One Night Stand With Mr Billionaire

Melinda's POV

"Ouch..."

I woke up with a pounding headache, my whole body hurt, like I'd been hit by a truck. I didn't know where I was or what had happened. I frowned, feeling uneasy, I was too weak.

As dawn crept up, the morning sun shone in. I suddenly opened my eyes, trying to recall of the events that occurred last night.

In the first place, how did I end up here on a hotel bed? Shit, I'm naked! All I could recall from last night was having a girl's night out with Vanessa. After taking a few sips of the sangria Vanessa had brought to me, I passed out.

Could it be that my drink had been spiked!? I would need to talk to Vanessa and find out what happened!

I gnashed my teeth and walked out of the bed .With every ounce of composure within me; I tried to remain calm as I could.

I quickly put on my clothes from the night before, fixed myself up a little, and hurried out of the hotel room. I had to get home fast.

Today was our 10th wedding anniversary; I couldn't wait to tell Andrew the good news.

I met Andrew ten years ago at an architectural firm; we were coworkers and then fell in love. Soon, he asked me to marry him, our marriage wasn't perfect, but we always tried to make it work. I always wanted to have kids, but Andrew wasn't ready. He thought we needed to focus on building the business first.

Inheriting a fortune from my grandma was a game changer, it would help Andrew and I finally expand our architectural firm from the ground up.

As I drove home, eager to share the good news with Andrew, I was met with his absence. Of course, he was probably at work, it was only 9:15am .

I decided to call him and share the good news, but his phone rang endlessly with no answer. Fine, then. I decided to surprise him at the office instead.

I just remembered I need to pick up our anniversary cake and that bottle of red wine from the confectionary. I decided to wear the white dress Andrew got me last year. He once said it brought out my curves, and maybe he was right. It was a flowing D & G dress, elegant with studded stones along the shoulders a gift from our anniversary two years ago.

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The elevator made a soft sound as it opened. It felt too cheerful for how I was feeling. I held a box of chocolate hazelnut cake in one hand Andrew's favorite and a bottle of red wine under my arm. The receptionist wasn't at her desk, which was a bit strange, but I thought she had just gone somewhere for a moment.

Quietly, I as I approached the door to Andrew's office I heard a faint groan. I halted abruptly at the door, I heard a woman's sharp cry and the voice sounded familiar.

My eyes widened...No! No, Andrew couldn't do this to me. Instantly I was sick in my stomach.

I couldn't help myself from looking, the sight greeted me like a physical blow, the door was half way open.

I took a deep breath; I braced myself to keep looking into his office. I grabbed the doorframe with my right hand to keep myself up right.

There in the office was my husband laying on his back over the table and sitting over his nether regions sat my sister, half naked. I watched as Andrew gripped her hips , moving her on him to his liking, which proved to me that this wasn't the first time they'd be having sex.

He had his head thrown back; I brought my left hand to my mouth hitting myself in the face with my phone still clutched there.

Anguish washed over me as I pushed the door open and then my heart stopped.

It took them a moment to see me. Just long enough for the cake box to slip from my hand and fall to the floor, breaking the silence.

Andrew turned his head. He didn't look guilty or scared just annoyed. Vanessa smiled as she fixed her clothes, looking proud and happy, like she had just won something.

"I guess happy anniversary is out of the question," I managed to whisper, voice trembling.

"You should go," Andrew said coldly, adjusting his shirt like I was the intruder. "This isn't the time."

"Not the time?" My hands shook as I tried to catch my breath. "I'm your wife."

"Not for long," Vanessa chimed, hopping off the desk. "He was going to tell you today."

My eyes flicked to her, my own sister. The girl I grew up with. Shared secrets with. Trusted.

I wanted to scream. Cry. Hit something. Instead, I was stunned with disbelief.

"How could you do this to me Nessa?" "Why?".. I gasped ,stumbling back a step.

Andrew walked over to a drawer and took out some photos. He threw them at my feet like trash.

"You might want to look at those before you start playing the victim."

I bent down slowly, fingers trembling as I pulled out the photos. Me. Naked. In bed. With a stranger I didn't even recognize.

"No... this isn't real." My voice cracked. "I don't remember this. I never... I would never"

"You were sloppy," Vanessa said, feigning pity. "At least own it."

Everything tilted. My legs gave out and I sank into the nearby chair, dizzy with confusion.

I hadn't cheated. I knew I hadn't. I would remember. Wouldn't I?

But Andrew and Vanessa had already turned away. Like I didn't exist. Like I wasn't worth another second of their time.

I looked at Vanessa as a bad feeling grew in my stomach.

