The Bellingerre Series Book #1: The Billionaire & The Trophy Wife

Chapter Twenty Two: Love

I can barely keep my eyes open. A Sunday night engagement that ran up to 2am in the morning and then being up all night has taken a toll on me. I hate Mondays. Nick loves Mondays. I hate that he missed my engagement. But it's better for him to get help for his problem.

I yawned and kept looking through the photographs in my hand. Bea was photographed kissing Lawrence outside the Bellingerre Manor. A reporter sent them to me and is asking me to pay him or he will reveal them. On the same night of our engagement and she's busy making out with a man she promised never to see again. I'm angry about it. It is partly my fault for letting her leave my side.

Bea and I stayed up all night talking about our personal lives, our experiences and we even talked about our emotions. I loved it more than I would have loved sex. It was a great form of intimacy at a level I have never imagined possible. I have never shared that with a woman. We really connected.

I love her and telling her how I felt made me feel like a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I am not as nervous around her anymore.

There is commotion right outside my door. I was about to get up and check when the door budged open. I didn't bother to stand up. Instead, I sighed with frustration. It's just too early in the morning for this shit.

"You can't go in there!" My assistant yelled coming into my office.

I waved her off. She closed the door.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" I asked after taking my time to study the man.

He is boyish... in my opinion. He reacts purely on his emotions. If he only knew confronting me like this is to my advantage especially if I play my cards right and I don't fight back.

"Stay away from Bianca!" He yelled furiously.

I wonder why he feels the need to shout. It is just us two. There is no audience to entertain with the theatrics of 'who is the better man.'

"Are you done throwing tantrums?" I asked. "Because if you are, I have more important things to do. Show yourself out."

I fully intended to ignore him but he didn't make it easy when he came over and invaded my personal space banging his fists on my table. I stood up slowly purposely tucking my hands behind my back to prevent myself from giving him a left hook that will knock him out.

"Aren't you going to gloat?" He snarled at me.

"I don't need to. Lawrence, like I told you, I'm not looking to take your spot in Bea's life. I'm not looking to be her go to guy. I'm looking to be her man. Her only man. Should I gloat? Absolutely! She's my fiancée and we spent an entire night together and it's just the first for the many years we will have together. The question is, who are you to her? Nothing but an after thought whenever she even remembers you."

He took a swing at me and I would have dodged it but I want him to punch me. I have a plan and it involves me enduring a black eye or two.

He hit me and I steadied myself against my table biting away the urge to retaliate. It's a string urge simmering within me. I took his punches one after another until he pushed me down and started kicking my sides. I still made no effort to protect myself. I won't.

I am dreading the surrender but then again I want him to be the bad guy in front of Bea. That will seal it for them. I folded my fists taking the pain and reminding myself that as sore as I will be, my future will be way sweeter. It is a twenty eighty rule. This is the twenty percent of pain but Bea is the eighty percent pleasure.

Finally when I was losing my resolve to stay down, my security guards intervened.

They dragged him away and I watched, smiling at him. He looked confused about why I barely fought back.