Arranged to Marry Her Ex-Billionaire Lover

Chapter 4

Leo

‘Is Chinese actress Min Zhang top billionaire Jinn Mancini’s new plaything?’

I sighed pinching the bridge of my nose as I read one of the many gossip columns this morning.

This was not new to me. The paparazzi and tabloids were too interested in Jinn's life ever since he was in his early twenties. I certainly would have felt happy if he was in a serious relationship with the woman but I knew this was another one of his many flings.

Not only Jinn’s reputation but also mine was thrown into the gutter each time he made a headline with various characterless women like this.

‘Let him get here. I will break his legs for putting me in shame.’ I groaned mentally.

Jinn was only four when his parents that is, my son and daughter-in-law got separated and left him in our care. Being the firstborn grandson, we couldn’t stop ourselves from showering him with all the love and luxuries he deserved. Anna and I literally raised him as our son and I made sure that after me, Mancini's group of companies would be directly passed on to Jinn.

He was a great kid and was not always like this. We sure did teach him how to respect and value women but at some point in his life, he turned into this numb and emotionless man and I knew there was a girl to be blamed for his sudden change.

If I could, I would have brought her back to Jinn and got them married but I failed miserably. I did everything in my power to find out the girl who was cruel enough to break my Jinn’s heart but it seemed like she disappeared into thin air. From then on, Jinn has become this man I myself don't recognize anymore.

My river of worries was interrupted when the sound of a knock was heard on my door.

“Come in..” I called out to the person.

“Mr. Mancini..” Carter made an appearance with the files that I had asked him for.

“Did you find it out?” I asked lowering my spectacles.

“Yes Sir..” He handed me the red dossier with all the details I needed to know. I couldn’t contain my curiosity as I promptly opened it and scanned my eyes over the pages.  

“Hmm..” I tossed the dossier carelessly on the desk and nodded to myself, “So this is why she goes to the orphanage..”

“Yes Sir..”

“What do you think, Carter? Is this child hers?” I asked him when I couldn’t come to a conclusion.

“I am not very sure about it, Sit but as much as I got to know from my sources she has been single for almost a decade now and she definitely wasn’t pregnant anytime in the last two years..” That caused me to gawk at him incredulously.

“I am confused..” I said shaking my head. “Then who is this child?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet, Sir. I will need a couple more days if you don’t mind..” Carter replied, his lips turning into a hard line.

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Carter. I will have Lia explain the rest of the story herself. Thanks for your help. You may go now.” I dismissed him.

“Sir, there is something more.” Carter paused for my approval and when he got a nod from me, he continued, “Ms. Wilson is in desperate need of fifty thousand dollars..”

“What for?” I raised my eyebrow at him when the mention of such a huge sum of money piqued my interest. 

Carter enlightened me about every small information that he had gathered about Lia and that just left me stunned beyond belief.

I knew Ms. Wilson was really mysterious but deep in my heart, I knew she was incredibly hardworking and a trustworthy woman. In the last couple of months that she had stayed with us, she never made me doubt her actions.

She was the perfect one that I will want Jinn to settle down with. Lia had all the qualities that Anna and I had looked for in a woman. I know she would need only a few months to tame a man like Jinn Mancini but I seriously couldn’t proceed with my plans until I did a double check on her. 

And watching her go out every Friday sharp at four o’clock in the evening, I couldn’t help but grow more curious. At first, I thought just like every American woman she went out partying but never did I ever expect this from Lia.

However, being a broad-minded person, I wanted to have a detailed talk with her before judging or jumping to baseless conclusions about Lia.

“Carter, tell Lia that I would like to have a word with her..” I told him before burying my eyes back into the file.

“Yes, Sir..” He nodded and went away to bring Ms. Wilson and meanwhile, I went through her personal info that I needed to know despairingly.

After several minutes when I heard the knock again, I knew it was Lia and called her in.

“Leo..” She chirped. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yes..”, I smiled at her warmly and signaled her to take a seat. Lia carried this pleasant aura around her that it was hard not to be warm and gentle around her.

“Lia, what I am going to tell you next might stir up your emotions but keep in your mind that I only have your best interest in my mind,” I warned her. I didn’t want her to scream and yell at me when she gets to know that I had my men stalking her without her knowledge.

“O-kay, you are making me nervous now..” She chuckled nervously.

“Alright, let me come straight to the point..” I said rubbing my palms together, “May I know the reason for your frequent visit to St. Vincent Tacony orphanage for kids?”

I questioned and immediately got to see all the pink draining out of her face. She opened her mouth several times but I guess she became speechless with the bluntness of my question.

