Save the Billionaire

Chapter 11

The first rays of dawn entered through the window, I made my way to the kitchen, the cool tiled floor cold against my bare feet. To my surprise, Aunt Mary was already there, a pot of coffee brewing.

I greeted her with a smile, still groggy from sleep, and asked if she always woke up so early. She chuckled softly, her eyes crinkling at the corners with the wisdom of age. "Yes, dear," she replied, her voice tinged with a hint of weariness. "Old age has a way of waking you up before the rest of the world."

As I prepared my morning cup of coffee, Aunt Mary explained that we needed to prepare some special food for the day. Despite it being a Saturday, we were expecting guests – lawyers, to be precise. They would be arriving soon for a long discussion, likely centered around business matters and deals involving large sums of money.

I nodded in understanding.

"Though truth be told, I had little interest in the intricacies of their discussions,," she said.

"Business was not my forte, and I preferred to leave such matters to those more qualified to handle them", she added.

Instead, her focus lay elsewhere – on him -she explained. It was her role to take care of him, to ensure that he had everything he needed to navigate the complexities of his life.

As I sipped my coffee and watched the morning sunlight dance across the kitchen tiles while listening to her, I knew that I was prepared to do whatever it took to fulfill that role to the best of my abilities while in this marriage. It seemed he was not just the Carl I knew. He has many responsibilities on his shoulders, particularly a conglomerate.

As I sat across from Aunt Mary in the quiet comfort of her kitchen, her words hung in the air like a gentle breeze. "He seemed to hold you dear like a mother," I said, my tone soft and contemplative. "You're like a mother to us, taking care of us now that we're in your house."

I felt a swell of warmth in my chest at her smile, a sense of pride mingled with humility.

But Aunt Mary's next words took me by surprise. "This house is bought by him," she revealed, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. 

"This is the first property he bought," she said.

"Let me tell you a little about him, 'cause I know you both have a whirlwind marriage," she continued. "I want you not to feel scared of his behavior or decisions."

Why should I be scared of him I asked with this thought and listened to her intently.

"He went abroad alone after high school when his father was arrested by the government."

The statement sent a shiver down my spine, the weight of his suffering weighing heavily already upon me. I intently listened as she continued to share her story.

"I had heard whispers of his struggles, rumors of the hardships he had endured on his own in a foreign land" she mentioned with sadness.

And yet, when I decided to go to him and take care of him after hearing the rumors, two years had passed, and everything changed. It was as if it was too late, the light he had deemed within him, a newfound sense of darkness and energy that I had never seen before. I don't want to scare you, my child. She jested. It is because he became strong, she reassured.

From the moment I laid eyes on Carl when he was a little boy, I knew he needed someone to look out for him. Both his parents seemed to have little time for their son, his father consumed by the demands of politics and his mother lost in the whirlwind of social obligations or caprice. But, I'm sure it was not an obligation for her.

It pained me to see him neglected, left to fend for himself in a world that could be so cold and unforgiving. And so, I stepped in, extending a helping hand to a child who deserved so much more.

I don't know why my sister sent him out alone. Until this very moment, I still don't know the reason. Anyway, his mother doesn't have a particular maternal instinct. Aside from that, his parents had an arranged marriage. 

Well, I saw my family's flaws in all the influence and glamor of politics that affected my sister since we were kids. But, I saw a tiny boy in the middle all of it all alone.

His paternal family adored him, and of that, there was no doubt. But even their love couldn't fill the void left by his parents' absence. And when Carl found himself alone in a foreign land, struggling to make ends meet in the face of poverty, it changed him in ways I could scarcely imagine.

I feared he had fallen in with the wrong crowd, drawn to shady characters by the lure of survival. It broke my heart to see him endure such hardships, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility for his well-being.

Together with his grandfather, we made it our mission to ensure that Carl had everything he needed to succeed and he thrived, surely. Perhaps it was our way of atoning for the guilt we all felt, knowing that we had failed him in some way. Look at him now, capable and talented.

But as I looked at Carl now, a grown man with those looks in his eyes, I couldn't help but wonder if we had done enough. Despite our best efforts, the scars of his past still lingered, a painful reminder of the struggles he had endured on his journey to adulthood. And as I vowed to continue supporting him in any way I could, I prayed that one day he would find the peace and happiness he so desperately deserved.

The old lady's story ended by taking my hands and holding each other and saying, "Please be patient with him, Iris. I'm sure he will fulfill his duty as a good husband."

I just smiled and hugged her tightly then I stood up to get some coffee and decided to drink it in the bedroom because I couldn't go to the library because Carl was already there. I'm sorry Aunt Mary I said to myself as I walked towards the hallway. 

We are a marriage of convenience and nothing more than the friendship we have. I will support him in every way as a good friend nothing more.

I opted not to say anything to her like he's gay or anything. I didn't want to mistakenly say something that might hurt her. She is so happy and desperate for Carl's marriage.

Why did I agree to stay at her house? I feel so guilty now.

I did ask Carl earlier why he sold his bachelor pad when we could stay there in the meantime. Carl's response was he was always on the lookout for new properties. He is always looking for a home but he guessed he found one he said while looking at me. 

I understood he wanted a better and grander house, well he can afford it I thought. I didn't complain any further and agreed to stay with Aunt Mary.

In the late afternoon, Carl was looking for me. I was at the balcony on my laptop busy away with my personal project and fantasizing about it when Carl butt in.

Carl showed me some documents to sign. "For what?" I asked looking at the papers.

"According to our deal your name will protect my assets," he said, waving the papers in his hands.

"Let me just–" I couldn't finish my statement and Carl interrupted me. We need your signature right away because the lawyers are waiting and ready to leave he demanded.

"Why do you need me to sign documents that you don't want me to read properly? Are you planning to sell my organs or put a big insurance on me?" I said candidly.

He just looked at me puzzled by my words but when his face softened and smirked. He realized the pun on him. " I'm rich enough not to do those things, Iris."

 "Rich enough," he repeatedly uttered.