RAYVIN: FALLING FOR THE WRONG BILLIONAIRE.

CHAPTER SIX

J A ME S

Being a billionaire had many perks. Two of them were that you had people available for everything, and you could lay your hands on anything possible. But the greatest disadvantage was being friends with Fernando Alonso and having to attend his occasions.

“Ouch!” I growled, waking up to a banging headache.

I went to bed reasonably early enough, so where is this headache from? Don't tell me I've been subconsciously thinking about the date issue to Fernando's party. That wouldn't be the case, of course. I wanted to avoid going with anyone, and that was final.

As if the universe heard me, at that early hour of the morning, my phone began ringing. Checking the home screen, “speak of the devil,” I said, it was Fernando.

“Hello, Fernando. To what do I owe such early morning call?”

“Good morning, my good friend,” his voice chirped.

Despite it being so early, he sounded so energetic. His energy was no match for anyone, and that is what I admired most about him. Fernando knew how to keep his spirit calm and collected and his energy, rejuvenated.

“Good morning, Fernando,” I said in a low voice, pretending my very best to sound sleepy.

“I hear that you still do not have a date for my occasion.”

“You cannot be serious, Fernando. Is that why you are calling me by this time in the morning? Because of something as inconsequential as that.”

“I haven't gotten to the juicy part — yet. You know that I always call with an irresistible reason.”

He was right. Irrespective of how close we were, Fernando would never pick his phone to call me at such an hour to discuss an unimportant topic. There is always a catch in his conversations. A proposal. A deal. What was he up to? I could read eventually everyone, but when it came to Fernando, my readings weren't that great. He is a master in being mysterious.

“I am all ears,” standing from my bed and walking to the coffee machine.

“You know my sister, Victoria. Elegant, beautiful, kind, rich, compassionate, ambitious, energetic, attractive…”

“Yes. Yes. I know your sister. What about her?”

“I want her to be your date to my occasion and thereafter, you can get serious.”

“I don't get what you are proposing, Fernando.”

“What I am saying is simple. I know that you are a good guy with flaws, and she is a great girl with no flaws, compatible. Date her, and I'll sign the new contract, increase your shares by ten percent and when you marry her, you can plus your shares with hers. That will make both of you major shareholders in the company and give you what you've wanted for a long time. A merger.”

That is hilarious because Victoria has been my long-time ticket climbing the success ladder and crawling into the skin of the Alonso's. She has always given me an edge over others. So whether I do this or not, I'll still win.

“You know how I feel about playing with people's feelings and besides, like you already know, women are not my problem. I don't want to jeopardise my relationship with you because of something futile as that.”

“You see, James, you are not getting the point. It is either you date my sister, bring her with you to my event and marry her or, I pull out. Not just pull out, I'll take all my partners with me. And you know what a gigantic loss that would be for you. I suggest you think about it carefully before you give your reply.”

What is Victoria up to? Why is she messing with something so good? I insisted that we keep our f**k-relationship private when she was threatening to go public. And I clarified it for her that this was just two adults having mere pleasure and fun. Nothing more. She was my booty call for the few times I wanted to desperately get laid and using that to my advantage, I got information out of her. Using her also to process my requests. What the f**k is her game! You see, that is my problem with women. Always wanting more. Constantly having ulterior motives and never satisfied with what they've gone on.

I wanted to get a clarification from Victoria first before I have Fernando my answer. If this was truly her creation, maybe I could sweet talk her out of it or, better still, persuade her. It will work. It has to work. I've not worked my ass off, did the things I did and even compromising just to be stripped from everything within seconds. No! That wasn't happening. The Alonso partnership is one of the major branches holding the growth of my company and merging with them will be of huge advantage to me. But, a pull-out? Let's not go there. That was so not happening.

“Okay, Fernando. I've heard your proposal. Like the good businessman that I am, let me evaluate and review the proposal. I'll get back to you, shortly.”

“I expect your answer before the end of the end.”

“Of course. Before the end of the day,” ending the call.

In situations like this, the greatest tool was keeping my emotions aside and keep calm. I needed to clear my head and think. If the card with Victoria doesn't work out, what is my next step? A plan b to d is always necessary.

To calm myself, I made my black, vegan milk and sugar-free coffee. Pouring myself a teacup, I took it with me to my home office. A space with many books that got me creative. When you enter my office, there is a dark walnut floating bookcase lining the entire left-hand wall, holding books from all works of life and some documents. There is a leather sofa with a fur rug over the back and an Indian blanket draped over the arm. The far wall has a large fireplace and mantle dominating the centre, with bookshelves lining it on either side. On the mantle, I have an antique clock and a painting of myself. There is a television on the shelf to the right. In front of that shelf is a globe. Hanging on the wall above the globe is an abstract painting of me, again. There is a double door between my desk and the globe which leads out to the patio. The view through the door panes is a southern pine forest. This side of the door is my desk. It is a large walnut piece — rather imposing, with glass over the top that holds my medals and awards — I've won a lot of that. An ergonomic high-back black leather office chair, in front of my table. To the left behind me is another bookshelf atop a matching file cabinet. The air conditioner keeps the place cold and relaxing. A huge wooden mahogany table in front of my chair. It has my laptop on it, a telephone, few writing materials and untreated documents. I like to keep my table as bare as possible. Adjacent to my table, there is a mini-fridge with few refreshments. The painting of the office wall is charcoal.

