A Wife for the Billionaire
Chapter 120: RICHARD

Chapter 120: RICHARD

For the third time, I watched her open her mouth to speak, only for her to shut it the next second.

I was allowing her time to tell me that she didn’t mean those words. That it was all a mistake. I was biding my time for her to come to the realization of what she was asking for, and three times now, she almost did.

But for some unknown reason, she keeps deciding against it at the last minute.

What she was asking was impossible, I couldn’t just grant her such a demand. A brand, no, it was simply too much.

I massaged my jaw feeling the prickle of my stubble as I stared her down. Hoping that with my intense gaze and my expression hinting at the obvious, a turn down. That she would take the hint and take back her words.

But she didn’t. She managed to remain adamant while seeming complaisant at the same time. I watched her raise her finger and drop it before it got to her lips.

It was clear, she wasn’t going to say anything. She most definitely was not going to take back her words, she would rather wait in silence than do it.

So I asked,

"What would people think if after a year or less with me, you are relieved with your own brand?"

She relaxed, almost sighing in relief because I hadn’t turned her down outright. But that was the plan, let her think there was hope and squash it when she least expected.

"I seem to recall a certain someone who doesn’t give a shit about other people’s opinions or has he changed?" She returned.

In spite of myself, I smiled as I said,

"Well, Sofia, a brand is not like opening a boutique or bodega. You have to know it’s a lot. The paperwork, the capital required, the adverts, the promotions, do you even have any designs to launch this brand of yours with?"

I could tell from her expression that she wasn’t a fan of those words. Her jaw tightened and her gaze on me, took a murderous intent.

"To answer your question, yes, I have more than enough designs to launch my brand" she said smiling, but that smile didn’t reach her eyes, it was almost like a carnivorous animal flashing his fangs at a prey.

I was about to ask her to show me proof, but she chose that moment to continue as if she knew what I was about to ask,

"And, you don’t have to lecture me on the technicalities of starting a brand, I wasn’t born yesterday."

"Good," I gritted, before throwing my own poison, "I was almost beginning to think you were. But then as someone who understands the complexities of starting a brand, why do you think a year of service makes you deserving of it?"

She threw her head back in fury, then launched,

"Exactly what a privileged prick would say. Quick to dismiss hard work because he has always had it easy"

Oh it was so on.

"And only a gold digger would seek to establish herself with the first opportunity she’s given. And it’s funny because she claims it’s hard work whereas she’s just seeking an easy way to set up herself" I spat.

I had struck a nerve. Richard:1, Sofia:0.

"You!" she huffed, standing abruptly, jabbing her finger at me. Her lips twisted into a sneer and her eyes burned with furious hate.

"For what it’s worth, I hate you too" I offered while she stood looming over me like an evil shadow.

"I don’t care what you think, it’s either you accept my demands or forget about it. After all, what good is working together when I can’t even stand your prideful ass?" she finally said, stabbing her finger at me in emphasis.

"Believe me, the feeling is mutual. Perhaps more even..."

"But you are desperate, right?" She cut in.

"Of course not!" I snapped immediately.

She smiled sitting back down. She had gotten what she wanted. It was obvious. I felt like a fool for falling for her revenge tact. I had failed to leash my emotions. And it might be too late to pretend that I hadn’t lost control, but I will be damned if I let her think any of it mattered.

"I’m anything but desperate. I just need this over with as soon as possible, so we can both go our separate ways. So, um, yeah I will grant you your shot at establishment." I forced.

She made to say something, perhaps render her stupid gratitude, but I forced her silent as I continued,

"To be honest, I don’t really blame you. You just found a way and exploited it, it’s not like it’s not popular among your kind, always looking for the easy way out. Milking from we that have made it"

Her face flushed a shade darker in crimson, her lips, she twisted in a sneer, with her hands folded in her chest, I could swear her breath came out in hot fumes, like an agitated bull.

