The Billionaire I Hated

CHAPTER THREE: THE MASK

Daphne had always known Claire could be sneaky when it came to her job, but this was a new kind of betrayal. She sat behind her desk, staring at the folder still open from the morning’s meeting, trying to make sense of the knot in her chest. Claire had hidden the one name she never wanted to see again. Liam. Everyone called him William Carter, the billionaire CEO, the youngest CEO to ever make it to the top five globally and Forbes magazine, but to Daphne, he would always be the boy who stole her first kiss and her heart and never returned it no matter how hard she tried to take her heart back.

The memories she had tried to forget for the past ten years came flooding back because of his name. She caressed her chest to soothe the ache in her heart. She’d trusted Claire. Her best friend, her business partner, the only person who knew how hurt she was when he ghosted Liam 10 years ago. When Liam had walked into the boardroom that morning, the ten-year-old memories started flooding back without notice.

His smile was something she couldn’t ignore when he entered, warm and welcoming. The same one he used to wear when they were young and reckless. His smile was more manly and softer than his younger smile. The smile that could melt her worries away like the sun melting away the morning frost. She caught it before she could prepare, before she could build the wall, she’d promised herself. For a moment she’d wanted to step forward, to lose herself in that familiarity.

But then she remembered what it had cost her the last time she gave herself that luxury. So there and then she decided to stick to the professional aspect and act cold or mean and if he tried to be friendly, she would have to let Claire handle the deal until it was over. The hatred she had for him intensified because from the look of things he was the master mind behind their partnership. Why did he want to mess up her life now when she was almost at the apex of her goal, she reasoned. She knew she was overthinking but she had to do something not to fall for those devilish charms again. She was a grown-up successful woman now and she could handle this one too.

Claire walked in, walking confidently towards her seating area for guests in her office. Daphne didn’t know she had gone to sit on the couch in her office until the space beside her dipped when Claire sat down.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Daphne snapped at her right after she sat down.

“Would you have gone to the meeting if you knew?” she asked carefully.

she laughed bitterly, “but I deserve to know” no matter the decision I would have made.

Claire signed “Daphne, listen, this collaboration is good for you, good for your company. We have been planning this for years now and William’s firm is the best partner for this expansion. I rubbed my forehead, exhaustion creeping in “ten years Claire, ten years and you decided to play puppet master with something I used ten years to build.”

“He’s not the enemy,” Claire said. She reasoned to herself that he was worse than the enemy.

“You still care about him” Her expression softened.

Daphne froze “Don’t”

It was written all over your face. You have been terrible at hiding feelings when it came to him and although you tried to do that today, I saw beneath that facade. I know you, Daphne.

Claire said it honestly and she hated to agree with her because whatever she was saying was true

“I am not that girl anymore” she said to herself more than to Claire. She needed it. she needed the assurance that her heart and mind will not betray her.

Claire took her hand and placed it in her comforting own “you need to overcome this once and for all so that it won’t be a shadow in your life again. You need closure, you need to talk things through.”

To Daphne, seeing William again didn’t feel like closure. It felt like she was reopening the wound she thought was healed. she exhaled sharply with her mind made up “she was going to make sure their relationship stayed professional and nothing else.”

” Just be careful,” Claire replied softly, "He looks different now, more charming and sharper. But he still looked at you …”

“Don’t start Claire” she stopped Claire, because she had seen it too, that flicker in His eyes when their eyes met. The same one that made her feel safe and secure, but wanted to deny it to protect herself from another heartbreak

“The partnership will continue as planned,” she said with a determined voice.

Claire nodded hesitantly.

But as she gathered her things to leave, Claire’s words followed her like a shadow.

“You can’t avoid your past forever”.

Flashback

Friday night was a movie night for them, watch a movie chosen by either of them with popcorn and other snacks to keep them awake. Their bedtime was now moved to 11pm when they turned into their teenage years, and although they could watch till midnight, William was never allowed to sleep over after they turned sixteen. This Friday was a bit different because Mr. Lancaster had travelled together with his wife and Daphne was supposed to stay with William’s family until the next Monday. After the day was over and everyone had gone to sleep, William sneaked into Daphne’s room. Today was Daphne’s turn to choose the movie for the night and she chose The Notebook. After the movie, William was just looking at Daphne with a smile on his face because he liked how she swooned and kicked her legs during the movie and these were the types of movies Daphne enjoyed watching and didn’t sleep when watching It. After watching the movie on Daphne’s iPad, they lay on their backs and stared at the white ceiling. Daphne closed the space between them and started passing her hand through his hair. It was a habit of Daphne to always pass her fingers through his hair and although she did it innocently, it did something to him he couldn’t explain but he liked it and wished those moments never stopped. ‘Promise me you won’t say no’ she said softly still passing her fingers through his hair. how can he possibly say no when she had her hands in his hair. He nodded not trusting how he would sound if he spoke. Troy will take me on a date next week so I want to kiss before I go on that date. Daphne knew he will not agree to help her so she quickly sat on him and told him to stay still if he didn’t want to help. Daphne smacked her lips on William but knowing more through his baseball friends he flipped her over saying ‘this is how we kiss’ and locked their lips together and that is how they got their first kiss.