partnered with the Billionaire

chapter 4

Selina's POV

The plan worked.

When I originally saw it, the look on his face almost had me burst out laughing. It was a blend of confusion and rage.

He's clearly a restless man.

I purposely arrived late and chose this outfit as well.

I want to be spiteful towards him. Not because I really want to proceed with the supposedly pointless engagement and marriage preparations, but rather because I am here for a purpose.

No matter how much I consider it, I find this annoying, and I want to take action to disobey my parents for making such a significant choice for me.

I'm quite allowed to disagree with them. I am fully entitled to make my own judgments. I am not a young person.

I came here because I wanted to, and last night I found Sharon at William's apartment. I had no intention of doing so.

My two closest pals deceived me, and I want to get vengeance on them.

Mom was correct. I shouldn't be with William.

I was first providing him with justifications for his behavior, but it is now obvious that he also wants my buddy.

He didn't love me. He wouldn't cheat on me with my best friend if he actually loved me.

That's the apex of it.

"How did you know? " I'm done here," the person in front of me, and he quickly stands up and pushes the chair back.

As he was leaving, I called him back and said "Hey" before he left.

He doesn't seem awful. I wasn't expecting to meet a handsome guy like him to be my future husband, but that isn't a concern right now.

We must speak.

I just thought of the first thing that came to me since I didn't want him to think I was beautiful.

putting on a clown costume.

We are the only ones here, so he must have booked the whole space for us. Even though it's not nighttime yet, the restaurant's outside has already been marked with a CLOSED sign.

This must be one of the advantages of being a millionaire, I suppose. Mom made sure of it. She said he was well-known and a billionaire.

I mean, I can exploit him and his position as well, can't I?

"What do you think you are here for dressed this way?" His blue eyes glare at me like ice as he thunders at me.

I nearly tremble, but I remain composed. I must have courage and not allow him to scare me if he is the guy I have to face in order to get revenge on William and Sharon.

"Do you think I have time for jokes and…"

"Why are we here, Mr man?" With a swift cut, I maintained eye contact with him. His scowl becomes wider and he keeps staring at me with his massive shoulder held high.

I feel foolish for wearing such outrageous makeup now. Perhaps instead of wearing this, I should have dressed accordingly.

Would that he weren't so enraged.

He seems to be attempting to determine what kind of female I am just by looking at me.

His gaze is icy and penetrating.

"Can you please sit?" I inquire in a kind manner, trying not to lose my cool and not become upset with him too.

"Are you truly the woman I was betrothed to?" With uncertainty in his countenance and his arms raised, he asks me.

I nod my head slowly.

I nod, feeling more guilty than ever and wishing I was the person I really am.

He gives a last shake of his head and sits down. He is in control of this day, so I'm assuming he'll start things off.

He said nothing, just asked for it.

I lift my head up proudly as he continues to glare at me.

"Why are we here, Mr man?"

I ask the same question again, realizing I'm having problems recalling the name.

He leans forward and taps the table with all four fingers without saying anything.

He speaks up before I can ask his name, his deep, silky voice echoing in my mind. "Why are you dressed this way?"

I'm almost embarrassed to look down. I made this decision without giving it any thought. Is this the definition of heartbreak?

acting in a sensible manner.

being foolish.

gaining confidence without humiliation.

A week ago, I never would have had the guts to look like this. I'm conscious about how I seem. My wardrobe is important to me. I don't give a damn about what others think, but since my heart shattered and I wanted retribution, here I am, sitting in front of the guy whose destiny was linked to mine, looking like an i***t.

"I simply feel like it," I responded to him, being cautious not to express my true feelings.

My eyes are watering, but I'm holding them back by lowering them.

"You just feel like ridiculing me?" I hear him ask once more.

"What do you want the public to think if an unintended paparazzi shot of us goes viral?

Is that what you care about?" I stand up to meet his eyes as I interrupt him once again.

He says, "Yes," with a solid grit in his teeth. He communicated his disgust at my choice of look with his cheekbone elevated and his eyes still burning red with wrath.

"We all have our areas of concern. I'm concerned about how others see me and everything that affects me, even you. You wouldn't be dressed this way in my ire if you were concerned about what other people would think."