And yet, she kept silent. I could tell she itched to offer a retort, but she didn’t. She just sat there glaring at me. Her expression softened as I opened my laptop to add her recent demands to the contract. I hated every word I typed and to make sure she felt it, I poked,

"Look at that. The almighty Sofia Blake suddenly keeps mute, you really want this, don’t you?"

And yet she didn’t utter a single word. She didn’t even make a sound. The bitch was desperate and was going to do whatever it took to get what she wanted.

"Fetch those," I said, punching the print button.

She rose, not complaining. Even when I had expected that my tone and my choice of words would prompt a whine from her, because I had certainly ordered her like a dog.

But none of that mattered to her, from her stride, she was eager to get those slips. Only a tiny thread of self control leashed her from dashing to the printer.

She retrieved the slips, walked eagerly back to her seat and read. A smile stretched her lips as she read, no doubt she had gotten to the recent adjustments I made,

*ARTICLE 4: COMPENSATION*

4.1 The Employer shall pay the Employee a monthly salary of $10,000.

4.2 Additional benefits include:

- Housing accommodations

- Transportation

- Access to exclusive events

4.3 The Employer agrees to fully compensate the Employee with her demand of starting up her brand so long as she meets his demands to the latter.

The last part I had added as a loop. A subtle snare that I expected her not to notice. I wasn’t going to grant her that demand, at the end I will simply tell her that she didn’t meet all my demands and as such, I couldn’t meet hers.

As she set down the slip on the desk, pushing it towards me to sign, my heart leaped for joy. She hadn’t noticed that loop, she had been blinded by what I had wanted her to see that she bypassed her doom.

In an effort not to betray my triumph, I asked before signing the document and reluctantly passed it back to her. Slowly, she held up the pen, as if she couldn’t quite believe what was happening, if only she knew. Leaning forward, she hunched to seal my triumph which she might think was hers, almost there. Then her blasted phone started ringing.

She jumped at the sound, then hissed as if she was going to ignore it, until she saw who was calling. Her face paled as she grabbed her phone with trembling hands. Whoever it was, she most definitely feared him/her.

"Excuse me" she muttered, rising to take the damn call as far away from me as possible.

"Hello" she said, after making a motion like picking up the call.

"Um," she began, an effort to respond to whatever the other person had said or asked, "I just needed some air so I went for a walk. The news of marriage happened so fast that it left me breathless"

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her lie, she flashed me a glare that screamed "Keep it down" and from her behavior and serious almost dreadful expression, that could only mean one thing. It was her stepmom that was on the other end.

"But um, I thought we would get the chance to know each other before we decided that," she said.

Whatever her stepmom said next felt like a hit. I saw her knees buckle, and the strength it took for her to remain standing. Except that she didn’t have enough to keep holding her phone, the thing clattered to the floor raising a gasp from her.

With haste, she picked it up, her stepmom’s voice echoing from the other end,

"Hello?"

"Sofia, are you still there?"

"Yes," she forced herself to say, masking the sob that almost choked her words to sound happy, and continued, "That’s wonderful ma, very wonderful news. I’m sure Charlie is elated."

With just the name, I hated the guy. Charlie, no matured man in his right senses will go by that silly nomenclature.

She muttered something under her breath. Perhaps a curse, because the situation certainly called for it.

"Um... nothing." She lied again. "Just that it’s all happening so fast and I don’t know if it’s still what I want. Marriage..."

She suddenly kept quiet, no doubt, her stepmom cut her off.

"Yes ma" she managed.

The call ended.

She held the wall as her knees shook again. With concern for my halted triumph, rather than her well-being, I asked,

"Is everything all right?"

She jumped at the sound of my voice. Hastily, she wiped at her eyes, before veering to face me. Her lips were stretched in a tight smile, a smile that held tears that gleamed in her eyes.

"I really want to do this, but it turns out that I don’t really have a choice. I’m sorry" she said, sniffing back her tears as she pushed the slips towards me.

Before I could tell her that I had no idea why, she was gone.