In Love With Mr. Billionaire

CHAPTER 12- BOUND TO HAPPEN

****Caroline's POV****

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the red dress hanging on the closet door. It was for me to wear at the charity event tonight. I had accepted Dylan's request of attending it with him and it was a gift from him for doing that favor.

In reality, I was not really doing him any favor. I was going to agree to go with him anyway, but my actual reason for attending the event was totally selfish. Aaron was going to be there.

The art center was the last time I saw him. He had to leave urgently for some work, and then he had left for London the same evening. But tonight, he was going to be at the charity event. He will be looking as handsome as ever, and unfortunately, I will not be there to see him.

I sighed looking at the off-the-shoulder satin gown. How happy I was to receive that gift. It was a gorgeous evening gown and I had danced around my room wearing it, pretending to be royalty, until the thought of ruining the dress before wearing it at the event had scared me enough to take it off and keep it in the safest part of my closet. If only I knew I was not going to be allowed to attend it.

I grabbed my phone from the bed and dialed Dylan's number. He answered on the third ring. Before he could be his usual teasing self, I broke the news to him.

"I won't be coming to the party tonight." For so long I had been trying to convince myself that it was for the better that I don't get to go to the party and meet Aaron, but it was only when I said it out loud did I realize how much I wanted to see him again.

"Why not, Caro?" Dylan asked, concerned.

"Because dad doesn't want me to go," I told him the truth because lies never worked with Dylan.

He went silent for the next few seconds and I patiently waited for him to say something. Was he going to be mad at my father for not letting me go? Was he going to be mad at me for canceling it at a time when it will be hard for him to make other arrangements?

The latter seemed ridiculous because I had never been at the receiving end of Dylan's anger—if he ever got angry that is. He always had incredible tolerance, especially with people he cared for, and yet it made me wonder if he was going to curse my dad just because of his disdain for him.

"I see," was all he said.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be, Caro. I need to get some work done. I'll call you in a while, okay?" Dylan said and I smiled. Of course, he did. Workaholic.

"Can I keep the dress, though?" I asked to lighten the tense air that had clouded both of us.

"Of course, you brat. It's yours," he said and ended the call.

The smile that had formed while talking to him slowly disappeared as I threw my phone back on the bed. If only I had been quicker to answer the door, Lahaina would have never seen Jane collect the delivery of the dress that Dylan had sent.

She had seen the package, she had put two and two together rather quickly, and then she had gone all the way to my dad to complain about me like a little kid. Today, dad warned me not to be anywhere at the party and had threatened to deal with Dylan himself. That last part had worried me enough to throw every thought of seeing Aaron again down the drain.

I wanted to meet him again, to see him again. At the art museum, I had decided it would be the last time I ever saw him, but the moment he had asked me if I was going to be at the charity event, I started to look forward to it. I wanted to go and if I didn't get to meet him or talk to him, I wished to just see him from afar. But not at the cost of my father hurting the only other man I cared about.