Read Billionaire Romance: Seduced by the Billionaire Online
Authors: Emelia Joye
Billionaire Romance: Seduced by the Billionaire (13 page)
Tears escaped Natalia’s eyes. “My what?”
“Y-your parents were killed…” she broke down.
Her world came crashing down. A word was all it took to
make her fall. Her mind blocked, and a droning sound dominated her ears…
Thom held Natalia as he saw her fainting. Her knees
disconnected, sending her to the ground. Both Thom and Tonya felt that shared
panic that Natalia was passing out. “Nat, hold on…”
“Why? Why did you do this to me?” Natalia finally spoke.
Then, she fainted.
©
Copyright 2016 by Emelia Joye-All rights reserved.
This document is geared toward providing exact and reliable
information in regard to the topic and issue covered. The publication is sold
with the idea that the publisher is not required to render accounting,
officially permitted, or otherwise, qualified services. If advice is necessary,
legal or professional, a practiced individual in the profession should be
ordered.
-From a Declaration of Principles which was accepted and
approved equally by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee
of Publishers and Associations.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit
any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format.
Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this
document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All
rights reserved.
The information provided herein is stated to be truthful and
consistent, in that any liability, in terms of inattention or otherwise, by any
usage or abuse of any policies, processes, or directions contained within is the
solitary and utter responsibility of the recipient reader. Under no
circumstances will any legal responsibility or blame be held against the
publisher for any reparation, damages, or monetary loss due to the information
herein, either directly or indirectly.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the
publisher.
The information herein is offered for informational purposes
solely, and is universal as so. The presentation of the information is without
contract or any type of guarantee assurance.
The trademarks that are used are without any consent, and
the publication of the trademark is without permission or backing by the
trademark owner. All trademarks and brands within this book are for clarifying
purposes only and are owned by the owners themselves, not affiliated with this
document.
Table of Contents
Gilbert and Natalia
Natalia was backed. In her red
sole shoes, she stood more than six feet tall. Thanks for her five-inched heels
that gave her that endless legs she’d been craving for. As she walked into the
entrance, the atmosphere oppressed her silence as the booming sound slapped her
in the face. It hurts. But she had to endure the pain if she wanted to remain
in her job.
“Oh, hey there, gorgeous,” Gwen,
in her golden cocktail dress greeted Natalia with such enthusiasm that banished
Natalia’s nervousness. Her red lipstick complimented her dress while her
jewelry turned her into a pawnshop.
“Is there many people around?”
Natalia’s voice amplified her phobia of people. Since that afternoon in the cemetery,
she found it difficult to trust anyone. Trust became a word of the past. It
left her vocabulary and it may take decades to obtain it back.
“Um…” she looked back, analyzing
the crowds. Certain it was safe to dwell with strangers, she turned her gaze
back to Natalia. “Not really. Most of them are our colleagues so you’ll be
fine,” she smiled.
Gwen’s hazel eyes suited her
mocha skin. With her height, she could be one of
Victoria Secret’s
angels, but no, she wouldn’t take the risk. Food was her life. Take it away
from her and you’ll see who’s the boss.
Relieved, Natalia stepped
forward to follow Gwen’s lead. As they walked in the direction of the banquet,
Natalia’s heart raced to go back and stay in her own apartment. Recently she
home loaned one-bedroom condominium for herself. Living with Thom and his
family was no longer an option. She had to move. Now.
Natalia gripped Gwen’s hand. “I
don’t think I should go. They might stare at me and think I’m that slut.” Her
eyes begged for empathy, but her face looked fierce and strong. Perhaps it was
the makeup.
Gwen pressed her hand back.
“Hey, you did nothing wrong. You got promoted because you work your ass off.
Ignore those bitches. They ain’t worth your time,” she explained, assuring
Natalia she was going to be fine. But deep within her, she knew Gilbert Hemming
would undoubtedly approach Natalia for her number.
Natalia brought her gaze across
the hallway, projecting her awareness to seek something to do while the rest of
her colleagues allure their CEO. Seeing an empty table near the exit door, she
fixed her gaze on it, adamant to reserve it just in case something awkward
happens she’ll be able to get out flawlessly. What a clever plan!
“Okay, let’s go.” Natalia walked
beside Gwen. As they traversed the endless hallway, the end of the tunnel
promised loud music and a live band. By the sound of it, it could be the
Kiss
or the
AC/DC
bands. She couldn’t tell for sure. All sorts of sound
dominated the atmosphere, making it hard for her to distinguish what was going
on. Applause here, shouts over there, musical instruments everywhere – it was
crazy!
Entering the lavish party, her
eyes widened by the glamorous and ostentatious decorations that dotted the
entire place. The hall was humongous. Tables occupied every corner of the hall
and each one was designed with such sophistication. On the stage was none the
other than her favorite band, the
AC/DC.
Her guess rang true after all.
Fear began melting as the ambiance became lively. The music really had the power
to change the mood.
“Hey there, Natalia.” A deep
voice from behind grabbed her attention. It was him again.
As Gwen sensed his presence, she
stepped forward to make a distance between the two. “Alright, Nat, I’ll see you
there.”
Ha?
