Unluckily Fated With the Billionaire

"I swear to God, if you're planning to salvage me in some empty lot, I am going to haunt you forever!" I exclaimed at the two persons currently guiding me while I'm blindfolded. It just went randomly, they suddenly dragged me and told me that we're going to a bar, not until someone, probably Charlotte, put a blindfold on me and we're now walking in a grassy path. "Calm down, Zai! We're your friends. do you think we'll kill you?" I heard Irene exclaim and even though I couldn't see anything, I knew she was pouting. "No, but I can," I said in a serious manner and the two of them just laughed it off. As we're walking further, I sensed another soul with us and caught a glimpse of some yellow light through the small holes in the blindfold. "I'm happy for you, Zairiel," Charlotte whispered to me as she was slowly untying the blindfold. It took me a little while to adjust to the blinding lights, and when I finally did, I was left speechless. Is this what I think it is? My doubt slowly faded away as I saw him in a dashing attire, a sky blue polo tucked under his black slacks, his hair swept up. I stopped for a while and just stared at him until I was pulled out of my reverie when he chuckled. "Thanks, Charlotte and Irene. I appreciate your help." He said to the two while smiling, and he received a squeal in response. Charlotte had to drag away a squealing Irene and gave us a little salute, and completely disappeared after a little while, silence filling the small gazebo filled with hanging fairy lights and a candlelit dinner table. "Hi." He whispered, guiding me through the table and pulling a chair. "Lucas, what is this?" "What? I prepared this much and this is what I get as a response?" He said while pouting, and how could I even resist his cuteness? "I just wanted to take you out on a romantic date, you know? Since we've been so busy with our jobs, we deserve some free time together." Lucas defended, winking at me. I just rolled my eyes. After a little banter, we both had started eating the fancy food in front of us. Based on the taste, it was definitely his own cooking. How can a man be this charming and talented? And he's mine? Really? After we finished eating, we talked for a little while. Suddenly, I heard some violin playing, and a group of people, including Charlotte and Irene, appeared in front of the gazebo. Before I could even process what was happening, Lucas let out a small cough to get my attention. And then, he kneeled. He kneeled? "What are you doi-" "It's been five years since we've met, and inside those years, we had ups and downs, we fought, even broke up for a little while. But besides that, it was very happy, we laughed together and fell in love. I know I couldn't wish for anything more than that, but let's take this to another level, hmm?" Lucas was looking up at me, his eyes felt with fondness and love. He brought something out of his pocket, and a velvet box was suddenly in front of me. "Zairiel, will you marry me?" He asked. There was a little nervousness and uncertainty in his voice, but it was filled with sincerity and devotion. "Lucas, I-I..... Oh God, yes!" I exclaimed, both my voice and body trembling. Lucas was shocked for a while, the surprise evident in his blown eyes, and the little crowd in front of us suddenly shouted in joy, Charlotte and Irene's squeals taking up most of the noise. It was such an eventful night. True to their words, Charlotte and Irene took both me and Lucas to a private bar to celebrate the engagement, with liquor of course. After getting wasted, Lucas took me home and took great care of me, and then left, since they had visitors at home and can't afford to stay in my house any longer. He didn't want to part with me, but he had no choice. I even had to usher him out in a drunk state just so he would go. "You know I don't want to go, right?" He told me. "Y-yesh, I know. Now go! I'm a shtrong woman, y'know?" I slurred and pushed him out of the door, immediately closing it after he was outside so he can no longer go back. After he left, I slumped dead into the sofa and slept. . . . . . As the door slowly opened, I saw the awestruck faces of the guests while I slowly walk down the aisle. Everyone was muttering words as I passed by them, but my attention was all laid upon the man standing in front of the altar, wearing a white wedding suit and a blue tie. He was smiling widely at me, and I felt my heartbeat increase. When I was finally next to him, he muttered a 'you're so beautiful' while we were slowly walking up the chair in front of the priest. This is it, I am finally getting married to the man I love the most, Lucas. The priest did his sermon and other wedding necessities happened until it was finally time for us to recite our vows, and Lucas went on first. "I, Lucas Ravena, take thee, Zairiel Celeste Mendez, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part--" He was still reciting his vows but I couldn't focus as I felt a strong gaze directed at me from the crowd. I was only pulled out of my reverie when I felt the cold metal ring being put onto my finger, and it was time for my own vows. "I-I, Zairiel Celeste Mendez, take thee, Lucas Ravena, to be my wedded h-husb--" In the middle of my vows, I finally pinpointed where the gaze was coming and I came to a halt when I finally saw the person. There was a guy sitting within the crowd, but it was obvious that he was an outsider even though he was wearing a formal suit. He was smirking at me with such uncomfortable intentions and his mouth opened to mutter some words I couldn't figure out. When I finally got to take my eyes off him and looked around, nobody was moving, even Lucas was stuck while smiling at me, holding my hand in place. The whole place was silent, and I couldn't open my mouth to speak. When I looked again in the direction of the man, he was gone and was already walking away. He came to a halt