THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 124: PAINTING A PUZZLE

Chapter 124: PAINTING A PUZZLE

He dressed up in sweat pants and a t-shirt for the night. Hearing a knock on his door as he stepped away from the dressing table, his heart jumped in anticipation.

"Who’s there?" He called.

"It’s me, Sir. Alice. I brought you some food. Mr Grant called to say you barely had anything today."

That was mostly true. His eating habits were at an all time low, considering all the crap he had to deal with.

As he made his way to the door, he paused, thoughts of the chicken he left in his office room playing in his head. He had instructed the maid in charge of cleaning his home office to throw the chicken away before he left for work that morning.

He hoped she had the good sense to do it in secrecy. He already had enough problems with Fay. If word got back to her about what he did, she would be absolutely mad.

On the flip side, she wasn’t the kind to get super mad. So maybe she won’t go off on him, but she would still be hurt. Her eyes showed her heart. It would hurt him to see her hurt.

He continued to the door he had closed with the keys, and opened it.

"What’s that?" He stepped aside as Alice came into the room.

"It’s some—"

"Do you think I could just get something wrapped? I wasn’t planning to be in this room in the next two minutes."

Alice looked at the tray. It could be done. "I’ll be right back." She picked up the tray from the spot she had lowered it onto, and turned towards the door.

As she walked out, his phone began to ring again.

It was quite unfortunate Reign didn’t know how to take a hint. After the ugly stunt she pulled that night, every respect he once had for her was out the window.

He didn’t even want to think about her allegations. When the time came, her delusional bubble would pop once and for all.

But as he ignored the buzzing phone, a voice in his head pushed him to look- just in case it was Fay calling.

Sighing in defeat, he stepped towards the bed and bent to pick the phone.

A long hiss squeezed out of his mouth, as he answered the call.

"What do you want?" He asked between his teeth.

"Hello darling, I was going to keep calling until you answered. I knew you weren’t going to ignore me for too long. No matter how much you try to pretend otherwise, I’m still your baby."

His jaw grinded, as he shut his eyes. He waited a few seconds for the wave of sickness he suddenly felt on hearing her voice to disappear. When it finally did, he opened his eyes again.

"Are you sick, Reign? I’m beginning to think there’s something seriously wrong with you. What is your problem? Why won’t you leave me alone?"

"I only called to tell you that in a week’s time, I would be going for the test. I’ve given you enough time to live in peace with that charity case of yours. As soon as the results are out, I will be moving into your house. I’m telling you now, because I expect a room revamped to my taste by the time I arrive. Goodbye Ace."

She ended the call, leaving him angrier than he had been the entire day..

"Bitch!" He cursed, tossing the phone back on the bed.

He stormed out of the room, and came face to face with Alice.

"Sir Ace, here’s what—"

He shoved past her, leaving her confused as to what the problem was.

It was him, he realised as he kept walking. He had failed to set and uphold healthy boundaries. There was no reason Reign had access to the lake house.

Because of that singular act of stupidity, he may have made the biggest mistake of his life.

Rage surged through him like a dragon’s fire. He walked past his home office, and stopped by the last room in the corner.

Pushing the door open, he stepped into the room that housed all the inspirations borne from his fury.

His art room was a mess. It was the one room he didn’t care about making pristine and proper. Maybe because it was the biggest reflection of his life. The room which served as a mirror. Slamming his life right in his face.

Funny how whenever he wanted to escape from the harshness of life, he remembered the room.

The room was designed to remind him of the harshness of life.

It was a conundrum he loved to bask in. Perhaps narcissistic, but in this world, he could create whatever he wanted.

His eyes went to the big canva board in the centre of the room. It was covered by a piece of cloth.

A piece of cloth which hid one of his biggest mysteries. Years and years of trying to unlock a memory that made him feel so good.

Slowly, he approached the painting. He released his breath when he was standing in front of it.

Before he opened it, he walked around the painting for a bit. A ritual he did for no particular reason. Just something he came up with, and always adhered to.

When he had gone round the painting, he stopped in front of it again.

Carefully, he lifted the cloth. As it came off, the picture behind the veil surfaced.

It was still just an eye. It wasn’t even a full face set. He was still working on the eye.

Her eyes had been the most perfect pair of green he had ever seen.

Closing his eyes, he was transported back to that day he couldn’t forget, but also couldn’t remember in full.

The first time he travelled with his parents, he knew it would be an experience that would stick with him for a very long time. What he didn’t expect was that it would also come with these puzzles his brain couldn’t piece together.

"Ace, you cannot wander in the park on your own. I know you think you’re no longer a baby, but you are still my baby. Do you understand?" Gabrielle asked.

"I do mum. Can we go now?"

They went to the park, and Gabrielle met her friend. She introduced her to her little girl, and she introduced her friend to her little boy.

The adults sat to converse briefly, but the shy girl sat by herself, playing with her dolls.

Ace couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Even though they were kids, she fascinated him.

There was a cloak used to wrap her head, and he wondered why. The only features he could clearly see were her eyes. Her very beautiful eyes.

Gabrielle caught him standing and staring. She asked him to go play with the girl.

"Wife," he said, and sat down beside her.

She looked up at him with innocent eyes, and he was compelled to explain.

"The dolls are our children. You’re the wife, and I’m the husband."

She broke into a feat of laughter. Ace wondered what he had said that was so funny to her.

Ignoring him when her laughter subsided, she continued playing with the dolls.

He tried, but couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

A speck of dust made his lashes flutter, bringing him back to the present.

There was other information before, in-between, and after that moment with her. But it was just that particular exchange he remembered and he couldn’t for the life of him understand why.

One year ago, he had decided to put that haunting memory of the laughing girl who he called his wife in painting. He had gotten the cloak on her head, but it was the eyes he needed to perfect.

He took a step back and stared at the painting. It had been quite a long break he took from painting that piece.

Hoping to correct his sins, he took his shirt off, and hung it on a chair.

He walked over to the CD player he had been gifted by his father on his sixth birthday, and turned on a tune.

Coincidentally, the tune was another thing he remembered from that strange day at the park. It had been playing on repeat for some weird reason.

After so many years, he found a vinyl of it, and copped it without a second thought.

The ambience set, he lined up his painting materials, and picked up his brush.

He was in the realm he felt the most comfortable in. Painting a puzzle that just happened to be a girl.

The second the brush touched the painting, he remembered.

He remembered why he started painting her a year ago, after being haunted for so long.

Unable to take it anymore, he had asked his mother if that memory was real, or he had made it up.

With tears in her eyes, she looked at him and said, "Son, my dear friend and her entire family died."

That night, he picked a brush.