Billionaire in Disguise

Chapter 10

Raphael

“It’s nice to meet you, baby girl.” I can’t help but smirk as I watch her face turn into a frown. I stayed in London for two more days hoping to see her again but I never did. Who would’ve thought I’d see her here.

Evie, so that’s your name.

Her frown faded as recognition crosses her face. She pulls her hand from my hold and drifted her eyes away. But it’s obvious that she’s still confused.

“I should better get going.” She gave me one last glance before turning her back to walk away. I’m sorry, baby girl, but I’m not gonna let you walk away from me anymore.

“Don’t forget about the party tonight.” Miranda shouted before Evie could walk away completely. She turns her head but her eyes landed to me.

“Don’t tell me you’re interested in her too, Jackson?” I hear George say.

“Maybe.” I turn my body to face him. God knows how much I wanted to punch him because of everything he said about her but I stopped myself from doing so because I know she’s already mine.

George took a step closer to me tapping my shoulder and with too much confidence displayed on his face. “…..then may the best man win.”

He left together with Miranda and I walk away when they did. I never thought I’d see her here of all places. During the race when our cars were on each other’s side, I was surprised to see her through that clear window glass. I wasn’t sure if it’s really her but when I saw her again earlier, she really was the woman I met in London a few days ago.

I went to London for a client meeting then my brother invited me for a drink. We went to this famous bar and when I was about to leave I saw her standing by the entrance. She’s been walking around the parking lot with her trembling legs.

I can’t count the times when she almost fell on the ground. It was fascinating to watch her but when she was about to fall, I wrapped my arms around her slender waist lifting her up. It was never my intention to bring her to my condo but I tried looking for IDs to know her address or maybe her name but I found nothing thus I took her to my place with her car.

