A Wife for the Billionaire
Chapter 58: RICHARD

Chapter 58: RICHARD

This was the highlight.

Relaxing here, puffing on a stick of cigarette. Watching the city buzz around me. The stars twinkling above.

It’s peace.

It’s not really like I forget about my health conditions. I’ve been told not to smoke, but who cares I’m dying anyway, so why bother?

Restraining from getting high, the bliss of clearing my mind from shits of the day. Like the Asian venue problems, the tough conversation scheduled with Claire about choosing a wife, the discussion that will soon happen with Edward, cause he always does that after every board meeting.

He would go around the company, ask

about things, speak to some of the employees and meet me here to talk about some things discussed in the board meeting and some things he noticed during his own wanderings.

I’m not often inclined to listen to him, most times before he gets here, I’m already as high as fuck, but I take note of his words because in this game, he had experience. Not that I ever acknowledge that to him.

He usually leaves after I decide not to answer his questions or offer any other comments.

Like I was saying, restraining from taking a break from these things was as pointless as eating Claire’s salad or eating healthy for that matter. Exactly what good would it do, will it stop the count? Will it strengthen my weak heart? What exactly will it do against my fated predicament?

That’s right, absolutely nothing.

The tattoo itched over my chest remains a reminder that in spite of my rather shortened life and rather accursed fate, I still intend to live it my way.

It’s latin and it says,

"Dum Vivo, Vivo"

Meaning "While I live, I live".

That’s actually my mantra, to live my life to the fullest, to smoke when I want, to fuck as much as I want and to not give a damn about anything.

Because in the long run, none of it matters when my heart stops beating.

As I exhaled, clouding my face with wisps of ecstasy, I dimly made out the name of the hotel at the right.

"Paradise City" it read.

I remember scoffing at the name the first time we went, we - as in, me and my boys. I think the ’City’ attached as a suffix was extra, absurd even.

I remember telling Aaron that calling it ’Paradise’ would have been enough, calling a building, no matter how many stories high - a city was illogical.

Aaron would be there again tonight, perhaps he’s there already with Chad, oh my God, Chad.

Shaking away the ashes at the end of the cigarette, I hurriedly brought out my phone and dialed Aaron.

At the third ring, he picked.

"How nice of you to call after how many fucking hours?!" He yelled.

"Oh fuck off!" I returned, "why didn’t you call or were you also busy chairmaning a board meeting like me?"

"More like chairmaning that ass, you know what I mean" he made repeated sounds of striking an ass.

"Give it a rest ho, where are you now?"

Feigning aggravation, he said,

"Like to see you say it to my face, asshole. Where am I? You, where are you? Aren’t we supposed to be getting high and fingering pussies at Paradise City like we planned?"

"Sorry bro, have to take a raincheck. I have things I need to deal with, I will tell you about it later of course, but how did it go with Chad?

"You know what you did there right?

Dropping the news of leaving me hanging_"

"As if you have any problems, faring well on your own" I cut in. "I doubt you will decline the list of girls XS would send to the VIP, even in my absence I’m sure your greedy ass will play with them all"

"And why wouldn’t I? Your depressed ass doesn’t want my company, might as well give it to them hos. Anyway, Chad is fine, at least when I left him, he was_"

"Where did you take him? Seriously, Aaron, where did you leave him?" I had to cut in, he always did that - pretend he doesn’t care and I can’t say I blame him.

Being the third son and last child in the Wald family, he was used to being cared for rather than caring.

"You guys should seriously drop it, I know I act like I don’t give a fuck most times, but that doesn’t mean I’m dense."

"What are you talking about?"

"You can pretend like you have no idea, but you and Chad, at least when he was still Chad and not that pathetic shell I dealt with in the morning. You guys do it all the time, you know it’s not my fault that I don’t have many responsibilities to shoulder and I definitely didn’t ask to be the last child. But damn!, you guys just take that as an avenue to jump into baseless conclusions that I don’t care."

"Aaron_"

"I’m not done, did you honestly think I would leave him on his own after what I saw at that hotel room? Why am I even asking, of course, that’s what you thought, because Aaron is so spoiled and he doesn’t know anything about responsibility. Well, fuck off Richy, why don’t you call Mrs Helen and check up on him, because as you instructed, I fucking left him with her"

"Aaron, that’s not what I was_" I tried to say, but it seemed he was already done with me.

"Get me two tequila shots" he said as I heard the clatter of his phone on what must be a bar table or desk.

I heard him gulp the shots before he ended the call.

"Great!" I muttered to myself. "Now, Aaron’s pissed at me"

But what was he talking about? Do I really do that? Am I really quick to judge and do I actually jump into conclusions?

I puffed the cigar, inhaling deeply. Crisping the stick to ember, before watching the air disperse the ashes.

I was about to light another stick, when I

heard from behind me,

"Don’t tell me you are here smoking again? You know that’s bad for your health" Edward said.

"Why do you care?" I ignored him, lighting the cigar.

He ran his fingers on the flowers, as he stalked towards me.

"I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. Sally tells me you found a worthy replacement for the clerk you fired. Now, you know you don’t have to be all macho with me as you were with the board, do you really think you can resolve the venue issues? Asians can make themselves hard to deal with, especially when it comes to the English, that’s how it has always been. And you know there’s still time to find another location or simply forfeit the expansion, after all Bogue is yet to write

about it"

"And what makes you think, a lot of people don’t know about the expansion already, things like this can’t be kept under wraps, not with those twats who call themselves the Elders, involved. There have been rumors and plans to launch a collection on Asian soil, further spreads the speculations. I will have to do all I can to secure the HKCEC even if it’s the last thing I do" I replied, shaking off the ash tail of the cigarette I hadn’t even smoked since he arrived.

"What do you mean by the last thing you do? Why do you keep taunting death? Are you not even in the slightest bit afraid of what you’re wishing for yourself? You know I hate it when you talk like that" he said, literally behind me now.

"You can quit pretending like you care, we both know why you are doing this."

"Who says I don’t?!" He thundered, snatching the glowing stick from my lips. "Do you think I like the fact that my son, my only child, is dying and I can do nothing about it? Even my wealth feels useless because it can’t make any difference, so don’t assume things when you have no idea what it feels like and how much I care"

Perhaps he does care, but how could I believe it when I grew up thinking that he didn’t because of the way he treated me. It was too late now, he lost his chance of being that father I wanted growing up, he doesn’t get to be him now that I no longer need fussing over.

"What if feels like," I iterated, my voice rising, "I’m the one suffering from the damn thing, it’s me who knows how much it hurts when it starts, how hard it is to breath, how painful it is when it feels like my heart is being squeezed by a giant, so don’t stand here and tell me that I have no idea how it feels like when I’m the victim"

"Richard, I_" He was saying as he sat beside me, before I cut him off, standing.

"No, no, you don’t get to act like you care now, after all those years of cruelty. You think I’m stupid right?, like I don’t know what you’re doing, pretending to care just to coerce me into taking a wife and siring you an heir. Don’t look so shocked, I know who you are"

I was already so pissed and I couldn’t stand his pretending ass for one more second, so I made to leave.

He blocked my path and began,

"That’s not it_"

"Well, your words this morning says otherwise, what was it you said, ’get one

of my numerous chicks pregnant’, yeah I think that’s it, so much for caring" I shoved him aside.

"Richard, wait!"

I gave him a double ’fuck you’ before vanishing down the stairs.