In The Hands of a Billionaire

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Natalie's POV

Breathing heavily, I leaned back against the wall as a chuckle left the lips of my partner. He was enjoying watching me struggle under his gaze. It only seemed to intensify the longer we kept at it. This was pure torture but at the same time, it was pure bliss.

"Come on, babe. One more block left." Aiden stated while jogging in place near me. Staring at him, I continued to take in large breaths of air while he watched quietly with a smile on his face. Why had I agreed to participate in such an exhausting activity? "It's good to help ease stress. Aren't you feeling better?" Aiden questioned as if he heard my thought while I took in one last breath.

"It is but why so early in the morning? And how far do you actually run?" I asked while staring at him as he smiled back at me.

"I usually jog this early to get ahead of the morning traffic and all the busy people who might recognize me. Plus, the sidewalks aren't as full as they usually are and the fresh crisp air is good for the lungs compared to the afternoon warmth." He stated while gently stretching as I stared up towards the partially dark sky that was slowly starting to light up. "Ready?" He questioned as I stepped away from the wall and nodded before we continued on with our jog with the wind blowing gently. "We'll be back home soon." He stated while glancing over at me as I threw him a thumbs up, too tired to nod.

[~~~]

Leaning back in my chair, I exhaled quietly while closing my eyes as the last bit of papers were being faxed to one of my clients.

"You sound tired. What's up?" Stella questioned as I quietly opened my eyes before peering over at her. She seemed to be relaxing on the couch with a romance novel in hand while a pair of dark framed glasses perched on her nose. Today, she had settled on a comfortable outfit which consisted of gray sweat pants and a dark blue long sleeved shirt that stretched over her belly.

"When did you get glasses?" I asked as she gently shook her head like she usually does when I try to avoid answering her. "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired. This morning jogging is starting to get to me." I stated as she rose her eyebrow while gesturing for me to continue. "And, this whole thing with William is also still bothering me. It's like he's still watching my every move. I couldn't even have sex with Aiden last night because I was scared that it might end up like it did with William."

"Sounds like you need a break, Natalie. Why don't you go on vacation?" She asked while propping her feet up as I thought about it.

"I agree. Why don't you go to Italy to go see your grandmother? She's been expecting you and little Raigh-lee." The familiar voice stated as the office door opened to reveal my mother who was carrying my excited toddler. "I'll take care of the office and your little friend while you're gone." She stated while smiling towards Stella. "And, I might have told your grandmother to expect an extra person." She added with a sly smile as I stared at her in confusion.

"What did you tell her?" I asked as she simply ignored me while introducing herself to Stella with a smile on her face before starting a whole new conversation. Sighing, I turned away from them while peering out the window at the tiny people passing by the office building on the sidewalk. Was a vacation what I really needed? It'll give Raigh-lee some time to bond with her great grandmother. "Fine. I'll go on a vacation, but promise me that there won't be any trouble with the paparazzi and no trouble with Stella." I stated while turning back to them as my mother looked at me in joy before setting Raigh-lee down.

"Okay, I promise. Paparazzi already taken care of and Stella is in good hands. A week full of relaxation and spa treatments. Sound good with you, darling?" She questioned while looking back at a rather shocked Stella who nodded her head. "Alright, get out Natalie. Go home and relax until your flight. Your father will be here any minute now. Once he comes in, we can go and start getting ready for our spa treatments, Stella." She stated with a big grin on her face.

"Whoa whoa. Mom, I'm not just going to up and leave in the middle of the morning. I can leave tomorrow morning. There's no rush unless you told Nonna something else." I stated while staring at my mom as Raigh-lee quietly tugged on my pants. Shifting my attention between the two, I carefully picked up Raigh-lee before placing her on my lap as she quietly tugged at my curls.

"I might have told her about Aiden, so she's expecting all three of you soon. And if you think about it, it's about time Aiden actually saw that real you that you're hiding from everybody." She stated with a sheepish grin as I quietly shook my head before watching her quietly. "Plus, Raigh-lee's birthday is coming up in a few days. I'm sure your Nonna and all of the other side of the family want to celebrate it with her. I'm quite sure they'd love to finally see you after so long." She added with a wink as I quietly laughed at my mom. I knew she was up to something, but that does sound fun.

"Fine, I'll leave tomorrow morning. It's a nine hour flight there so, it'd be best if we left in the morning. I'll call Nonna and let her know that we'll be landing in Naples, Italy. Sounds good to you?" I asked while staring at my mom as she nodded her head.

"That's all good with me, but I'm still taking Stella to a spa treatment today. Ready?" She asked while looking down at Stella who quietly nodded her head before my mom helped her up. "We'll be back soon. When your dad gets here, tell him that he owes me for that bet." She stated while walking out the door with Stella in tow as I quietly shook my head. What a woman.

A/N:

Heyo, patient readers.
I bet you weren't expecting an update today. It's okay, I don't blame ya. I've been gone for awhile and now I'm back. Officially.

To my new readers, hello! Beware, I'm weird and I usually update every week or try to.

To my readers that have been here, heyo! I'm back! So, please don't hesitate to contact me if you got any questions or you wanna yell at me for my absence. I will listen and apologize.

Okay, I think that's it on my list. I will be here all week if you have anything you want to say and I will also be working on the next update so it won't be a two month long wait.

Thank you all for sticking with me and for getting this book to 900 votes!

Andrea ❥

P.S. What other side do you think Natalie's mom is talking about? ;)