A Deal With My Billionaire Husband

HELENA'S POV

I lay on the vast expanse of the bed, the silky sheets embracing my body with the soft tenderness that I craved from Dante, my husband. I could hear the metallic ticking of clock, each tick reminding me of every second that passed and Dante wasn't still home. I tried to ignore the moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains. I couldn't sleep, if I didn't feel the warmth emanating from his body while he slept beside me, the weight of his body pressed upon my fragileness while he pumped his load inside me.

Tonight, the emptiness of our bed felt particularly suffocating. I had yearned for his presence all day, a deep longing that gnawed at my soul. As I lay there, the sound of the door opening made my heart race. As I turned my head, there he was, the silhouette of my husband – Dante D'angelo watching me silently from the door. His strong muscular arms were flexing without him even trying to do so and I took a nervous gulp while my insides burned with desire – a desire that burned for just him

He moved towards me with a grace that belied his strength, the soft rustle of his clothes was the only sound in the room save for my heavy breathing. The mattress dipped as he sat on the edge of the bed, his presence a comforting weight. I felt a warmth spread through me, as his scent wafted through my throat.

"Dante," I whispered, my voice barely audible. He turned to look at me, his dark eyes reflecting the moonlight. There was something different about him tonight, his eyes seeming more distant than ever, a barrier that I couldn't seem to cross, or that he wouldn't let me cross.

He lay down beside me, his body a solid warmth against mine. I felt his arm wrap around my waist, pulling me closer but more like a ritual than an actual act of tenderness. The contact sent shivers down my spine, a sweet mixture of comfort and desire. He had never touched me like that and for the first time in a long while, I felt truly safe. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, wishing it could last forever.

"Dante," I murmured again, my voice trembling with emotion. He leaned in, his lips brushing against mine in a tender kiss. It was soft, yet hesitant and I kissed him back, pouring all my yearning and affection into that kiss to draw him out of the shell he seemed to be encasing himself in. But he was Dante D'angelo, a powerful billionaire, he could hardly be in any shell so why was he holding back. But as our lips parted, I couldn't help but notice the distant look in his eyes. It was as if he was here with me physically, but his mind was elsewhere. I searched his gaze, hoping to find a hint of what troubled him so I drew his chin closer to mine.

"What's the matter?" I had intended to sound calm and reassuring but my tone came out croaky with a hint of harshness to it but Dante didn't seem to notice.

"I'm fine" he replied back with no emotions to his tone, more like the automated response of a robot.

"You can tell me what's going on Dante, even if it's about the business. Papa used to discuss business with me all the time, I can understand it"

Dante's eyes washed over me in a tender gaze and he pulled me closer to him in an even more passionate kiss, if this was his way of reassuring me that his distance wasn't intentional then I'd gladly take it. It'd been two years since my father sold me off to him in an arranged married to secure an alliance deal. Two years since I had been sold like a prized possession to a man I barely I knew and having to give up my dream of going to ballet school. The first few months had been hard, I wanted nothing to do with him, I loathed and hated him for pulling away from my dreams but that feeling didn't last long when he touched me – finally. Something shifted within me, opening my senses to explore more pleasures that he was willing to offer and there was a lot more where that came from. So I began to fall for him, I wanted him – no I craved and needed him.

"Come here" he pulled me closer to him, enveloping me in a warm hug. My insides exploded into jelly and he kissed me deeply. An intense make out session that slowly evolved into our clothes racketeering off our body and unto the cold floor which then morphed to sweet love making that captivated my insides. But just as Dante pushed into me, his face contorted in ecstasy, a single name spewed out from his mouth – a name that wasn't mine.

"Gianna" his tone had a croaky hint to it and he was so far gone that he hadn't realized his mistake.

Gianna

I knew who Gianna, everyone in Algreen Cove knew who Gianna was. She was his high school sweetheart but she had broken his heart by going abroad to study and it's been years, so why was he suddenly remembering her name.

Was she – was she back?

Gianna being back was going to be a thorn in my flesh, and I didn't think I'd have the heart to take it if Dante decided to leave me for her.

He called her name last night, isn't that proof enough that he's going to leave you for her

I struggled to push the bad thoughts out of my head and focus on getting ready for Dante's cousin Adrianna's birthday dinner. I hadn't seen Dante since my eyes fluttered open in the early hours of dawn, he had slipped off secretly and headed straight to work – or Gianna's house.

No he wouldn't do that, Dante loves me and he wouldn't leave me.

