THE BILLIONAIRE'S PERFECT MATE

'I am pregnant', Sophia said with a smile on her face, and her voice filled with mix of excitement and apprehension.

'What? Is it for him?', Richard asked with a sharp voice, his voice narrowing in suspicion.

'No, it's for you. It has been two months since he touched me. You are the only man who had sex with me of recent and I am just two weeks gone', Sophia said with her words hanging in the air, expecting Richard to say something.

'This is not the right time for you to be pregnant for me. If it is for him, that's fine, as it would hasten up our plans but not for me', Richard said , with a dissatisfying look on his face.

'What the hell are you trying to insinuate now? Are you trying to tell me to get rid of my baby?', Sophia asked, with her confusion turning into anger and trying to decipher what was going on in Richard's head.

'You will have to do that if there is need for us to do so. Edward can't know about our relationship now. We are just a few steps away from achieving our aims and we can't let all these get ruined by this pregnancy. Once we find a way to make all he and his family has become ours, then we can make our relationship open and have as many kids as we want. Try to understand me, Sophia', Richard said in a pleading and strained voice.

'I do understand your point Richard, but we can't just kill our child because of the goals we are trying to achieve. We can have Edward under our thumbs without us killing our baby. I can make him believe the baby is his and he will be so happy to hear the news. He has really changed towards me in the past two months. He has been showering me with all the love he had never shown me before since we got married. He took me out on a date last week and he even discussed with me about having a kid together. He will be so happy if I tell him about the pregnancy. He will raise the kid thinking it is his and eventually will all his property to him. Him doing that, is also a way of us achieving our aims as soon as possible. I think that's a better way to go about it than killing our child', Sophia said in a pleading voice, trying to convince Richard.

'It is a good idea but are you sure mum will agree to this? She is hell-bent on us carrying out our plans as soon as possible', Richard asked, with his eyes searching Sophia's face.

'I am sure she will agree to this. She is your mother but why do you find it difficult to talk to her? She will agree to this as I am carrying her grandchild, and she won't be in support of me aborting the pregnancy', said Sophia, moving close to Richard with a lustful look on her face and dragging him close to her.

'Are you not happy with the fact I am carrying your child or is it that you do not love me anymore?', Sophia asked Richard, caressing Richard all over his body.

'You know I love you and you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Thank you for being in my life and thank you for fighting my cause by getting married and sleeping with the man you do not love. As for our baby, I promise to love you both always and I can't wait to live in with you both as a family', Richard said, smiling at Sophia with Sophia returning the favor.

In no time, their lips met kissing passionately and making out.

Edward witnessed and heard all their conversations and there he stood still, not knowing the decision to take; whether to turn back and leave or enter Richard's room, so the duo would be aware of his presence. He could not believe all what he had heard and the fact that both his best friend of 5 years and his wife of 6 months had just betrayed him. He never expected such from them and he felt his heart breaking into pieces upon the scene he had just witnessed.

As he turned around to leave, his legs were heavy for him to carry but he forced himself to carry them, walking away with a heavy mind and a heart that had begun to fall in love and had just been shattered. His hopes of having a happy life with Sophia so she wouldn't end up like his mother, Catherine, just got shattered. He got into his car and as he drove off, he began to reminisce about his past. He remembered his life as a child, which wasn't a pleasant one for him and his mother.

His late mother, Catherine, got married to Daniel (Edward's father) at a very young age in the city of Los Angeles. Catherine, Daniel, Liam and Molie, grew up together as childhood friends, and Catherine had since childhood been in love with Daniel, but Daniel was never in love with Catherine as he was so much in love with someone else. Both Daniel, Liam and Catherine came from a well-to-do family, but Molie didn't. Liam was actually Daniel's younger sibling, whom Daniel believed their father favored more than him. As they grew, Catherine confessed her feelings to Daniel who turned her down as he didn't have any feelings for her. Catherine couldn't give up on her feelings for Daniel and so, she kept on trying so hard to get Daniel's attention but none of her tricks worked, as she kept on getting rejected each time. On the other hand, Liam was madly in love with Catherine and when he made his feelings known to her, he was turned down. Not minding the hurt that came from Daniel turning her down every time, Catherine kept on loving him and hoped that he would be hers someday and magically, the day came, and she walked down the aisle with Daniel not being able to contain her joy.

