The Billionaires Duel

Someone Different

KAREN

"Take me home, please," I settle in with a sigh of relief.

What a day!

I unbuckle my silver strapped heeled sandals and slip my feet out of them with a quiet moan of relief.

One of the worst days yet.

A day filled with nothing but pretense and disappointment.

..but what's done is done..

I now know where I stand in my family.

I'm the one who's life has to be sacrificed for a family that has no sympathy whatsoever.

A waste of time and effort.

Now I know what all those years of intense grooming really were for.

I wasn't groomed to be the perfect wife for Mr Right, I was groomed to fit in front of the cameras. To keep up pretense.

Ever since I was born, I have done everything for them and what do I get in return?

Nothing.

Responsibility. Duty. Loyalty.

All an excuse to hide their selfish intentions.

When do I get to do something I really want to do?

At this rate if I keep sucking it up to them, it'll be never.

That'd mean giving up my entire life all for nothing.

No can do.

I won't do that to myself and my future. And my future will definitely not be with a potentially abusive husband.

A man who has refused to kiss me since we met.

He obviously doesn't care for me, I see it in his eyes when he looks at me.

An image of Jason with that horrible look of silent scorn in his eyes flashes through my mind and I cringe visibly though involuntarily.

Our relationship is just business as usual.

Fake.

He could at least pretend to care off cameras.

I haven't been with any man before and the one I'm contracted to marry doesn't even want me.

I close my eyes and lean my head on the head rest of the seat as the Jeep cruises smoothly down the road.

It really hurts.

But not for long.

I am taking charge of my life and that is it.

*** *** ***

"...like the circus meets the clouds, it's game on…" I hum under my breath as I step out of the bathroom.

The popular pop song playing softly from the speakers.

A very warm shower helps on bad days.

I just figured that out.

I am such a genius.

I smile at my reflection in the floor to ceiling mirror stationed in my very big master bedroom as I pat my hair dry.

My quick movements slow down as I take a thorough look at my face and body in the mirror.

Almond shaped eyes, light brown eyes, a small nose standing proudly – and which has also been called cute by Dad many times – , full luscious lips.

My phone rings loudly jolting me from my reverie.

I sigh again, loudly this time as I make my way to where the phone lay ringing on the bed.

It's Henley.

Hmm..

"Hello," my bath robe is damp but I sit on the bed anyway.

"Hello Karen," the way my name rolls of his tongue is like music to my ears.

I suddenly feel weak in the knees.

Thank goodness I'm sitting already..

"Um, hi," I giggle.

"I called to ask again if you're doing okay ,"

"Oh," I say.

I may have been wrong. He actually cares.

What a pleasant surprise.

"Yes. You didn't entirely convince me that you were alright the last time we spoke," his voice had already taken on a sombre tone.

"Well, I was just recovering at the time but I'm much better now," I reassure him.

He draws in a deep breath.

"That's good to know. I can sleep better at night now," he says.

I smile though he can't see me.

"Thank you, Henley,"

"You're welcome,"

"Can I ask you a question though?" he asks after a long pause.

"Yes you can," I say.

"Is everything... alright...with my brother I mean?" He asks.

Oh dear.

What do I say?

"Err..yes?"

"What do you mean, yes?"

Henley asks me.

What's wrong with me?

Someone genuinely cares and all I am doing is trying to get him off.

"You didn't pass out from the happiness of getting engaged."

I guess I can't avoid it. At least one person finally sees what I am going through.

"You're right. I passed out from shock and it's not the good kind," I confess.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asks me.

"I tried to but the words couldn't come out and the next thing I saw was black,"

I wince at the memory.

How foolish of me, I should probably have protested right there.

I pause for a while.

"I was fooled and taken for granted. It took me a long time to realize it," it hurts to confess and I have never said this out loud to anyone's hearing before.

Especially not to my partner's brother.

"Don't do that to yourself,"

"At how foolish I was," I reply.

"You were never foolish, you just fell for the wrong person,"

Is Henley the right person?

I wonder.

"Do you need a friend, Karen?

Henley asks suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"You have always known me to be the perfect gentleman which I still am, no doubt," a pause.

"Go on," I urge, eager to hear the rest of the sentence.

"Can you trust me with all your secrets, Karen?"

I do need help if I'm going to come out of this engagement unscathed.

This is too good to be true but I do need a friend and Henley is a very rich friend.

"Yes,"

I hope it's the right thing.

"I'm glad we're friends," he says.

This has to be the weirdest conversation I've had in my entire life.

An on the spot friendship?

Where has that been heard of before?

"I have to finish up work," he says.

"I have to finish up this book," I say.

He chuckles.

"Goodnight, Karen,"

"Goodnight, Henley,"

Okay girl, what was that?!

I stare into space for several minutes wondering what the hell I just agreed to.

I get up from the bed and make the trip into my closet that's big enough to house two masters.

I need a night gown and it's going to be a long night.