Billionaire's redemption

As the blaring sound pierced through the tranquility of her bedroom, Alexa Allen, feeling a sense of reluctance, slowly and delicately opened her eyes. Her teeth lightly clenched in mild displeasure as she extended her hand in a tired haze, attempting to locate her phone. The remnants of sleep clung to her eyes, obscuring her vision like the wisps of clouds after a refreshing rainstorm.

The preceding night had been consumed by an arduous research project, one that her employer had entrusted to her for approval in the early hours of the morning.

The project revolved around the intricate details of an agreement her business had recently forged with a burgeoning corporation that was rapidly gaining prominence within the nation. Alexa was tasked with her part of the presentation and the imminent meetings with the esteemed board of directors scheduled for ten o'clock in the morning.

Engrossed in her responsibilities, she had dedicated the majority of the night to the project, with her sole companions being numerous mugs of coffee that fueled her concentration and the soft murmur of hushed voices emanating from the television, serving as a comforting backdrop to her solitary efforts.

With a groan escaping her lips, Alexa finally managed to lift her phone from its resting place and glided her index finger wearily across the screen, all while stifling a tired yawn. Her other hand instinctively sought solace in her luscious honey pecan-colored hair, providing a brief respite from the demands of the early morning.

"Hello?" she greeted, her voice tinged with remnants of sleepiness, betraying her exhaustion.

"Someone is still embracing the realm of slumber," her younger brother, Andrew, muttered lazily from the other end of the line.

The clarity in his voice hinted that he had risen from his own restful state earlier than the time of his call, a fact easily deduced by Alexa. As usual, Andrew should be at his workplace or on his way already.

"Good morning Drew." She yawned again.

"Morning. How are you and my angel doing?" "Very well. Your call woke me just now and

I'll check on her when I drop the call." She tried to keep the irritation in her tone at bay,

wondering why he called.

"Someone is eager to hang up." He spoke teasingly.

Irritation easily seeped into Alexa and she desperately hoped she wouldn't have to lash out at someone so early in the morning. She was sometimes a morning person. That is, whenever she had a good sleep.

"And someone is eager to get cut off the phone if he doesn't have any valuable reason

for calling so early. Why did you call?" She spoke through gritted teeth.

He couldn't have possibly called her at such an early hour of the day just to say nothing important. It was just too early.

"Okay, I'll let you know why I called." He added quickly with a light laugh.

Alexa knew why he was laughing and she did an eye roll. Drew knew his older sister wasn't always a morning person and also knew she hated it whenever her sleep got interrupted during working days because most of those dawns, she would just be getting her version of a good sleep.

She checked the time on the nightstand and heaved a contented sigh. It was just five O'Clock and she still had at At least an hour more to nap before she could start preparing for the day because her overly the generous boss had been kind enough to ask her to come in after eight-thirty.

She knew the man had a little crush on her but never liked taking advantage of his feelings whenever he made such suggestions.

However, this time, Alexa would go for it. She needed the rest so she wouldn't end up with droopy eyes during the meeting full of professionals all dressed in intimidating suits and with a tense presentations. For the umpteenth time, Alexa hoped everything would go well with the ten AM presentation.

"What's up?"

"I'm traveling to Hawaii for three months and...I mightn't reach you very often. It'll be a very busy quarter for me." He stated all forms of playfulness wiped off in his tone.

The unexpected revelation conveyed by Andrew's languid voice instantly captured Alexa's attention, sending a shiver of unease down her spine. In response, she released a sharp breath and swiftly sat up on her bed, her mind racing with a flurry of thoughts and concerns.

Never before had Andrew ventured far from her side for such an extended period of time. The realization that he was embarking on a three-month sojourn to the picturesque islands of Hawaii stirred a mixture of emotions within her.

Although she refrained from delving into the specifics, she was aware that his journey was driven by an art exhibition or some other professional endeavor linked to his renowned creative pursuits. Andrew, an artist of international acclaim, possessed an influential presence in the artistic realm, a fact that never ceased to fill her with pride and admiration.

Their physical proximity had been deliberately maintained at a distance, as suggested by Alexa herself. Residing in separate cities served a dual purpose: allowing her to cultivate a sense of independence and self-reliance while also reducing the need to lean on others for support.

