The Billionaire's True Love

Chapter 6 - Cristian

- That, I said when her message arrived, maybe a little too enthusiastic, but who the f**k hurts? I was the owner of the company, and Sarah just gave me her number.

Victoria paused for a moment to analyze my schedule and looked up curiously from her notes.

- I want to call someone, we will end after lunch, I informed her, understanding she understood what I clearly meant. And that became, - Go out and supply me privacy.

Victoria Blakney was not stupid and that is why she was my personal assistant. She was also the younger sister of my best friend and the perfect candidate for my personal assistant job. I had known her since she was a child, and she knew a world in which I moved as well as I did or even better than me because she lived in the same world.

- Red peonies? she asked as she stood up.

- Maybe. I added Sarah to my contacts, ignoring Victoria.

- And I thought. I could hear the mockery in her voice as she came out, closing the door with a soft "click."

I kept my finger above Sarah's number for a moment, realizing that I was consciously choosing to court her. So much for my oath that I will give up women for a while. There became some thing in her that I could not pull away from. I needed to recognize more. My thumb pressed on the green circle. It rang four times before she answered, and with each signal, I think my grip on the phone was getting a little stronger.

- Hello, is that Cristian? Ahhhh ... that voice of hers had power ... over me.

She spoke, and for some reason, I lost the ability to speak. It was insane.

- Yes, Sarah, it is.

- You have a great taste for flowers. I enjoy them all morning, but why did you send them?

- I thought you could use some fun after last night."

- Ah, that's very kind of you, but how did you know I was working here?

- I'd say it was fate, Sarah.

- How's that?

It wasn’t clear to me if she was about to tell me to get lost or not, so I thought I couldn’t lose anything if I just told her the truth. "I saw you buy coffee at Starbucks yesterday morning, and then you walked into the office next door." When you showed up at the cocktail party, your boots reminded me that I saw you that morning. I had to answer the call so I stood under the canopy of your offices to shelter pedestrians, and I could see you through the window.

- That was you?

Something hit me in the middle of the chest and I had to raise my hand to rub that spot.

- Yeah, that was me. Why do I have a feeling you saw me too, Sarah?

- You wore glasses because of the blow you received?

Yes, she saw me. That. It was nasty, remember?

She laughed, and I wished I could see her.

- Oh, yes, I remember very well how bad you were, Cristian. You didn't even remember what a meatball was.

- Yes. I think that nasty blow to the head slightly damaged my memory, but you were there to clear up the dilemma. I was lucky.

- How's your injury today?

- It looks worse, but it doesn't hurt at all.

- Well, I'm glad to hear that, but, Cristian, how did you know my name was Sarah?"

- I heard the boss call you when you left the room.

- Hello, is that Cristian?

She spoke, and for some reason, I lost the ability to speak. 

- Yes, Sarah, it is.

- You have a great taste for flowers. I enjoy them all morning, but why did you send them?

- I thought you could use some fun after last night.

- Ah, that's very kind of you, but how did you know I was working here?

- I would say it was fate, Sarah.

- How's that?

It wasn’t clear to me if she was about to tell me to get lost or not, so I thought I couldn’t lose anything if I just told her the truth. "I saw you buy coffee at Starbucks yesterday morning, and then you walked into the office next door." When you showed up at the cocktail party, your boots reminded me that I saw you that morning. I had to answer the call so I stood under the canopy of your offices to shelter pedestrians, and I could see you through the window.

- That was you?

Something hit me in the middle of the chest and I had to raise my hand to rub that spot. - Yeah, that was me. Why do I have a feeling you saw me too, Sarah?

- You wore glasses because of the blow you received?

Yes, she saw me. That. It was nasty, remember?

She laughed, and I wished I could see her.

- Oh, yes, I remember very well how bad you were, Cristian. You didn't even remember what a meatball was.

- Yes. I think that nasty blow to the head slightly damaged my memory, but you were there to clear up the dilemma. I was lucky.

- How's your injury today?

It was nice of her to ask.

- It looks worse, but it doesn't hurt at all.

- Well, I'm glad to hear that, but, Cristian, how did you know my name was Sarah?

- I heard the boss call you when you left the room.

- You're a real Sherlock Holmes, aren't you?

- Not really, but I have pretty good hearing. For example, I heard you tell a taxi driver to take you to Richmond Island Boat Company, so, using your superior deduction powers and keeping in mind that you said you were going home, I guess you live on the island.

- Are you stalking me, Christian?

- Yes. - Not at all, Sarah, I just notice and record things we have in common.

- For example?

- Richmond Island, of course. My family has a house there near West Light, and my brother also lives there, but he has a house a few miles down the west coast. Great house with a private beach - the perfect place to escape from the city on weekends.

Okay, that was a lie. I’ve never been to Lucas’s house on the island because I haven’t set foot on the island in almost ten years. I only knew about her because he sent me a link to the property page when he bought the property two years ago.

- Your brother's house seems wonderful, but I assure you we don't have much in common as far as the island is concerned.

Was it the sarcasm in her voice?

- What do you mean?

- Not everyone who lives on the island has a villa and a private beach, Cristiane. Moreover, most permanent residents struggle to find work so they can afford a home and food throughout the year. The tourist craft is seasonal, and we who do not live on the west coast live in a completely different reality.

- Oh ... where do you live?

- In Grandma’s cottage at the hill above the Light, in which there aren’t anyt any personal seashores and propertiesNot a job for a woman who gave her thirty-five years working in one of those fine western villas before they locked her up and fired her all.

- That's awful. Did your grandmother do that for them?

- Yes, she ran the household.

- I'm so sorry to hear she lost her job.

- Why? It's not your fault, Cristian. It's not your fault if your family is from the west coast and mine is from the east.

An awkward silence stretched between us and I wasn’t sure how to respond. Sarah took care of that and saved me from figuring out what to say.

- Listen, that became impolite of me and I make an apology for the outage.. I forgot for a moment, sorry. But I want to thank you for the beautiful flowers. It’s really lovely and I don’t think I’ll ever look at meatballs with the same eyes again.

- You're welcome for flowers, And experience free to consider me each time you spot a meatball.” I am honored.

She laughed, but it wasn't the same as the first time. The spell was gone and was replaced by something slightly embarrassing.

- Goodbye, Cristian.

- Take care of yourself, Sarah.

I sat there, wondering at what point the conversation went wrong. Because it definitely is. Was she attracted to me just because she was beautiful and because she spoke with a sexy accent that turned me on? Did I indulge in preconceived ideas about her because she seemed so confident and intelligent? Did I assess her status and assume she was wealthy because of where she lived and because she worked in a professional office? And did I, did you believe that these would be the only necessary criteria for continuing my courtship? I didn’t think I did any of that, but maybe I did subconsciously. I couldn't remember what I thought when I found out she lived on the island, but at no point did it occur to me that she might be - what - poor? I didn’t think about it at all because such an idea didn’t exist in the breadth of my kingdom. I was dealing with money, making sure more money grew out of the money. The pretty girl caught my attention because she was talking to that sexy Australian accent. I'm sure I'm losing my mind. Wake up and come around.

I texted Aaron to ask him if he wanted to meet me for lunch. I still needed to hear what happened to Jasmine, and maybe I would hang out with help my best friend get my stupid ass in order.