Cheating The Billionaire

(Revised Chapter 10)

Chapter 10

Lost in trance and all that intoxication, she brushed her body against his in a tease and aroused him. Feeling her curves against his junk, he glided his hands up her sides and raised her arms to a curve over his shoulders. "Oh Zac..." she murmured while he tenderly kissed the back of her ear.

Her murmurs inaudible to him, he wrapped an arm around her and whispered, "Tonight, I'm going to leave you with more secrets to carry home..." 

That said, he quickly lead her away from all the crowd and in the process dropped his ring. Taylor picked it up to return before he whisked her upstairs. As they passed Phil, Chase gestured him to pack his bags since he was nearly winning the bet. 

Drunk and unaware what Chase had planned that night, she let him pull her along until she tripped and cling to him in reflex. "Clumsy Taylor..." he teased as she rose on her feet with his support and smiled. The smell of his cologne oddly rung a bell in her mind. Like something had awakened her from a trance, yet transported her to another one. The one she often dread to visit, the one that dragged her to her past.

Holding her arm, Chase anxiously searched for a vacant room, whilst Taylor helplessly went through a rerun of blurred images of her parents. Backed by Zac's voice, brainwashing her about cheating Chase and extracting money to pay off their debt, Taylor found herself fighting against her depressing memories and the pressure that Zac had thrust on her that night. 

"Don't return empty hand...ask something expensive..." his voice blared in her ears since it was what transpired between them when she called him up in Chase's absence.

Relived to find an unoccupied room, Chase pulled her inside and closed the door. Disturbed by the unwelcome thoughts, and intoxication of alcohol she felt nausea and barely responded to his sweet talks.

"Is there something you want to say...coz with me you'll barely find time from screaming," he whispered. 

"Where's the....wssszroo" she murmured and touched her temples.

"I didn't get you..."

"Where's the wasshrooo..." She pressed her hand to her mouth as her stomach churned.

"Stop playing in riddles with me..." he said and held her waist so hard that before he knew it, she puked all over the bed.

Shocked and disgusted at the same time, Chase pulled away from her with eyes literally bulging out at what he had witnessed. Embarrassed, Taylor spotted the restroom and rushed in as fast as she could while Chase tried to unsee what he had seen. 

Awkward, he turned around only to find Phil laughing at the whole incident at the doorway. "Be grateful she didn't throw up on your face, Franshaw Junior. Haha! My lawyer will be there tomorrow to transfer those shares in my name," he laughed uncontrollably before Chase angrily walked away.

Exhausted, Taylor passed out in the restroom and came to her senses when the housekeeping staff arrived in the morning. Suffering from a bad hangover, she clumsily tried to pull herself together and disinterestedly looked at her surrounding. The maid snapped seeing the mess and jolted her out of her daze. 

It took a second before she felt something in her closed fist and opened it. Finding Chase's ring in hand, she recounted the whole event like a movie and cringed in utter shame.

"This is the worst phase of my life..." she felt flustered and terribly wished it never happened.

Taking the public transport she arrived home and was greeted with Zac's death stare. "20 un answered calls, no texts and you arrive at dawn! What do you think...you are some teenager?" he retorted as she stepped in.

"Well you aren't reacting less than a worked up parent," she frowned and stumbled against the center table.

"How did it go? You both didn't get too intimate did you? Did he drop you?" 

"Zac please, I can't talk with this migraine!" she protested and threw herself on the couch. Sensing her distress, he left her alone and rushed in to prepare some hot coffee. Lured by the tempting aroma, she mechanically rose and grabbed the cup from his hands. He waited patiently till she revealed the vivid details of last night.

"What's the big fuss about that? Everybody throws up once in a while," he reacted cool while Taylor explained how humiliating it was for her.

"Seriously! After all that trouble you went through...this is what he gives?" he held the ring like a priced catch and startled her.

"Wait...how did you? Give it here, I've got to return it," she extended her arm.

"Are you nuts! It's not a big catch, but worth enough to convince I'm capable of paying off the debt,"

"He didn't give it to me, I found it!" she protested.