The untimely demise of their parents had left them with only each other, forging an unbreakable bond that transcended the boundaries of blood. Additionally, Alexa bore the responsibility of caring for her tender three-year-old daughter, an obligation she held close to her heart.

Entrusting the care of her child to someone else would only serve to exacerbate her own internal struggle, as she feared it would reduce her to a mere object of pity.

Adjusting on the bed, she let out a low breath. "I'm happy for you Drew." "I know you are but I am not too sure about you being alone..."

"That's where you are wrong, baby brother. I'm strong enough and we can handle

whatever comes. Besides, it's just been work, work, and even more work. That's apart from taking care of Angelina, of course."

Andrew exhaled on the other end. "I'm glad to hear that. Are you sure you'll be good on your own with my niece? You could come over.

You know Maggie would be glad to help take care of Angelina." Maggie was his part-time maid and the maid usually spoiled Angelina whenever they visited, giving her extra treats.

"I'm sure, we'll be okay. Go and do what you love and oh, break a leg." She sniggered.

Continuation in the next chapter...

Alexa entered the building, met the two guards who welcomed her heartily, and then made her way to the reception. Her silk tee shirt tightly clutched her torso, embracing the pointed shape of the two mounds on her chest as they stretched them out, and the sound of her heels clicking against the tiled floor reverberated around her. With each daring step she took, her freshly cut, shoulder-length honey pecan hair bounced repeatedly over her shoulder, making her a sight to behold.

"Good morning ma'am." The assistant manager for the computer department greeted, walking from another passage

and falling in line with Alexa's walking pace. He was a tall, lanky guy and Alexa knew him to be a heavy flirt. The whole company knew him for that too.

"Good morning Peter. How did your weekend go?" Alexa asked and flashed him a small smile.

"You really want to know?" Came the response with a crude smile.

"Or not. I'l pass."

She giggled with a contorted expression at whatever he might be reminiscing as his expression suddenly told her his mind was far away.

While Peter took another route towards his destination, she kept walking and finally made her way towards the elevator, watching so many people squeeze themselves in before it closed shut.

Approaching it, she patiently tapped her left foot and waited for the elevator to come to a stop, before pressing the silver upward arrow.

Walking into it as it parted, she adjusted her black pencil skirt and took a deep breath, mentally doing a checklist of all that was needed for the project presentation and confirming they had all been sorted out with the usual phone calls.

Just as the elevator door was about to be shut, someone stopped it by putting a leg in. The shiny polished Italian shoe was what she first saw as she had been busy with her head hung low as she planned her day.

Absentmindedly, Alexa trailed her gaze from the person's leg upwards. With eyes large as saucers, her breath immediately got caught in her throat when she recognized that face.

Deep chocolate brown eyes with intense seriousness in them were staring back at her. The defined cheekbones adjusted slightly as the person's lips stretched into a small, almost unnoticeable smirk and a perfectly arched brow rose.

She noticed the small smirk slowly stretch into a wolfish grin on his lips when he met her eyes. Alexa couldn't think properly for a second there, her head was a jumbled mess.

"Long time no see." Michael Barry's powerful, rich and dominating voice spoke first as he

stepped into the elevator, adding a knowing effect to the 'see' word as the door got shut.

Alexa gulped. Her ex-husband and the father of a child he probably didn't know existed stood right before her, in the elevator and they were alone.

She knew so many things could happen within a short time and that sent her heart beating several miles per second. She allowed her eyes roamn over his figure for a while, taking a sour but also a bit too grateful note in the fact that he hadn't changed much over the years.

He was just the way she remembered him. Michael was a sight to behold with the lone strand of his sleek black hair elegantly dangling over his forehead. It was still the same style he usually combed it into; straight to the back.

He was in a handsomely ravishing rich colored blue suit which paved a small passage for the white tee he wore under to peek out, matching with the same color of suit pants which deliciously flowed over his Italian shoes that nicely hugged his feet. He was wearing grey socks, his favorite color.

Alexa blinked twice and she felt her tongue cling desperately to the roof of her mouth.

"Hmm." She grunted as a response, set on ignoring him. She tried, but Alexa couldn't

ignore her ex-husband's dominating presence for too long. Especially when he pressed the elevator emergency button.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked with wide, alarmed eyes. When she tried to move closer to the door and press the buttons so the ride could continue, Michael took a step as well and she quickly retracted before she would bump into him.

