The Lotus And The Billionaire

Chapter 2: Was It Always Hate?

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered as I got out of the car.

I chose to hang up on Alvarez instead of hearing him out. He probably doesn’t have anything good to say, anyway. I mean, he just kept spouting all that nonsense earlier.

That condescending attitude of his… It just irks me!

He probably called me just so he could make fun of me after what happened. Sure, I somehow ended up showing him my weakness…

Right, it’s completely my fault.

“Thought you were heading out?” Vin asked as he appeared beside me.

“Some asshole ruined my plan.”

“Alvarez finally contacted you?”

I turned to him, raising a brow. “You sound like you were a hundred percent sure he’d call me.”

I was curious because Vin was definitely not close to Alvarez, so I doubt the two of them were in contact with each other. But then again, it’s Vin. Of course, he’d say he predicted it or something.

Either way, that doesn't matter to me right now!

Alvarez sure sounded confident earlier, as if he knew I would eventually yield. As if I’d let that happen right now! But I’d have to watch out or he’d have his way with me again without even breaking a sweat.

“Gray Alvarez can be predictable when it comes to several aspects,” Vin whispered to me as he walked ahead of me. “Watch out, Sapphire.”

“What do you mean?”

Instead of answering me, Vin shrugged and walked away. For some reason, I felt like he was referring to Alvarez when he told me to watch out. Of course I’m going to do that! That man will do everything he can just to achieve his goals.

Alvarez can be very competitive and ambitious when he needs to be, and if he begins to think about taking over our company…I’d have to handle a little extra work.

Ah, this is making my head hurt!

That man would never ask me to be his bride— Oh, wait. He never even asked me, right? That was more of a command. What an infuriating man. He thinks he’s all that?! I sure would love to humble him. Ha! He needs a taste of rejection, that’s for sure.

“I sure hope he doesn’t come here…” I trailed off as I looked back at the door.

“Be my bride…”

I’d rather suffer with my current predicament than give him the satisfaction of seeing me submit. But if I somehow see him entering the manor…

How annoying.

Sure, his offer sounds a little more enticing than getting married to a Leviste, but I get the feeling that Alvarez has no plans on letting me have the best time of my life as his wife. Sure, his help would definitely seem like a miracle for our family…yet I can’t find it in me to just agree.

“Where did Vin go? Maybe I should discuss this with him instead.”

I looked around to find my bodyguard, who seemed to have disappeared off to one of his hiding places within the mansion. He undoubtedly knows Vienna, so I ought to send him to her to ask for help.

“Excuse me,” I stopped one of the maids from walking towards the kitchen. “Have you seen Vin?”

“Oh, Mr. Salvador?” I nodded. “He went out to greet a friend.”

What…

Vin doesn’t have friends, at least that’s what he told me. And besides, he’s not one to invite colleagues over if he even has any.

“What friend? Did you see who it was?”

The maid shook her head and looked out the door. “I’m sorry, madam, I didn’t see. He simply told me that and instructed me to relay the message to you.”

Oh.

I doubt Vin is messing with me this time because he would have told me before leaving me in the living room if he was simply trying to annoy me. But if he went ahead, then it’s likely that he wanted to hide something from me.

How do I know all of that? Well, Vin has been my bodyguard for quite some time now, so I can recognize every single modus operandi he uses for his schemes.

But I still have no clue what he’s plotting this time…

“Thank you!” I told the maid before running outside, only to almost bump into someone I had almost forgotten about.

“Hey, Trouble…” he muttered as he leaned closer to my face, smirking.

I wanted to take a step back because he was too close, but that’ll leave him satisfied. So I remained still and glared at him.

“Don’t call me that.”

That made him look at my lips. Oh, boy…

“Why not? Hmm, Trouble?”

I thought I should shut him up with my lips because then I was sure I’d be able to take him by surprise, but I could clearly see Vin from my peripheral vision. The asshole was having the time of his life.

Rather than answering, I stared into his eyes, hoping I could at least intimidate him…but he was just shamelessly leering at my lips. This guy, seriously.

“Leave,” I firmly told him as I tried to push him away, but he held my arm. I gritted my teeth as I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. Or perhaps I’m turning weak. “Let go.”

“Only if you hear me out.”

“What for? I already know that you’re here for utter nonsense.”

Alvarez chuckled as he pulled away. “Nonsense? Well, that nonsense will be your salvation. Now, listen to me.”

I glanced at Vin, hoping he could back me up. But the jerk shrugged it off and turned his back on me! He just walked away like it didn’t bother him in the very least! And here I thought I should cut him some slack after all this mess!

“Hmm? You thought Vinchester would help you? Too bad, we already had an agreement.”