Immediately, I took out the phone and I dialed Dante's number to find out when he would be coming back home so we could go for Adrianna's birthday together and the call picked on the second ring, a high pitched voice sounded in my ears and it took me a second to realize that it was Dante's secretary and not Gianna picking up his phone.

"I want to speak to Dante" I said into the receiver, my eyes staring ahead at the pink Hello Kitty clock in the dining section, it was my special clock that I had moved from my childhood bedroom to Dante's home and Dante had merely allowed me to hang it up in the dining room, he didn't want any pink staining the grey walls of our bedroom.

"Dante is quite – occupied right now" There was hesitation in her tone, a stall looming her now quiet sheltered voice.

"What? Tell him his wife is on the line"

She paused for a second before I could hear her breathy voice loud in my ears "Mr. D'angelo is unavailable but he asked me to specifically tell you he won't be able to make it home but he'll see you at the birthday dinner, Romano would pick you up"

"But – " I barely got my words out before she clicked the call shut and I was now staring angrily at the pink clock, it's usually vibrant quality now seeming dull in my eyes. I could feel it, deep down in my bones that Dante was hiding something from me.

I got dressed for the dinner, wearing a blue flowing dress that would conceal the weight I had put on recently. I let my usually tied up hair to fall delicately past my shoulders and kissing my tender waist, yes my hair was long and one of my favorite things to imagine was to let Dante wrap my hair around his hands when he embraced me from behind, my eyes rolling back with my hair.

I walked out of the mansion, poised like a Cheshire cat, my desperate attempt to look as sexy as possible for Dante, so that when he looks at me he would see no one else but me. But still, there was an annoying squeaky voice telling me that if Gianna was truly back, I would never be able to compete with her for Dante's feeling, but I decided to put it behind me and focus on the night. Dante loves me and besides he wouldn't want to defile papa against the alliance deal.

I put those annoying thoughts out of my head and walked into the party and the first person that latched unto me was my sister Vivianna, in a flowing blue dress that matched the party's theme. I had been too distracted with my own thoughts I forgot to notice how blue everyone looked. Vivianna had an interesting glint in her eyes, a look that meant she had gossip that was burning on her tongue and she wouldn't rest until she spilled it out.

"Guess who's back in town?" she said to me and a silent dread formed at the pit of my stomach. I shrugged not wanting to meet her eyes incase there was any spark of anxiety flashing there, I kept my eyes on the throng of people that chattered noisily among themselves.

"Aunt Angelina" she released and a breath of fresh air, a breath I didn't know I was holding escaped my glossed lips. "Word on the street is that her husband got killed in France, shot in the head by the opposition, and now she's back in Algreen Cove to scrap up whatever left over pieces she could find still crawling about in her husband's estate, word is everything has been seized by the government and she's poor now"

"Oh that's ugly" I chirped in, I was a delightful gossip but the only thing stopping me from gearing into my full potential was the crowd in my head. Where is my husband? I couldn't breathe, I needed him right by my side to stop the chaos that was brewing in my head.

"What would you if you thought your husband was cheating on you" the words flew out of my mouth even though I was hell bent on not saying anything to anyone – especially Vivianna which was because of the ghost like expression she was sporting on her face. Then she chuckled, and another chuckle before it morphed into a full blown laughter.

"You can't be serious Helena" she laughed again "There isn't a man in Algreen Cove not with the kind of reputation that Dante has and hasn't cheated on their wives. Papa cheated on mama countless times she bought a birkin bag for every time he came home with red lipstick smudged on his shirt, mama never wore red lipstick and those were the kind of girls papa went for – the red lipstick wearing skanks"

"Vivianna – " I whispered tiredly. She had the sharpest mouth in the family.

"I mean Dante probably has some flat belly whore wrapped around his torso" then she looked my stomach which had been producing a roundness that I couldn't control, I used to be a dancer, what happened to me?"

"As long as he doesn't file for divorce then there's nothing to worry about, you won't end up like Aunt Angelina on that note I should probably tell you that I saw Dante arrive like thirty minutes earlier with a strange girl on the hip, but I thought you were familiar with cheating husbands but apparently not and I should have started with that before droning you on about Aunt Angelina"

My eyes widened "You think!"

"Where?" I asked her and she pointed up towards the rest rooms and dressing rooms that were up the stairs in Dante's family house. Immediately, I scurried up the steps and rummaging carelessly through all the rooms and saving the best for last – Dante's childhood bedroom. I pushed it open and it gave way easily and only a cold daunting air echoed back at me. The lights were turned off and the stale smell of unused room hit my nose. I sighed, turning around to shut the door and that was when I hit a rock hard chest. I would have been clueless if not for the familiar scent wafting into my nose, and I looked up to find Dante staring hard at me.

