Paid to the Billionaire

Chapter 1

The sky was now dark.

As dark as the clothes she was wearing to her fiancé's funeral. The crying of the people was a cacophony to Minerva's ears; even her own crying.

Derrick's sapphire engagement ring was still cherished by her ring finger—the same color of her pristine and beautiful eyes.

Minerva wiped away the tears that had long made her scarlet handkerchief wet. The handkerchief was the very first gift given to her by Derrick—her first and probably last boyfriend.

"Condolence, Minerva..." The voice was familiar. It was from Daphne, her brunette co-teacher who teaches at the same high school as she had before.

"Thanks." Minerva's answer was definitely sincere—as sincere as the love she bears to Derrick. It was very genuine to the point that she chose to wait for Derrick's approval of her marriage request upon the first week of carrying his child.

It had been days already since she'd been carrying her now-resting fiancé's child.

Minerva could still vividly remember that Derrick was always the person who wants to be prepared, who wants to have perfection in such things.

But, it seems he wasn't prepared the moment he was now laid in the casket, in the coffin. So was Minerva. She wasn't prepared for any of this, to be honest.

It was just last week that she'd been preparing for the baby and even planning to apply for work as soon as she gave birth when the news of Derrick's car accident reached her very ears from her apartment's telephone.

It was her best friend Mariella Chu, who also happens to be working as a nurse in the local hospital, who phoned her about Derrick's passing.

He was dead on arrival. Perhaps God, or any supreme being out there, didn't give Derrick even a slight chance to live—not even a chance to say his final goodbye to his baby. And most of all, not even a word of goodbye to his soon-to-be-wife.

The attendees of the funeral are gradually decreasing. Probably because midnight is nearing and most of them have their homes hundreds of kilometres away from this venue.

The flickering lights from the candle reflect in the eyes of Minerva as she was the sole person to be left in her former boyfriend's house.

Derrick lost her mother at a young age and his father already had another family the time that he was born. So, this is the last time she can step foot to this simple house as it was already sold just a week ago. They've planned to use the money for their settling down. Therefore, she had a bit of money left—Derrick had a bit of money left for her and their baby.

Without further ado, she too went home to her apartment as the caretaker of the house showed up, signalling her time to depart into the four walls of her once beloved Derrick's abode.

***

Morning came by the time she opened her eyes—so was her morning sickness.

Indeed, it is not easy to bear a child as it is very complicated. Especially to her as she was left by the only man she dearly loved.

She grabbed the hems of the ebony curtains and swiftly split it open, revealing the morning sun's beaming light. She looked to her left and the pink sticky note that she tacked on the calendar that was just a freebie on the grocery store, reminds her that she has a medical appointment today.