The heat emitting off him easily seeped through her skin and that wasn't helpful in a bit. The elevator suddenly looked too small for them.

"You look like you were caught naked in the shower." Michael spoke in his deep tone which

she remembered, the effect of it sending pleasure coursing throughout her whole form and settling at her core.

She shook her head, calling herself stupid for having such a reaction to the man who hurt her.

Michael chuckled but Alexa pressed her lips into a thin line, intent on ignoring him. What was he doing here anyway? Alexa desperately hoped he hadn't come to do any business that would make him stay too long in Canada.

The anger she still felt towards him was very much present but she also couldn't deny the tingling sensation that was traveling through her body, pulsating through her veins at his mere deep baritone.

His cologne, the same one that drove her nuts all those years they were together, wafted through her nostrils and made her a bit lightheaded. She did a harsh breath intake.

"I don't know what you're playing at but you have no right to press that button." She glared at him.

"Come on, at least acknowledge my presence then we can go up." He muttered, faking disappointment.

With a blank expression, Alexa faced him. "Hi." She bit out.

A snort escaped his lips when she went back to staring ahead. He looked befuddled.

"That's childish Alexa baby!" The 'baby' sounded awfully. Her face pulled into a sour contour.

Something snapped in her. "So, calling me 'Alexa baby' isn't childish? Or stopping the elevator

ride just to make meaningless chat isn't childish? Also, you have no right to call me 'baby', you

know? Stop this nonsense, I have to be in my office soon."She was beginning to lose her patience.

"What? We both know you can do better than telling me what I should or shouldn't call you, Alexa. Besides, I love chatting with you." He boasted composedly, eyes narrowing.

Everything about him was composed, even the way he smiled and blinked. Alexa felt like a mess because she was freaking out at being alone with him in such an enclosed space, but she promised herself not to allow anything ruin her self-confidence and the beautiful, calm day ahead of her.

Flexing his muscle through the suit, Michael raised his hand to place it on her shoulder, but she slapped it away.

"Don't you dare touch me." Alexa spoke calmly,

like a prey warning a stubborn predator not to come near it. The wheel was spinning in her head as her mind ran like a wild animal in several directions.

She wondered what he was doing in Canada after being away for that long and what he wanted here with her. Several questions were spinning rapidly in Alexa's mind. What had he been up to all these years? How was his nana?

How was he doing? This was the question that worried Alexa the most. That even after all these years; she still cared about the man. She shouldn't. They were no longer together.

She wasn't worried because he was her ex-husband, no. She just cared a bit. She wasn't a weak woman who would remember all the years they'd spent together if he touched her. She was strong, independent and no man's touch would make her feel those sizzling emotions that could make her let down her guard again.

Well, except the touch of the man I'm currently trying to avoid, she thought sourly. She made a move to press the button for the second time, but Michael moved faster and stood before her, blocking her with his frame.

"You are looking good Alexa, and I'm glad Thomas industries has indeed been taking

care of you." Michael commented, his eyes boring deeply into her and making her body react in a way it hadn't in all four years they had been apart.

The mere mention of her company's name had her whipping her head in his direction. She knew Michael meant trouble whenever he acknowledged something, so when he didn't, everyone could breathe that things were still good.

Also, Michael always got what he wanted. What did he want with her company, or precisely, what did he want with her?

"What do you want from me?"

"What don't I want from you?"

His deep chocolate brown eyes were trained on her as he returned the question after twisting it in his own way. Alexa matched his gaze, the unanswered questions swirling in her head as she struggled to figure him out.

These eyes she had once grown to fall in love with stared at her, as if unraveling the innermost secrets, making her suck in a harsh breath. Finally, she broke the gaze and looked away.

"Let me try this again, why are you back?

And continue the ride. This is bearing borderline insanity. You can't keep me in here with you!"

She spat.

This time, the anger seeping off her was evident. To counter that thought though, the sexual tension she felt was also roaming in the air languidly between them. It engulfed her tightly and she almost felt like pulling out her hairs.

Whether she admitted it to herself or not, he did certain things to her without even suggesting anything sexual.

"It's obvious, right? I came back for you and this time, you can't leave me."

