, sometimes ruthless, but that is how you have to be when you want to get things done, right. But, he was never this rude to Ricky. His son was the apple of his eye, so much so that he preferred Ricky over his own biological daughter, Echo, to handle his business.

However, Ricky wasn’t blind not to notice that his step-father had changed. Ricky still couldn’t wrap his head around the truth, that the person who was so much in love with his mother, did not bother to help her in times of need. Mr. Burns closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath, “Listen carefully, Ricky. I’ve worked my entire life to earn this respect and afford the lifestyle I live. Handling such a huge responsibility is not a joke. I have put my trust in you and let you handle this business. Don’t make me regret it. I’m warning you again, don’t you dare lose your focus. Keep your personal life out of it.” He paused, before adding, “By that I mean, those sleazy women you have started to hang out with, as well as Bo. You have to accept that she is gone.”

That was the wrong thing for his father to say, because Ricky stiffened and his face went rigid. Ricky resented his father after what he did to Ricky's mother. He was still trying to prove his mother’s innocence. But nobody wanted to help and to add fuel to the fire, his mother refused to take his help or talk to Ricky about what happened.

Every time Ricky visited her, either she refused the visit or kept looking for her husband, expecting him to come, only to be disappointed every time. It hurt Ricky, but there was nothing he could do when his own mother didn’t want to talk about it. But dragging Bo into this discussion only increased his headache and caused him to get hurt.

Without uttering a single word, or glancing at his father or his assistant, Ricky stepped out of his cabin and walked towards the elevator. His fingers were wrapped together and balled into a fist, Ricky was fuming and there was no way he would be able to stay there and not hurt somebody. Ricky may resent this man, but he was still thankful to him for always supporting him and loving his mother, until he stopped doing that.

There had to be a reasonable explanation behind it and Ricky was sensible enough to know it in the back of his mind. But.. Mr. Burns won’t talk about his mother anymore. And that frustrated the heck out of him. He felt alone and what affected him the most was that Mr. Burns treated him well and loved him like his own father. He kept saying how proud he was of Ricky, until he stopped everything. Mr. Burns distanced himself from Ricky and that was so sudden that Ricky had stumbled and fallen on his butt hard.

At the same time, Bo had broken up with him and his mother got suspiciously weird on him, like she wasn’t even his mother anymore. All of this was more confusing than anyone could think. Ricky was still in the process of getting on his feet, after falling flat, and now his legs were wobbly. But.. he was trying. Especially to pull Bo out of his mind, when he couldn’t stop thinking about how things could have been different if he had not made that one mistake.

Ricky had been working with his step-father for a fairly long time. Even if he wasn’t the best at everything, he was getting better and climbing the ladder, to make his step-father proud. But, after Bo broke up with him and refused to take his help and go to work with him, Ricky was sad and heart-broken. He knew the mistakes he had made three years ago were irreparable, but he was hoping to fix that and make up with Bo, after she finished her studies and came to work with him in this office. Then, instead of Celine, it would have Bo working for him. And then he wouldn’t have been this distracted.

Ricky knew if Bo was still to this day would have been by his side, he wouldn’t have bothered himself with other women. Because for him, Bo had always been everything. Also, in his tough times fighting to help his mother, Bo would have been his biggest support. If only she would have given them another chance and truly tried to make it work with him. They were so much in love with each other, he still did.. but failed to keep her. His step-sister, Echo, won her over.

He still remembered what Bo had said to him and those words had hurt him tremendously. “We have nothing left between us anymore. There is nothing I would want to go back to. Our relationship ended the day you left me, and my feelings for you ended the day I walked out of that institute. Because when I needed you—you weren’t around.”

Not just that, Bo had easily forgiven him and wanted him to move on too. And, believe it or not, it tore his heart more than those words that spilled out of her mouth. “I forgive you. That is all I can do for you. I forgive you for everything that went wrong between us. Because we can’t hold on to our past for our entire life, Ricky. I don’t want us to do that. I don't want to feel those painful memories, or even think about it. I will keep the good memories with me and delete the rest. You should try doing that too.”

Like hell it was that easy to snap a finger and move on. He needed Bo more than his next breath. His life had been falling apart, and he needed Bo to hold onto him. She was the last straw of hope that would help him to go on living, but.. she was no longer with him. As if the moments they had shared and the memories they had created weren't already stabbing at his heart every passing moment, that his step-father had to mention her name out of the blue..

