Deadly Romance with a Billionaire

Chapter Four

As I try to pull Chaz away from the bloated guy, men in black suits frantically run towards us so I take a couple of steps back and let them do their job. Since Chaz is taller and bigger than any of them, they have to exert extra force to shove him away, ripping off his blue checkered suit which makes him even angrier. Chaz next action triggers every bone in my body to shiver, he attacks the men who are pacifying the situation without second thought. Blood drips from their cuts and bruises swell on their skin but Chaz doesn’t stop pummeling them.

'I’ve never seen him this mad.'

My foot twitches when I raise them from the granite floor. It takes a few seconds, maybe a minute, but finally, tiny courage eclipses any hesitation I have. I rush to him and wrap my arms around his figure, begging him to stop. My body violently sways from left to right but I hug him tight otherwise he might unintendedly hurl me somewhere. Slowly, my body swings a lot more gentler until it stops and my shoes could feel the floor beneath me. Then, a thumb tenderly wipes the tears from my cheeks and my eyelids fold open to meet the gaze of the man I love. He’s breathing heavily as he calms himself down. He jerks when my finger nudges the reddish swell at the corner of his lower lip.

“Does it hurt?” I ask.

“Don’t worry about it,” he says.

His soft gaze shifts back to a sinister glare when he looks at the people around us, including his mother who’s still in complete shock.

“Let’s go. We’re not welcome here.” He turns around while clutching my wrist and walks with long heavy strides.

The moment we reach the lobby, all cameras start flashing again while microphones and recorders are being forced to our faces. I almost lose my footing as I mirror Chaz’s pace while avoiding the reporters who are either following or blocking us. His bodyguards only manage to ram their way near us when we’re already out of the building. Before we could ride his Lamborghini, someone calls my name.

“Ms. Lopez! Ms. Lopez!”

I look over my shoulder to see who is it, it’s one of the men whom Chaz fought earlier. His left eye is bruised and swollen and yet he’s smiling, offering his mint scented handkerchief.

“Please give this to Mr. Montenegro. Tell him I’m really sorry that I have to retaliate,” he says.

He sounds and looks genuine so I take the handkerchief from his hands and whisper ‘thank you’ before rushing inside the car and closing its door. While we travel the busy avenues of McKinley Hills, I notice that Chaz is extremely quiet as he absentmindedly stares at the back of the driver’s seat.

“Hey,” I say. “Let’s go to the hospital first to check on your wounds.”

He sighs with sharpness. “No need.”

I gawk at him, waiting to hear more but he remains silent and doesn’t even look at me. I reluctantly slide my hand over his. He doesn’t protest which gives me a reason to press my lips on the red and blue patches on his knuckle several times then I put his arm over my shoulders and lean my head on his chest. He tightens his arm around me and starts kissing my head. I close my eyes and might have fallen asleep coz when I open them, we’re already in the parking lot of the Empire Elite Tower, a five-star hotel owned by Chaz’s family. We take the private entrance in the ground floor which leads to five private elevators. This secret hallway is exclusive only to the hotel’s VIP guests who are the cream of the crop of the high society and of course, the Montenegros themselves.

Once we set foot in Chaz’s penthouse, I hurriedly search for the first aid kit which is kept in one of the built-in white cabinets of the powder room’s anteroom then I head to Chaz’s bedroom which is on the second floor. Chaz is lying on his king size bed, staring directly at the chandelier on the tray ceiling. He doesn’t show much on his face no matter how hard I examine it. I saunter towards the edge of his bed to get a better glimpse of him but before I could take a seat, he grips my wrist and gently pulls me down on his side causing for the medical kit in my hand to drop on the carpeted floor.

“What are you doing?” I say with a fake irritation in my tone.

He doesn’t answer but hugs me firmly which makes my heart lurches in joy. “I wanna sleep, don’t disturb me, ‘kay?”

