The Lotus And The Billionaire

Chapter 5: My Win

A well-rehearsed roleplaying on the stage in front of an unimaginable number of the crowd. Everyone was wearing masks as they watched me enact my supposed life from the script given to me.

This is not me.

I’m not a damsel in distress that needs the help of a prince to get through this obstacle. Neither am I a princess that needs to be woken up with a kiss of true love.

This is not who I am supposed to be.

That’s right.

Yet why am I at this stage anyway?

“Act normal. Please,” Alvarez muttered as he smoothly held my hand like it’s something he can do on a daily basis. “This will be over in an hour or two. Just try to bear with it.”

I shut my eyes tightly as I tried to pretend that I was happy going out with Alvarez. The reporters are hidden as we are in a high-end restaurant. We’re also heavily guarded as we made our way to our reserved table, so it would be quite the racket if they tried so much as to approach us.

Everything feels so gloomy to me, as if my entire world had lost its colors and only had the shades of black and white remaining. Yes, it’s probably because it’s sinking in to me that I’m in a situation that’s already irreversible.

“Order what you want, mi amor.”

Goosebumps.

It was supposed to be a sweet endearment, something that’ll set my heart aflutter. The one real lovers do, the one that naturally comes out, and not, in any way, forced.

So then why does it make me want to leave this table and pretend it was all a dream?

“Alright.”

Two weeks had passed and everything was already set in motion. True enough, several tabloids tried to prove that there was nothing between Alvarez and I. Some posted articles that had pictures of Alvarez and women he made contact with, but we ignored them.

On the contrary, this whole wedding thing seemed believable enough for the mass. Now, we have to go on lots of dates so the future public announcement of our business partnership wouldn’t be suspicious.

It’s fine, honestly. Alvarez has been treating me well since we agreed on this, and even plays the gentleman when we go on dates. The wedding coordinators didn’t even suspect a thing when we talked about the theme.

“How’s the food?” he asked.

Pfft. So practiced.

“It’s good.”

We bicker a lot, so you’d often see us shouting or cursing at each other. That’s why it’s so obvious that everything is fake despite us trying to look as sweet as possible. We look like a dream couple or something like that.

But the fact that neither of us are trying to start a fight…made this whole thing boring.

“I wanna go home,” I whispered to him out of the blue.

He raised a brow as he leaned back on his chair. “Alright, just finish your feed. It seems like we haven’t done it for two weeks already, so I get it.”

Oh, I jinxed it.

I glared at him as I continued eating. “I’m warning you, you wouldn’t want to pick a fight here.”

“What? Why don’t you show them what they want to see?”

Alvarez shot a glance at the reporters pretending to eat near us, so I looked at them too. They’re not even touching their food, just trying to get the hottest gossip from the two of us! I feel bad for them. The food’s so good, yet they’re not even taking a bite.

I sighed as I ignored Alvarez again. Sure, we’re supposed to show them that we’re intimate with each other, but there’s no way I’m making out with him right here. We’ve been doing great fooling them so far. There’s no need to make things complicated.

His offer seems tempting, though…

Fine, I’ll admit it. Gray Alvarez made me realize that s*x was far beyond heavenly with him. Now, I’m finally realizing why women used to barge into his office while we were having discussions about the project before.

Of course, he’s someone you’d crave. His body is to die for, that much is obvious at one glance. He has such a defined structure, like a perfect Greek sculpture. It’s like his sculptor took their sweet time building and carving him into being.

It’s not just that. This man is literally good at everything, especially in bed. He’s also competitive and will not leave until he’s sure that the person with him is satisfied.

That’s just…how he is.

“Know what?” I muttered as I drank my glass of wine. “I’m curious about something.”

“Hmm? What’s that?”

I slightly puckered my lips to tease him. “I’m surprised no one’s sending me threats or simply just barging in to slap me across the face.”

“Actually…” he muttered as he wiped his lips with a table napkin. “Nevermind.”

“Hey, what was that about?”

Alvarez smiled as he offered his hand to stand up. He always does this as if I have no hands! Although I get that it’s just his way of pleasing the cameras around us, it annoys me. I have my own pair of feet and hands. It’s not like I need another!

But being the amazing actress that I am, I smiled and took his hand like I really am delighted that he does such simple gestures. That’s how we walked out of the restaurant side by side.

It wasn’t supposed to be real!

However, getting out of the restaurant means setting all these reporters free from all that’s holding them back. Of course, they’d swarm around us the instant we step out of that place.

