THE STOLEN BILLIONAIRE'S DAUGHTER

CHAPTER NINE

Dulce Madden

I have been avoiding speaking to my mother for almost a week and I’m guessing she had been tried of it because she was standing a few feet from the door when I opened it. I looked at her and sighed, “I was wondering when this would happen.” I said as I closed the door behind me.

She walked up to me and hugged me. She didn’t speak just hugged me for almost a minute. She pulled back and looked at me, “I understand now what you are feeling and I just wanted to say that I am sorry.”

I had no idea what she was talking about but I nodded.

“The week you haven’t been talking to me has been torture and I didn’t know that’s how you felt when I wasn’t around.” She explained.

That’s not the reason I wasn’t speaking to her but since she saw it as a life lesson who was I to say otherwise, I thought.

“That’s why I wanted to make it up to you and I want us to have a girl’s day together.” She said with a smile.

I sighed, she had started off so well. “Your idea of solving this is throwing money at me?” I asked.

“I don’t understand sweetie.” She said.

“Of course you don’t. You’re used to a life of luxury now. I doubt you even remember how to spend time with me anymore.” I complained.

“Baby that’s why I want us to go and have fun together. We haven’t done that since you were a child and now I want to pamper you.” She said with a big smile plastered on her face.

I removed her hand that was on my shoulder, “I don’t want to do things I did when I was a kid. If you want to make it up to me, talk to Miles into giving me a scholarship so I could go to college.”

“I already did that sweetie. I thought you opened the mail, you got into University of California and so did Leon. Miles arranged for you and him to go for a tour there tomorrow and even get to spend the night at the apartment he set up for you.” She explained.

“What?” I asked confused. I hadn’t seen the mail but I hadn’t even checked my email. I took out my phone but there was no email from University of California. “I didn’t get an email.” I pointed out.

“Miles talk to them personally, sweetie.” She said.

“I wanted to get in on my own not have your boyfriend pull some strings for me!” I yelled.

“Honey, you got in on your own. Miles just sped up the process so you didn’t have to go for the tour with other students. You might even get in early if you wanted to.” My mother said.

I was so excited about this, I shrieked. “I got in!” I yelled as I hugged my mother.

She smiled. “I don’t know why you believed that you wouldn’t. I always believed in you, sweetie.” She said. “Now can we go out? We could even get you a prom dress?”

“Sure.” I replied eagerly, “but I also promised Leon that we’d shop for our prom attire together. But I have been ignoring him so I don’t know if he would still want to come with me.”

“He is the one taking you to prom?” My mother asked.

“Yes. Is that a problem?” I asked.

“He is technically going to be your brother so it is a problem.” My mother replied.

I chuckled, “so you don’t mind me living with him but you have a problem with me going with him to prom?” I asked with a smirk.

“Huh? You make a good point.” She replied, “you could text him to meet us at the mall and see if he would come?” She suggested.

I thought about but decided against it. “I don’t think he wants to be spending time with two ladies. Let’s just go.” I said as we exited the building.

We walked outside and I was making my way to the car when my mother stopped me, “James should be here shortly.” She said and I looked at him as if she had just grown another head.

“Who is James?” I asked.

“He’s… ah there he is.” She said as she pointed an SUV that was driving towards us.

I was dumbfounded.

“Since when do you have a driver?” I asked.

She laughed softly, “it’s a long story.” She said in an attempt to just brush it off.

My mother seemed to have immersed herself in the life of Miles. She was already used to this kind of lifestyle and I was starting to think she didn’t spend time at our apartment as she thought it was beneath her.

We chatted a bit on our way to the mall, it was mostly her trying to convince me to accept her engagement, which now that I thought about it, I didn’t have a problem with it. I knew my mother loved me, it just hurt that she seemed to be building herself a life that didn’t involve me. But she had made her life around me for seventeen years and I think it was time she also got to live her own life.

“Are you happy with him?” I asked her.

She smiled widely as she nodded.

“Does he treat you like the queen that you are?” I asked with a smile.

She chuckled, “he definitely does.”

“Then you can go ahead and get married. Just don’t completely forget about me.” I said as I hugged her.

“I’d never forget about you, sweetie. Never.” She assured me just as we entered the mall’s parking lot.

James, the driver, parked the car and as I stepped out I was met with Leon who smiled at me. I looked back at my mother who was not seated where I was initially, “what did you do?” I asked with my eyes wide.

“I texted him and explained everything and he agreed to come.” My mother said with a smile.

I looked at Leon and chuckled, “anything she might have told you is completely exaggerated.” I said in my defence.

“Maybe you could stay here with him and explain things. Bye.” My mother said as she closed the car door and shortly after drove away.

I couldn’t believe this.

“You don’t seem too happy to see here.” Leon said as he leaned back on his car.

I sighed, “I didn’t think you’d want to come here after I have been ignoring you.” I said as I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck.

“Ah well, I did consider the fact that your mother was playing us but I thought I might as well come and see you. It has been a while.” He replied, “see whether or not we are still doing the prom things together or you want to back out.”

“My prom is in two days.” I stated.

He stood up straight, “then we better start shopping.” She said with a smile as he waved his wallet. “I’m still the one paying.”

I smirked as we walked into the mall.

“There is something that I wanted to ask you.” I said as we walked.

“What is it?” He asked.

“My mother told me that you got into University of California I thought you wanted to go to Southern California, what changed?” I asked.

“Well, I got a better offer in University of California, and when your mother told my dad that you wanted to go there he thought that he might get us a place where we could stay together.” He explained, “if you don’t want to stay with me, I could also just move out.”

I chuckled, “your father is gracious enough to get me a place where I stay for free and you think I am going to kick you out?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t be so quick to say no. You haven’t seen how messy and disgusting I get.” He joked.

“You’re a guy. I think it was already implied.” I joked back as I laughed softly.

We did shopping alright, while I was trying to look at the price tag before I could pick out a dress, Leon would just look at any dress and say, “I think this would look good on you.”

I would look at the price tag and it was like five hundred dollars, my eyes would go wide. I would put it back but he would take it back and hand it to me. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to spend that much on something I would only wear once.

“You know if you picked out a nice dress you wouldn’t only wear it once.” He said, in an attempt to convince me to pick out any dress. “And if I’m being honest you do need to upgrade your wardrobe for college. You can’t wear these things there.”

I scoffed, “these things are my clothes.” I countered.

“You know what, we’ll worry about that later, for now let’s get you a dress.” He said.

In about an hour we had visited almost ten stores and tried almost fifty dresses and as much as Leon wanted me to get all the dresses, I opted for the three I liked most. For my prom, his prom and a dress I had fallen in love with.

Leon didn’t get much of anything, he said his dad took him to fit a suit for the prom. Oh, how to grow up rich, I thought.

“We still have some time to kill how about we watch a movie?” He suggested.

I shrugged, “fine by me.” I said.

We were walking to the movie theatre when we bumped into a group of girls who knew Leon. The dark haired one seemed to not like that I was with him to begin with.

“I see you are settling for less since I broke your heart.” She said with a smirk as she glanced at me from head to toe in scrutiny.

“Catalina, I could say I settle for original.” Leon replied with a smirk of his own.

I rolled my eyes as I just walked ahead, leaving them to whatever this was.

Leon caught up with me shortly after, “sorry about that. I hope she didn’t ruin your day.”

I sighed, “I’m used to dealing with such girls all day. I think I’m immune to all that.” He chuckled.

“Still up for a movie?” I asked.

“Sure.” I replied.

I didn’t mind dealing with Catalina but what Leon had said stuck in my head. What did he mean by ‘settle for the original’? I wondered.