THE BILLIONAIRE’S RETURNED LOVER

NATASHA

Elijah sifted through his tie collection, his eyebrows crunched in a frown and his eyes starting unseeingly as he held up a sky blue tie. He stood before his wardrobe, half-naked, dressed in black suit pants and a white singlet. His bronze skin glowed underneath the white LED lightening in the room.

"Will you be at the office soon?" Finn's voice echoed from his phone which lay on the bed.

"Will you quit rushing me? It's barely eight in the morning and I've not had breakfast." He retorted, dropping the tie on the shelf at the top corner of his wardrobe.

It was a rather large wardrobe and he was proud of it. It had taken him the whole of his second summer in high school to build it from just planks of mahogany wood. His lips twitched as he recalled him and Ivory painting it white so it would match his room. She had even picked out what would occupy each section turning him into an organized prick!

Eli chuckled at the memory and shook his head. He would think about Ivory later. He had way bigger fish to fry. Deciding that a black tie would do just fine, He snatched an embroidered one off the shelf and walked in quick long strides towards a mirror to get dressed, the muscles of his arms and shoulders twitching and rippling with each tiny movement.

"I'll bet Jose isn't trying to have breakfast right now. He's probably up and ready to tear you down into a million pieces. This isn't a joke Eli.

Things are f*****g bad!" Finn chastised.

Eli groaned and rolled his eyes. "You think I don't know that?!"

If Nick Caraguay truly had some relationship with Jose Santiago, then things could be really bad for him. The Mexican had been a long-time enemy of Carter's Industries. Heck, he had almost run his father to the ground some seven years ago. Jose Santiago was ruthless when it came to business. He cheated to win and got rid of anyone who stood in his way. And seven years ago, when Carter's Industries hit the hundred billion mark, it stood in Jose's way.

"Honestly?" Finn said flatly. "Yes, I think you don't know. Get your ass over here, I'll be in your office."

Elijah gritted his teeth, pulled on his black suit jacket and assessed his look in the mirror. His eyes had bags underneath them and faint wrinkles lined his forehead. Damn! He tugged at his blonde hair that almost covered his eyes and sighed. At twenty-three he was starting to look older than his age.

I'm not ready. I'm not ready to run the company.

But it didn't matter if he was ready or not. There was no choice. The last thing he wanted was for the company to fall into his mother's hands. It would kill his dead father all over again.

With one last look at the mirror, Elijah grabbed his phone and walked out of his room, his jaw set in resolve. He would find a way to get Jose Santiago's dirty paws out of 'his' company.

****

The dining room was quieter than usual and solemn. Only Henry sat on one of his chairs, his adorable face pulled in a sad look and he stared down at his bowl of oats as if they were the source of his misery.

Walking towards the child, Eli slid a hand over his head, ruffling his black hair. Henry cast his sad blue eyes up at him and he saw they were shimmering with tears.

Oh oh, it was worse than oats.

"Hey, little man." He murmured, pulling a chair beside him to sit on. "What's wrong?"

And as if triggered, the boy burst into a full-blown wail.

"Shit." Eli cussed, patting him on the back consolingly. "Come on, tell me. You don't like the oats?"

Henry shook his head and Eli frowned. If it wasn't the oat, then what was it that had the child mewling? "So what is it?"

Henry's wail slowed down to hiccups as he tried to speak. "Ivy... Ivy gone."

For a moment, the words floated above his head and he frowned in confusion. Ivy gone? What did he mean- Eli's eyes widened in horror as he realized.

"No." He jumped to his feet startling Henry, who resumed crying. "No, she did not just pull that s**t on me again!"

His body trembled visibly as fear and anger rolled into one. He had just gotten her back. He had just- he clenched his fist and yelled.

"Madeline!"

Ivory's mother came running, her eyes widened and hair askew. She had an apron on and a chef's cap adorned her black hair. Eli gritted his teeth. He had told her she didn't have to cook for him anymore, but she was just as stubborn as her daughter!

"Eli?" Madeline asked warily, as she took in the dance of the heaving male. He towered over all, green eyes flashing in anger and he looked ready to snap.

"When did she leave?!" He demanded.

Madeline sighed and wiped her hands on her apron. "An hour ago-"

"There's still hope then." He interrupted, whipping out his phone from his pants pocket and dialling the number.

He'd be damned if he let Ivory slip through his fingers again. Three years ago, he had let her go because he didn't have one thing.

Power.

And it was a good thing, he had loads of it now.

"Hello?" A voice echoed from the receiver.

"Hello, Clayman. I would like to ask a small favour."

****

"What do you mean expired?!"

The woman before Ivory looked bored. Her brown hair was tied up in a tight bun and her dark eyes just stared blankly at the computer screen before her. The clicking sound of a mouse filled the small office, driving her crazy.

"That's what the data says here, ma'am. Your visa is expired. And your flight has been denied."

"Bull s**t!" Ivory hissed and flipped her dark hair over her shoulders. She wore a flowery beach dress to deal with the crazy hot California sun. "I was about to board my flight! If it was expired, there's no way they would've given me a ticket. What's going on?"

The bored woman gave her a levelled gaze. "Ma'am, the system says your visa is expired. We are sorry for whatever disappointments this may have caused."

Oh, she was f****d. She glanced at her small luggage and felt tears sting the corner of her eyes. Disappointment? These people had no idea what they were saying. Shaking her head,

"Please check again. It's possible...maybe there's a glitch or something." She pleaded. "My visa isn't due until next year!"

The office attendant gave a false smile and dialled the landline. "Albert? I'll need you to come to escort a certain Miss out."

Ivory gasped, launching to her feet. "You called security on me?!"

The stupid smile remained on the latter's face and Ivory itched to smack it off. "Safety measures ma'am."

"I'll show you safety measures!" She screamed lunging for the office assistant who shrieked and fell off her chair. Before Ivory could pounce on her, strong arms grabbed her shoulders and steered her out of the office.

"Let me go!" She screamed as the security man, a rather gigantic man hauled her through the crowd, out of the airport. "Let me go right now! My Visa isn't expired! There has to be something wrong."

Albert showed no hint of interest in her story. He pushed her out through the exit and stood firmly before her, glaring down at her firmly.

Ivory felt shattered as she realized that everyone inside the airport had watched the scene. Her face burned in shame and she tried to reach for her luggage. She gasped realizing, it was still at the attendant's office.

"Hey!" She yelled at the big burly man. "My luggage is in there!"

"No can do miss." He replied stoically, folding his arms.

Ivory tossed her hands in the air. "Just wonderful! Today's being wonderful!" She screamed. Her dress swished about her as she shook in anger.

"Ivory Stars?" A thickly accented feminine voice called behind her.

Ivory turned around, gasping as she realized who the caller was. "Natasha!"

Natasha who was a head taller grinned wolfishly at her from the airport driveway. She stood before a black car, surrounded by men dressed in black suits.

To Ivory, Natasha was the epitome of a Mexican goddess. Her chocolate brown hair always fell in waves no matter how it was styled. Her brows were trimmed and primed to perfection and her golden skin accentuated the beauty of her coffee-coloured eyes. She carried herself in a way that made everyone envy and love her.

And to top it all. Natasha. Was. Stinky. Rich!

Ivory had been quite intimidated when she had first met her on Oxford grounds.

The domineering lady took quick steps towards her. Her bodyguards protested but she ignored them, encircling Ivory in a warm hug.

"It is so good to see you again."