THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 156: SERIES OF MEMORIES

Chapter 156: SERIES OF MEMORIES

"You’re brave. That’s where I differ from you," Fay said.

"How so?"

"Well for starters, I could never admit even to myself that I liked someone. After being burned by Gabriel, I didn’t think it was even possible to like someone else."

"But you do?" He cocked a brow, his heart beat experiencing a little thump.

She looked at him with pitiful eyes. What she was about to tell him was perhaps the most selfish thing she had ever done.

It wasn’t like there was any malicious intent to it. But going from what he had divulged, to telling him what she was about to, it would definitely look malicious.

"Do you know how I found out Gabriel hated me?"

"Do you want to tell me?"

Her throat made an inaudible sigh. "Is it something you want to hear? I don’t know if you know this, but you’re one person I would rather not hurt. I wish I could say I haven’t."

"Why don’t you want to hurt me, Fay?" he brought the conversation to himself for the first time, because curiosity got the better of him.

"Because you’re good. Out of all the men I’ve encountered, I think you’re the best."

He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his throat. "Why? Because my profession is to save lives? Isn’t that a bit of a shallow lens to judge morality or goodness? Or are the others less moral because they’re billionaires, and it’s supposedly unethical?"

She went silent, to think. He was right about certain aspects. He was also wrong about others.

"Being a billionaire or a doctor has nothing to do with my judgement. I just know what I know."

"If I’m so good, why did you hold back?"

She smiled, but her eyes did not twinkle.

"That brings me to my next point, actually. Just because you’re good doesn’t mean the heart will automatically beat for you."

"I’m guessing this brings us back to the story of Gabriel?"

"Yeah," she bobbed her head slowly. "Yeah it does."

As if the clock could feel the sudden tension that gripped the room, it chimed loudly.

"Would you look at that," Alexander muffled. "It’s midnight already."

"It is?" She looked behind at the clock. "That’s a beautiful clock."

"It is? I got it—--" he shook his head. "No more distractions. Tell me about Gabriel."

"Wherever do I start from?" Her eyes took on a distant expression as she stared into space. "We were all friends. Leighton, Gabriel and I. Neighbors too. I met Leighton first. Our friendship, albeit sweet, was shortened when she had to leave for the United kingdom. Gabriel and I grew closer. You could say he was kind of my solace," she grew quiet for a few seconds, still staring loosely at nothing. "Can I get some water, please?"

"Sure."

He rose to his feet abruptly, and walked to the fridge. Grabbing a bottle, he returned and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said absentmindedly.

Chugging half of the water, she screwed back the covers, and dropped it beside her.

"Now where was I?"

"He was your solace."

"Yeah, right. He was that. Every Time I got sad, I would go to him. At first my aunt was okay with us just being friends. At least until one of her daughters grew a crush on him. I think that was the start of my aunt’s obsession with my sensuality. A trait I didn’t even know I possessed, because I was so young and innocent. We all were."

"And she hounded you for that, I guess?"

"Hounding is probably an understatement. She didn’t like that Gabriel insisted on taking my side, despite her constant attempt at making him fall for her daughter. I think that’s what made me fall for him. He chose me."

"That’s all it took?" He asked with a heaviness in his heart.

He could tell that despite the troubles she faced in the hands of her aunt, she was still careful with how she described her.

There wasn’t a kinder person in the universe. It was why he considered the accusations against her character, just plain ole, hating bullshit.

"She hated it more when he only grew closer to me. I think around that time, she made me begin to fend for myself. I got a job watching kids younger than me, and even tutoring. And that’s how Gabriel and I grew even closer. When I was sixteen, curiosity got into the mix, and we slept together. Shortly after, he had to leave the country too."

"It must have been hard for you to let him go, considering what he represented to you."

"Yeah. Really difficult. But thankfully, I had learnt independence early. So despite the fact that he was a solace, I could still depend on my strong will to forge ahead. Plus, we always kept in touch through calls. However as the years turned, the calls grew less frequent, and I became more worried. My curiosity got fed when Ace entered into the picture."

Alexander swallowed hard at the mention of Ace. Gabriel he could handle because he was an anonymous ass he probably would never have to see.

Ace on the other hand was very much present. As his anxiety climbed, he knew that he was about to hear at least a thing or two that was bound to break his heart.

"Before you introduce Ace into the mix, can I ask a question?"

"If you ask one, can I ask one?" She replied.

"Sure."

"Go ahead then." She encouraged him with a slight nudge of her head.

"Was your meeting with Ace planned by his grandmother like that woman claimed?"

"Oh it was planned alright," she answered in a heartbeat because she anticipated his question. "It wasn’t by his grandmother though."

"Then who?"

"My marriage to Ace is all a contract." She looked at him, waiting for a dramatic reaction or something of that nature.

It took a few seconds for her to remember who she was conversing with. Even if he was shocked to death, he wouldn’t make a big deal out of it.

"Wow," he simply said when he noticed she expected a reaction from him.

"Yeah, that’s an appropriate reaction. In fact the day he offered me the contract to be his wife, was the same day I found out Gabriel hated me."

"Hated you? How?"

Fay smiled inwardly. It wasn’t lost on her that he had shown more emotion, and even expressed more at the thought of Gabriel hating her, than he had on finding out her marriage with Ace was solely on paper.

"Ace called him because I insisted I had a boyfriend."

The smile she reserved for within her shot out, despite her attempts at keeping it private.

Her eyes took a nostalgic dim, as she remembered that day as if it was only yesterday.

"Ace called Gabriel, and asked him if he would accept some millions for him to leave his girlfriend alone. He didn’t waste any time in telling him how I always cried, and complained. That he was tired of me, and that was why he did his best to avoid me."

"That’s insane!"

"I know right?" She chortled dryly. "But he wasn’t wrong. I do cry a lot. I didn’t fault him for that part. Only the one where he made it look like all I did was complain when I tried my possible best not to tell him half of the sh— the hardships I was going through."

"It’s good you left him. I don’t think you should carry that guilt."

"He left me, I didn’t leave me. I was the one thinking we were still together. We weren’t."

"Is that why you accepted Ace’s proposal?"

"That’s two questions now," she said, eyeing him. "Shouldn’t I ask mine first?"

He smiled. "Fair enough."

"Who knows I’m here?"

"Oh," he said, a little startled by her question. "Leighton does. She has your bag, and phone. She called me to ask if you were fine. Oh, she also wanted to bring you your things. I told her to wait a while until you’re more calm."

"So she knows your new place, and can come, right?"

"Yeah. Would you prefer her here?" He asked, a little hurt by the thought she would rather have another person listening to her.

He couldn’t believe she considered him good when he had such selfish thoughts running through his mind.

"Not really. Leighton and I caught up a lot when she came to my— Ace’s house. I just didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth about my marriage with Ace."

"Should I be flattered then?" He asked in a jesting tone.

"If it’s something you’d want to be flattered about, I guess." she shrugged.

The room grew silent again. Fay was tired. She had cried, and had talked. She thought it would make her feel less burdened.

She thought wrong.

"Why did you lie to Ace, Fay?"

Her green eyes turned a shade darker, as the only possible answer to that question formed in her mind. "Because in order to step into the next phase of my life, it would require more hate, and less love."