Forever with the Billionaire

Loukas POVCopyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

It’s been years since I ever had anyone around me like the swarms of reporters. I could still remember how the reporters had rushed towards me years ago after my accident to get an exclusive about me. Ever since then, I have had to make myself visible to the public. I am always hiding in the dark and letting my brother take credit for everything I do.

But now, I was ready to take back everything.

“Welcome dear son,” Amanda said as I was wheeled towards her and her pitiful excuse for a son. He had his hands wrapped around my ex-wife, the ever-backstabbing bitch Angelina, who left me after two years of marriage. I looked beside her and smiled when I saw her holding her son’s hand.

A son that could have been mine. “You made it just in time,” said Caleb, bowed his head, and tapped me on the shoulder. I forced a smile on my face as I imagined how I could cut off his hands.

How dare he touch me? I thought.

“We were about to cut the ribbon when you arrived. Do us a favor and appreciate your brother’s achievement, “Amanda shoved the scissors in her hand toward me. I looked up at her and forced a smile on my face. She wanted a show and I was ready to give her that. I stared up at the building and heaved a sigh. Instead of the name I planned on giving the hotel, ‘Whitemore’s Palace,’ Caleb changed the name to A and C.

A stupid name formed by stupid people.

“Cut the ribbon,” Amanda reminded me and clapped her hands.

“Of course, “I placed the scissors on the ribbon and cut it at the count of three. Everyone around us clapped, and cameras flashed their lights in my face. They rushed towards Caleb and questioned him about the success of the hotel when I should be the one getting that attention.

Life is ironic, isn’t it? I watched as he answered their questions as if he knew everything. I clenched my fists and muttered some incoherent words. Hillary must have heard me as she grabbed my left hand and squeezed it gently. I looked up to face her, and she smiled at me.

I found her smile charming and enchanting, but I wasn’t ready to watch her face all night. The anger that boils inside of me was enough to make me want to scream all night long. “Let’s go of my hand,” I said through gritted teeth and yanked my hand from hers. “Don’t ever touch me again unless I told you,” I said to her and She nodded in response.

After the stupid interviews from the media, everyone walked into the hall as my family stood in front, leading everyone into the large hall of the hotel. I remembered the building as one of my plans, and I smiled when I remembered spending days trying to get the building perfect. Now, someone else was taking all the credit for my handiwork. “Son,” Amanda shouted my name and pointed to my seat, which was in the circle with my family. There were seven chairs around the table, and mine was facing Amanda.

The hall was beautifully decorated with bright lights. It was the only thing I found attractive in the room and how spacious it was. It could accommodate a thousand people approximately. That’s how big it was.

The colors on the other hand seemed to have been combined by a fool. Who combines yellow and blue? I hated both colors, and I thought that I was in the wrong hall when I saw how the colors were combined. “What the hell?” I muttered as I looked around the hall and saw how the color made the large hall look like a disco party.

“I’ll help you.” Rotimi’s voice made me turn back to face my family. He gently helped me from the wheelchair to the chair and then moved the wheelchair away. He sat down beside Hillary, who was beside me and pulled out his phone. Rotimi pretended he wasn’t at the table with us, but I knew he was glaring at Amanda every few seconds even though his eyes barely left his phone.

If he were given the chance, he’d probably murder someone on the table.

“How do you like the hall?” Caleb started a conversation as I raised my head to face him. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” He asked, and I didn’t respond as I just stared at him. “It’s been decorated by my mother,” he announced happily and gave Amanda a thumbs up.

Just what I thought. Amanda had decorated the hall and made it seem like a disco ball. I looked around and gave him a nod because I didn’t know what I could say if I decided to speak. I might end up insulting both mother and son for their foolishness.

“Try to smile a little Loukas,” Amanda pointed out and then faced Hillary, who sat beside me. She had made herself invisible, just like the rules that I gave her in the car. She lowered her head and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

“Good girl,” I thought as I watched her play with her fingers.