He is aware.

"If this is really going to work, then you have to care about what people would say just like I care and you have to put my reputation first."

"Is that an order?!" I respond with all the vigor I possess.

We ought to come to an understanding on this. Marriage is an agreement in and of itself, but ours isn't your typical marriage. In addition to my desire to support my father and get vengeance on William and Sharon, we are getting married because our parents want us to.

I shouldn't have to follow his orders. I still have the option to act like the mischievous youngster and tell Father that I have no interest in doing this now and never will.

What gave me the impression that this "decent man" my mother was always talking about would really be nice, real, and grounded?

This dude is not even somewhat modest. He's a haughty bastard.

"What if it is?" He doesn't know me, I thought as I shake my head, but he's daring me to face him.

I look right past everyone. Even my parents are unable to control me.

What if it is?" Shaking my head, I realized that he doesn't know me, yet he's challenging me to confront him.

I ignore everyone completely. I'm too hard for even my folks to handle. That doesn't mean I have to feel like I have to wed him for it to occur.

Being here is a choice I made. I must be brooding on our foolish marriage.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I find myself speaking out and losing all composure as my rage explodes.

He smiled, as if he had finally had a glimpse of who I really was.

My furious side.

"You think I am here because I fancy you?" I finger myself with accusation. Just as I'm about to start yelling at the guy in front of me, a waitress materializes out of nowhere, and I turn my scowl in her direction.

She's grinning.

"Good day, what would you like to order?" She queries.

I find myself wondering whether she chooses to ignore the tension between us or if she is unaware of it.

My anger is growing as she smiles.

"I want…"

"Nothing," I interrupted his command with a rising voice. This is not an actual date where we are.

We want to chat, that's why we're here.

I let go of my finger as he furrows his brow at me.

"We are here to talk, aren't we?"

I give him one of my prettiest grins before instantly turning my expression back to a frown.

What good is it to tell the waitress that I'm angry?

"Yes, we are…"

"We should talk, then."

The waitress offers him a sexy grin before departing as swiftly as she appears.

Haha!

I lean forward so we can finish this up and I can get home without wasting any more of my time, even though I don't have a job and I don't plan on getting one anytime soon.

I only write for a living. Although it's really a passion rather than a career, I've been making more time for writing ever since the evening I discovered William making love to me.

I never had time previously since I was either waiting for William to come get me or waiting for him to get home from work.

"About our marriage…"

We both remark, "This is," at the same moment, but I'm not here to hear any of his garbage.

Being a male, he has the option to choose one of his many bitches to marry. I want to take advantage of the fact that he needs a concrete reason to desire to marry me.

He asks me to "go on" in a gentlemanly fashion, but I refuse to comply. No matter how compassionate he gets in the future, he will always be an arrogant, selfish jerk to me.

I confidently say, "This thing between us is unusual and it's not the exact type of marriage that I want for myself," and he observes me intently. "Therefore, I am proposing that we sign a contract for our marriage."

He stays still for a long time. He stays silent as well, and unless he raises an eyebrow at me and yells, I assume he doesn't get what I'm saying. "What?!"

Do you not comprehend English? I question myself, wanting so much to let it out.

"Sign a contract for marriage, please.

I don't like you, and you don't like me. Let's get married, then divorce after a few years.

In this fashion, our parents will be glad and so will we—me especially, since I won't have to live with you forever."

Once again, he says nothing.

Why does he hesitate? Does he want to have a lifelong marriage? With me, it could never occur, even if he so desires.

I'm well above his level. Even if he is a millionaire, I am not in his league.

"Is that a deal?" I inquire impatiently.

He stays with me to study for a time. He opens his lips slightly, and just when I think he's about to say anything, all I hear is laughing.

I watch in surprise as his deep, husky voice elicits rich, deep laughter, and I wonder whether this laughing is over my attractiveness or the concept of a contract marriage.

Do you believe it is absurd to consider an arranged marriage to be a contract marriage? Is it the reason for Frank's audible laughter?

Will they be able to participate in both? How can they divorce without their parents interfering, given that they really must get married to one another?

Will Frank withstand Selina's insane behavior? Will Selina become used to his conceit?

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