THE BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET

Zara's pov***

"Zara Amani will now be escorted out of the building." I watched as Roman spoke with such spite. What seemed like the perfect morning had just turned sour with those words from the man I was engaged to.

I gazed at him, hoping, praying it was a joke, desperate for it to be a dream I was going to wake up from. But it wasn't, and reality was harsher.

"Roman," I called out, my heart racing. Surely there had to be an explanation for this.

"Not one more word from you..." I watched him turn to the members of the board ... We shall now continue the other agenda." I looked at his eyes, this was not the man I knew; his eyes, once warm and affectionate, were now cold, distant, it felt like I was never there, I had lost him.

"Roman, I didn't." I tried again, but he interrupted with a snarl.

"Damn it, Zara, I have enough proof here, you leaked the blueprints of the Elcon's contract to our competitor! Our competitor, Zara, is all here," he slammed the papers onto the table.

I glanced at Levi, Romans' best friend and advisor, but he wouldn't meet my gaze either.

"I can explain, Roman, I do not know what those are," I tried to persuade him, moving closer to him.

"Do not, don't you dare come near me," he bellowed, his tone stinging.

Just then, the conference room door swung open, and the security guard came to take me out. I couldn't believe that this was happening. I wasn't only losing my job, but the man I love was sending me out, casting me aside, publicly humiliating me.

My chest throbbed in pain as I turned to look at Roman again. His eyes were void; I couldn't plead with them. I couldn't communicate with the man I called my own.

Roman and I had been engaged for 6 months, 6 beautiful months. It was love at first sight for me, and I had always believed it was the same for him. Or so I thought.

I walked out of the conference room, tears streaming down my face. I was no longer welcome in a place that once felt like home. I walked to my office, which was right next to Romans, yes, we were that couple, inseparable. Memories flooded me as I walked past his office to mine.

I would go home and talk to him, surely he would listen to me at home, I tried to tell myself. There must have been some mistake, the company had lost the contract, but I wasn't the leak, someone else must have done so, to tear us apart, all I had to do was make Roman see.

As I looked through my stuff, Tania entered the office, her expression was heavy with sympathy.

"I heard," she spoke softly, trying to comfort me, "Are you okay?"

"No, no Tan, I'm not," I cried, overwhelmed.

"The whole office knows, but I know you didn't do this," she insisted.

"I'm sure you can make him see reason. He listens to you; you are his woman," she tried to convince me, but somewhere in my heart, I knew it was over.

"I don't know Tan, he was distant, he didn't even look at me," I paused, feeling hopeless "he had proof Tan, proof, someone is sabotaging us" I lamented like there was anything she could do, she was just a staff at the human resources where I formally worked.

"We'll figure this out," she said, and hugged me, but I doubted it.

Just then, the door opened, and Levi walked in

"I'll come back to see you," Tania said before leaving.

"Talk to him, he'd listen to you." I looked at Levi for hope.

"I'm sure there is a mix-up somewhere," I tried to convince him

"I don't know Zara, Roman seems pretty convinced. But I'll talk to him, I'll look into it," he assured me, squeezing my hand for comfort.

He was Roman's best friend, and if anyone could get through to him, it would be him. I took a shaky breath and sat on the chair.

"What do I do? Do I wait for him here?" I asked him, unsure what the next step would be.

"I would advise you to go home, perhaps you can go to his house later, when he is calm, he will listen to you." It made sense; he was upset now, and he wouldn't listen to me.

"Thank you," I told him, gathered my things, and left the office.

I could feel the gaze of the workers as I left. I was the lowlife who snuck her way into the billionaire's world only to ruin it, I could feel their disgust and their eyes trying to rip me out.

Roman and I had met at the company's dinner at the end of the year, shortly after I joined. Everyone spoke about the handsome billionaire boss, but we, the new hires, had yet to see him up close, and the dinner was the perfect opportunity.

After 2 glasses of wine, I felt light-headed and needed to get some air, so I stepped out,

"It's a rather dull evening, don't you think?" someone asked beside me

"No, look at the sky, it's a beautiful evening," I countered, turning to look at the man by my side, who was created tall and covered me in his evening tuxedo. His face was blurry, but I could see that he was beautiful, as beautiful as the stars I was staring at.

"Maybe you are right, but not as beautiful as you." My eyes flew open, my head blank, he had complimented me, someone had noticed a simple HR assistant like me.

"Oh, thank you," I said after finding my word

"Roman Vale," he introduced himself and stretched out his hand for a handshake.

The world stopped in that moment. I choked on my drink, and his suit was ruined. I could remember him laughing at my clumsiness.

Looking back now, I wonder where that man was and who was doing this to us.

Looking back now, I wonder where that man was and who was doing this to us.

