LOVING THE REJECTED BILLIONAIRE

“Hey, princess! Have the kids upset you again?” I ask Angel before letting her walk to class, kneeling with one knee to match her height.

“No auntie Ania. They were even forced to apologize to me by the teacher. They even want to be my friends, but I don’t want to befriend them.” She answers with her sweet voice. I am so addicted to this kid. I love her like she was mine.

“Listen, princess. If someone wrongs you, and then later apologizes for their mistakes, you should forgive them, okay? It’s not good to stay mad at someone even after apologizing. However, nobody should force you to be friends with them if you do not want to. You choose your friends, but it is not wrong for them to want to be your friends either. They learnt their lesson, okay?”

“Yes, auntie Ania. I will consider that.”

“Good. Hug me.” She falls into my hands and we hug. “Okay, go to class now. I love you, baby.”

“I love you too auntie.”

She runs off to class, and I walk back to the car where Mark is waiting, and after settling in, Mark drives off.

Andy and I did not converse this morning. We did not trade even a single word after the greetings. I was not in the mood to talk and I guess he was not too. Maybe he is pissed off with what I told him last night, but it’s alright by me. He can not be coming to me whenever he is in need. Maybe I shouldn’t have entertained that kissing nonsense in the first place. We wouldn’t be here. None of this would be happening. But silly me, I had to show him how I liked it. I had to show him how hungry I was because nobody has ever kissed me like that. I should probably blame this on that stupid cheating ex of mine. If only he liked kissing me apart from those annoying pecks he used to give me, I would have gotten used to his kisses. Maybe I wouldn’t have entertained Andy.

But that idiot denied me his kisses, everything, actually, including his affection. I should have read between the lines, but I chose to turn a blind eye. Where did that get me into? He tricked me to go and see who he was preserving his kisses for. What sort of a relationship was that anyway? I just wasted the four months we dated.

“Wait, Mark! Where are we? Where are we going?” I ask. This is definitely not the way back to Andy’s mansion.

“Somewhere. The boss asked me to take you somewhere.”

“What? Where? Why didn’t he tell me?”

As if you wanted to talk to him. My mind screams at me. But still, he should have found a way to tell me, dah!!

“I do not know why he did not tell you, and as to where, I am not supposed to tell you. He will kill me if I do.”

“Feels like you are taking me to a slaughterhouse.”

“It’s not. That I can assure you.”

“But still you won’t tell me where you are taking me?” He shakes his head.

I give up and sit back, waiting to see where this man said I be taken to. Jeez! If I knew this was gonna happen I would have at least comped my hair and tied it up. I run my fingers through it, hoping it will help even a little.

We take a close to one-hour drive and finally, we stop in front of a gate that looks somehow familiar. A security guard opens the door and Mark drives into the compound. He makes a call that he responded with a yes and no, and end with a “yes boss”.

My mind was lost in the cars decorating the compound throughout his call, and I turn to him when he asks me to get out, which I do. I take a glimpse at the blue and white tower before me, and it rings a bell, as the name comes into view on the wall. The AA building. This is Andy’s building, and also where his office is. Why did he ask Mark to bring me here?

“Let’s go,” Mark says when I take ages just staring at the building.

I lazily drag myself inside behind him.

We get to the elevator, and we alight at the twenty-sixth floor and the last on this building. I trail behind him again, walking carefully on the sparkling clean white floor.

The last time I strolled on this floor, everyone on the corridor had their eyes on me. I was stinking poverty. My torn backpack, faded jeans and T-shirt, and not forgetting the sandals that had been repaired severally were a real definition of poverty. I looked pathetic walking in this building. But today, I am confident. I am smart. I have gained weight and now I have a figure to show. My sandals are expensive, all thanks to Andy. I owe him a lot because he not only transformed my life but that of my family too. They are now living comfortably, my twin sisters schooling without tuition problems, and we are paying the bank loan without pressure. I will thank this man someday after we sort out this acting up.

“Just tell the receptionist that Adrian is expecting you, okay?” Mark says, holding the door for me after swiping a card.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

I nod my head and walk in, and I greet the lady behind the reception desk.

