THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 142: BITTERSWEET

Chapter 142: BITTERSWEET

They didn’t say another word to each other until they arrived at the restaurant. Ace spotted an isolated space and parked the car there.

Fay took off her seatbelt, and was about to step out of the car, when she felt a hand on hers, restricting her movement.

She reclined back, and turned her head to the side to face him. "What is it?" She asked in a tired voice.

"I saw a picture of you and Xylon Bass. It was in the news," he said.

Except for the widening of her eyes which passed as swiftly as it formed, she didn’t show any other reaction. It deeply frustrated him.

He had thought to let the night ride out and bring the Xylon topic another day. But they were talking now. Granted, it was mostly awkward conversations, but they were talking.

Anything could happen at any time. And it could just end up driving a wedge between them. Those were his thoughts.

"Is that why you’ve been extra nice today?" She asked after taking out time to gather her thoughts.

His hands that were holding on to hers fell to his side. "Why would that be a reason to be nice?"

"Yeah, you’re right. You’ll usually accuse me of either being a golddigger, or a whore." Her voice was filled with hurt and repressed anger.

"Fay, I would never call you a whore. I was definitely wrong for the gold digger accusations, and I apologise for that. But—"

"Hey, you two coming in or what?!" A knock scraped the windows.

Ace sighed in frustration. Stretching his hand to the dashboard, he pressed a button, and the windows rolled down.

"Could you please give us a moment alone?"

"Oh," the smile on Landon’s face wiped off, as he felt the tension in the car. "Cam and I will just go in first then."

Ace rolled the window back up, and faced Fay. "Like I was saying, I’m actually sorry for accusing you of gold digging."

"What are you accusing me of now?"

"I’m not accusing you of anything Fay. I’m just curious to know why you were with Xylon."

"I wasn’t with him. Cam hit his car, but he was nice enough to pay for the damages done on both cars, and even bought all the perfumes I was going to sell."

Ace’s heart felt. "You sold him your perfumes? I thought you didn’t want to monetize that?" He questioned, unable to filter out the hurt in his voice.

He couldn’t explain, nor could he understand why he felt so interested in her business. It wasn’t supposed to be a concern of his if she decided to sell or not sell her handwork.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she had done it to spite him. And if that was the case, then he was dealing with something greater than he had imagined.

He was dealing with a woman drifting away from him.

She wasn’t planning to remain the same. The kisses may still be earth shattering, but the woman would change. And when she did, there would come a time when he wouldn’t be able to get close enough to her for a kiss.

When that time came, he realised he would become bitter. Except he right his wrongs, starting from now.

"I had to find a way to buy Sophie her birthday gifts. I told you I didn’t want to use your card anymore," she said.

"But why? I only was against you spending money on your aunt when she doesn’t deserve it. Sure, I messed up with Reign, but is that enough to make such decisions?"

"Reign, and Makayla, and God knows how many more women. But I don’t care, and we’re not talking about them now. This is about me right? You said you’ll never fall for me, and I believe that with my whole heart. So it’s my turn to ask, why are you always so angry when there’s a man trying to get my attention? The media does not recognize my face, so you can’t say you’re trying to keep them from talking. Shouldn’t you be happy that when the time comes to part ways, it wouldn’t be hard on either one of us, since there are no feelings attached?" She asked, further confused with every word she asked.

On one hand, he acted aloof. On the other, he acted like the gravest sin she could ever commit was being around another man, and it confused her. Maybe even more than his kisses.

"Hmmm," he thought about his words the other night, and how she was now flipping his question. He had been too obvious with his feelings, negative or positive. But for now, he needed to go back to being in control of the narrative.

It would require a little bit of manipulation, but it was nothing he hadn’t done before.

"I’m asking you specifically about Xylon because he is a manwhore. You don’t want to be involved with someone like him. He’s also my company’s rival. You collected money from a man like that. Despite the fact it was business, if it ever comes out that you’re my wife, do you know how happy he’ll be to use that thing you may consider insignificant, against me?"

"How is he going to find out I’m married to you?"

"So you didn’t tell him you’re married?"

"Jesus, Ace! I’m saying one thing, and you’re saying another." frustrated lines marred her forehead, as she struggled to control her breath.

He noticed that even with how frustrated she was, her voice still sounded normal. It was an unusual skill to have. One he found fascinating enough to study.

"I’m saying, if you had told him you are married, he would be less likely to continue conversations with you."

"But you called him a manwhore. Why would he let marriage stop him?"

"He tried to woo you is all I’m hearing."

"And if that’s the case, why is it a bad thing? We’re only going to be married for a year. After that, I have my entire life to live!" She blurted out.

Her words hit him like a bomb, and for a second, he felt his heart explode.

The worst was happening right in front of him. She had really changed in such a short time. Maybe he wasn’t just paying attention.

The Fay he knew never talked back. She would whimper, and cower in fear, but never talked back.

Not only was she talking back now, she was also throwing heavy words in his face.

"You said you were not like me. You said you respected matrimonial vows. You said you would never give yourself to another man for as long as you’re married. Has that changed?" He asked in a low voice.

The emotions of his words carried a tune that danced into his ears. She had never heard him this way before.

"You’ve gone too far Fay," she thought. All of this to prove what? That she didn’t want to continue being a fool.

But who was she kidding? Like always, all it took was one kiss from him to have her under his spell again.

"I still would never do any of those things," she finally replied. "I just want to know why it’s so wrong for other men to like me. My Aunt called me the spawn of the devil for it. You scold me for it. These are things I don’t even have any control over. Should I just stop existing?" She asked, moisture gathering in her eyes.

Alarm bells blasted in his head, and he quickly reached out to her. "Oh no, Fay. I didn’t mean it that way. Please forgive my passion. I hate seeing other men around you," his voice dropped into a low whisper as his hands on her shoulders began to stroke gently. "I don’t want to see them around you, because you should always be around me."

"But what does that even mean?" She asked in a voice thick with tears.

"I don’t know either, Fay. I’m just telling you what I feel. What do you feel?"

Slowly, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. Her heart began to thump loudly against her chest as she tried her best to hold herself back. But no matter how much she curled her toes and stilled her heart, nothing worked against the sweeping desire that moved through her like waves.

It didn’t help that his hands on her shoulders were electrifying.

"This," she whispered, and went in for a kiss.

The action startled him at first, but it didn’t last for more than a second.

His hand that had just been on her shoulders, went around her waist, and hoisted her onto his laps.

With his other hand, he reclined the seat back to create enough space for them.

He returned that hand to the back of her hair, gathering a fistful of it in his hands as he kissed her passionately.

In turn, she threw her hands around his neck, and buried her body into his.

For that moment, she was his, both in spirit and in truth.