"Finders...keepers! Next time ask for more decent gift," he remarked and shoved it in his pocket.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"Sell it off of course!" he sighed. "By the way, your assistant just called in to check if you'll be there today. You're already late if I'm not mistaken," he had barely finished, when Taylor got on her toes and rushed to get ready for work.

Stepping into the boutique, she was met with Camilla's stern gaze that followed her everywhere. "Is she mad at me for coming in late?" she asked one of the girls as she settled at her desk.

"Perhaps! She was quite cheerful until you stepped in," she replied and scared her further.

"Dose she know i'm seeing Chase?" she gulped and broke into a sweat. "Or did he tell her about how i embarrassed him again last night," she felt jittery and avoided eye contact with everyone until Camilla's assistants brought in their new range of collection.

Taylor was puzzled seeing the collection that had a stark similarity to her designs. Like that wasn't enough, she went numb when they draped the center mannequin with a bridal dress, which looked straight like it was pulled out of her sketch book.

"My designs..." she gasped with mixed emotions. As much as she had dreamed to see them come alive in fabric and stitches, she never expected Camilla to pass it off as her own creation.

"Gorgeous! Aren't they?" Camilla's crisp voice snapped her out of daze. She studied her somber expression and called her inside her cabin.

Asking her to take a seat, she handed over the sketches she had supposedly borrowed and sighed. "I know a train of thoughts is running through your mind and you feel victimized, cheated, whatever you want to call it. However there's a reason I did this," she paused as Taylor finally met her eyes.

"You must have realized by now that your designs are genuinely unique and impressive, so don't expect me to praise them any further. I've had a hard time conceptualizing a new collection, nothing seemed to satisfy me..not even those useless interns I hired a month ago. I was giving up hopes on retaining my position as the Queen of Fashion, until I stumbled across your designs," she explained while Taylor shifted in her seat with the mention of the word stumble.

"Ya I know, I'm the vamp in this movie! I stole it because you left it on your desk so carelessly, but hey nobody gives a s**t about it !"

"I drew them..." Taylor mustered courage and broke her silence.

"You sure did, but lets be frank Taylor. Who would fathom buying, leave alone wearing the same creation under your label?" Camilla smirked and raised her brow.

Taylor was about to respond when she interrupted, "Nobody honey! Nobody wears a Taylor Meyer, they wear a Camilla Cresto. And if you think you can prove me wrong, I bet nobody will pay you more than 4 dollars for that piece. However if I were to sell it under my label, clients wouldn't think twice paying a bomb for it," she finished and enjoyed the look of defeat written all over Taylor's face.

"So..." Camilla paused.

"So...?" Taylor whispered.

"So get back to your position and forget about those designs," 

Heartbroken, she took her designs and reached for the exit before Camilla addressed her. "That is what you would typically hear from an unprofessional, unlike me. Come back here," she said and noticed how mechanically she returned with the same sullen expression.

"I see potential in you, and would love to give the credit that you deserve...but nothing comes that easily. You've got to struggle in this industry, it's no cakewalk and i'm dead against spoon feeding,"

"So.." Taylor sulked.

"So, I'm offering to take you under my wing and train you to become the next sensation that will hit the fashion industry...but of course under my brand," She said it with pride and leaned over her desk. "are you in?" she lowered her tone and looked at her anxiously.

Taylor gave it a thought and weighed if this could help resolve the mess Zac was embroiled in. "Will it cover my expenses?" she enquired bluntly and appeared money minded.

"Dollars...that's all, girls from your background dream about," she comment as Taylor lowered her gaze. "No issues, you will be paid higher than my current designer...oh that reminds me!" she broke into a pout and called for the head designer.

No sooner he appeared inside, she gave him a broad smile and adjusted her glasses. "Hie...you're fired!"

Taylor gasped and glanced at the shaken designer who had no idea what was coming. Shocked, he left her cabin and cried like girl outside. "Congratulations on the new job role, you are now promoted to head designer at Camilla Cresto," she announced and shook hands with her.

Taylor couldn't absorb what just happened around her. It felt just like a year ago when she was randomly promoted to boutique manager from a neglected janitor. This time again, Camilla surprisingly replaced her old panzy head designer with Taylor.