I never take advantage of a drunken woman but when her lips touched mine, I lost it. When I woke up that day, I part of me knew she was gonna leave but I still hoped she wouldn’t. Ever since that night, there’s not a day that she won’t cross my mind; it’s maddening. I was ready to give up but I finally found her today and I’m not gonna let her disappear on me like that again.

~~~~~

Genevieve

“Miss Evie?” I blink my eyes when I heard Abigail call my name.

“Do you have a price range for your apartment or any other interest that you want aside from a spacious living room?” she asked. I’ve been spacing out too much. I have already bought a car which Ferdie rented for me. I bought it under his name and I thought it was gonna be a long process but I guess Ferdie already figured I wanted to buy the car.

He knows me all too well.

“It’s nice meeting you, baby girl.”

“You’re beautiful, baby girl.” It can’t possibly be him, right? Damn it. I was thankful that my memory of that night was a complete blur but now I regretted removing my contacts. I didn’t have a clear view of his face.

“Miss Evie, are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, I don’t have a price range, just simple. I want it simple and minimal.” Abigail is taking notes during our discussion and when she’s done she said, “Well, then if you are free tomorrow, I can you show you the units which fit to your preference.”

“Of course, let’s meet at eight? Would that be okay?” I still don’t have plans because I wanted to focus on finding a place to stay first.

“Yes, Miss Evie. I can go to the hotel and meet you in the lobby, so we could go together.” I nodded my head then she stood from her seat which made me do so as well.

“Thank you for your time today, Abigail.” I offered my hand for her to shake which she accepted. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Evie. Thank you for choosing me.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Abigail nodded her head then she left the café. Sigh. I look at my wristwatch to see the time but it’s still five in the afternoon. I should stay here for an hour more then I’ll go back to the hotel and get ready for this party. There’s a pile of magazines on the corner of the café, I took one and scanned the page that’s when I remember why his name was so familiar. I saw his magazine in an Australian Magazine when I was on the plane.

Sigh. What will I do if Raphael Jackson turns out to be the same man I met in London? I don’t think he cares at all because if he did, he would’ve looked for me. What am I thinking? It doesn’t matter if he looks for me or not. Who knows if he already has a girlfriend, a fiancé, or worse, a wife?

Wait, why am I feeling sad all of a sudden? Why would I? It was just a one night stand. I squeezed my eyes shut to erase all the thoughts I have about that guy. I’m already acting like this and I haven’t confirmed it yet. But how? Should I ask him? That would be too embarrassing.

Urrgh. I need to unwind.

I walk out of the café but then I bumped into someone. “I’m sorry.”

“Watch it.” I raise an eyebrow when I recognize the voice and I was right.

“Oh, if it isn’t the cheating little bitch.” I rolled my eyes at her. Instead of wasting my time on sea creatures, I’d rather go for a walk.

“Stop it, Olivia.” my body froze when I heard his voice.

“Why? It’s impossible for her to beat you unless she used some cheap trick in order to do so.” Olivia added. I turn my body around and walk away but she just won’t stop. I felt her grab my arm and I can’t help but grab her arm, flipping her over to the ground. I regretted doing that but it was too late.

For some reason, I find her arm bigger and more masculine. My eyes grew wide when I saw him on the ground grunting from the impact. Thank god it wasn’t Olivia but why did he follow me?

“God, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to—“ I helped him up and I blink my eyes when our faces are only inches apart. When he’s finally on his feet, I stepped back right away and maintained that distance between us.

“I’m sorry I thought you were some pervert.” I lied. I can’t tell him that I thought he was Olivia. What would he think if he finds out that I tried to do martial arts on his girlfriend?

“It’s alright. I’m sorry about Olivia---“

“You’re not the one who should apologize. I hate it when people take responsibility for something that they never did, especially when the person at fault is not apologetic at all.” I didn’t wait for his reply. I walk away from him and finally, I got a peaceful time. I can’t help but glance back though.

I know I was being rude? But I don’t think I said something wrong. He’s standing before me apologizing yet that woman was just drinking coffee in the café. Where’s justice in that?

I saw a bench not too far ahead. I decided to sit there and admire the breathtaking sight of the Harbour Bridge and Sydney’s Opera House. Sitting there alone, he suddenly crossed my mind. I felt guilty about what I did to him. What if his shoulder got dislocated? Or if not, what if there’s a bruise? I don’t think I’ll have peaceful sleep tonight. My conscience will continue to haunt me.

I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here but I noticed that the sun is setting already. I think I should go back to the hotel. I walked back to my car and drove back to the hotel. When I arrived I went straight to my room and took a quick shower to wash off all the DIRT.

I am wearing a robe as I look for something good to wear. I took the skin tight red dress with a low-cut back and a low neckline that would surely expose my cleavage from my suitcase. This is one of the outfits Veronica bought for me. It would be a waste of money if I don’t wear it right?

Besides, I want to show that puny little jerk how much of a beautiful flower I am yet dangerous. If he thinks he’s gonna have me then I’ll prove him wrong. Buy me, he says? Nothing could be more insulting than that. Does he really think I’m that cheap?

I blow-dried my hair then I wore a red dress. It falls right on my mid-thigh; not too long, not too short. I fixed my hair into a messy bun with small strands of hair falling on the side of my face.

I put on a small amount of makeup and a red lip to finish the overall look. I look at myself in the mirror and I smiled. I thought I was gonna look like a w***e but I’m not, instead, I look very classy. I think I’m all set. Oh, shoes. What should I wear? I think I’ll go for these red stilettos. I took my purse and my phone from the bed; that was when Steff called.

I answered the video call and I hear her gasp when she saw me. “Where are you going?”

“What? What’s going on?” I hear Veronica say.

“Oh my god. Is that the red dress I bought for you? Let me see your overall look.” I sighed. Then I stood in front of the full-length mirror.

“Wow, sis. You look hot. You should’ve done----like smokey eyes --- or a darker shade for your eyeshadow.” Veronica commented.

“If I do that, I would look like prostitute.” I replied.

Are you dressing up for that George guy?” Veronica asked. I rolled my eyes at her. I don’t want to tell them that I saw the guy I met in London because I’m still not sure if it’s really him. Steff took the phone from Veronica then she said, “Ignore her, Evie. I just called to see how you’re doing because you never called us ever since you’ve been there. It turns out we miss you more than you miss us.”