“W-Why do you ask?” She stammered but she also tried to keep her resolve straight.

“I need to know, Lia and I promise I would never do anything that would cause you any harm..” I assured her.

She hesitated and kept fidgeting with her fingers but I could sense the earlier determination in her eyes slowing crumbling with each passing second.

“My little boy Charlie lives there..” She mumbled in the lowest voice possible and I couldn’t help but quirk my eyebrows at her.

I picked up the red file and placed it at her hand's reach, “Open it, Lia..”

She obeyed and slowly grabbed the file to look into it. I was really amused to witness how her bottle-green eyes became rounded with each word she read in the report. Every now and then, her eyes came up to meet mine and I could only smirk at her reaction.

“Lia, I know everything about Charlie and the reason why you need those fifty thousand dollars in your bank account..” I revealed and saw the poor girl blinking back at me helplessly. “I just want to know everything from your side..”

Leaning her elbows on my huge desk, Lia exhaled a sound breath as if trying to compose herself before she began to narrate to me everything.

Her revelations shocked me at first but at the same time, I believed Lia and Jinn’s fates were entangled with each other in a weird way and that is what was going to bring them closer. I was just had to be a mediator. 

Once she was done telling me about her secrets, any tiny amount of doubt that I had in my head about Lia vanished instantly. The respect I had for the young woman became a thousand times more than what I had for her before. 

“I am ready to give you the fifty thousand dollars that you are working so hard for, Lia..” I couldn’t stop myself from saying that as soon as she finished.

“Oh, no no.. I would never accept such a large amount of money from anyone, Leo..” She declined my offer before hearing it fully.

“Hear me out first, Lia. Fifty thousand dollars is definitely not a small sum of money and obviously, I wouldn’t hand it to you without expecting favor from you in return.” I carefully tried to make my intentions clear.

“Leo, I don’t understand. What is it that you are meaning to say?” She asked, genuinely feeling curious.

I leaned back on my chair, “If you agree to my conditions, we will need to sign an agreement and each month ten thousand dollars will be deposited to your account. In the due course of five months, Fifty thousand dollars plus ten percent of the company shares will be legally transferred to your name..”

“Are you serious?” Lia clarified again with her jaw wide open.

“Yes..” I affirmed.

“But what is it that I have to do in return?” She inquired.

“Good question..” I leaned forward, “You will have to marry my grandson and sign a written document that whatever happens, you will not want a divorce from him..”

“What?”

“You heard me. The conditions are simple Lia, you need to marry my grandson and stay married to him forever..”   

Lia scoffed sarcastically, “Tell me this is all a joke..”

“Do I look like I am joking?” I c****d my brows.

I noticed her crestfallen face. I didn’t understand why she was hesitating so much to grab such an opportunity. Not everyone gets a chance to marry someone like my grandson.

“Leo, I already have too much on my plate and marriage isn’t exactly what I can handle right now..” She refused politely but it had no effect on me.

“Lia, do you understand how long it will take for you to earn that amount? I am willing to pay it to you in just five months. What is taking you so long to make a decision?” I protested in a reprimanding tone.

“Is there someone you like? Like a boyfriend or something?” I knew she didn’t but I just wanted to make sure and the mocking snort that escaped her mouths confirmed that that was not the case.

“I know you are worried and you have so much to take care of but with this marriage, all of your problems will be solved, I assure you that, Lia.” I prodded into the matter further.

I smiled when she began to ponder over it slowly. “Lia, I am willing to give you two days’ time to decide about this. Please think with a clear head and get back to me, after all, you are not the only one who needs to be convinced..”

I muttered the last part more to myself and saw Lia leaving the room with a head full of confusion and chaos.  

Three days later

By this time, you all must have guessed what Lia’s answer was. It wasn’t surprising to me either. From the beginning, I had a feeling that she would give me a positive reply, and that was what she exactly did.

If I could, I would have jumped up and down in happiness. I didn’t let Anna know anything about this. I still had one more person to convince before I give this good news to her.

Jinn was returning back from Shanghai this evening. Luckily, this day happened to be a Friday and Lia had to visit Charlie.  

Anna and I were anxiously waiting for Jinn. The sound of the car pulling into the driveway caused Anna to jump to her feet and push my wheelchair towards the entrance.

“Grams, Grandpa..” We chuckled when we saw him almost running his way to us. I guess some things never change. He threw his bags aside and bent down to hug me first.

“It’s good to have to back, son..” I patted his back. 

“It’s good to be back, grandpa..” He said before wrapping his arms around his grams. 