Now, I had Victoria to deal with. Another great way to start my morning. Bad news!

“Hello, Victoria,” I greeted after she picked on the second dial.

“Hello, honey. I take it that you've heard from my brother. That is the only logical reason to be hearing from you this early,” she rambled. One bad side to her was that she talked too much. I hated that.

“That is correct. Why is that the case, Victoria? I thought I made it clear with you on what I want?” Sipping my hot coffee.

“Yes, you made your objectives clear. But, I don't think I made my intention clear and even if I did, you've been ignoring it. I am tired of being your hidden booty call. I want more. You know that I love and cherish you, James. I know that you feel the same way about me, all you need is a little push to overcome your fears.”

Dropping my coffee on the table, I stood and walked to the door, sliding it open and walking to the patio. “Victoria, doing this won't make me have to feel different feelings towards you or any woman. Instead, I'll despise you and whatever you stand for. Is that what you want? Don't you love our beautiful none commitment relationship?”

“Whether I am happy or not, what matters is that I am with you. I don't mind if you don't treat me right. With time, you will come around.”

“You are pushing me, Victoria, and you very well know how I hate to be pushed. You will have a heart-to-heart talk with your brother and end this foolishness. You will call me back and we will reconcile. You will do that for me, darling.”

"James, I want to avoid going against you but, I'll do no such thing. You will call my brother and tell him that we've agreed, then we will plan our wedding. Either that or I'll make sure that not only my family pulls out of your company, but all your top partners. Have a great morning, James love.”

“Victoria, trade carefully. Because, once you take this step, everything changes.”

“I've already taken the step. Bye, love,” she hung up.

Okay, the Victoria card flipped. First, she has messed things up and secondly, I need to play this card carefully. Things like this have made me avoid serious relationships, it gets messy.

The cold air hitting me while standing on the patio gave me a different feeling. Instead of being angry with this whole thing, I was calm. That scared even me. Me being calm about a tricky situation was never a good thing. Although I was calm, this s**t has spoiled my morning and the banging headache was back. A cue for me to get ready for work.

Taking the coffee mug, I went to the kitchen, poured the leftover coffee into the sink, leaving the coffee there. I headed to the gym, doing a cardio exercise for thirty minutes and a full-body exercise for an hour. With a sweaty and aching body, I headed for the shower, taking a cold and thoroughly bath. I got dressed and headed down for breakfast.

“Good Morning, Cora Something smells so nice in here,” placing a kiss on her cheeks and taking her left hand to touch my forehead. A tradition I learned from my mother before she died of cancer when I was seven was, to greet elders that l respect so much by placing their hands on my forehead. It brings good luck.

“Morning, Jamie. It is your favourite. Grilled lamb chops with cheese and strawberry.”

Cora gets here so early in the morning. Sometimes, even before I get up. She's one that I respect so much. Although, I've never let my emotions about her be too obvious because I was one to not give out whatever that might be used against me.

"Oh, you feed me so well. Thanks to you, I am always healthy.”

“And that is what I line for.”

Cora has been in our family for as long as I can remember. I was born to see her and when both my parents died, she took care of me and my siblings. I was the more stable one, so she stays with me. My brother travels a lot and my sister is married, I am the one who needs the most help. She doesn't live here with me. Comes during the day and goes once she is done. Occasionally, Isaac and Anaelle get to use her help when they need it. Cora would be turning sixty-five by December, and I've harboured the thought of throwing her a small party with myself, Isaac and Anaelle in attendance. She would kill me if she finds out about that intention. She has never been one for parties. With a gift or two, she's okay. I feel that isn't enough since we are her only family. She never married and had no kids. So, she just has me and my siblings. That is why I cherish her a lot because she has spent a great part of her life, caring for my family. I would give anything just to see her happy.

“Okay, son, enjoy.” She said, dishing the mouth-watering meal.

As soon as the aroma hit my nose, my senses went flying. She had a unique way of making food look irresistible. So detailed. Adding these layers of decoration to it, like it was meant to be some kind of fancy exhibit and not to be eaten. She added scrambled eggs piled high on a bread bun, all served with apple juice. I've never worried about food because even when I didn't want it, Cora was sure to make me eat something. She took good care of my stomach and my entire house.

It was a quick breakfast, as I wasn't much of a morning eater. A few bites and I was okay and ready to start my day.