The Billionaire's One Night Stand

Chapter Two

Natalie stared at the man she still called father, wondering how she never saw through his smiles when she was a child. She thought people always said children could sense the evil in someone, or were they just speaking casually? If she had known that her father was like this, she would never have agreed to go with him in the first place.

Simon Drew got irritated when he saw Natalie standing in his study room, looking lost. “Are you going to stand there all day? Now, I know Laila wasn’t bluffing when she said that what you do all day is take away time and eat food. Look at you; you remind me of your mother. Just go away. I have important things to deal with.” He sneered at Natalie.

“The doctor said you haven’t made any deposit for your mother’s treatment. He tried reaching you, but your number doesn’t seem to go through when he does.” Natalie reported. Although his words hurt her, she still had no other choice but to ask him about matters concerning her mother’s health.

“Your mother? Why should I care about her life or death? It is already her goodwill that I have paid for the bills for the past years. I have no interest in her matters anymore. If that is why you stormed into my study, I will forgive you this once. Leave now.”

Natalie panicked. What did he mean by he has no interest in her mother’s matter? If he doesn’t pay, how will her mother receive medications? No, she could not just accept that “Father, I beg you.” She fell on her knees and held her palms together before her face.

Simon Drew furrowed his brow. “What are you trying to do? Label me as a bad person? I have told you already. Your mother’s matter has nothing to do with Me.” He insisted, not moved by Natalie’s plea in any way.

“Please, if you stop her medications, my mother will die. You know this. Please, Father, I beg you. Don’t do this.” Natalie kept pleading with her teary face. She looked pitiful to any person with a heart, but to her father, her present look made him more irritated.

Simon Drew became infuriated. “Did the heavens curse me by giving you such a useless child to me? All you know how to do is waste my money. Tell me, what improvement has occurred so far in the years of treating your mother? I have no spare money to throw on a dying person. If she has to die, then let her. She has lived a long life anyway.” He hit the table and pointed at Natalie’s face as he shouted.

“Honey, what is going on? I could hear your voice from the room.” Teresa Drew rushed into the study room, showing a surprised look. She was not in any way surprised, knowing fully well that the only reason why her husband would be so angry would be about matters concerning Natalie.

Laila rushed in just seconds after Teresa came in. “Daddy! What is happening?” she sounded frightened, making her face look tender. She eyed Natalie as soon as she spotted her. Every time they crossed paths, she found it difficult to withhold her dislike for Natalie.

Simon Drew did not calm down because more people were in the room. Instead, he got even angrier. “Ask this parasite of a child! All she knows how to do is annoy me.” He kept pointing his finger at Natalie, scolding and cursing at her.

Laila was the first to speak up. “Daddy, please calm down. I feel scared. What will happen to us if we lose you?” She pouted sadly, approaching her father in a bid to comfort him.

Teresa Drew eyed up Natalie, who was still kneeling on the floor. Her eyes could barely cover the disgust she had for Natalie. “You! What have you done now? We have already done so much for you. Do you want to kill our head then come for the rest of us?” she frowned.

Her tone was more like a mother scolding her daughter, who was acting spoilt, but in reality, she was calling Natalie a leech who would only be satisfied when she killed them all.

Laila quickly said, “You shouldn’t be so harsh on her mom. After all, she had no birth mother to teach her. No matter how much you try to help, she won’t listen.”

Natalie looked at each of them. They all had something to say, but why did they talk like she was the one who reaped the fruit of their labor when she barely ate well under their roof? She was about to say something when Teresa Drew lashed out.

“It seems like you are too ashamed to say anything. Even though you don’t want to learn what I teach you, at least you should know how to be decent. If someone says no, then accept it. Money is hard to come by these days.” Teresa Drew rolled her eyes.

“I have a new contract I am dealing with. As I said, I have no spare change for a dying person. You can leave now.” Simon Drew concluded. He returned to the documents he was reading before Natalie came in.

Laila hid a smile. “You should let your mother rest in peace now, Natalie. She must be feeling a lot of pain due to her illness. Don’t you think it is better just to let her die and be at peace?” she spoke out with a soft voice like she was giving friendly advice.

Suddenly, a loud slap echoed in the study room. It happened so fast that no one expected Natalie actually to hit Laila. The room fell into a deafening silence, and they were all dumbfounded by what had just happened.

“Don’t you dare speak ill about my mother!” Natalie’s voice sounded with restrained anger. She could take anything they threw at her, but she would never allow them to speak ill of her mother, who was the only person who cared for her in the whole world.