when he was at the doorway and suddenly, there was a red string tied in my ring finger, overlapping the ring that Lucas had just given me earlier. The string was long, but it ended at the strange man's ring finger as well, tied in the same way as mine. "Congratulations." . . . . . I immediately got up when I felt my phone vibrating beside me. I was breaking out in cold sweat and I had unshed tears in my eyes. When I finally got to locate my phone, I realized that the vibration was coming from Lucas' call. It was simple and nothing new, I just had to swipe my finger over the green button while we exchange good morning greetings with each other, but I can't find myself to do so. I just stared emptily at the screen, until the vibration and Lucas' name displayed was gone. What.... what did I just dream about? The dream bothered me so much that I was already spacing out and didn't even get to notice a new call from Lucas. It took me several minutes before I got to focus again, typing an apology for not being able to answer his call and telling him that I had a hard time waking up from a hangover. He replied after a while and told me that he won't be able to give me a ride to work since their family and visitors decided to have a trip. I typed out an 'alright, take care!' before I went to my room to prepare. As I was taking a bath, I tried to recall the dream I had. It was still very vivid, I could remember every single detail, but I couldn't figure out the strange man's face anymore. "Red string? What was that for?" I mumbled, wondering at the last part of the dream. Based on what I've read from books and seen from dramas, a red string tied to the fingers of two persons means that they're meant for each other, or what they simply call soulmates, but I shrugged off the thought. I never believed in such fictional things as soulmates, and if ever, I knew that I was meant to be with Lucas. The time we spent and the love we had for each other are already solid proof. Besides, we're already engaged. What would even go wrong? When I finished, I already took my mind off the dream and told myself that it was meaningless. I had so many weirder dreams like that, it was completely nothing. As I drove myself to my office, my secretary forwarded my schedules for the day. It wasn't filled that much but still many nonetheless. My job may be being a psychologist, and it was nice that I was getting a good amount of money from it, but it's saddening that there are so many people suffering from mental health conditions and need to get counseling. I've experienced it first hand back then, and it was never pleasant. It was the reason why I pursued being a mental health counselor. When I got to the office, there was already a little line of people waiting for me. I smiled at them and started the counseling after doing a few routines. My patients ranged from all ages, the oldest I had was a 63-year-old man who was having depression as his children left him alone, and the youngest was a 15-year-old who even told me that she just snuck out of their house and was afraid to go to a psychiatrist because of what she might find out. It was already afternoon when I was done talking with all the patients. I was busy with paperwork when suddenly, the telephone for my hotline counseling rang for the first time today. "This is Doctor Mendez from the MD Psychology Clinic, how can I help you?" I asked in a professional tone. Hotline counseling is a free service provided by the clinic, and most of the patients that I get to talk to on the hotline are those who don't want their identities to be known, or they're too busy or can't get out so they rely on the phone. I waited for a few moments, but no one was speaking on the other line. It's either this is a prank or they're scared to talk and open up. "Hello? Is anyone on the line? Would you like to speak for me or do you need some more time?" I asked in a caring manner. There still was no response so I concluded that the person needed some more time. I continued doing the paperwork while waiting for them to talk. "Hello? It's alright if you're not ready to talk, so just take your time, okay? I'll be here for you." "L-Liam Mirren." I was shocked when the caller finally talked. So it's a man. "Mr. Liam Mirren? Is that your name?" "Yes. Is this a mental health counseling hotline?" "Yes, my name's Dr. Mendez, and you're currently calling the MD Psychology Clinic. May I help you?" "I want to die." I was taken aback by the way he said it. It was very straightforward, like he didn't care about anything anymore and just wanted to be dead. "But after my dream last night, there's something in me that doesn't want to anymore." "Is that so? Would you like to talk about your dream?" "No." "Alright. Then, would you like to talk about the reason why you'd like to die?" "I doubt you'd be of any help to me." He said in a cold tone. Did this person really just disregard my job? Does he think I studied years and years of psychology and didn't experience it myself just so I won't be of any help to a patient? I calmed myself for a little while. This is sometimes a coping mechanism by patients who are suffering from mental health conditions, they tend to push people away from themselves, so I understood. "Mr. Mirren, you might not want to share it now and it's understandable. However, I am a psychologist and it is natural for me to want to help you, and will do my best to do so, alright?" "Really? People tend to extort weakness from others just to bring them down." His tone really was irritating, as if he knew who I was and knew what I'd do like he's belittling me. "There is a law where health professionals can't disclose patient's information to others, Mr. Mirren. Anything that you'd tell me will be kept confidential and just between you and me, I assure you." "So you're doing this for money?" He asked and even scoffed afterwards. I am aware it is a coping mechanism