Natalia gazed at Gwen
as she disappeared into the multitude of their other colleagues. Uncertain of
what to do, she looked down. Gazing at the man who employed her would be a
little disrespectful in her opinion. Her red long gown glistened in the light,
causing her to stand out from the rest of other girls. Her curves screamed for
attention whenever she walked. Not a single man could deny that Natalia had
such class that put them at the edge of their seats.
“You look great.” Gilbert took
another sip. His green-field eyes shimmered with lust as he eyed her backless
back. Her shoulders were impeccably soft and he could just picture her
nakedness in his mind.
Natalia chinned up. “Hi sir, I
didn’t know you have a thing for extravagant parties like this.” In amazement,
she gazed around to show her compliment for his accomplishment. At thirty-five,
Gilbert had managed to run an internationally acclaimed embalming company. Not
a bad start for a man who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
“Having fun?” His words were
short but rich. Few letters were all it took for Natalia to tremble of what to
say. You can’t blame her as Gilbert had proven himself to be such a gentleman.
With his black tuxedo, he looked smarter than he actually was.
“Yeah. It’s a great night,
isn’t? Lots of people around,” she smiled as she carried her eyes across the
hall to avoid meeting his gaze.
Amused of her beauty, he stepped
forward to get to know her at an intimate level. Only if she’d allow him to
intrude her privacy, maybe then Gilbert would have a slim chance to know about
her life. “Congratulation to your promotion. You really deserve it, Natalia,”
he cheered, fluttering her to gain her interest. But was she ready for another relationship?
Not that she’d ever had one. Thom was still her first, although not officially.
Gladness and guilt played in her
brain. She wanted to entertain him but feared of being annotated as ‘slut’.
There had been false gossips circulating around her workplace that she’d given
Gilbert a one-night-stand to make her as the supervisor, but the truth was
never close to a lie. Darkness could never consume the light. Once the bulb was
turned on, darkness fled.
Natalia swallowed a swamp of
saliva stuck in her mouth. “Thank you, sir.” She stooped down slightly, showing
her manner.
“Please, just call me Gilbert.
I’m not that old, you know.”
“Oh, sorry, sir. I-I mean,
Gilbert,” she stuttered. Her eyes kept on the girls watching them. One of them
took her phone out and without excuse took a selfie of the two. Natalia stepped
away, cautious of the upcoming danger.
Gilbert finished his drink. A
few drops fell down to his blazer. He couldn’t care less. His housekeeper could
clean it for him. Looking around, he scanned the area for any people watching
them. Certain no eyes were monitoring them, he grabbed Natalia’s hand. “Hey,
can I talk to you for a moment?”
She pulled her hand away. “Why?”
“I just want to ask you
something.”
“Say it now. I don’t want anyone
thinking of me as having an affair with you. I know you’re aware of that,
right?” Her voice clued she was pissed, but she had to remain calm as not to
embarrass herself.
Gilbert motioned his eyes left
and right. Turning his head would make his act obvious. “Do you want to go for
a dinner tomorrow night?”
Her throat tightened,
disallowing the air to flow into her lungs. She knew he’d ask her that, but she
was too wise to be fooled. Career first before love life. “Sorry, but I think
you’re forgetting you’re my boss. I can’t. Ask someone else,” she said sternly.
From the distance, Gwen could
tell Natalia wasn’t buying Gilbert’s flirtatiousness. By Natalia’s body
language, she could read her discomfort. Since Natalia left home, Gwen had been
noticing her mood swings. Asking out of concern might be construed into
something else – Natalia could view that as an intrusion on her privacy. Gwen
decided to step forth and check if she was alright.
Walking toward, Natalia’s
countenance looked tense and agitated. Therefore, she hurried her pace. Her
heels contributed to the sound of the music as her glittery dress helped her to
boo whoever it was on her way.
“I just want to get to know you,
that’s all. Nothing malicious or anything like that,” he explained, trying to
persuade Natalia he wasn’t a playboy. As if that could be proven true.
Natalia contained her silence.
Although her mouth did not speak, her heart chattered in desperation to escape
his presence. If she wasn’t desperate to become independent and leave her
family behind, she’d find another job – even if it meant cleaning the toilet.
She didn’t mind. Having something to live by was all she wanted. Nothing more.
“Is everything alright here?”
Gwen stood by Natalia as she caressed her back.
“I think we should go now, Gwen.
I’m not feeling well,” Natalia excused. She kept her gaze away from Gilbert.
Gilbert cleared his throat as
the mucus choked him. “Alright girls, I’ll see yah later.” His back faced them
as his tone did not sound impressed by Natalia’s unwelcoming attitude.
Seeing he’d gone far to hear
their conversation, Gwen sighed in relief. “What happened?”
“He’s asking me out.”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s
not as if he’s gonna rape you or something. Don’t you like that, you’ll have
some company? Not to mention he’s rich,” she whispered, lost in her fantasy.
“No, I’m fine. He’s not my kind
of guy to date with,” she lied. But the truth was, Thom still bugged her
conscience. It had been a couple of days now, but a day felt like a year. A side
of her wanted to return, but the fact that they kept her parents’ killer from
her, which was unforgivable. All those years she lived in deception…
“Alright then,” she took her
hand, “let’s go and get wasted…” Gwen dragged her onto the dance floor.
