BILLIONAIRE'S HIDDEN DESIRE

CHAPTER 5 - Car Accident

Sophia POV

I opened my eyes, and I saw familiar furniture around me. I blinked a few times before I got up from my own bed. Wait? How did I end up home? I tried to recall the memory of last night. I could faintly remember a few things inside my mind. The fake Barbie…the fight in the bar… how I ended my relationship with Riley, and the mysterious pervert guy. Among all things, it was his face that I could still remember clearly. Right! Did he take me home last night? But then again, there is no way he knew where I lived.

I groaned in frustration as I remember that I stomped on his feet last night. He must’ve been very furious with me. It’s a good thing that we will never meet again. My head hurts like it was being pierced by a hundred needles. I saw an aspirin and orange juice on the table near my bed, and I gulped them down then came back to lying on my bed. I fished out my phone from my clutch bag, and I saw 20 missed calls from Riley. I blocked his number, and I suddenly felt better after doing it. The last thing I want right now is to talk to him. I am still mad at him, and I need some space to clear my mind.

I was almost fallen back into sleep when my phone rang loudly. I cursed out loudly before I lazily took it from the desk. I looked at the caller ID, it was my best friend, Danielle. “Hey, wake up, sleepyhead! We have a class in an hour.” She says chirpily. “Hello... I just woke up, and my head hurts like s**t. “I bluntly replied. I heard her sighed deeply from the other side before she continued.

“Don’t tell me you’re not coming to the class today, Soph! We have an exam this week. Don’t you remember?” My eyes instantly went open back again. Exam?? f**k! How can I forget about that? “s**t! I forgot today is Monday! Ok, meet you in 30 min!” I quickly ended the call and stormed towards the bathroom. I brushed my teeth at lightning speed and splashed cold water to my face. I put on some cute T-shirts and skinny jeans, did a little bit of makeup, and grabs my backpack.

As I went down the stairs and proceeded towards the dining room, I saw mom and dad having their breakfast as usual. Dad is reading some newspapers while mom is sipping her cup of favorite tea. “Good Morning!” I said happily. “Sweetheart, Are you going to the class today?” Mom asked while handing me some toast with PB&J. I took a seat next to her and dropped my backpack on the floor.

“Yes, I have an exam today,” I said as I chewed on the toast. Dad puts his newspapers down as he saw me eating like a wild animal that hasn’t been fed for a week. “Sophie... I want us to have dinner tonight outside as a family. I know a nice Italian restaurant just opened in the city. We will meet you there at seven.” He said while sipping his coffee.

I looked up at him with a questioning look. “Why, All of a sudden?” I asked him curiously. “Do I need a reason to have dinner with my own daughter? We barely had time together, Sophie. And to be honest, I was kind of worried about you.” he said with a caring tone. He must be referring to my bad grades at school. I have to escape before he starts to preach to me again. I swallowed the last piece of toast then took my bag, “I have to go now, Dad! Meet you at 7 tonight! Don’t be late!” I walked towards him and landed a quick peck on his cheek, then to my mom before leaving.

As soon as I exit the mansion, I saw Jerry standing by the black Mercedes car waiting for me. “Jer, we gotta go! I have an exam in 30 min!” He hurriedly opened the door for me, and I hopped in the backseat of the car. He’s trying his best to get me into school on time, even passing some red lamps on the street as he was speeding up. Sometimes I felt sorry for him for keeping up with my lousy time management.  

I looked outside the window, then our car is passing by the biggest shopping mall in NYC – Quinn Park Centre, which is owned by my family. Yes, I came from a wealthy family. I was never lack of anything financially since I was born.  My dad was the stakeholder, and my mom was the CEO. The shopping center itself always full of people, and they are looking to expand the business all over Europe too. No wonder they never had time for me.

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After fifteen minutes, I was able to reach the college on time, thanks to Jerry. The school hall was already empty, and I assume all of the students already entered the class. My backpack nearly fell from my shoulder as I ran towards the class. I slowly took a peek from the back door before I joined in. I looked around, trying to find Danielle, and there she is!

She was sitting by the window, and the chair beside her is still empty. Good thing she picked the seat not too far from the back. I tiptoed in her direction, “Morning!” I grinned at her as I put down my bag. “You’re early today, Soph...” Danielle said in a mocking tone while playing with her unicorn pen. I rolled back my eyes at her, but then I gave her my sweetest smile.

“Did you just change your hair color? You looked exceptionally pretty today.” I told her nicely.“My hair always in this light auburn color ever since I’ve born, and NO, I wouldn’t help you in the test today.” She said as he pushed me away from her. I pouted my lips at her. She could read me like an open book. I guessed I could only count on myself today.

The boy in front of me passed me the exam paper, and I started reading the first question. Thirty minutes have passed, and I haven’t written anything on the paper except for my name. I looked at Danielle and started kicking her white converse shoes. Danielle looked at me irritatedly, then she wrote something on a small piece of paper. She passes the paper under the table to me, and I started to fill in my exam paper. Even with Danielle’s help, I was unable to answer all of it.

I was sitting on my favorite spot under the tree. Pulling out my sketchbook, I started to sketch. I love to draw. It distracts me from all my problem. As I opened the book, I saw the sketch of Riley on the first page. I still can’t believe that we already ended our relationship. Come to think of it, I didn’t see Riley today, which is good because if I want to forget about him, we had to stop meeting with each other.

I was startled as I suddenly felt something cold touching my cheek. I looked to the side to find out that it was a cold soda can. Danielle took a seat beside me with a wide smile. “Thanks...” I took the beverages from her. “I notice you’re a little bit off today. Where’s Riley? I always thought that you both are inseparable.” She asked me teasingly.

“It’s a long story, Danielle! Last night I broke up with him.” Danielle’s eyes widened in shock. “You did what?! I want detail!” she demands. “His parents already chose someone for him. There’s nothing I can do.” I said, trying to sound as calm as I could. “I’ve told you from the beginning that he’s no good for you!” I fake a smile at her. I knew she cares a lot about me. “Hey, this is not the end of the world! I believe you’ll get over him quickly.”  She said while patting my back.

Talking to Danielle helped me a lot. Danielle is my only good friend besides Riley. I helped her once when she was getting bullied, and we became best friends ever since. I completely forgot about the time as we talked. I looked at my watch, and it was almost five pm already! Shoot! I just remember that I have to go shopping for a dress.

“I need to go now!” I got up and grabbed my bag. “Wait! Where are you going so fast?” Danielle asked as she raised one eyebrow. “Family dinner! See you later…” I replied with a smile, then walked away.

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I love shopping. It’s like mental therapy for me every time I felt lonely. I could spend a whole day walking around the shopping center without getting tired.

After exploring for a solid hour, I finally picked a gold tube midi dress with silver sequin from my favorite branded store. I like its simplicity, and it shows the right amount of my skin. I looked glamorous, and I love it. After paying for the dress, I called Jerry to pick me up.

Jerry dropped me off in the restaurant that my dad told me this morning. I have waited in the restaurant for an hour, but there’s still no sign of them coming. I looked at my watch, and it was way past 8 pm already! I tried calling my parents, first mom and then dad, but both were directed to their voicemail.

I saw some employees in the restaurant whispering to each other as they saw the news on the TV. Seems like an accident just happened nearby earlier. After a few seconds, they displayed the accident photo, and I saw a black car in a tragic condition. The car was flipped around, with the tires on the top. As I looked into the car again, my breath suddenly got hitched. Wait!? I think I recognize the car?? It was my parent’s car!!?!