I was determined to do what Levi had advised; I was going to wait it out and talk to him as a couple, or whatever was left of that. There had been no signs, there had been no warning. We had gone on a date the week before, and it was filled with love and laughter.

At home, I tried logging in to the company's database to find some once of truth to back up my own story when I told it to Roman, but I had been locked out of the company's database.

What do I do? I paced around the room, I couldn't wait for time to fly by, to see Roman and explain to him that there was indeed a mistake somewhere.

Stacy, my dog, barked like she knew my frustration,

"It's going to be alright, right Stacy?" I asked her, and she barked again

"Thanks for being a brave dog." I brushed her hair as she came to sit by me.

After what felt like hours, I picked up my keys and left the house. I headed for Romans, I knew he would be home by now. I wasn't quite sure of the words to say to him, but I knew I had to try. At the gate, I put in the code, and it opened. I sighed in relief, he hadn't yet changed it.

I drove straight to the apartment I thought Roman would be in and found the door open. wiping away my tears, I went into the house. It was quiet, and on the table, I discovered the files with my signature on them.

"Blueprint handed over to...." I sighed heavily; whoever had done this clearly must have had it out for me. I heard some noise coming from the room.

Thank goodness, I thought, he was home.

As I entered the room, my world came to a halt for the second time that day.

The keys in my hands dropped to the floor.

"Zara..."

Romans pov***

I heard the key drop to the ground, and my eyes went up; there she was, Zara.

"Zara..." I called out, but she was gone.

I wasn't going to chase after her; she had struck me where it hurt the most, she knew how much the contract meant to me, and she leaked it out.

Tania's eyes lit up as she raised her head to look at me.

"Continue," I said to her coldly. The documents mysteriously appeared on my desk the morning after losing the contract, and I couldn't believe it at first, but after much research, I had more proof that she had truly leaked the blueprints

Nothing she could say was going to make me forgive her. I regretted raising her to the top, she was just a lowly assistant who I thought wouldn't be greedy. But I was wrong, she was after my failure.

I should have listened to Levi's warnings.

Zara's pov***

I was never going to forget the sight in front of me. I sobbed as I drove away, unable to erase the image of Roman, who seemed to be enjoying the pleasure from the lady who knelt in front of him with his trousers dropped down.

"Zara," he called. I thought I could see the shock in his eyes when he saw me, but it was quickly gone, replaced with emptiness or hatred for me.

Suddenly, the rain started to pour as if adding salt to my injury. Roman and I had shared memories under the rain, once he had said to me.

"I wish the rain would fall and we would be in bed all day," he said, clinging more to me.

"We have work to do, the meeting with your father is this morning, and you have to look good for him," I replied, running from his grip.

"Daddy can wait, but this, this right here is all I need," he said, holding me closely, and we had slept through the day.

Now that the man was gone, all that was left of him was the boy who was abandoned by his mum.

That moment I knew, I knew I had to find my way back to my lover, I wasn't going to let go without a fight, yes, I may be the woman who stole the billionaire's heart for money, but it didn't matter anymore, all I wanted was my Roman.

As I drove and thought, light flashed before my eyes, and in split seconds, all I saw was darkness.

"Where am I?" My head throbbed,

"Hello," I tried raising my voice this time. I looked around, I was in what seemed like a hospital. I found the call button and pressed it.

"You are awake," the nurse smiled at me. "Let me get the doctor."

She moved to leave, but I held her hand,

"Where, I swallowed, where am I?" I looked at her with pleading eyes

. "St Bethesda Hospital, ma'am, I'll go get the doctor," she smiled, held my hand, and walked out

I couldn't remember what had happened, I had no idea how I went there and why, then it all came flooding back to me,

"Roman," I almost screamed. The pain in my head intensified.

What time is it, I wondered. I looked around the room more clearly, and a wall clock hung on the wall.

"12:15," I muttered under my breath. I tried again, standing up

. "Please don't," it was the nurse again,

"here, you need to take some water," she offered and helped me up

"Thank you, I greeted, and she smiled. How long have I been here?" I searched her eyes for an answer.

"Two weeks, ma'am."

Surely Roman would have found me by now, he would have been informed and come to see me.

"My husband has he..." Just as she was about to answer, the doctor walked in

"Hello, miss, I am Doctor Adrian, I charge of you, miss..." he urged

"Zara," I replied, wondering why they didn't know my name by now.

"What happened to me, doctor?" I asked him, my mind flooding with worry,

"There was an accident, and you were brought in by a good Samaritan." he paused, and I tried to process the information. It came flooding back, the accident, I had hit a rock and the car had tumbled, I remembered colliding my head on the steering wheel as the airbag wouldn't come off. I winced in pain.

"Take it easy, miss. I have informed the woman who brought you in, she will be here shortly."

"Doctor, my husband, Roman, he must have been informed," I stated, more than asked.