"What are you doing?" his eyes were cold and his tone bore a harshness that surprised me. I lowered my eyes, concentrating them at his feet

"Looking for you" I managed, then he tipped my chin up to look at him. I could feel tension thickening in the air with the way his eyes drilled into mine, it wasn't a loving look whatsoever but I couldn't interpret it all the same.

"There's something I want to tell you" he said and I stayed quiet urging him to go on and the next words that spilled out of his mouth sent me into a spiral

"I want a divorce"

A divorce?

My eyes fluttered open the next morning with Vivianna's words just at the forefront of my head 'As long as he doesn't file for divorce, you'll be fine'

I sprang up immediately to find out that Dante hadn't returned home the previous night after he had told me 'Go home, we'll talk when I get home. I just have a few meetings to round up"

What meetings are you rounding up at a party?

But I listened to him because I loved him, because I didn't want to annoy him further, maybe if I was complacent enough he wouldn't have to divorce me, I listened because I still wanted to be his wife.

I got up from the bed and headed downstairs to the dining section and the moment I reached there I froze, stopping dead in my tracks and my stomach falling to the pit of dread in my stomach.

"No no no no" I cried internally. There was a white envelope placed neatly on the table, like a subtle effect to cushion the blow from the contents of the white envelope. Right there, on the envelope was my name Helena D'angelo. I picked it up immediately and tore it open and there it was – Dante filing for divorce.

A certain rage enveloped me that instant, he said we were going to talk, he said he was going to come home and we'll talk, and he never did. I didn't want to waste anytime, immediately I changed my clothes, throwing on a simple jean and an oversized sweater to cover the areas that I was beginning to fill up and I went to Dante's company. I walked briskly inside, avoiding eyes with anyone that could recognize me and alert Dante that I had shown up unannounced. I had never really been at his company but I knew that his office sat at the highest floor so up the elevator I went.

I got to his floor and I came face to face with his secretary, the slimy voice I always heard when I called him at work, skinny, tall and a million dollar fake smile that I could spot from a mile away.

"Excuse me" she echoed while I tried to walk in without speaking to her first.

"I'm here to see Dante" I said to here, turning to give her half my attention, because the other half was concentrated at Dante's door.

"Mr D'angelo is not in right now, but I could take a message" she rang in the metallic voice that infuriated me.

"Bullshit" I muttered under my breathed and sprinted towards the door before she could reach me in her 6 feet inch shoes, I flung the door open, my mouth fell open and I paused in my tracks – again, and for the second time because my husband was turning my life into a movie.

There he was, his face buried in between the legs of a long – haired woman with striking eyes as she turned around to look at me, shock written all over her face.

Gianna?

Immediately Dante's eyes locked with mine his eyes immediately clouded with anger, a certain darkness hovering over them that I shivered a little bit. Then he stood up, straightening his tie and wiping his mouth clean.

"What are you doing here Helena?" he thundered, walking towards me and I waved the letter in his face timidly.

"What – what is this?"

He looked from the letter to my face, his jaw setting in stone and without saying a word, he grabbed me by arm and pulled me out of his office and down the winding corridor until we got to a private corner, I didn't miss the smirk on Gianna's face as Dante pulled me out.

"Is that her?" was the first thing I asked "Is that Gianna?"

Dante looked surprised at the mention of her name "How did you – you know what it doesn't matter. I'm divorcing you, the love of my life is back in town and I'm not letting her slip from my hands again"

"At the expense of our marriage? Our marriage was an alliance deal" I tried to emphasize but it looked like this was a decision he wasn't going to revisit

"I'm sure the De Luca clan has grown more forces and can take care of themselves, I don't think they'll be needing an alliance deal and I'm ready to pay the cost" which was true because my father's mafia dealings had grown stronger ever since I got married to Dante, that was the whole point of the marriage,

"Don't do this" I tried to plead.

"What exactly are you begging for Helena, were you truly expecting me to fall in love with you. Look at you, you used to be a dancer, you've let yourself go – you're no longer beautiful, judging from the fact that that was the only quality I used to marry you"

My mouth fell open but no words escaped them, his words burned a hole in my chest and I felt the painful sting of tears hit my eyes but I couldn't do let them fall, not in front of him at least.

"Sign the papers Helena and leave"