One Night With A Mysterious Billionaire (The Heiress's Revenge)-Chapter 74: Do i love her

I haven’t gotten far when Raymond came out to meet me outside and blocked my path. He just stood there, tall and unmoving, watching me silently with those dark eyes that always made it impossible for me to breathe properly.

"I am sorry I appeared in front of you. I will do my best not to do that next time," I said stiffly. "Can I pass now? You don’t have to block my way or warn me."

"You think this is about you showing up in front of me?" he asked, clearly surprised, and even more angry that I did not know why he was blocking my way.

"I’m sorry, Raymond, that I don’t know why you are angry, but can you please move away and let me through? I’m not ready for all..." I made a vague hand gesture, pointing from his head down to his toes. "...these."

"Oh, you are not ready for me, but you are ready for the boy you were discussing with a couple of minutes ago," he said, starting to make his way closer to me.

"Is this because of that? Are you being this insensitive because of that?" I asked incredulously. "Can’t you see we were just admiring the artwork together? And why do you even care? Remember you said you don’t want me anymore. So why are you suddenly angry with me for hanging out with someone else?"

I could not keep the irritation out of my voice. After everything he had put me through, he did not get to question me.

"Would you stop coming close to me, Raymond? I’m not in the mood."

I tried to stop him, putting a hand between us, but he refused to stop. He kept coming closer, his steps slow but determined.

When he did not stop, panic flashed through me. The only thing that came to my mind was to run.

So I ran.

I bolted, trying to get away from him, my heart racing wildly in my chest. But that did not stop him.

I heard his footsteps behind me as he pursued me easily.

I did not get far before he caught up.

"You think you can run away from me with those small legs of yours?" I heard him say before suddenly being lifted off the ground.

"Put me down this instant, Raymond!" I demanded while breathing heavily.

I noticed a small smile on his face before it quickly vanished. He was not even out of breath like I was.

"I don’t want you dressing like this again," he said firmly, "or talking to strangers, or any man for that matter."

As he spoke, he tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear with a strangely gentle motion.

"Why, Raymond? Why wouldn’t you want that?" I asked, hope blooming painfully inside my chest. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Why wouldn’t you want me talking to men?" I asked again when he did not answer.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words never came out. Instead, he dropped me down gently and shoved both of his hands into his pockets.

The silence between us suddenly felt heavy.

"I think, Raymond... this time around, it is me that doesn’t want you to appear in front of me again."

"What did you say, Lena?" he asked, shock evident on his face.

"You heard me right, Raymond. I don’t want you to appear in front of me again. I’m tired of your bullshit. If you cannot accept that you feel the same way about me, then you are a coward."

"What did you just call me?" he asked slowly.

"I said you are a coward," I repeated without hesitation. "And I don’t want a coward in my life. So bye-bye, and have a nice life."

I turned to walk away, but Raymond suddenly caught my hand, spinning me around so quickly that I fell right back into his arms.

Before I could react, he pulled me closer.

"Let me show you just how I feel when I’m around you. Restrained doesn’t make me a coward"

And then his lips crashed against mine.

The kiss was sudden and overwhelming. I tried to struggle, pushing against his chest, but he held me tight, forcefully kissing me as if he was trying to pour every unsaid emotion into that moment.

Another day, I would have happily succumbed to him.

But today... today he disgusted me.

Anger surged through me, and I bit his lower lip hard.

The kiss stopped instantly.

The moment his lips left mine, I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.

The sound echoed sharply in the quiet street.

His head turned to the side from the impact, but he slowly looked back at me calmly, disbelief written all over his face. Yet he did not say anything.

He did not move.

"I hate you, Raymond," I said, my voice trembling.

"I hate that you came into my life. I hate that I trusted you like a fool. And I also hate myself for hoping that you would come back."

The words rushed out of my mouth without any filter.

"I don’t want to have anything to do with you again. This is goodbye, Raymond. Have a good life."

I turned and walked away.

I saw the hurt in his eyes before I left, but I did not care.

I was so done with his charade and shenanigans.

Surprisingly, this time he did not follow me. He did not even move.

Tears flowed freely from my eyes as I made my way home. I just began walking aimlessly without waiting for Sylvia or trying to get a taxi.

My heart felt unbearably heavy.

"I just broke up with Raymond..."

The thought repeated endlessly in my head.

After walking for a while, I squatted by the roadside and began sobbing uncontrollably.

I couldn’t do this anymore.

I think I need to return to York City. Maybe there I can heal without seeing his face everywhere I go.

With that newfound plan, I decided to hail a taxi, go back to Sylvia’s house, pack all my things, and return home.

My mind felt slightly clearer as I wiped my tears away.

I hailed the first taxi that came along and got in.

I gave the driver the directions and leaned back against the seat.

Soon, I couldn’t breathe.

My chest tightened, and my eyes suddenly became hot and itchy.

"Sir, can you please stop the car ? I cannot breathe..."

The driver sighed muttering silent curses before stopped the car and turned around and opened the door for me.. I began throwing up immediately the door opened..

He insisted I pay him that for half of the ride and drove off without care in the world

After throwing I found a place by the side of the road and sat down then I called Sylvia and she picked up after the first ring. worry etched in her voice.

*******

I stood there and watched her leave.

But I did not stop her.

In a way, she was right.

I was a coward.

I couldn’t face my feelings or my past. Instead, I just kept hurting myself, and the one person in my life I cared about the most.

I touched the side of my face where she had slapped me earlier and let out a quiet breath.

I knew I was not going to sleep tonight.

So I quietly made my way to the club, the only place where I could drink away my sorrow and hopefully wake up to a better tomorrow.

I decided to go alone because Damon and Liam were not on good talking terms with me right now.

Bottle after bottle passed in front of me.

Yet even through the haze of alcohol, one question kept echoing endlessly in my mind.

Why does everybody think I’m in love with Lena?

The thought refused to leave me no matter how much I drank.

And deep down, a part of me was terrified that maybe... just maybe... they were right.

After drinking for hours nonstop, I finally picked myself up and made my way home. My driver had to practically guide me out of the car before leaving. I staggered inside the house, walking around haggardly, my steps uneven and heavy.

"They are all liars... I don’t love Lena," I muttered drunkenly, my voice echoing faintly in the quiet house. "For what it’s worth, I only cared about her because of the contract. That’s all it was... just the contract."

I let out a bitter laugh, rubbing my face with trembling hands.

"But if that’s true... why do I care that she is with another tonight? Why does it hurt so much?" I asked myself hoarsely as my legs finally gave in and I collapsed onto the couch in the sitting room.

"Because you love her, grandson."

A calm voice rose from the darkness.

I squinted through my blurred vision and slowly made out the figure of my grandfather sitting quietly across the room, as if he had been there the entire time, silently watching.

"Grandpa... you are here? I didn’t notice you," I said with a sorrowful smile, my chest tightening painfully. "Why does my heart ache so much, Grandpa? I haven’t felt this way in years."

My voice dropped to a whisper, fragile and uncertain.

"I have never felt this lonely without her," I confessed, too afraid to even mention her name aloud.

"It is because you love her," my grandfather said again, his voice steady and knowing. "I can see it clearly in your eyes."

I sat there quietly, staring at the floor as the weight of his words settled over me.

"What do I do, Grandpa?" I finally asked helplessly. "I ruin everything."