Daniel's father's company was on the edge of going bankrupt and the only saving grace for the Lion's company to be saved was to merge with the Clinton's family company. Jackson Lion (Daniel's father) sought for help from his friend John Clinton (Catherine's father), to save his company from going bankrupt. The Clintons agreed to merge with the Lions if their children would get married to each other. This condition was proposed by Catherine to her father as she thought that was her only opportunity and avenue to make Daniel hers.

The Lions had no other option than to accept and force their first son, Daniel, who never loved Catherine and loved someone else whose identity Daniel didn't disclose, to get married to Catherine. Catherine was all over the moon on her wedding day as her wish finally came true and she was walking down the aisle with her dream man. As they exchanged vows, Catherine put on a satisfying smile, knowing she had finally gotten hold of her dream man but Daniel on the other hand, was devastated and seeing the woman he loved watching as he exchanged marital vows with another woman really hurt.

Life with Daniel after their wedding was not what Catherine had anticipated. She never got Daniel's attention as he barely came home. He was most of the times at his secret lover's place whose identity was unknown. Daniel ignored her totally, making her devastated but she found solace in her friend, Molie, who kept on encouraging her that Daniel would change and finally fall in love with her one day. Two years went by and still yet, Catherine hadn't gotten Daniel to fall in love with her and his attitude kept on getting worse. Catherine thought if she births Daniel's child, maybe he would change his attitude towards her and then, she decided to get pregnant. The question she asked herself was– How was she going to conceive when Daniel hadn't touched her since they got married? She thought over and over again on what to do to make him make love with her and then, she devised a plan which actually worked out for her.

She had set up a meeting with Daniel, Daniel's parents and her own parents with one motive in mind; to make Daniel mate her.

'I want a divorce', Catherine said at the gathering, when everyone was seated. Shock was on everyone's face except from that of Catherine. Daniel too was shocked as he didn't know where that statement was coming from, and he was curious to know as to why she had said that. But from another perspective, he was actually glad and happy, as this would enable him to become free and be with his lover, but he never knew the trick Catherine was trying to pull.

'What? What do you mean by that? Is there anything we need to know?', Daniel's dad asked.

'I am tired of Daniel avoiding me. Since we got married two years ago, I have been suffering in that house and dying silently. He has never touched me and he barely comes home. I am tired and can't take this anymore. I am filing for divorce soon and I just want to carry you along', Catherine had said.

'Daniel, is there anything you want to say about this?', Catherine's dad asked.

'If divorce is what she wants, I will gladly give her', Daniel said without hesitance, which actually hurt Catherine's feelings.

'Since both parties have agreed on getting divorce, then we should go on with that. But I would like to bring to your notice that, this divorce will bring an end to our partnership with your company', Catherine's dad said, making a move to leave.

'That won't be happening as no divorce is going to happen', Jackson said, making John halt in his steps.

'Daniel, I am giving you two months to make up with Catherine and get her pregnant. Failure to do that, I will be removing you from my will and transferring the management of the company to your brother, Liam', Jackson said, knowing Daniel would do what he had said, and he wouldn't dare defy his orders.

Jackson had Daniel wrapped under his arms and so, Daniel wouldn't dare defy his orders. Daniel and his brother, Liam had always been in a power tussle. Daniel hated losing and so, he couldn't stand the fact of him losing to his brother and be left with nothing. The only thing he could do to retain the management of the company was to grant his father's wish and which he did.

He made love to Catherine and she got pregnant with Daniel's child. She believed the child would change everything but she was actually wrong. Despite the fact that Catherine was carrying his child, Daniel still never felt anything for Catherine and he only played along so he wouldn't lose the company to his brother. Catherine cherished her pregnancy period and couldn't wait for her to see her child being held in her arms.

Eventually, Catherine gave birth to Edward and the first time she held Edward in her arms, she felt a kind of connection between them. As she cradled Edward against her chest, she felt a deep sense of peace and contentment, a moment of pure joy amidst the challenges she was having with Daniel. With Edward in her arms, she thought everything was over, all the love and attention she had been craving to get from Daniel would finally be hers, but she never knew that was the beginning of her doom.

The day Catherine gave birth, Daniel wasn't by her side at the hospital as he was with his lover, and he actually cared less about the fact that his wife was in the labor room trying her best possible to give birth to his heir. After the birth of Edward, Catherine could care less about Daniel's behavior as she had Edward as her companion. She nourished Edward with all the love she could and transferred all the love she had for Daniel to him. She and Edward were close and shared a strong mother and son bond.