“I see you are doing fine..” Anna commented as she kept him at her arm’s length and did a quick check from head to toe.

“We missed you, Jinny. So much..” Typical Anna. Her eyes brimmed with tears to have him back.

“Me too..” Jinn chortled pulling Anna back into the hug.

“Let’s go in. It’s getting cold out here..” I said and they followed me in.

“So, how was the trip?” I enquire when Anna excused herself to get the cookies that she had freshly baked for Jinn.

“Same old.. Work and stuff..” He mumbled uninterestedly. 

“And lots of rumor..” I added with a grim expression.

“Yeah and that..” He shook his head as if he was fed up hearing about it.

Anna interrupted us and began to spoil Jinn like she always did. She even fed the cookies into Jinn’s mouth and I couldn’t resist the urge to roll my eyes. I patiently waited for her to finish so that I could give him an earful.

“Jinn, you should stay for dinner. I will tell Lizzy to prepare your favorite chicken potpie..”

Jinn stopped Anna when she was getting up from the couch. “Ohh no no, grandma. I really have to go back to my office. I have called for an all-nighter. We have an early morning budget meeting with our investors regarding the new branch we will be soon inaugurating in Shanghai and poor Peter is already waiting for me. I just came here to meet you guys before doing anything else..”

“Oh Jinn, you should really stop working so hard..” Anna complained. “Okay, at least let me pack these cookies for you..”

“That sounds great!!” Jinn grinned and she rushed towards the kitchen.

“Jinn, may I have a word with you in private?” I took the opportunity to ask him.

“Sure grandpa..”

I led him to my study room and closed the door behind so that Anna would know not to interrupt us.

“What is all this?” I shattered the magazines and papers which were full of dirty gossips about him.

“Seriously, do you believe in all these rumors?” Jinn snorted mockingly.

“It’s not about me believing these rumors or not but this has to stop soon Jinn..” I stated firmly, “And I know a way to make them stop all at once..”

“And what’s that?” He asked me with a smile plastered on his lips.

“You need to get married..” I said in a monotone. 

The haughtiness that was present a few seconds ago in his appearance was long gone now and instead, the bafflement was clearly visible on his face.

“What?” He asked once he began to comprehend my words. “You got to be kidding..”

“No, I am damn serious about it..” I retorted.

He chuckled, “Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now, grandpa? Do you think I would marry just to stop such gossips about me? I don’t care what people say about me behind my back..”

“But I do, Jinn, and let me tell you. You are bringing disgrace to this family..”

Jinn huffed in dismay and pinched his nose just like I do at times of crisis, “Grandpa, I don’t want to marry..” He said in a whisper. 

“Why do you hate the notion of marriage so much, Jinn? I want to know the reason today..” I folded my arms over my chest.

Jinn angrily got up from his seat clearly unimpressed by the pressure I was putting on him and began to walk out of the room.

“Jinn, if you walk out of that door today, I will disown you and make sure you inherit nothing in your name..” I did the only thing I knew which will make him stop.

“Grandpa, I respect you more than you can imagine but that doesn’t mean you can force me into a loveless marriage..”

“You have two options, Jinn. Either you marry the girl I have selected for you or you go your own way but I will not entertain you if you become riches to rag in the future..” I threatened.

“I don’t care. You can disown me all you want. I have the strength and ability to build my own empire..” He challenged.

“Is that how you repay the person who has brought you up and made you the man that you are today Jinn?” I added a cough just to add some sympathy.

“Grandpa..” He sighed and slumped back on his chair.

“Jinn, please. I have never asked you for anything. Just consider this as my last wish..” I pleaded weakly and I was sure he wasn’t capable of disrespecting me. “You will love her, Jinn. She is a gem. Please..”

“You mean you have even selected the girl for me?”

“Yes, I have, and judging you from all the women that you have dated, I am certain you will never find such an amazing woman in your entire life. You will thank me later son, believe me..” I owned up.  

“Who is this girl that you speak so highly of, by the way?” He asked.

“Lia..” I purposefully didn’t take her full name. I didn’t want him to run away even before he could agree to the marriage.

“Do you mean the caretaker?” He snapped his head at me at a great speed.

“Yes, is there anything wrong with marrying a caretaker?”

Jinn did not answer and stared at me as if there was no point in arguing with me. “Fine..” He breathed out. 

“Great!” I clapped my hands together in enthusiasm, “Then the engagement shall be this Sunday..”

“What?” He choked on the air he breathed, “This Sunday? You mean the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes and that’s final.. You may go now..” I dismissed and wheeled my chair out of the room.