Babysitting The Billionaire

Do I like him?

" Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day."
                                     - Markus Zusak
                                         (Book Thief)

Bella Dallas~

" Is that why Luca turned into a manwhore?"

The words stumbled out of my mouth before I could stop.

Charlotte looked surprised by my choice of words to describe her brother. She quickly got rid of that look and gave me an understanding nod.

" Luca's mental image of mother is destroyed and hence he sees all women as either the impossible Madonna (super holy and pious) or the whore (slutty and without loyalty or character). " She sighed and I gasped.

" But our mother is not the one behind Luca being the so-called manwhore or him not believing in love. He came back to life again. He was starting to understand our mother, just like how I and Mar understood her. But again-- " Before she could finish, her phone rang.

She got up and talked rapidly on the phone and was frowning a lot.

" Bella, I need to leave asap. Sorry. Even if I stayed, I can't speak of it anymore. It's for Luca to tell you. " With that, she hugged me, which was totally unexpected, and walked away.

So Luca isn't that bad as I thought? I always thought that the rich had everything. It seems like I'm wrong. Luca was mentally tormented as a child. Poor guy. I can't blame him for anything. I've to help him.

But how?!

I don't know why he's like this with women. Charlotte now said it's for Luca to tell me. So there is another story behind everything that's going on.

But right now, I felt a connection with Luca, which I had not felt before. Like I could understand his loss. His misunderstandings. I could feel a gentle warmth in me just picturing his face. His carefree smile. The way he ate ice cream with me. I never thought that being a billionaire, he would indulge himself in simple pleasures.

I finished my doughnut and looked out of the window. The beautiful lake sparkled under the sunlight. I enjoyed the serene view and realized that I've somehow developed feelings for Luca. The fact is that I like him. I smiled, thinking about him.

The fact that I developed some sought of feelings for him, excited me and at the same time, scared me like hell.

He doesn't believe in love.

Charlotte's words echoed in my head. No. That can't be true. Who doesn't believe in love? Maybe he's a guy who doesn't understand it. That might be the thing.

I walked out of the restaurant and took a cab to the apartment. This time, I took the money with me, still remembering my Boulevard of Broken Dreams walk.