And that's when it hit me.

This was a setup. As the tears were about to stream down my face.

I stormed out of the office holding the photos tightly, angry and hurt. Betrayal left a strange, bitter taste in my mouth. I wasn't just hurt. I was played. Humiliated. Set up by the two people I loved most.

I got into my car and drove. No destination in mind. My hands shook on the steering wheel. My hands trembled on the wheel. My phone buzzed a message from my lawyer about our meeting later that day. The one where I was supposed to discuss transferring my inheritance from my grandmother's estate into our shared account.

I almost laughed.

If I hadn't walked in on them just now, Andrew would've walked away with everything, my money, my name, and maybe even my life.

The realization made me cold all over.

I doubled back; I needed to get my things out of his darn office. I would have to go in through the back this time. I parked and waited by the emergency stairwell entrance. No one noticed me. I wasn't even meant to be there.

I didn't mean to hear them but what I heard left me frozen.

But I did.

Their voices floated down the hall low, but unmistakable.

"She has no idea," Vanessa said. "You transfer the money tomorrow, and then... well, the accident won't look suspicious."

"Make sure it looks like a car crash," Andrew replied casually. "Nothing too violent. We don't want questions."

My blood ran cold. They were planning to kill me.

I didn't move. I didn't even breathe. I slowly stepped back, one step at a time, until I reached the door and got into my car.

There was no need of going to the lawyer's office anymore.. I didn't think, I just drove. The office was tucked between a Laundromat and a florist, but I knew exactly where I was going. The same place Andrew had taken me six months ago, insisting we needed to "plan for the future."

I walked into the insurance building and headed straight for the lobby. I walked into the insurance building and went to the lobby. A young woman at the desk smiled politely at me. I didn't give a damn.

"Good day, ma'am. How may I help you?" she asked.

"Please, I'd like to see Mr. Greene," I said, my voice sharp and hurried.

The secretary's smile faltered just slightly. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Greene today?"

My eyes narrowed with anger. She saw I wasn't in the mood for her questions.

"Okay, just a moment," she said, rolling her bulgy eyes at me before calling Mr. Greene.

I began pacing, back and forth, each step a reminder of how close I was to snapping. Patience was a luxury I didn't have.

And that was it; I walked in and canceled the policy without blinking. Andrew's name was the only one listed as beneficiary. Of course it was.

As I stepped back outside, the pieces slammed into place every odd conversation, every delay, and every excuse. Together, they painted something dark, something I could no longer ignore.

Everything was beginning to make sense. I was finally starting to understand why I couldn't remember anything from the other night.

I had suffered too much in this marriage to simply let it all go. I refused to be the fool anymore. It was time to make a bold move one that would show Andrew and Vanessa I was done being Mrs. Goody two shoes.

Andrew's POV

"Fuck!" I yelled, my head swung around to look towards the door. My eyes widened as I realized that Melinda had already seen too much. She wasn't supposed to show up , not without warning.

Not with that look in her eyes and that silly white dress she always wore on our anniversaries like we were still the couple we used to be. Which we weren't anymore.

Leaning on the door, I tried to steady my breath. My heart was racing and all I could think was she wasn't meant to see that. "I'm fucked up now".

"Do you think she saw everything?" Vanessa asked, her voice low but calm, like this was just another minor inconvenience.

I didn't answer right away. I was still replaying the look on Melinda's face shock, pain, and something colder... final.

"I don't know," I muttered. "But it doesn't matter now. Damage is done."

Vanessa sighed and fixed her skirt, looking calm like nothing happened "You knew this would come out eventually. Better now than later."

I walked to the desk, hoping to think straight, but everything inside me felt like a storm. This wasn't how today was meant to unfold.

It was our anniversary.

I could still hear her heels, sharp and loud in my head. Melinda always showed up when she shouldn't, this time, she ruined everything.

Vanessa was still fixing her shirt when I shut and locked the door.

"She's really losing it," Vanessa muttered, wiping the lipstick off her collarbone like it was just another Tuesday.

"You saw her eyes did she know about the photos?"

"She knows now," I said coolly, tossing the remaining contents of the envelope onto my desk. Fabricated proof, Just enough scandal and manipulation to break her.

Vanessa made herself comfortable on the leather couch, crossed her legs, and gave off that smug, in control vibe she was famous for. I don't know how she does it, she just wasn't bothered about what had just played out.

She carried herself as if she was already my wife. Her confidence was part of the reason I'd fallen into bed with her. That and the fact that Melinda had stopped being interesting a long time ago.