I turned my gaze at Alvarez, eyes wide. “How did you get him to your side?”

“That’s for you to find out,” he said as he looked inside the house. “We’ll talk later. Where’s your father?”

“No, I’m not telling you.”

He raised a brow. “Diaz, you should know what’s best for you and your family. Now, where is he?”

“If you’re going to brainwash him into accepting your bullshit marriage proposal, I’m not telling you.”

I figured that would make him mad and angrily march off the manor, but instead…he laughed and walked past me so he could make himself cozy on the couch. What’s with him...?

Alvarez seems to be oddly confident and…his devilish aura seems to be a lot stronger today. One glance and you’d know he’s up to no good.

“Then, should we talk about what happened last night, instead?”

That made me freeze from where I was standing. I have tried to bury that thought in the back of my mind since I started worrying about the crisis we are facing. But now that he has reminded me…

I felt my hands going cold as it began to sink into me. That’s what he’s planning to use against me to make me agree to his plans. He’s blatantly blackmailing me!

“Whatever you’re planning-”

“Hush. Sit beside me so we can talk. It seems the maids have already gone to get your father,” he told me as he tapped the space beside him.

I looked around, only to find the maids running towards my father’s office. Oh, no. Dad’s going to be here any minute now, and I won’t be able to fend Alvarez off!

There’s no way out of this for me…

I sighed and sat beside him, looking down. “Don’t tell Dad...” I muttered as I gripped the hem of my shirt.

“Tell him what?”

“About what happened last night.”

“That’s not how you ask for a favor. You’ve got to learn how to be polite,” he replied as he leaned back on his seat. “Why don’t you say please for starters?”

I glared at him. “Never.”

He chuckled. “Sure, sure. But I wasn’t planning to tell him anyway. It’s our little secret, after all.”

He is the most annoying human being I have ever met. I would have strangled him right here and right now if it wasn’t a crime to kill. He’s so confident about this that it makes me want to make sure he can never speak clearly again.

I sighed and looked at the stairs, waiting for my father to come running down the stairs in the hopes of finding Alvarez in the living room. I bet he’s starting to feel like our slim chance of getting up from our loss has turned into a hundred percent recovery.

My father…trusts Alvarez more than anyone. I bet the same goes for everyone he’s made connections with. The man has solidified his position at the pinnacle of societal hierarchies, so no one wants to double-cross him. It’s the same for my father, that’s why he chose to be loyal to him.

“You know I’m not winning against you, don’t you?” I muttered.

“Yeah,” he simply answered. “But you’ve got nothing to lose with the deal, right?”

“I have a lot to lose.”

“Like what?” He chuckled as he tilted his head to the side. “Your pride? Freedom?”

Yes. I’ll lose those if I refuse…

My freedom and pride were everything to me. I held onto them, thinking I’d be able to live up to the title given to me by doing so. But they will not save my family, would they?

I hate Alvarez for making me realize these things. I hate that I would have to thank him with my body and soul if he really does help us. Just the thought infuriates me. Still, there’s no denying that he’s the only person we could turn to right now…

“You’ll have your pride and freedom back.”

That completely took me by surprise…

“What?”

Alvarez flashed a mysterious grin. “Just cooperate, and you won’t have to live miserably with me for the rest of your life.”

For some reason, I felt like I knew what he meant. It was as if, for the very first time since I came across him, I knew what he was thinking. Although it was nothing more than an inkling that I wish I had never thought about.

He’s going to use my entire family for his own benefit, that’s for sure. I’m not sure what he intends to do, but that could be his only motive for helping us. Not to mention, he said I’d be free. That only meant one thing…

Alvarez would drop us once he’s had his fair share of entertainment. He’s done that multiple times before, and there’s no guarantee that he wouldn’t do it to us. Yes, despite the friendship our clans have had in the past.

Before I could even reply to what he said, we heard my father’s frantic shouting. He was hastily running down the stairs from the second floor, calling for Alvarez.

Ha, I had better prepare myself for what’s about to befall me.

“Gray! You’re here!” Dad exclaimed as he approached the two of us. “My apologies, I had no idea you were coming to visit. It’s almost time for lunch. You should come eat with us first before discussing other things.”

“Mr. Diaz, please calm down,” Alvarez told Dad as he stood up. “I came here on such short notice, so there’s no need for you to apologize.”

Dad finally calmed down, and that’s when he noticed that I was just beside Alvarez. His forehead creased in confusion. Well, he was aware that I hated this guy’s guts more than anything and that I’d rather die than breathe the same air as him.

Well, it’s a bit different now that we’ve shared saliva…

Anyway!

“We can talk about certain things over lunch, if that’s fine with you,” Alvarez told Dad as he glanced at me. “We can include Sapphire in the discussions later on.”