“Hi, good morning! What can I do for you?” She nicely responds, unlike the other one before her who was fired by Andy for insulting me. This one doesn’t have an attitude.

“Andy is…” Shit! “Adrian. Adrian is expecting me.” I correct myself.

“Alright. I’ll just make a call to him. Just stand at the door, and when you hear the sound of a bell, push the door and get in. It will ring only once.”

“Okay. Thank you, miss.”

“You’re welcome.”

She turns to make the call, and I walk to where she instructed.

The doorbell rings earlier than I thought. I push the door open, walk in and let it close on its own.

What a technology!

I look around. Nothing has changed since the last time I was here. Everything is still top-notch, including the owner.

“Welcome.” Andy speaks, putting some documents that he was looking at aside.

“Thank you.” I mutter.

“You can sit down or walk around. I will try not to be distracted by your movements.”

“I better sit.”

“Your choice. Tea or Coffee?”

“Nothing. Don’t bother. I am fine.” I chorus.

He looks at me and shakes his head, and grabs the landline phone and dials. I answered with all honesty, why is he doubting me? Or why else would he shake his head?

“Two Macedonia tea to my office.” He says and hangs up. These rich people, though! What the heck is Macedonia tea? I would have understood if he said herbal tea but Macedonia?

He stands up and walks to where I am perched. “Come.” He says, as he takes my hand and we walk to his small coffee table at the far corner of his office.

“You look ugly when you are angry.” He mumbles the moment we settle down on the seats next to each other. I thought he was going to recline on the opposite side, but he had other plans. That is Andy for you. You expect one thing from him, and he does the complete opposite. He never ceases to amaze me.

“I am not angry.”

“Bad liar. Are you ready to talk now?”

“Is that the reason why you tricked me into coming here?”

“Of course. You chased me out of your room last night, and you did not want to talk to me this morning.”

“And you? You haven’t done anything wrong?” I fume. He better not start with me.

“That is the reason I wanted to talk to you yesterday but you did not let me.”

“There is no way I can refuse you now, right?”

He shakes his head, at the exact moment his landline rings, and he excuses himself to go get the phone. The call lasted a few seconds, and he returns to his sitting position, pressing his index finger on something that looks like a phone. It lights green, and the door opens, a lady in her early thirties walks in with a try in her hands.

“Good morning, sir. Good morning, miss.” She greets us as she puts the tray aside, serving us tea which smells so sweet even from a distance. “Anything else?”

“I will call you in case we need anything. Thank you.” Andy says as he presses his finger on that device again, and the lady who I didn’t get her name walks out.

“What’s that?” I ask, pointing at that thing. Me and my sister curiosity, huh!

“A door control devise. It’s basically for opening and locking the door.” He responds warmly.

“Oh. Okay.”

“So, do you want to ask me something, anything? Anything you want to say? I am all ears.”

“It’s you who wanted to talk, not me.” I am tempted to taste this tea but, damn, it’s so hot.

“You don’t even want to yell at me? You can call me a jerk directly now.”

Yeah! He heard that last night. It’s all because of that bitchy friend of mine, Rita. She should have warned me to watch my mouth if she knew he was listening. But she chose to get me into trouble.

“I am sorry you heard that.”

“It’s alright. I know I am a jerk. So, help this jerk understand you.”

Help him? How? What is there not to understand? What part of the three words, I love you, did he not understand? I turn to him, facing each other.

“I will get rid of this nonsense I am feeling, Adrian. So don’t be bothered.”

“Adrian? What happened to, Andy?”

What difference does it make whether I call him Andy or Adrian? It’s all the same. But wait, Ania doesn’t sound the same as Tania. Ania sounds sweet, and Tania, just flat, like there is no feeling attached to it. Does he also feel that way?

“I came to work for Adrian Ashton. I unintentionally fell in love with Andy, but he can’t love me. So I am letting go of Andy, and dealing with my boss Adrian Ashton from now on.”

“What if Andy does not want to let you go yet? What if Andy is no different from Adrian?”

That is confusing.

“Why won’t he let me go?”

“Because….”

He keeps quiet right there, looking at me, and I don’t blink. I want to hear the reason.

Come on, Andy! Speak up!