That’s why I subconsciously clung to Alvarez, who immediately wrapped his arms around me to protect me from the flashes of the camera. It felt somewhat unsettling, but I just let it be because I was dying to get out of the scenario.

Luckily, the bodyguards Alvarez hired are quite agile and strong, so they weren’t able to reach us at all. Still, it scared me because it felt like they wouldn’t care if we suffocated from that crowd as long as they got a good shot of the hottest couple right now.

“Are you okay?” Alvarez asked as he handed me a bottle of water.

I nodded and drank it. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’ve gotten used to it.”

I lied.

I don’t think I could ever get used to that kind of attention from the media. Sure, I’ve seen those sorts of flashes when I attended charity balls and events with big shots before…but it feels different now.

To be honest, I thought it wouldn’t be that wild when we started to have an agreement about the thing with the media. But when I actually felt it during our first date, I almost fainted.

It felt suffocating when they swarmed around us. The noise was too much for me to bear that Alvarez had to carry me as I began to feel dizzy. That became such a hot topic for a day! According to tabloids, Alvarez was very sweet for carrying me.

It was annoying!

“Diaz,” he called, so I turned to him. “You seem cold, but you’re sweating. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not dizzy?”

Diaz…

It’s been a while since he called me that. For the entire two weeks, we only met during the dates we talked about over the phone, and when we were together, he suddenly called me by several sweet endearments that I couldn’t remember well.

Somehow, I feel like everything is normal when he calls me by my surname. Perhaps it’s because that’s something the two of us have been accustomed to. It strangely feels nice to have him call me that way after what happened back at the restaurant.

When he calls me that, I come back to reality and realize that the play is over…

“Diaz, hey!” he exclaimed as he waved his hand in front of my face. “Do you want to go to the hospital? You really don’t seem okay to me.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. Sorry, I was spacing out.”

“Sorry about all this, but it’s really necessary,” he muttered as he placed his elbow near the window.

“I know. Maybe I’ll get used to it.”

We’ve never been alone like this for the past two weeks. He was busy working most of the time, and I didn’t want to talk to him. Of course, he still made sure to leave time for our fake dates and meetings with the wedding coordinators.

I’ve got to commend him for that. He’s a busy man, so I figured he wouldn’t join us. I simply informed him about the date and time of the meetings, but I never thought he’d actually come the first and second time. Ha! I remember how I was supposed to tell Riya that my fiancé won’t be able to come, but he suddenly showed up.

“Hey, Alvarez,” I called as I slowly removed my shoes.

“What?”

“Can I hang out at your penthouse?”

He raised a brow. “Why? I’m headed for my office right now.”

“So?” I rolled my eyes. “I’m asking because I know you won’t be there.”

“Just tell me why.”

Alright, I get it. He’s trying to be careful around me because he knows my personality. I get that much, so I really have no plans on messing with his stuff. It’s just that…his penthouse has a really nice view.

It feels like I’m isolated there, far from anyone who wants to ask me about Alvarez. I just thought it’d feel more peaceful there than being at home.

When I’m home, the maids would ask me how Alvarez is as a lover or if I’m starting to fall for him. Every time it happens, I just don’t know how to act. I thought my parents would realize that it made me uncomfortable, but they often call me over to ask me about the exact same questions the maids ask me.

Vin…was the only person who never dared to talk to me about it. Instead, he asked me if I was doing okay and if I could still put up with it. He was the only person to ask me that. I swear I almost bawled my eyes in front of him!

Anyway, that’s why I thought I should stay away from everyone for the meantime because I feel like I'd go crazy! Gray Alvarez here, Alvarez there! f**k, it’s starting to get annoying!

I can’t tell him all this, though…

“It’s comfortable there,” was the only thing I could say.

He shrugged and started the engine. “Alright.”

“Thanks-”

“I’ll bring my work there, then.”

What…

“I'd like to take it back. I’m going home.”

Alvarez simply laughed at me as he drove away from that place. I wasn’t kidding, though! I tried to tell him that, but he only scoffed at me and said that I shouldn’t take that back after he'd decided to accompany me.

There’s no point in going there if he’s not going to leave me all alone! How am I supposed to collect my thoughts with him walking around, teasing me! I don’t want to be alone with him anymore or I won’t be able to think at all…

“What’s wrong? I thought my penthouse was comfortable,” he teased.

“Do you find pleasure in annoying the f**k out of me?” I asked as I tried to hit him with the bottle, but missed.

“Maybe,” he replied with a shrug.