I push him slightly as I carry my weight up and he rolls on the bed until he flumps on the floor, prompting me to laugh as loud as I could. He sits down, peeking his head through the bed and pursing his lips while giving me a teasing look. And finally, he stands up, crawls towards me, hooks my head with his strong big hand and presses his lips on mine. My hands run on his tanned chiseled face as the passion from within magnifies. We savor each other’s lips for a good amount of time but when the wound on his lower lip crops up in my head, I immediately break our kiss. His warm breath on my skin and his heartbeat in my ear are more than enough to decrease the wariness I’m feeling. My hand tenderly traces the wound on his lip then my eyes take a trip to his well sculpted body before going back to his piercing eyes.

“I promise to prove them wrong. I’ll show everyone that I’m the best woman for you, nobody else’s.”

He playfully intertwines his fingers with my bangs. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Their opinions don’t matter to me.”

His words make me special. The ecstatic that’s swirling in my chest brings waters in my eyes. When Chaz is about to give me another kiss, his phone rings. He gropes his ripped jacket that’s draped on the chair’s frame near his bedside and takes his phone from its pocket.

“Hello.” …… “Sure. That’s fine by me.” ……. “I’ll be there in a bit, call you back.”

He rotates his body to face me after disconnecting the call. “I have to attend a meeting, sweetie.”

My eyebrows arch then my eyes look at the digital clock that’s hanged on the white wall, it says 6:42 in the evening. “We haven’t even had lunch, thinking we could have dinner together?”

“Just this once, please. This is an important meeting. I’ll make it up to you next time,” he says, while putting on a black turtle-neck shirt and pairing it with a grey long sleeves blazers.

“More important than me?”

He stops and looks at me with a smirk. “Nothing is more precious than you. However this is important for our future.”

“Future? What do you mean?”

He leans to me and gives me another kiss. “You’ll find out soon.”

I pinch one corner of my lips and cross my arms over my chest which he ignores, leaving me alone with nothing but the rosewood scent from his perfume which lingers in the room even after he steps out.

When my stomach growls, I head down to the kitchen and brew a coffee then search the fridge and the kitchen’s cabinets and drawers for something to eat. Dismay strikes me when I remember that Chaz has no ready-to-cook food, instant noodles nor canned goods.

I open the fridge once again, there’s the chicken breasts, salmons, fresh vegetables, eggs, milk and many more ingredients that I don’t recognize. But after deliberately thinking what I should cook, my decision comes down to the easiest and fastest option for me – ordering at a burger chain. I pour the brewed coffee on a mug then takes out my phone from my pocket and head my way to the living area. Before I could take a sip from my coffee, the doorbell peals. I walk towards the door and look at the video peephole camera that’s attached on it. On the screen are Chaz’s personal chef, Nina and standing behind her is Bianca Pareñas.

“Mr. Montenegro asks us to tend for you,” Nina says with her high-pitched tone.

The door swings open when I put my index finger on the biometric door lock.

“Please come in,” I greet with a smile. “Good thing I haven’t order any food yet.”

Nina chuckles. “What do you want me to cook for you?”

“Feed me with your specialty.”

“Absolutely!” she says, grinning while giving me two thumbs up.

While Nina makes her way to the kitchen, Bianca turns on the huge flat screen television. I take a seat on the coach and watch the news while sniffling the nutty bitter aroma of my coffee. The instant my eyes lay on the TV’s screen, my shoulders slouch. The news cover what happened in Mrs. Montenegro’s ceremony earlier. Though the media didn’t get the footage of the brawl, the guy Chaz assaulted is shown being brought to an ambulance, the messy dining hall is exposed and my terrified expression and Chaz’s scary one are also captured in the video while heading our way to his car. My eyes shut as my fingers rub the smooth surface of the coffee mug. When the newscaster changes the news to another topic, Bianca lowers down the volume of the TV and sits next to me.

“You still have time. You can still save yourself,” she whispers.

I shake my head in puzzlement. “What are you talking about?”

“Chaz isn’t the person you think he is. He just showed you the tip of the iceberg of what he can do. If you value your life, leave him.”

“What?!”