Laila was the first to recover. “How dare you hit me?” she glared at Natalie as she held her already red cheek. The slap was very hard on her. She was someone who wasn’t used to taking beatings. She has never been hit in her life.

Teresa Drew went crazy. “You ingrate! How dare you hit my daughter?” she scolded Natalie immediately.

Natalie clenched her fists, unwilling to back down. “She has the mouth to speak ill things, why can’t she face the consequences of her words? All I did was teach her what to say as a good person that she is.” She answered back with the same energy. It wasn’t like she was easy to bully. It was just the situations that were hard to handle.

Laila’s eyes turned red in anger. “What ill things did I say? I only spoke the truth. It has been nine years now, and that mother of yours is still showing no improvement. All she does is waste money. If my father doesn’t have any spare change to help the needy, look for other ways if you are capable!” she screamed back, feeling both angry and embarrassed because of Natalie’s slap.

Simon Drew got annoyed after seeing his dear daughter being hit on her cheek. “You have always been a brat. Who knew just because I let you live here, you would grow big wings and even fight your sister? I have an occasion tonight. Let me warn you now: I don’t care what you plan to do, but if you ruin things for me. Then you can go find a place to die with your mother.” He warned Natalie seriously.

“I am your daughter also. Why do you treat me with so much hate?” Natalie’s voice broke as she spoke. At that moment, she was genuinely convinced that in this life, she was only left to fight alone.

Simon Drew did not bother to respond to Natalie. He looked at his wife instead. “Lock her up in the basement. I do not want any mistakes tonight when Mr. Roy arrives. If anything goes wrong? I will settle scores with you.” He gave strict instructions before leaving the study room.

Natalie wordlessly watched as Simon Drew left the room. Did he know about all the times she had been locked up in the basement, too?

Laila read Natalie’s emotions well. She sneered. “What so good about being the first daughter? Ultimately, you are just a parasite to be disposed of soon.” She flipped her hair to the side triumphantly and walked out of the study room also. She needed to prepare for the dinner party, and time was already far spent.

Teresa Drew was the only one left in the study room with Natalie. She looked at Natalie’s downcast face and laughed. All these years, she has been wondering when her husband would finally stop paying for the ill woman’s hospital treatments. Finally, the day has come, and she couldn’t be happier than she is today.

“Are you walking by yourself, or do I need the maids to carry you as usual?” she arched a brow as she stared provocatively at Natalie.

Evening fell quickly, and the guests for the dinner party had already started to walk into Drew’s garden. The gravel driveway welcomed luxury cars. A gentle breeze carried the scent of freshly cut grass and blooming flowers, mingling with the faint aroma of culinary delights drifting from the catering area.

Laughter and animated conversations filled the air as friends and acquaintances reunited, their voices blending with the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant murmur of a fountain bubbling in the background.

Although they were partying at Drew’s mansion, they were anticipating the arrival of the most prominent businessman. The man who had made it through the business world to the top in speed record. He was the talk of everyone in the city. So, as people conversed, their eyes would naturally sway to the entrance of the garden gates.

As dusk deepened into the night, people were starting to gossip. They wondered if the man would not show up to honor the newly signed contract between his group and the Drew Company.

Simon Drew stood by the corner, his palms were starting to sweat, wondering if the man would embarrass him in front of the whole elites in the city by not showing up.

“Dad, what is happening? Is he not going to come?” Laila asked cautiously, not wanting anyone eavesdropping on their father-daughter discussion. She had dressed so well for tonight’s event it would be a big disappointment if the man she dressed for did not show up.

Simon Drew frowned. “How am I to know that? I already sent him an invite. Whether he comes or not is out of my control.” He answered roughly, already feeling annoyed with each passing minute.

Just as some guests were getting tired and ready to leave, a loud sound echoed at the garden entrance. All gazes were drawn to the garden entrance.

“Mr. Roy!” one of the guests exclaimed as a charming young man walked in through the garden gates; tall and impeccably dressed in a bespoke charcoal suit tailored to perfection, he emanated an aura of effortless confidence.

His dark brown hair swept back with strictness, making him look even more charming, but his eyebrows were furrowed as he walked into the event.

The guests were ogling at Roy when a crisp noise sounded, causing their gazes to fall on a girl struggling to escape his grasp.

“Let me go!” Natalie complained as she struggled to escape Roy’s grasp, oblivious to her surroundings.