“Excuse me? Why?” I protested, forehead creased.

Alvarez simply flashed a grin as he led my father back to his office room on the second floor, leaving me behind. I couldn’t do anything because Dad made sure I wouldn’t.

I could only sigh in defeat as I plopped on the couch. All of this just exhausts me…

Still, I can’t leave until I’ve figured out what Dad and Alvarez were talking about that they even had to exclude me from it. But I’m pretty sure I can trust his word when he said he’s not going to tell Dad about what happened last night. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s easy for me to trust him because he always, at all times, fulfills whatever promise comes out of his mouth.

Of course, I can’t help but feel worried now that he’s starting to have all of us wrapped around the palm of his hand. Sooner or later, we’d be nothing more than pawns in his little game.

I can’t let that happen, though…

“Ah, finally!” Vin exclaimed as he jumped on the couch. “It was tough peeking at both of you.”

I rolled my eyes. “You were eavesdropping again?”

“You bet I was! I mean, it was a sight to see. I bet even Sir Diaz thought that way when he saw you two together.”

“I wish I could fire you right this instant.”

He placed his right hand on his chest, acting hurt. “Why would you do that?”

“You knew I was asking for your help earlier, but you turned your back on me!” I exclaimed as I tried to hit him with a pillow, which he immediately stopped.

Vin laughed as he snatched the pillow from my hand, almost making me fall off the couch with the amount of force he used. “Come on! I couldn’t bear the s****l tension between the two of you earlier, so I left.”

“What…the f**k does that mean?!”

He evaded all my attempts to punch him in the face as if it was nothing, and he was laughing straight at my face! He’s just as annoying as that Alvarez asshole!

“You’ve got to stop denying it, Sapphire. Anyone could tell something happened between you two. Heck, I bet even Sir Diaz has figured it out by now.”

Well…I really can’t deny that. Normally, I would push Alvarez away and curse at his face. The maids knew that’s what I would do, but they witnessed a completely different scene transpire before them.

A sigh escaped from my lips as I looked away, flustered. “I still hate his guts.”

“Oh, this is rare? You actually admitted it?” Vin looked at me, puzzled. And then his face brightened, his lips curling up to form a mischievous grin. “Is it because of what happened between you two last night? How was it?”

“Know what?” I stood up and threw another pillow at his face, which he caught. “Don’t expect me to speak to you again.”

He chuckled. “I doubt we’ll be able to even chat once you two get married!”

This i***t!

I marched out of the living room so I could head to the backyard. Maybe I need some time to gather my thoughts before joining their discussions. I don’t want to ruin our chances this time around, after all.

Besides…

I’d rather not piss Alvarez off. He’s not the most patient man I know! I’m not sure how he’s been putting up with my attitude, knowing far too well that I have no plans on making his married life easy if he really goes with it.

And, yes. I have already accepted my fate.

I shook my head as I sat on the bench, mindlessly staring at the pond. I was already getting lost in my thoughts as I pondered on the possible motives Alvarez may have.

This was not how he worked a few years ago. If this happened more than two years ago, I doubt he would have informed me about it before talking to my father. That’s the type of man he was.

Did he finally mature? Or is it because of what we did last night? I mean, it was safe s*x, so I highly doubt it was about that. If anything, this has to be just about the company and nothing else.

What a pain in the ass!

“Hey.”

I refused to look back and pretended that I didn’t hear anything. He’s probably just planning to mess with me again, and I seriously can’t bear it! I feel like I’ll end up punching him sooner or later.

“Your Dad’s calling for you,” he told me as he pointed at the seat beside me as if he was asking if he could sit. “Do you mind?”

“Yes,” I replied without looking at him, but he only chuckled and sat beside me. “Get away from me.”

“Is the distance between us not enough for you?” he asked. “Seriously, do you hate me that much?”

I only hummed in response as I continued to stare at the pond. I could see him staring at me from my peripheral vision, but I chose not to react.

Now, I’m suddenly reminded as to why I always hated his guts. Papa, my grandfather, had always bragged about him to me as he stood out amongst all the kids he knew. Maybe I hated how he was a male, and that he could achieve more feats than I could.

His skill irked me. It’s immature, isn’t it? But I’ve already carried that hate for years, and now the only look I can give him is a glare.

“Hey, Diaz,” he called.

“What?”

“Why do you hate me?”

I glanced at him, and he was still staring. “Just because.”

“Even after all these years, that’s still the kind of feeling you’ve harbored for me?”

“And if I said yes?” I replied as I decided to meet his gaze.

“Nothing, I just wanted to know…” he trailed off, still not taking his eyes off mine. “So, what was last night about? Why did you do it with me?”