The businessman's words were stated in a way that bid no argument.

Alexa's mouth instantly hung open in in shock. This man couldn't be serious.

He was back after almost four years, only to tell her that she couldn't leave him. He was too late, already years late. He was joking, he had to be.

You are sick."

"Yes for you, it's a pity." His lips curled into a self-mocking sneer and Alexa stared at his plump lips while he spoke, remembering how those lips once worshipped her body, dove into her delicate feminine parts. How those lips had whispered empty promises while sucking and nipping at her sensitive buds.

For a few seconds, Alexa wanted to believe his words, but she had believed him all this while and it had done her no good. She wouldn't take such a risk again, because she knew where everything would fall in the end.

"Stay away from me." She managed to say.

"I own this building and you can't tell me what and what not to do." He spoke dryly, closing

the space between them and standing right before her.

In instinct, she took a step to the left, pressing the sixteenth floor button again before cowering when she felt Michael push out his chest. He had her cornered, the feel of her back almost pressed against the wall serving as a reminder that there was no escaping for her any longer.

"Step back." She snapped, and Michael grudgingly did, heaving a sigh.

Thoughts wheeled in Alexa's head. He owned the building, how? When realization sunk in, Alexa's back finally hit the cold metal as she licked her lower lip. He would be the man her boss had told her about, the Mr. S.A her overall boss had been repeating, without giving a proper name; the one who would be working directly with them. He was the owner of Petsmoni group of companies. It couldn't be true. Masking her surprise, Alexa's brow was hiked up as she wore her mask of nonchalance.

"Well, congratulations on your success Michael, but that doesn't mean you get to do whatever

you like with those in your goddamned building."

He pressed his lips into a grim line, his expression hard. "Is that so?" He countered.

Just as he raised his hand to gently touch her chin, the elevator pinged open, and that got Michael's attention. Alexa let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding and maneuvered her way beside him, making a mad dash away from him. She took in a breath of relief as she walked to her office.

She had made it this time. She hoped she would also have the strength to walk away next time.

The men were each lost in thought for a good few seconds as they took in the wise counsel that Alexa had proffered from her lovely lips during her presentation. Each board member had a serious expression on his face and was thinking independently. They were all dressed in the standard shining black or grey suits. Alexa did her best to avoid making eye contact with her ex-husband, who throughout the presentation appeared to be happier somewhere else but whose eyes never once left her.

"So, is that all you have gathered for us so far, Miss Allen?" John asked. He was Alexa's immediate superior and she only man who looked less serious or as she would rather put it, hard faced, compared to every other man in the room. Alexa noticed him ogling her while she made her presentation but she knew he couldn't approach her or make her feel uncomfortable by pushing whatever feelings he had been developing towards her, so she chose not to dwell much on his creepy ways of staring at her. However, it bothered Alexa that her ex-husband's heated stare didn't creep her out. She blamed it on the heat of having to be the only woman sitting in a room full of rich, influential men. The testosterone level was too high.

"Yes, sir. That is all and thank you. Please throw your opinions if you have any so we can make the final draft," she replied him and took her seat while applause went around the room.

"We thank everyone who participated in this honorable meeting and hope all the misunderstandings have been cleared with regards to who'll head the branch in London. The engineering department has sent the new sets of machine sketches and the finance department has also delivered their reports," John further stated. Some of the men mumbled to each other while Alexa made the needed jottings down.

"Is there an agenda we haven't pushed forward?" he asked her, caressing his lower lip with his thumb. Michael noticed the way John Waters was shamelessly ogling Alexa. His left eye twitched.

"We're all good, sir," Alexa replied to John after going through everything on the list.

"Now, does anyone have anything to add before we do the final conclusions?" Michael adjusted in his chair and raised a hand. If not for the particular woman in the room who had taught him that little bit of information a few years back, he would have spoken without signifying. He didn't care about being formal. "I would like to adjust two errors I noted in Mrs-"

"Alexa Allen. Miss Alexa," John finished for him, a proud smile on his face as his eyes roamed slowly over Alexa's form, the same oblivious Alexa who was trying to look unconcerned before her ex-husband.

"Yes, Mrs. Alexa's evaluation," Michael repeated after him, a tight and burning glower fixed on John's face.