"Is this really happening?" She ran her fingers through her hair and felt it was all so surreal.

"No honey, it all begins when we go hunting for some inspiration,"

"Pardon me!"

"You'll be joining me and my family on our yearly trip to Lacoste...that's where we'll begin your training, perhaps a much needed break would influx your creative head with more designs for me," she smiled cunningly.

"B-But when is this?" Taylor enquired anxiously.

"Saturday.."

"Oh...Wait isn't that day after tomorrow?"

Camilla nodded her head, "Exactly, I'm sorry to have intimated you at such a short notice!" she said it with sarcasm. "Come on off you go now, before I change my mind!" she added and signaled her to leave her cabin.

Fearing she would indeed change her mind, Taylor hurriedly rushed out the cabin and received death stares from all her colleagues, who sympathized with the previous designer. Unfazed by them, she walked past her collection which was on display and stopped right before the bridal mannequin.

Savoring every cut and stitch of the dress with her eyes, she squealed from within as the achievement of seeing her dream wedding dress right before her eyes had finally come true. Running her hands over the silk fabric and precious white stones, she came across the price tag and wished she owned it. After all it was the wedding dress she always imagined wearing on her special day and walking down that aisle towards Zac.

"It's made for royalty...isn't it?" the present janitor interrupted her thought and admired the dress.

"Unfortunately yes..." Taylor sighed knowing she would never own the wedding dress she had designed. 

That night when she returned home she told Zac what happened at the boutique. She seemed pretty excited about the whole trip with her boss until Zac mentioned Chase. "Family trip you say! I bet he's invited," he slapped his knee as Taylor's excitement fizzled off.

"Oh my God, how didn't i think about that?" She gulped and turned jittery all again. "s**t, i can't go front of him! Not after what happened that night, this trip stands cancelled for me," She cringed and felt like hiding in a dark corner of the house with the mere thought of facing him again.

"Don't act so childish, it was beyond your control. s**t happens, that doesn't mean you go hiding," He expressed his disappointment.

"It's easy for you to say! I literally freaked him out at the wrong situation," she frowned.

"What kind of situation?"

Taylor stopped just as she was about to speak. There was no way she was telling Zac the part where she dirty danced with Chase and turned him on to the extent heading to the bedroom.

"He was like...He was nearly there okay. Like i just had him falling for me and the alcohol ruins everything. I would be the last woman, he would ever want to see again!" she turned red in shame as she shared her fears. "I'm sure he's still out there regretting his decision of asking me out!" she bit her nails in self loathing and wanted to cry.

"Enough, Taylor! You think you ruined your chances, then try again with extra efforts. I don't care, your job is to trap him or you can very well dig my grave," he blackmailed her emotionally again and succeeded when she reluctantly agreed.

"That's a good girl! Look, I payed the first installment of our debt with the ring you stole," he showed her the receipt and gloated.

"I didn't steal it..." she frowned and turned away.

"And to ensure you don't, better start asking for it. The more he gifts, the better you will realize he is falling for you and the quicker we'll repay off our debt...understand?" he made her face him and sounded stern.

Torn between her conscience and the only available solution to save Zac, she responded with a nod and wondered how in the world was she ever going to attract the billionaire all over again.

The day finally arrived when Taylor Joined Camilla and the rest of her family members at the port. Her eyes searched for Chase, but he was nowhere to be seen amidst the group of noisy relatives. "Have you seen my ducky tube?" A cute little girl walked up to her.

"There you are, sorry no time for introductions!" Camilla pulled the girl away and approached Taylor. "Go ask your mommy," she said and mentally counted if everyone was present. "  Let's get aboard the ship, everyone!" She suddenly yelled at them all like she were the captain of the yacht.

As they sailed away, Taylor noticed Zac from a distance and waved out to him. Wondering if he had seen Chase at the port, she texted him that there were strong chances he wasn't on the yacht. "If you're positive, then jump off..." she read his response and angrily marched towards the captain's deck to request him to turn back.

"Excuse me Captain, but could you....What the F****!" She hid her face in utter disbelief and ran out of the deck, seconds before Chase turned in her direction.