You think she bought it?" Vanessa asked, raising a skeptical brow.

I shrugged. "She left, didn't she?"

I glanced out the window. She'd probably be halfway across the parking garage by now, clutching her pearls like a soap opera heroine. Melinda never did know how to handle confrontation. Always the quiet type. Sweet. Predictable.

That was the beauty of her.

She never saw it coming.

Vanessa laughed, low and cruel. You're something else, babe so ruthless.

No," I said as I leaned back in my chair. "I'm practical."

Marriage is a business arrangement. Always has been. Melinda and I made sense on paper. Two architects, fresh out of school, building a firm from scratch. She had the talent, and I had the drive. I let her shine a little just enough to keep her wanting more, but not enough to become a threat.

She never realized she was working for me, not with me.

Until she started talking about starting her own firm. Wanting more. That's when I knew she had to go. A divorce would cost too much bad press, bad timing, and Melinda had more friends in the design world than I liked to admit.

So Vanessa and I made a plan.

The photos. The staged betrayal. The right push at the right moment.

And it worked until she showed up before we were ready.

"She didn't scream," Vanessa said suddenly, almost disappointed. "She just looked... shattered."

"She'll cry it out in some hotel bathroom and go back to her pretty little spreadsheets," I muttered. "Melinda doesn't have the guts to walk away."

Something felt off.

It wasn't disgust. I'd seen that before. This was worse. It was the silence. She didn't say a word. The way she didn't crumble right there in front of us.

She just... walked out.

"She knows," I said quietly.

Vanessa blinked. "Knows what?"

I turned slowly toward her, every muscle stiffening. "She heard us."

Vanessa's smirk faded. "What are you talking about?"

"She came in earlier than we expected," I said, standing. "I didn't hear the elevator. She must've already been outside the door when we were talking."

"You said the door was shut"

"Doors don't muffle secrets, Vanessa. You and I were talking about her life insurance policy. About how convenient it would be if she just... disappeared. You think that didn't plant a seed?"

Silence.

I picked up my phone and dialed her number. Straight to voicemail.

Again.

I tossed the phone back on the desk. "Damn it."

"She won't do anything," Vanessa said nervously. "She's soft, remember?"

"Not anymore," I said, eyes narrowing. "If she heard what I think she did, she's not just angry. She's calculating."

Vanessa shifted on the couch. "Okay, so what now?"

"I check the bank accounts. The property deeds. I'll call Marcus see if he's heard from her. She can't move much without making noise."

The more I spoke, the more distant she seemed. For the first time in years, I couldn't read Melinda and that shook me more than I was ready to admit.

She was good at planning things when she wanted to be. Obsessive with details. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. That wasn't grief I saw in her eyes when she left. That was clarity.

Melinda had stopped being weak the moment I thought I broke her and if she was smart and she was, she'd already gone to the lawyers. Maybe even canceled the insurance policy. Maybe moved the money. If she had any dirt on me, she'd bury it deep until she was ready to strike.

The hunter had become the hunted.

"She's not coming back," I muttered.

Vanessa stood stiffly, arms folded. "So that's it? You're just going to let her leave?"

"I don't have a choice. Not right now."

I reached into my drawer and pulled out the file Vanessa and I had put together, fabricated emails, staged hotel receipts, doctored surveillance photos. All of it felt like a joke now. Because if Melinda really left, and she had something stronger than this up her sleeve I was the one exposed.

Vanessa hovered behind me like a vulture. "If she talks"

"She won't," I said. "Not yet."

I had to find her first. Before she could rebuild. Before she could come back stronger.

Because if there was one thing I knew for certain it was that Melinda always played the long game.

And for the first time since she walked into my life, I didn't know what move she'd make next.

Melinda's POV

My heart pounded hard, thudding against my ribs. The weight of betrayal sat heavy in my gut, making me feel sick. Every breath felt shallow, like even the air was filled with disappointment.

My life was falling apart. My heart raced. My hands shook on the wheel, but I kept them there tight, my knuckles turned white. I hadn't stopped crying since I left .

My vision blurred as the city lights bled into each other, streaks of gold and red running like wet paint. I blinked hard but the tears kept coming, hot and steady. This wasn't real, it couldn't be but the ache in my chest said otherwise. This was a bloody nightmare.

What was I going to do?

It had been over thirty minutes since I walked out of Andrew's office, and I still had no idea where I was going. I didn't need a destination. Not yet. Just movement.

I needed to feel like I was putting distance between myself and the mess behind me. Only the engine kept going, filling the empty space Andrew and Vanessa had cut out of me.