Michael's jaws flexed with each word and Alexa found it hard to take her eyes off those sculpted jaws. Those jaws she had pressed her two palms over when they ate her out and sucked on her intimately years ago. The image played in her head and she squirmed to keep herself from getting affected in the nether region, but it was of no use. When she started, it was hard for her thoughts to stop running where he was concerned. She had just regained her composure from the encounter at the elevator, so she shook her head to ward off further thoughts about him.

"The first one is that, the Thomas Company isn't being affiliated with the Petsmoni's as she might have been made to believe. It has been bought...by us."

All heads turned to face each other and they nodded, their facial expressions of approval growing on their faces. Alexa's eyes widened In surprise.

She hadn't been told this important piece of information and now she partially felt like a fool for all the errors that could possibly exist in her presentation. Her immediate boss and the managing director of Petsmoni industry, John Waters, and the overall boss and CEO, Daniel Sullivan both kept quiet, a glum expression on their faces. It was as if talking about the company being sold shamed them in some way.

"Number two is that the name, which John had earlier called you," he pointed at Alexa with a hard expression, "isn't your name and as long as I am agreeing to save the reputation of this company, you will bear your real name."

The silence that fell between them wouldn't match that in a cemetery.

"What do you mean, Sir?" John spoke.

Alexa's mouth dried up for the second time in a day, and it was only ten twenty AM. Partially, she wished the earth would split in a small amount and swallow her alone. The room felt hot, as if it had closed in on her. She suddenly realized she badly needed a good amount of caffeine in her system, or it might shut down!

"Her actual name is Monica Barry, no longer O'Brien. It hasn't been O'Brien for four years." He gritted out.

Alexa felt flustered that he would dare say such a thing in the presence of so many business associates, though she knew half of them, having gotten introduced to them over time in the company.

That still wasn't the case at hand. The meeting was a professional one and should be handled thus.

"That has nothing to do with the issue on the ground." She spat with a flared nose.

"It has everything to do with it. Also, John, this is a formal gathering. Never address her as Alexa but Mrs. Barry, ever again!" Michael ordered sternly, ignoring the scowl on his wife's face.

"What is it to you?" John demanded from Michael with a contorted expression.

Alexa kept quiet and wondered where the discussion was going. Michael had royally ruined her day, despite the several plans she had gone through to make it a success, that too in the presence of two representatives from other companies, some board members, and her CEO.

"She is my wife." The man spoke straightforwardly. The other board members began to murmur amongst themselves again.

"Was!" Alexa corrected him with a growl.

Her head was getting hotter by the minute. Her bosses were looking at her with both shocked and incredulous looks.

"Al- Mrs. Alexa, is this true?" John asked with a red face. Obviously, the information was too much for him and it put him in a tight spot. He'd been flaunting her office familiarity with him around and speaking to her so casually so other company officials would think they were an item.

As Alexa looked at John, she couldn't tell if the redness on his face was due to anger or embarrassment, after all his generosity towards her. He probably thought he had a chance with the woman.

"I can explain, Sir. This man was my husband four years ago." She spat. She didn't know why she was even explaining herself.

"Still is. And you don't need to explain yourself to anyone." Michael spoke, the aura emitting off him slowly warning Alexa to be careful. She eyed him with so much anger and hoped she would refrain herself from doing something like stabbing him with a pen in one of his luscious thighs.

"Alright. Gentlemen, we are really sorry for how this meeting will be ending, and I won't let it ruin the minute. The meeting has come to a close now, and we'll keep working according to the plan." Mr. Sullivan finally spoke.

The silence stretched in the room before the men began to get up one by one and shake hands. They left, and Alexa was remaining in the room with John and Michael.

"I would like to be alone with my wife." Michael told John, who was lingering around. He opened his mouth to object but then swallowed and nodded, taking his leave.

Alexa felt the tears of anger gathering in her eyes, but she blinked rapidly and willed herself not to cry. She was more than embarrassed, especially with how her ex-husband dared to act in a meeting. The cocky bastard wasn't worth her tears, and she would be damned if he thought he was.

"You already did your worst. This is nothing." She managed to say, making sure her emotions were in check. She had stayed away from him, but the son of a gun had to ruin her day on their first meeting after four solid years.

"I didn't come here to ruin anything, and I didn't ruin anything all those years when you left me too."