“Who is she?” Amanda asked me “Are you getting married again?” There goes the stupidest question I’ve ever heard in my entire life. “You can’t even walk properly. How the hell do you intend to keep up with marriage?” She chuckled, and her son also joined in laughing at me.

Caleb chuckled beside his wife Angelina, “Mother. It’s a great thing that Loukas was able to forget about his ex-wife and move on,” he referred to his wife beside him and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s great news that my brother doesn’t hate me any longer,” he pointed out and laughed.

“Whether I want a wife or not is none of your business, dear brother,” I finally said after a brief pause. “This lovely lady right here,” I said, pointing to Hillary. “She is my date for the night.” I introduced her and watched their reactions. Amanda’s eyes widened as she stared at Hillary as if she was her newest competitor, while Angelina raised her head to look at the woman who had succeeded in replacing her after she left me for my brother. The look on her face was funny to watch. Her green eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. Caleb, on the other hand, stared at Hillary for a while before averting his eyes.

That’s the reaction I expected from them.

“It’s nice to meet you all. I’m Hillary and I… ” Hillary introduced herself, but Amanda shut her up by standing up from her chair.

“I think it’s time for speech, son!” Amanda clapped as he pointed to the stage where a man had announced their names. She beckoned to her son and grabbed her hand as they made their way to the stage.

“Are you okay?” Hillary asked.

I nodded in response, my eyes not leaving Amanda and Caleb as they climbed up to the stage. I turned to face Hillary and flashed a smile at her, but deep down, I wasn’t. I was burning with anger, and when Caleb started his speech, I gripped my thighs as I watched him spit out lies from his mouth.

“A and C have been one of my greatest achievements. It has about a hundred floors and most of the rooms are built to….”

“Liar!” I didn’t realize I had said that aloud until Angelina turned to face me.

“You know that you shouldn’t have come here, Loukas,” she muttered, but I was able to hear her because I was closer to her. “Coming here is just to ridicule yourself!” She chuckled and leaned closer to me.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked her.

“It means that Amanda and Caleb deliberately invited you here to ridicule you. I know A and C are your original works because we planned them together,” she sighed as she discussed our previous lives. I hated to be reminded of something that never worked out. It was an old memory I never wished to remember.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked her.

She chuckled and adjusted herself in the chair. She looked towards Hillary, who had her eyes fixed on us, listening in on our conversation, and waved at her. “You’ll never win them and will continue to put yourself in a compromising situation!”

I chuckled and raised the corners of my lips in annoyance. “How do you know all of this? How do you know that I can’t win them? ”

“Because…,” she was about to reply when our conversation was cut short by applause and the mention of my name.

“We have another announcement,” Amanda said, and the hall grew silent. “My older son, who is physically challenged, has decided to step down for his brother because he is unfit to lead the company,” Amanda said, directing attention to me. “He has hemiplegia and has no chance of ever walking again. It’s a good choice that he is stepping down, right? ” Amanda asked the guests in the hall, and every one of them agreed and chorused “Yes.”

I looked around me and saw that everyone was clapping their hands as if Amanda had said something great, but deep inside of me, I felt a wound reopened. The clapping resounded in my head and everything around me became a blur. My vision became hazy and I could barely see anything. “Loukas!” I heard Hillary speaking and reaching toward me. She grabbed my hand, but I couldn’t feel her. I yanked my hand from hers and held my throat as if it felt as if someone was holding me by the throat. A wave of pain hit me on the chest and I screamed out in pain as I fell to the ground.

“Loukas!” I heard Hilary’s voice again as she rushed towards me. “Rotimi! ” She screamed out, but her voice soon faded away and I could barely hear her again. The only thing that I could hear was the crashing noise of the night of my accident.

Maybe Angelina was right when she said that I shouldn’t have come to the party, or maybe I was too weak and got triggered the instance Amanda reminded me about my accident.

As I closed my eyes to fall asleep, a lone tear escaped my eyes.