In The Hands of a Billionaire

Chapter 12

Natalie's POV

Breathe in and out. I repeated to myself as I turned around to be greeted by those light brown eyes that once stared at me like I was his world.

"William." I greeted with a tight smile as his eyes looked up and down at my dress. Breathe in and out. "How have you been?" I questioned while taking a small sip of the water in the champagne glass that I had took off a tray. I didn't want to be here right now, but I have to stay here to support Yuki and all the other new artists.

"Why did you run away from me, Natalie?" He asked while staring down at me with dark eyes. Why was he bringing this up now of all places? "Did you not understand two years ago that both you and that child are mine? You're my property." He stated sternly as he stepped a little closer towards me while I kept repeating the phrase to myself. Breathe in and out. "I guess we'll have to start back from square one again." He added while stepping closer before an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me into a warm chest.

"Love, is this man bothering you?" Aiden asked while pecking my forehead as William looked from him to me in disgust. "If I'm not mistaken, threatening my girlfriend would be dangerous for you. She's not anybody's property. Same with her child. If you have something to say to her, then you'll have to go through me." He stated while pulling me closer as William frowned.

"And us too." Lucy stated as she appeared next to Aiden followed by her husband and my family. "You better keep your distance like the restraining orders say." She added while frowning at him as he looked at her and smirked.

"You think all of you scare me? I'll get back what is rightfully mine when the time comes." He stated while walking away as Aiden kissed my forehead again. Quietly leaning my head on his chest, I sighed.

"Are you okay, love?" Aiden asked while looking down at me as I shook my head. There was no point in lying. Might as well tell him the truth while we're here. "It's okay, I'm here now." He stated while pecking my forehead. I didn't know why he kept doing it but I wasn't going to stop him. This felt too good. "Ahh, I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable." He whispered as I shook my head.

"No, it's fine like this. I like this side of you." I stated while sighing again before pulling away as Yuki and his girlfriend approached us. She looked from Aiden to me as if she wanted to say something but she didn't. Yuki looked at her before sighing. Without another word, he bowed slightly.

"I apologize for my girlfriend's behavior. She had the wrong understanding about our relationship." He stated as I gently shook my head before patting Yuki's shoulder.

"You don't have to apologize to me. I was the one who overstepped my line and said some pretty rude things to your girlfriend out of pure blindness. I'm sorry for upsetting you. My relationship with Yuki is more like a mother nurturing her son instead of a homewrecker. Please forgive me for my mistakes." I stated while watching her as she frowned a little before sighing.

"I guess we started off on the wrong foot, Miss. I guess I can accept your apology. You don't seem as bad as I thought you were." She stated while smiling softly as her real beauty started to shine through from beneath her anger. "Plus, I got a good earful from your friend, Lucy." She stated while laughing awkwardly. As she said that, I looked around a little until I spotted her amongst a group of people with David by her side. When she noticed me staring, she waved me over as Aiden gently touch the small of my back.

"I'm glad we're on better terms than we started hun, but I never got your name." I stated as she looked at Yuki for a second while frowning before looking back at me as he quietly chuckled.

"Yuki didn't tell you?" She questioned as I quietly shook my head as she sighed again before smiling. "I'm Stella Macintosh." She introduced as I smiled her way before glancing back at Lucy who was making herself obvious with her glare.

"It was nice talking with you two, but I have to go make my rounds again. Could you wait a little until after the Gala is over? I'd like to talk with you about something important." I stated as Yuki nodded before I followed Aiden towards Lucy and her group. As we got closer to her, I almost had to do a double take at the young lady that was with her.

"Did that girl say anything bad to you again?" Lucy questioned as I shook my head while Aiden still stayed near, chatting with David about something in a hushed tone. "Good. Now that you're finally here, I wanted to introduce you to somebody important to me." She stated while patting the girl on the shoulder as she quietly looked up at Lucy before looking at me. This girl looked exactly like Lucy except with shorter hair. She had the golden brown hair and the matching mahogany brown eyes. "This is my baby sister that I was telling you about. This is Cassia. Cassia, this is Natalie. Hopefully she'll join the family soon." Lucy whispered to her sister as I hid my burning face behind my hands.

"Shut up, Lucy." I whispered playfully as her and Cassia started laughing while Aiden and David looked on in confusion. "Geez, don't say such ridiculous things so early in the evening. I doubt that that'll happen." I stated as they looked at each other before looking at me.

"Yep, she's blinder than a bat. I owe you." Lucy stated while Cassia held out her hand. Sighing quietly to herself, Lucy fetched a crisp twenty out of her purse before handing it to her sister. "Next time, I'll win that bet." She muttered under her breath as her younger sister smiled in victory.

"What bet?" I asked as the two sisters quickly perked up before laughing at nothing in particular as Cassia shook her head. "Did you place a bet on us?" I added as Cassia looked down at her wrist before smiling.

"Look at the time, gotta go. It was nice meeting you Natalie." Cassia stated before quickly disappearing into the crowd.

[~~~]

As the evening drew to a closing, I waited for the auction to end before I approached the painting. Quietly staring down at the list, I smiled at all the people who had put down a great sum of money for Yuki's piece. The highest he got was over eight grand and that was the final payment.

"Miss CEO, we're going to go home soon. Stella's not feeling good and I have to get up early in the morning for one of my jobs. What was it that you wanted to see me about?" He questioned as I noticed that he was alone.

"I submitted one of your art pieces to the silent auction and it got up to eight thousand. Half of that money will go towards charity and half will go to you so you can decide what you'd like to do with it. Also, I know a better place for you to work that will pay you good and will only take up Monday through Friday. Call me tomorrow about that offer if you're interested. That money should be in your account by tomorrow morning before you leave so don't worry. Goodnight Yuki. I hope Stella feels better." I stated while walking away from him as I noticed Aiden waving for me. It was my cue to leave.

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A/N:

In my personal opinion, I feel as of I just screwed this chapter up. Eventually, this story will get edited once its finished.

I hope you all had a good week. If not, hopefully the next will be better.

Andrea ❥

P.S. This chapter was written while I was completely unfocused. I apologize for my mistakes, currently going through some personal loss. I'll gradually grow better over the next few weeks, so this book will get better.