Years went by and Daniel hadn't changed his attitude towards his family. He loved neither his wife nor his son, and only saw them as instruments to keep being in control of his father's company. Through the years, Catherine had Edward and Molie by her side and she felt not the need to get Daniel's attention again. Molie too had gotten her dream lover whose identity she didn't disclose, and they had a kid together. Catherine tried meeting with Molie's man so many times, but Molie kept on bringing up different excuses which stopped Catherine from meeting the Ghost fiancé each time she wanted to.

On Edward's 7th birthday, Catherine's word shattered as the truth she never knew was finally revealed. She realized how stupid she had been for ignoring all the red flags and not realizing that she had all along being deceived by the people she loved and trusted the most. That day, she caught her best friend, Molie and her husband cheating on her. While amid the birthday celebration, Daniel had excused himself to attend to an urgent call but when he stood up and left, Catherine saw his phone which was meant to be used to make the urgent call beside her. Catherine picked up the phone thinking he had absent-mindedly left the phone and ran in the direction of where Daniel had gone. What she saw made her halt in her steps, leaving her in utmost disbelief. There, she saw Daniel and Molie hugging and kissing each other. She tried processing what she had just witnessed and then, everything began to fall into the picture.

The lady Daniel was crazily in love with was Molie and the faceless fiancé of Molie and the father of her child was actually Daniel. She felt her heart breaking into pieces and she struggled to breathe as she couldn't stand the level of betrayal she was seeing right in front of her. All she only tried to do was to keep the man she loved, hoping he would one day love her in return, but she never knew that day wouldn't come.

As the reality of the betrayal sank in, Catherine felt a deep sense of hurt and betrayal as though her world had been shattered. She felt intense anger and hatred towards Daniel and Molie for their actions and as well as towards herself for ignoring the red flags, for trusting them completely and deceiving herself that she could make Daniel love her.

The betrayal echoed in her mind, playing out the moments of realization and deception over and over again. The future she had envisioned with Daniel and their child, Edward, felt uncertain and bleak, leaving her feelings adrift and alone.

'Catherine, is that you?', Molie's voice brought Catherine back to reality. Molie had noticed Catherine's presence.

Catherine couldn't speak as she didn't know what to say at that moment and the only the thing she did was to flee the scene, with her mind reeling with the betrayal she had just witnessed.

'Catherine, I can explain this', Molie said, with she and Daniel running after Catherine, trying to catch up with her but Catherine never stopped. Catherine ran back to the event hall and there, Daniel finally got a hold of her.

'Catherine, stop. I can explain this', Daniel said, holding Catherine from behind. At this point, the people at the event became suspicious and sensed something was going on.

'What do you have to say? What can you say to justify the fact that you cheated on me with my best friend? And not only did you cheat on the me with her, but you also have a child together!!!', Catherine said in a yelling and angry, voice pulling away from Daniel's hold in front of everyone.

After Catherine's revelation, silence filled the whole room, but whispers and gossips began to spread afterwards.

'You need to understand the fact that I never loved you. It is what you know, no doubt. I was forced to marry you against my will. I am sorry but the person I truly love is Molie. I am sorry if I had hurt you, but I think it would be better if we get a divorce', Daniel declared in front of the whole audience, including their parents. His response was cold and detached.

'You want a divorce? After several years of loving you and 9 years of being married to you? If you don't even care about how hurt I would be, what about our son? Do you think Edward will be able to cope and bear the pain?', Catherine had asked, with pains clearly visible in her eyes and looking in the direction of Edward who was witnessing the whole scenario.

'He will cope. You can go with him once we part ways', Daniel had responded emotionlessly, with no guilt written on his face and not even taking a glance at Edward.

'Divorce? If that's what you want, I will surely give you', Catherine had said, walking away, heading towards her car. As she entered her car and zoomed off, Edward's eyes were fixed on his mother, but he never knew that would be the last time he would see his mother alive.

As Catherine sat behind the wheels with her hands gripping the steering wheels tightly, she felt a sense of numbness as though the world around her had lost its color and meaning. Catherine drove with no destination in mind, with the road ahead seeming endless, stretching out before her without purpose. Each passing mile brought a new wave of emotions like anger, sadness, confusion and despair washing over her like a tidal wave.