“Steff, you know how I love you; all of you. I’ve been busy with the race and I was looking for a place to stay. I was planning to call you once I got settled in because I have many things to tell you.”  

“I bet you do. Well, have fun, Evie, and be careful. You might end up in someone else’s bed again.” Steff laughed and I can’t help but roll my eyes at her. Why did she have to mention that? It only made me remember about Raphael.

“You just brought back the memories I never wish to remember.”  I commented which made Steff chuckle.

“I’ll hang up now. Have fun but not too much fun. Use protection.” I was left dumbfounded after Steff ended the call. Veronica must have influenced her. I never thought she would say things like that. Something might have happened while I’m gone but it’s only been a week.

I received a text from Miranda, telling me the name of the bar and at the same time, George texted me with the same content. It’s already past eight but I decided to leave at nine. I’m not planning to stay long at this party because I still have an appointment with Abigail tomorrow.

I hear my phone ringing as I was drinking a glass of champagne to pass time. I saw George’s name on the screen and I am having second thoughts on whether to answer it or not but I ended up doing answering it anyway.

“Yes?”

“Where are you? It’s already past nine.” What? Is it? I look at my phone and he’s right. It’s already fifteen minutes past nine.

“I’m on my way.” I simply said then I ended the call. I can still hear him speaking but I don’t want to hear his voice anymore. Ohh. How many glasses did I have?

I walk out of my room and into the basement parking lot. I drove my way to the bar and it wasn’t a long drive. I parked my car when I saw an empty spot not too far from the entrance. I can tell that the place is packed.

I walk into the bar and saw Miranda right away. Because of the loud music, I decided to approach her instead; she turns her head to my direction when I gently tapped her shoulder.

I see her eyes grew when she saw me. “WOW. Evie, you look hot. I bet George’s gonna drool when he sees you.”

“I didn’t come here for him. I just came because you asked me to.” I replied.

“Good decision. George is player, I bet he’s gonna make a move on you tonight.” Miranda said which is not a surprise to me anymore.

“Come on, I’ll take you to our table.” Miranda took my wrist pulling me through the crowd. I can already see Mike and the rest of the team together with George, Olivia, and Raphael.

“Hey, look who’s finally here.” Miranda announced which caught everyone’s attention. I see George’s eyes glued to me and I can swear his jaw dropped for a second there. Olivia’s eyeing from head to toe which she usually does ever since we met.

George stood from his seat and walks over to me. “Wow, you look hot Evie.”

I give him a thin smile and I let him guide me to my seat which turns out to be between him and Raphael. At the corner of my eyes, I see Olivia wrap her arms possessively around Raphael’s arm but he pulls his arm free from her hold.

“I need to go to the restroom.” I hear her say but there was not a word of reply from Raphael. He actually seemed angry.

“I should get us some drinks.” George said then he left.

Miranda stood from her seat and said, “Care for a little dance? Evie?” shaking my head in refusal I replied, “Maybe later.”

“Well, as for me, I’m already pumped up. Let’s go Mira.” Mike said then later on the rest of the team joined them. And with so much luck I ended up alone with Raphael. Note the sarcasm.

“You’ve been drinking already.” I blink my eyes then I turn my head to look at him. As our eyes met, I don’t know if he’s mad at me or he just had a bad day. Well, I already apologized to him when I accidentally---well, whatever.

“Just a glass or a bottle of champagne. Why?” I answered him. Should I ask him if about what happened in London? If it turns out that I got the wrong person he would probably laugh at me.

“You shouldn’t be drinking too much, especially when you’re going out; unexpected things might happen.” Speaking of unexpected, I should ask a not too obvious question.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve been to many countries before but not Australia. How about you? Have you been to any country before? Japan? Brazil? Mexico? London?” Raphael looks at me and I swear I see him grinning.

But our conversation was cut short when George came back. Damn it.

“Would cocktail be okay for you, Evie?” he asked and for some reason, I don’t trust the cocktail he places in front of me.

“I’m sorry but I prefer a bottle of tequila.” for a moment I see the disappointment in George’s eyes. He took the cocktail and asked Mike to get a bottle of tequila. Why did he bother getting a cocktail for me when he can just ask someone else to do it?

It didn’t take long before Mike came back with a bottle of tequila. We all took some shots when everybody was finally back on our table. I can tell Miranda is getting a little drunk because she’s starting to flirt with Mike and it seems like Mike likes it.

I got nothing to do but to observe the people around me. George on the other hand, became strangely quiet ever since I refused to drink that cocktail. I don’t want to think that he’s trying to drug me but seeing his reaction confirms my theory.

“Raphael, can you take me home now? I think I’m drunk.” I hear Olivia say.

“I didn’t bring my car with me. You can ask George.” Raphael stood from his seat and disappeared from the crowd. I felt a little unsafe when he left. I don’t know why but I feel safer with him than with George.

“Take me home George. I don’t think I can still stay in the same room as her.” I turn my head to look at her with my eyebrows up. What did I do?

“I can’t leave Evie here.” Olivia gritted her teeth a stormed out of the bar. Now it’s just George and me. I felt him move closer to me, his arm resting on the couch behind me.

“You really look hot tonight, Evie.” I always feel offended when a guy calls me hot. I don’t know why?  I feel disrespected. It’s not like I dressed up for him. I mean, I initially did, because I wanted to show him that I am not the woman he thinks I am.

I am a farmer princess for god’s sake.

“Shall I take that as a compliment?” I asked him. I turn to look at him and I see him looking at me then to my lips as his face got closer to mine.

Before he could get any closer I turn my head back and I stood from my seat. “Excuse me I need to go to the ladies room.”

I rushed to the ladies' room and luckily I was the only one there. I look at myself in the mirror and shivered.

“I feel nauseous for some reason. That was gross. He is gross.” I took one last glance in the mirror and walked out of the ladies' room but that was when I saw George standing there. Oh no. I really wish he didn’t hear what I ------

“You really think I’m gross huh?” oh no, he did. But I didn’t mention a name, right?

“What are you talking about?” the best way to get out of this mess is to deny it. But I can already see the anger in his eyes as he looks at me.

“No one, rejects me, Evie. NO ONE.” I felt a sharp pain pricked on my arm and when I look at it, my eyes grew wide when I realized he injected something in me.

“I don’t usually do this but you’re leaving me no choice, Evie.” I felt his arms around my waist and his breath on my neck. God no.

“What are you doing to my wife, George?”