"You didn't? Then who did? Was I the one that ruined things then? Tell me!"

"It is hard for you to accept the blame, so you push it on others." He snapped darkly. Alexa felt the stab in her heart, anger flaring deep inside her with his words. He had no right to say that after what he did. Anger burned in her chest and begged to be unleashed on the ignoramus fellow sitting across the conference table from her.

She left her seat and made her way to him, raising her hand to strike him on the cheek but he caught it easily with a hard expression. The furious look in his eyes turned Alexa on in a way that baffled her, and she rested her lower self on the conference table for support before her legs would give out on her.

"Wh-why have you come here, Michael? What do you want?" Her breathing became ragged due to the close proximity between them. Looking intently at her with his brown orbed gaze, Michael gently picked her hand and brought it to his lips to trace lingering kisses on each finger. He couldn't resist the urge to feel her skin against his palm. Her breath intake increased rapidly, and her eyes became clouded with desire as she stared at his chin.

Memories of how the light-growing stubbles tickled her when they made love had her pressing her legs together desperately.

This should stop! She hated how her body reacted to his touches.

"I have come for you." At this, Alexa threw her head back and laughed softly. Then she sobered.

"We both know that is impossible." She said slowly. Her voice sounded strange in her own ears. Like she needed to carefully explain to Michael how absurd he sounded.

"Is it?" The challenge in his eyes was fierce.Placing his palms on her waist, he pulled her closer to him, and her breath hitched. Paralyzed with the familiar feeling, his touch sent jolts of electricity through her skin.

Alexa's eyes weakly darted to his lips as his intense brown eyes bore into her. She had been trapped. She knew she was no match for the man she thought she had moved on from because at the end, her heart was still in his palms whether he knew it or not. Still, she'd be damned if he ever found that out.

"I think we've spent enough time talking."

"Talking isn't what I want with you, my love."

Michael said with slightly dilated pupils. She knew what that meant. He was turned on.

"Don't do that, Michael. I'm not your love. And you need to let me go because I have other things to tend to. More important things-" In a split second, his lips were on hers.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked against his lips, even though her words were muffled by his lips on hers. Michael's left arm went around her, pulling her flush against him, while his right hand fisted the back of his head. He kissed her. Raw. Hungrily. With fire.

She tried to pull away, but when he thrust his tongue into her mouth and used a finger from the nape of her neck to caress the spot behind her ear, Alexa found herself losing the fight. That spot was her weak spot, and the idiot knew it. She glared at his shut eyes even as they kissed. When she tried to bite his lip, Michael moaned against her lips and broke away to mutter how kissing her was still so addictive, and then he was kissing her again. Her heart beat frantically against her chest.

He was enjoying this, matching the fury in his eyes as their lips moved against each other. She couldn't restrain herself from the brute man, she yielded to his touch. Sighs were swallowed with closed eyes, and Alexa fought her body's urge to press itself into his chest when he pulled her closer impossibly to himself. His left hand slowly traced her side to cup her left breast, sending shock rippling through her nipples.

No one ever touched her right before him, and after she left him, she hadn't gone on dates, let alone being intimate with any man. Michael's other hand firmly hoisted her up the long conference table, and she wrapped her legs around him in desperation to reduce whatever space was left between them.

He traced the same hand over her skirt without taking his lips off hers, and she easily parted her legs to give him more access as her skirt gathered up to her waist with his tugging. The fact that they might get caught didn't register as she allowed him to trace his hand towards her sex and feel how excited she was.

"Goodness babe, I've missed this." ...Michael whispered out of the ongoing pleasure and they both had intimacy. "Come back to me." He muttered and pressed his lips down on hers again.

She pushed him off her and got to her feet, adjusting the creases of her skirt and top. Then she packed her things and tried to look as unaffected as believable even with her sleekness still smearing between her thighs. "If you're think what we just did qualifies us to be more than exes, then you're delusional.

After what happened between us, I'l let you know that this means nothing. It won't change the fact that we might please each other sexually but that doesn't mean we're ever going to be an item again. You were only a means to an end. Have a nice day, Ambrosia."

She grinned at the businessman when she noticed the tick in his jaw, relishing the fact that she had the upper hand and, for once, rendered the man mute.