and hope that it's not because he's just plain rude, but it is very insulting. It's a job in the first place, so it's natural I work for the money, but it's not just that. I help people when they come to me wholeheartedly. "Mr. Mirren, this is a counseling hotline, and it's supposed to be about you, not me. If you're not ready to share your problem, it's alright, as I said, take your time. I will listen." I repeated my words from earlier to make it clear to him. After I spoke, the other line went silent, and he then abruptly ended the call. It's a good thing that psychologists are made to have long patience and understanding because it is required, as patients tend to be rude and push people who'd like to help them away. If I wasn't, I would've already cursed so many patients and kicked them out of the clinic. No other patient came in after that call. I wasn't really in the mood anymore and after finishing everything, I left the clinic and talked to Charlotte and Irene about my day afterward. Lucas can't be contacted, he could be busy with their trip. "What a jerk! People like him really didn't need to exist, no?" Irene exclaimed and rolled her eyes and Charlotte nodded to her. "You might think like that, but we're not ones to judge. We never know what's going on with their lives that made them like that. It's not something that could be taken lightly." I told them. "It's hard to comprehend for someone whose job isn't to help people like that. And even though as you said, it's a coping mechanism, the people they hurt don't deserve it when they did nothing, they should still know how to apologize!" And the conversation went like that, a little banter between the three of us, but we were laughing because of a certain topic afterward. The days went on, I got to talk to Lucas when he's not busy, the situation in the clinic was the same, patients come in from time to time. And of course, the hotline counseling with that Liam Mirren went on. Every day, he'll call and tell me that he wanted to die, and then throw insulting words afterward, not even telling a bit about his problems. "Is talking supposed to be helpful? It's just a waste of time." "Who would even want to share their problems with others?" "I don't want someone to witness my condition and then judge me later on." "This is useless. I'm hanging up." And many more. In my years as a psychologist, I got used to patients being like this. And now, I'm getting used to Liam. It annoys and irritates me, but it doesn't hurt me anymore. If I ever meet him in person, I'll give him counseling and then tell him to say sorry after it. . . . . . It's Friday afternoon and I just finished my work. I was on my way to a café to grab something to eat when someone bumped into me. "I'm sorry." The stranger muttered but didn't even glance my way. I was frozen in place when I realized something. That voice... it's too familiar and intriguing! Due to curiosity, I forgot about my way to the café and tried looking for the man. It was hard as we're in a very crowded street, but I continued walking and didn't even notice that I was in front of a dark alleyway, the crowd from earlier far from the number of people present now. I decided to just shrug it off and tried walking back until I heard footsteps from behind. "Hmm, look what we have here!" A thundering voice came from behind, and I froze in my tracks. I trained for self-defense and have a pepper spray and gun (it's just to scare someone away, I really don't want to use it) in my bag, but I knew there were at least 8 of them in here. The only option I had was to run, but I couldn't move. "You're pretty and sexy. Should we have some fun?" Someone whistled, obviously checking out my behind. People like these are truly disgusting. I sensed a hand about to touch me, and due to reflex, I swung my bag heavily to his face and the person tumbled a few steps. The shock was evident on all their faces, but it quickly turned to anger and lust. "Feisty, huh? Just the way I like it." Someone said and all of them started walking towards me until someone snatched my bag. A group of shitty people, and now a snatcher? How unlucky could I even get? Due to reflexes again, I didn't let go of my bag and held onto it tightly until I eventually got dragged away by the person who grabbed it. Maybe it's not too bad at all since I got to run away from the group of men, and now I just need to deal with one. When I checked from behind, no one was following anymore. We must have run away far and fast now, and I could see a crowd again. Is this person dumb? Is he really going to display himself, stealing someone's belongings, in public? When I finally got a hang of the situation, I came to a full stop with all my strength, causing the man to stop as well. When he turned to me, I swung my bag heavily again, this time hitting him in the face with it, causing him to fall to the ground on his butt. "THIEF!" I shouted, but no one even turned their head in my direction. People are freaking useless. I was just about to shout again when I heard the man scoff as if he was mocking me. And it was too familiar. "I just saved you, and now you're going to brand me as a thief?" ...What? Saved me? And the voice... It's the same as the man I bumped into earlier! And now that I realized it, he's wearing the same clothes as him! I was busy analyzing everything while in the middle of a shock when the man stood up and brushed his pants. "Just for your information, I am rich enough and would never need to steal from others, especially from someone who was just about to get beaten up by a group of thugs." He said and gave me a card, and then walked away. One word for him, JERK. I just scoffed and raised a middle finger to him, and read the card. But once again, my mind went into shock with its contents as I stood in the middle of a walkway, eyes blown wide. Liam Aidan Mirren Chief Executive Officer Mirren Group of Companies