The Los Angeles skyline blurred through the windshield. The lights flickered as I drove past. Horns blared in the distance but I didn't hear them not really. I only heard the echo of his voice. The fabric of my world tearing at the seams.

And the dress I wore the same silly white thing I put on every anniversary was now a cruel joke. White. A color for innocence.A color for fools. For funerals. It clung to my skin, damp with sweat, sticking to me like regret.

I should've torn it off and burned it the second I walked out of that building. Vanessa's body tangled with Andrew's flashed behind my eyes again and again like a horror reel stuck on loop. No matter how hard I blinked, it kept playing. Too loud. Too clear.

What shattered me most wasn't Andrew it was Vanessa. My own sister. Of all people, it was her. I used to think blood meant something, that she'd always have my back. But now I see her clearly.

She's been reaching for what's mine since we were kids. The boys, the attention ,they never wanted her. Not really. They came to her just to get closer to me. And I think..

Maybe that's what broke her. Or maybe she was always like this. I just refused to see it.

My phone buzzed on the passenger seat. Again.

Andrew.

His name lit up the screen, bright and smug. I silenced it without even glancing fully. He didn't get access to me anymore. Not with excuses. Not with fake remorse. Not with that voice that used to make me feel safe.

I didn't know where I was going, but I knew one thing for sure I wasn't going home besides that, the house wasn't mine anymore. Not really. It hadn't been for a long time.

We built it together brick by brick, side by side. Fresh out of school, full of dreams and blueprints.

Somewhere along the way, I'd stopped being a partner. I'd become a background fixture. A tool. A name he used when it suited him. A name he could ruin when it didn't.

He thought I'd fold. Collapse into tears and wait for him to explain it away like he always did. But Andrew didn't know me anymore.

Maybe he never really did.

The city roared around me, full of strangers and steel and neon promises. I drove south, leaving everything I knew behind. My thoughts raced, faster than the wheels under me. But in all that noise, one thing started to make sense.

I needed out.

Not just out of the house or the firm. Out of this entire existence.

Out of the life where I lived beneath Andrew's shadow. Where my talent was measured only by how well it propped up his ego. Where my silence was a duty and my loyalty a weapon turned against me.

I passed Culver City. Then Inglewood. The freeway signs stretched across the sky like fate whispering options.

Bakersfield. Barstow. Las Vegas.

Vegas.

I hadn't thought about it in years. Not since our honeymoon back when Andrew still looked at me like I mattered. When I still believed in forever.

The city had felt like freedom then, pulsing with life, wild and unstructured. Neon lights. Endless possibilities. A reset button disguised in chaos.

Maybe that's what I needed now.

A new name. A new state. A version of me untouched by him.

I tapped my fingers on the wheel as the idea took root. Vegas wasn't just a fantasy anymore. It was a real option. A plan.

I wouldn't take anything he could use against me. Not the car. Not the house. Not the furniture we picked out together while pretending we were happy. I'd vanish clean. Quiet. Careful.

Before making any move , I had to protect what mattered to me.

I pulled off the freeway and into a dimly lit gas station. I killed the engine. The silence that followed was thick like it was waiting for something. But this time, it didn't break me. It steadied me.

I reached into my purse and pulled out the flash drive I'd hidden behind an old photo strip. A backup of every design I'd ever created. Projects Andrew had taken credit for. Ideas I brought to life that he presented as his own. Time stamped. Tracked.Untouchable. They were mine. The receipts he didn't know I had.

I pulled out my notebook next and started writing.

Checklist:

1.​Call my lawyer the one I met through a client, not the one we both used. Discreet. Brutal.

2.​Freeze all joint accounts.

3.​Transfer my shares from the firm quietly, legally, permanently.

4.​Change my number.

5.​Disappear.

I stared at the list. Then added one more.

6. Come back stronger.

Because I would and when I did, I wouldn't be the woman who wore white dresses and waited to be chosen. I'd be the woman who rebuilt herself from scorched earth and didn't ask for permission.

My phone buzzed again.

Vanessa.

Of course.

I didn't open it. I blocked her number.

They thought they'd broken me. That I'd seen the pictures, heard the voices, and disappeared like some wounded bird.

They didn't know I hadn't run.

I was just getting started and they were going to regret ever crossing me .

I turned the key, started the car, and rolled back onto the highway. I wasn't ready to hit Vegas yet. Tonight, I needed sleep. A cheap motel. A quiet room with a lock. Tomorrow would come fast and I'd need a clear head.

The woman Andrew married was gone.

The woman replacing her?

She didn't want revenge.

She wanted legacy.

And she was ready to fight for it.