THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 164: UNCHANGEABLE MIND

Chapter 164: UNCHANGEABLE MIND

Ace was grabbing the bottle of whiskey he kept on his bedside table when his door opened, and Landon walked in.

He rolled his eyes when he saw him.

"How do you even know I’m here? Can’t someone have their privacy anymore?"

Landon jumped on the bed, and kicked his shoes off his feet.

"You sounded like you needed to talk. You know I’m not the type to pass on a good conversation."

He snatched the bottle off Ace’s hand, and brought it to his lips.

"To a good conversation," he laughed, and drank from it.

"No, I don’t want to talk." He snatched the bottle right back, and also drank straight from it.

"It’s strong, yeah?" Landon asked when he wheezed.

"The matriarch would love it."

His response was to show just how much the matriarch loved her alcohol. She would sneak her way round sweets, but never alcohol. And she was the one person he knew could hold her liquor down.

"So what’s the verdict?"

Landon stared at his friend. He looked miserable from the position he laid.

Frustrated lines marred his forehead, and a crease dented the sides of his face.

"She’s not who I thought she was," he simply said, and took another long sip from the bottle.

"I’m assuming you mean, Fay? I still don’t understand your reasons? Why do you think she’s not who you thought she was?"

Ace sighed, and reached out for the file docket. "Here." He threw it at him so he could see for himself.

Landon squinted, as he opened the file. He couldn’t see what could be so bad that had his friend convinced his wife was the devil.

He pulled out the first picture, and then the second, and third. He was beginning to see a worrying pattern, so he just stopped by the fifth.

"This isn’t evidence that Fay tried to harm you? These photos are not even verified to be real. Let’s say they are, what’s wrong with her having an active sex life? It’s not like you haven’t fucked a lot either."

"Please don’t start with that bs. Do you think I’d have anything against her if I knew from the start she was a whore? The image she projected was that of innocence. Then I go and find this? That’s not even half of it. She lied about everything. I mean, every fucking thing!"

"Calm the fuck down, bro. You’re just going to upset yourself more. What did she lie about?"

"She lied about her parents. It turns out her Aunt is actually her mother. She lied about her uncle trying to get her to sleep with him at a young age. The truth is, she tried to seduce him. She even lied about having to start working at an early age to fend for herself. Everything’s right there. Apparently, there’s even video evidence!"

His voice was hoarse when he was done talking. He drank from the bottle a third time, which wet his throat for a split second, only to dry it up again.

It made him drink more, instead of going in search of water.

As he drank, Landon searched his head. He just couldn’t believe it, even with the mountain of evidence before him.

He barely had conversations with Fay, but from the little time he had spent around her, he felt he could speak a little about her character.

She wasn’t any of these things Ace mentioned. He could feel something was off deep inside of him.

"I don’t buy any of these, I’m sorry. Shit doesn’t even sound like the girl we both know. Common bro," he drew closer to him, so he could level with him on a deeper surface. "You’ve lived with this girl for over four months. Please don’t tell me you believe any of these."

He broke into a bitter laughter. "That’s what I thought too. I thought there was no way in hell she could be all of that. Turns out she is and more. How else can you explain any of this? She’s a good actress. A damn good one at that!"

"Nah," he shook his head adamantly. "I think you’re easily believing the accusations because otherwise is to confront your feelings for her. You know you like that girl, Ace. This is just your way of fucking a solid thing up before it even gets the chance to blossom."

"Man shut the fuck up!" He rolled out of bed with the bottle in his hand, and began to pace. "This has absolutely nothing to do with feelings. Our marriage isn’t real. You of all people should know that. She isn’t even my type."

"You can lie to everyone else, and even yourself. You can’t lie to me, bro. I’ve seen the way you look at that girl. You were willing to shut down a whole store over her. The way you protect her? It’s not just you actively preserving your marriage until it runs its course. This is you doing what a man does when he’s in love with a woman."

Ace stopped pacing, and broke into a feat of uncontrollable laughter.

He held his chest as he laughed. It was perhaps the most ridiculous nonsense he had ever heard come out of Landon’s lips.

If he had mentioned attraction, he would have understood it. He was attracted to her, and there was no denying it.

To talk about being in love was just delusional. He had never fallen in love in his entire life. It wasn’t going to start with Fay of all women he encountered in his lifetime.

Business moguls, heiresses, princesses, women with academic excellence. Fay was the lowest class he ever dated. And she was the one who hurt him the most.

"So why do you care? If she means nothing to you, why do you care? Why don’t you charge it to the game, and continue with your marriage? Why do you care about her past and her lies?" He asked in an accusatory voice.

He was accusing him of lying. To himself, and to everyone around him. From what he could see, Ace was hopelessly in love, and the more he denied it, the more he saw the validity.

"Because she may be deceiving my family!" He screamed, and turned to him. "Don’t you get it?! My grandmother probably has no idea the girl she sent to tie me down in a fake marriage is playing the both of us. That’s why!"

"And how did she manage this feat?" He continued, still not sure what he was saying was true.

"Grant. That fucking bald bastard! He was the driver of this mess. The centrepiece of the chaos. I don’t know how Fay managed to convince him to help her. Perhaps she slept with him too."

This time, Landon jumped to his feet.

"You keep accusing that girl of the nastiest things. It’s not the first time, Ace. I hope you know if everything blows off, and you happen to be wrong, you won’t stop being miserable? So many lives are hanging on a thread right now. All it takes is one spark, and everything will go up in flames. Are you ready for the consequences? Why don’t you think before you leap?"

"Because I’ve never been wrong. I have evidence to prove it. I was deceived by Fay. The entire family is being deceived by her. Same with Marilyn, Alice and everyone around us."

"Leighton," he suddenly said.

"What does the doctor have to do with any of this?" He asked, after drinking out of the bottle that had almost gotten to the half mark.

"They were close as kids, right? You could ask her about Fay’s character. Ask her, and she should be able to tell you what she knows."

Ace scoffed, and shook his head in disbelief. "You know, Lan, for someone as exposed as you are, you have some bullshit opinions. Do you think Leighton wouldn’t want to shield her? She probably doesn’t even like me. Why wouldn’t she want to hide the truth from me?"

With his hand placed on his head, Landon turned around in frustration. "See what you’re doing? You’re rejecting every positivity that could come out of this negativity. You just want to believe the worst, and I don’t know why!"

"Because we already have one problem in the family. Even two. If we don’t clip Fay’s wings now, she’s going to add to our problems. I’m just trying to avoid that."

Landon drew closer, and placed one hand on his shoulder. He took the bottle off his hand with the other.

It was a struggle, because Ace didn’t want to let it go. He was determined though, and after a few seconds of struggle, he was able to successfully pull it out.

"I need you to be honest with me. Are you doing this because you’re afraid of your feelings for Fay, and you’d rather sabotage things before they progress? Or do you really believe she’s a bad person?"

Ace knew if he took a second to think about it, he may have a different response. But too far gone in his anger to be rational, he nodded.

"Yes, Landon. I believe she’s a fucking terrible person."