Didn't his father know? To forget how incredible they had been. And numb the pain of those memories that had remained a constant reminder of her, Ricky had adopted his new lifestyle. This was the only way he could think of to keep going. Even though he knew it wasn't the best solution. But, that was the only way, he kept telling himself.

Ricky slipped into his car and the engine roared to life. Ricky held the steering wheel tightly, until his knuckles were white and sat there taking deep breaths. But it wasn’t helping, so he began driving out of the parking lot. The destination was unknown, but what he knew for sure was things were getting out of hand. First, his mother’s silence, the change of his step-father’s attitude.

Then his work was getting hampered because he was losing his focus. And last, but not the least-- Oh, forget it. Ricky was hoping as the tires of his car started to glide down the road, the thoughts of Bo would also glide out of his head along the way. His phone rang and an unknown number flashed on the screen. He wasted no time in swiping red.

"Women!" Ricky huffed. He never gave them his number. But, it wasn't that difficult to find it either, if you had the right source. But, lord save him. These women demanded more and more attention from him and Ricky would never drive on that road. He was done wasting his energy on useless emotional dramatics.

He was happy the way things were in his life, if only these women stopped getting on his nerves. He had always been crystal clear about what he needed from the arrangement and would go ahead only if they were comfortable with his demands. And they had agreed... they all had. However, all of a sudden, they developed feelings for him. But he did not and never would. That was not his freaking fault. And their heart was not his responsibility.

None of them were his responsibility and he would not take their childish nonsense. But something needed to be done and soon. Or he would not only lose Celine, as his secretary, who threatened to quit sometimes, but also his own damn mind. To sum it all up, he was not cut out for this.. acting like an attention-seeking bastard. He was only trying to fool himself, and no one else.

Just then, his phone dinged with a text message and he peeked at his phone to check, assuming it was from Celine. They were not done talking, but tomorrow they would sit and have a detailed discussion on this. Because of his step-father, Ricky had left, but Celine needed an earful for her mistakes.

Ricky unlocked his phone with the password. His breath suddenly got caught in his throat when he realized the text was not from Celine, but from his step-father. And what stunned him even more was what the message said. “I am sorry for being rude to you, son. But can we talk?” Ricky swiped the key to call him and kept it on speaker, as he was driving. The first question that Ricky wanted to ask was ‘Are you alright?’ But he didn’t. When Mr. Burns answered the call, he did not wait for Ricky to speak.

Mr. Burns cleared his throat and said, “Today, I was told by a little bird that I have been very hard on you, and extremely rude to you. Maybe I was. I soon realized it too. Let me apologize to you, son, and tell you the one thing that I have learned in my life. You cannot be so lenient or lose your focus while doing business, because you get taken advantage of. All I can say is, I may be harsh with words, but that is because I love you, son. And I worry about you. I only have you, Ricky. Because Echo hates me. And I know I deserve that. But I hope you don’t. Because I have no one to call my own.”

A smile tugged on Ricky’s face. He knew who this little bird was and he was thankful to Celine. Ricky did not want to start any fight or have an argument, but before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “You have one more family member, dad! She is waiting for you inside that prison, every single day. Why aren’t you looking at her?”

As he had expected, silence came as an answer from the other end.

“So, now we have nothing to talk about anymore?” Ricky spoke derisively. “Son! There is nothing I can do for her, whether you believe it or not. I know you love your mother, and so do I. But.. I don’t want to talk about her, and I want you to respect that.” Mr. Burns said quietly, yet his voice was stern enough to sound like a warning from a father to his child.

“Then stop wasting your breath in apologies.” Ricky growled and disconnected the call. The smile left his face, and anger took over. The grip on the steering wheel tightened and his vision started to blur. Apart from the unshed tears that were blocking his vision, he also saw red everywhere.

Ricky was speeding his vehicle and driving around aimlessly for hours now, which is why he did not notice that he had jumped the signal. Too bad, before he could do anything to avoid what happened next, a middle-aged woman came right in front of him and he could barely manage to stamp on the break when his car hit her.

Ricky sat in his car, and looked absolutely mesmerized.