I could only heave a sigh and let him be. Maybe I can just talk to him about an issue that I’d like to settle. It’s been bothering me ever since I heard about it, so I figured it’s time I ask him to do something about it.

The reason I’m not working is because Alvarez told me I should steer clear of the company for the meantime, as there have been people swarming around there since the day our pictures in the parking lot began to spread. He told Dad about it, and I couldn’t properly face my parents for two days!

It’s not because I’m pregnant! That one article the maids talked about bothered me so much that I tried to report it several times in the hopes that it would get taken down for misinformation issues! They said I haven't been working because Alvarez got me pregnant, and now it’s scaring me!

“Alvarez,” I called, flustered.

He glanced at me, worried. “What? Is something wrong?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat before speaking, expectant of a bark of laughter from Alvarez. “Please never forget your condoms.”

That surprised him so much that he stopped the car in the middle of the road, so I shouted at him for doing that!

“Excuse me?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I said what I said. Just please...”

“You really are trouble.”

He went silent after that weird conversation we shared, but I could see the sides of his lips curving up for the smile. I bet this guy’s mind has started to work its wonders just from what I had said. I didn’t mean anything special, though.

I don’t think he’s planning to do it with me, and neither am I. It’s probably just so he could monitor me in case I do something that’ll make him mad.

Either way, I’ll probably just browse through the catalog given to me by the fashion designer Alvarez recommended. I had already expected that he’d hire another big shot, but I was still surprised when I met up with the mother of a hot supermodel!

“Are you coming with me inside?” he asked as he parked his car in the basement of his building.

I shook my head as I craned my neck to see the media waiting for Alvarez. “Just be quick. I don’t want them to mob the car.”

He nodded. “The bodyguards are around, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

If there’s one thing I noticed about him, it’s that he’s quite a gentle type of guy, contrary to his appearance. He looks like he’s the type to destroy you inside out. I mean, he can do that as well, but I meant that he seemed like one not to do aftercare or do such simple gestures.

To be fair, he never did that the few times we met for that one project before! At first, I concluded that it was nothing more than an act for the masses, but I remembered how he cleaned me up and cooked for me when we did it in his penthouse.

I guess he’s matured a bit, but he’s still that same old guy I want to knock off the top of the food chain in the industry. Ha, it'd have been nice if I had been able to get a head start on this silly little game of ours.

Since I was bored, I decided to link my phone to his car’s stereo so I could play several songs. I liked classical songs, and I doubt Alvarez is into that type of music…that’s why I played my playlist at full volume.

When I saw Alvarez get out of his building, I prepared for his fury. I honestly expected him to turn the stereo off and tell me to not touch his things until I get his permission.

But when he entered the car and heard Gypsy, he flashed a mysterious grin and started the engine. I didn’t make him out to be the type to even like music!

“I didn’t think you were into classical music,” he told me while we were in the middle of the road.

I blinked twice. “As if you’re–”

Oh.

I guess classical music somehow fits him, especially when his clothes are neat and perfectly done. Sure, I like messing them up, but he looks annoyingly good when…

I no longer want to think about it.

“By the way, Diaz…” he trailed off as he glanced at me. “Do you want to buy food before we go there or-”

“I’ll cook,” I cut him off. “You cooked for me last time, and I refuse to owe you for something so simple.”

He shrugged. “Sure. I’d love to see who the better cook is.”

Good lord. Does he not know when to stop being competitive?! Now, I feel pressured to cook when I was only planning to cook basic stuff! He did go out of his way to whip me a fancy dinner back then, but I didn’t want to go through that hassle!

I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest as I stressed about what I was supposed to cook. Alvarez laughed when he noticed my furrowed brows, but he didn’t take back what he said. Not like anything would change if he did!

While I tried to ignore the irritating presence beside me, I thought about what I could do to make sure I would not end up in bed with Alvarez. I mean, I don’t think we’d do it every time we meet, so I’m not really worried, but I’ll make a plan just in case.

I can’t get swayed every single time!

“We’re here,” he said as he got out of the car first to help me.

“I’m not here to play around with you, by the way,” I told him as I took his hand.

He chuckled as he leaned in until his breath was already tickling my nose. “Damn, okay. I was just planning to finish my work anyway. Did you think I was planning something?”

“Yeah,” I answered shamelessly. “You said you were celibate for two years, after all.”

“Ah. Right…” he muttered as he got away and helped me get out of the car.

I let out a soft chuckle when I noticed how his ears went red before shoving him aside to get out of the car. I feel as though I won a battle with the way he reacted!

I smiled sweetly at him. “That’s a win for me.”