Billionaire's King's Heiress

21-Fooled? Maybe

Diane's threat to spend the night on Nathan's bed tugged at his annoyance more than it should have. There was no way she had slept with the man he used to refer to as his best friend.

He and Nathan did not have a big fight or anything of that sort. They just slowly drifted apart in the last two years.

He forced the thought away. What did it matter to him? She was free to sleep with whoever she wanted. Nathan included.

"Shall we head over to your private residence first or stop at the family quarters?" Bernard asked as he halted at the road that led to the family quarters.

Michael's attention snapped to Bernard, and he adjusted in his seat, looking at the road in front of him.

Caesar had asked him over for dinner after not having seen him for close to a month, even though they all lived in the same estate. He disliked going to the family quarters, mostly because he couldn't stand his own father. Ethan was bearable, he came in handy when needed. And one more person who annoyed him also - Tiffany, was there.

Apart from them, the house itself was something he generally disliked being in. Mostly because he had grown up in there and the memories he had from his childhood weren't really something he felt nostalgic about. And even though Caesar had asked him over, he was sure as hell that it was not anything positive.

"Drop me at the family quarters. I will spend one hour there, and we head back," He replied with a deep breath.

When Bernard pulled over in front of the house and Michael got out, Ethan was standing at the foyer waiting for him.

"Michael, you're here early," Ethan told him, slapping his back.

"The earlier I come, the earlier I can leave," Michael replied, climbing up the stairs.

Ethan chuckled, following him behind. "I've actually missed you at home man, I mean, we see each other at the office, but this is different."

Michael glanced at him as they went into the house, a maid came over to take his suit jacket which he held. "I hope this is not a love confession."

Ethan hissed playfully, shaking his head. "You're so cold and stuck-up, man. Loosen up a little."

He held back an eye roll at Ethan and just let him blab all he wanted. After all, he was going to be out of the house in an hour.

"I'll go tell Uncle you're here," Ethan said before going away.

Michael nodded as he went to the kitchen and took out a bottle of water from the fridge, gulping the whole thing down.

A white envelope caught his eye on the kitchen island, and he went over to it. His eyes rested on the name below, 'Tiffany Lucks,' and he wondered why her mail was sitting unattended here.

He set the bottle of water down, closing the lid and flipping the envelope open.

He took out the content and there were just some pictures in there. He recognised the pictures immediately, and his eyebrows furrowed together.

Then his stomach twisted in an ugly way.

These were the same intimate pictures that sat as evidence of Diane's infidelity, which he had shoved into her hands the day he accused her of cheating.

Except now, it was a different woman's face instead of Diane's, even though the man's face remained the same.

His frown deepened, and he went through the pictures one after the other, carefully examining them, looking at them from different angles and lighting.

The thoughts in his head were only questions about whether these were fake or if Diane's were fake. And if either of them was the truth, why exactly had the person set the pictures down here for him to see?

And why were they addressed to Tiffany?

Tiffany froze immediately she walked into the kitchen, and her eyes rested on the pictures. She reached out immediately and snatched them out of his hands, folding them away and tucking them behind her back.

Michael watched her, locking his jaws why her eyes danced around him nervously.

"Explain these pictures." He commanded.

"I... It's nothing, Mikey." She responded, the guilt floated in her eyes, and she bit her lower lip. "It's nothing. Why are you looking through my stuff?"

"Do not make me repeat myself, Tiffany." He scolded, making her jump on her feet. "I recognise those pictures."

"N...no, it wasn't me. I don't know why these pictures were here or why they were addressed to me." She denied, coming closer to grab his hands desperately.

He shook her off and snatched the pictures from behind her, bringing the pictures to her face. "Did you send those anonymous pictures to me? And even work with the man I hired to follow Diane?"

"No, Mikey, look...I didn't want to at first. I swear, I just got a bit carried away. I love you, Michael. I love you." Tiffany told him, her hands starting to shake as she held them together.

"You framed Diane?" He asked.

Tiffany shook her head vigorously. Knowing Michael, he was fuming under his breath. He was not one to break stuff when he got angry or scream his voice out, but the way his eyes looked at her, and the way his demeanour changed, was more frightening enough now than when he was just being mean to her.

Michael pushed the paper into her hands and walked past her, out of the kitchen. Every step he took to the dining room was heavier than the last. He was yet to wrap his head around the fact that he may have been fooled. The evidence was there, but he was still in denial. There was no way he had hurt an innocent woman and thrown her out. No, it was not possible.

The dinner table was set, and he settled down on his chair opposite Ethan, looking straight to Caesar.

"You wanted to see me today."

Caesar took a huge breath, shutting his papers and trusting his son to ruin the atmosphere immediately he came in. "We can talk about it after dinner."

"I am not having dinner," Michael replied. "I have something important to take care of."

Ethan dropped his cutlery and stared at Michael.

Caesar shook his head and relaxed into the chair. "I hear you bought Crown and Bell's."

"Yes?" Michael responded.

"It's an irredeemable company that's going under faster than an asteroid."

"That is my choice to make alone."

Caesar breathed, "Crown and Bell's is not the type of company this family invests in."

Michael stood up, "I will be the judge of that, Father. Thank you for dinner."

Just then Tiffany came to the dining room, her eyes filled with tears. "Michael please. I'm sorry"

Michael glanced at her and then back at Caesar, "This family has entertained this fraud longer than supposed. And it is best she does not stay here any longer."

With that, he left the family quarters and headed home. The air in the car suffocated him as he stared out the window, focusing on the street lamps by the road. Every memory of Diane pleading, crying and denying the evidence cruelly played over and over in his head.

And for the first time in his life, he was overwhelmed with uncertainty.