As she drove, she cried as Daniel's words echoed over and over again in her mind. She couldn't believe the man whom she had loved her whole life and was willing to do anything to make him hers, would betray her just like that and her best friend, Molie, with whom she had been sharing her pains and worries with, was actually the one behind the pain and the worries. The images of the betrayal she had gotten from her husband and her friend kept on replaying in her head, tormenting her.

Her journey seemed like an unending one and as she drove, her thoughts were somewhere else, lost in a flurry of emotions. As she drove, she tried focusing on the road and the approaching cars, but the images of her friend and her husband locked in an intimate embrace haunted her.

Tears were rolling down her cheeks, making her vision blurry. She tried to stop herself from crying, but the tears kept on coming uncontrollable.

Suddenly, she realized she had lost control over her car. The car strayed off course and swerved wildly. She tried to regain control of her car, to steer back onto the road but she didn't have the chance. The car skidded with its tires screeching and then, everything went black.

Catherine's life was lost in the car accident. She was announced dead on arrival on rushing her to the hospital. The news of the death of Catherine sent wave shock through her family, especially her mother whom upon hearing the news, fainted and became paralyzed.

As Catherine was being buried, Edward felt a deep sense of loss and confusion, as his mother who had always been there for him got taken away by death.

Daniel on the other hand, was feeling a mixed of emotion. He was glad that Catherine was gone, and he could finally be with Molie, while on the other hand, he had the guilt of his actions and betrayal contributing to the death of Catherine.

Edward was still finding it difficult to cope without his mother and living with his father who never cared about him. On the other hand, Catherine's father broke up his partnership with Jackson's company, making Jackson angry and finding a way to get back at Daniel.

Two months after the death of Catherine, Daniel and Molie decided to get married. Jackson was against the marriage and so also, Daniel's mom. Jackson gave Daniel two options – either to get married to Molie and give up his inheritance including the company or let Molie, and her son go, and continue overseeing the management of the company. Just like you had guessed, Daniel chose the latter. He couldn't stand the management of the company being passed down to his brother. He loved being in power and would do anything to keep being in power, even if it meant hurting the woman he had claimed he loved.

Molie who hadn't foreseen getting betrayed by a man who betrayed his wife just to be with her, could not bear the hurt that came from Daniel's decision and so, she vanished into the thin air with her 5 years old son, with no one including Daniel, knowing their whereabout.

Daniel did everything in his possible best, including committing different kinds of atrocities to keep being in control of the company. He paved his way to his father's heart, gaining his favor and becoming the chairman of the company after the death of his father. Although Daniel and Edward lived in the same house, they never had this father and son bond. Daniel never liked Edward, maybe because he looked just like his mother or for a reason better known to him. Edward knew this and always tried at any opportunity he had; to showcase his ability to his father but Daniel still never saw him as being good enough. Edward had always followed his father's instructions and had never defied him. Daniel later got married to a woman of his choice who bore him a baby girl, Khloe. All the attention Edward required from Daniel was all given to Khloe. What Daniel never knew was that his newfound love had some dirty secret only known to her and few people. Daniel also, kept on searching for the whereabout of Molie and their son, but he couldn't lay his hands on any lead. He had never thought of Edward being in any way helpful to the development of the company and so, he never had it in mind to hand-over the company to him. But a day came, when Daniel found a good use of Edward.

'You will be getting married to Sophia Porous, the daughter of the owners of Bloom Electronics in a month time', Daniel had told Edward in a commanding voice, which showed he wasn't asking for Edward's opinion and what he had said was final. For the first time in his entire life, Edward spoke back at his father.

'How can I get married to a woman I have never met before in a month time? Don't I have the right to choose my partner? Must you be the one doing everything for me? I can't marry someone I do not love, Dad', Edward said bluntly, with a tone of defiance.

'This is the only thing you can do to make me recognize you as my heir. I know you have been trying so hard to earn my recognition and trust you with the company's affairs. There are some certain things you need to do as a leader, to enhance the growth of the company. You getting married to Sophia although you do not love her is one of the sacrifices you have to make for the company, to become a good leader. Sophia's family partnership with us worth billions of dollars. This is a test I am putting you through for you to earn my recognition. The decision you take determines whether you will earn my recognition or not', Daniel had told Edward, walking away.

Edward, who would do anything to earn his father's recognition, agreed to walk down the aisle with a total stranger he had neither met before nor had feelings for. But he never knew his decision would bring about different kinds of events, which will hurt him and Ellie in the future.