"When you were brought in, your face had been badly injured, we had to undergo some reconstructive surgery to save it."

I placed my hand on my face, anxiety bubbling within me.

"Can I, can I get a mirror?" I asked, still cradling my face

"Of course," He looked at the nurse, and she left the room. "Miss Zara, it's been two weeks since we sent out your pictures, but we haven't heard any news. I'm truly sorry, miss," he said pitifully

Tears streamed down my face, maybe he couldn't recognize me, and so he couldn't come there, I thought; my mind concocted excuses for him.

I took the mirror from the nurse as she returned; it was me, but with noticeable alterations. My face had become slimmer, and underneath my eyes had become fuller; my cheekbones curved like those of a porcelain doll. I had become a princess, a lone princess.

"It was just partial reconstruction, although you would bear a small resemblance to who you once were, others may not recognize you." The doctor remarked.

"You should rest some more, miss. The nurse will be outdoor, if you need anything." He said, patting my shoulder gently before turning to leave.

"You should rest some more, miss. The nurse will be outdoor, if you need anything." He said and patted my arm, and turned to leave.

"Excuse me," I spoke up, where exactly are we?" I asked.

"St Bethesda Hospital, Conga Republic" he walked away.

I sank into the bed, Conga Republic was miles away from home. How did I end up there?

I wondered if Roman had thought to search for me, and if Tania was also searching; they were the only family I had, and I desperately hoped they were looking for me.

The nurse brought in my belongings, but I couldn't locate my phone or keys, just the necklace I had been wearing, which was gifted to me by Roman on the night of our engagement dinner.

I held onto the necklace tightly; it had blood stains now, but it was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Roman was different, unique; he didn't propose with a traditional ring like every other man. The necklace was valued at over a billion dollars, I later found out.

"Hello," an older woman smiled at me, she was filled with warmth., I couldn't find my voice, I only managed to sniff my tears as I sat up.

"I'm Sylvia Grant...

"My good Samaritan," I echoed, and she smiled broadly.

"I'm so glad you are finally up; I came as quickly as I could. I was scared, it's been two weeks, I brought you in the unconscious, I prayed you'd make it."

I observed her talk to me like I was her child. I looked at her from head down, she was classy even though she had aged a little.

"Ma'am, have you, did anyone...?" I asked her, and even though I almost knew what her answer would be, she shook her head gently.

"How did you find me?" I inquired.

I was returning from a business trip, my driver noticed your car had overturned, and we decided to see if anyone was in it. That was when we discovered you, but you had been badly injured, and the doctors suggested reconstructive surgery for your face. I thought it was best. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information about you or how you ended up there; the GPS of the vehicle had been destroyed too." She explained, smiling softly again.

"Thank you," I murmured, turning my face from her, unsure of what else to say.

"Zara," she called out after a while.

I turned back to her.

"I wanted you to hear this from me," she continued. I looked at her, as if it wasn't enough for one day, I searched her eyes as if to find the words she wanted to say before she said them.

"I thought you'd want to know that the baby is fine," she said, clasping my hand.

"What baby?"

Roman's pov***

"Damn you, Zee!" I cursed under my breath as I read the letter she left behind at her apartment.

"I didn't realize they would use the blueprint to secure the contract behind you. He had promised to offer me higher compensation than you would get from the Elcon contract, and he assured me of the contract. I thought I was doing the best for you.

I am so sorry; I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me.

I am choosing to leave because I know you want nothing more from me."

The content of her letter drove me crazy; her clothes were gone, along with the necklace I had gifted her for our engagement.

"What a gold digger," I scoffed to myself.

Frustrated, I picked up my phone and dialed Levi's number.

"She's gone," I told him

"How could she just disappear? Where could she have gone?" Levi asked, sounding perplexed.

"I don't know, but she better run, run as fast as she can," I replied before abruptly hanging up the phone and storming out of the house.

Fueled by anger as I drove, I thought about Tania. I needed to clear my head again, and she had shown she was available.

"Come over to my apartment," I instructed her as she picked up the phone, then I hung up on her, not waiting for her reply. I wondered if Zara knew that it was her beloved friend Tania, whom she cherished, who had betrayed her.

"She deserved whatever happened to her," I said out loud.

Arriving home, I discovered Tania was already waiting.

Zara's pov***

I woke up still at the hospital, disoriented, the lights shining brightly at me. I blinked. My savior had gone. The nurse came in almost immediately.

"Miss Zara, do you need anything?" she asked in a gentle tone.

"Yes, I would like to make a phone call."

"Ok, ma'am." She left and came back with a hospital phone

With trembling hands, I dialed Roman's number. I knew it from the day he proposed. I was so in love. My chest hunched over my throat as I heard the phone ring. He had to know about the baby, maybe it would make a difference if he knew what I had gone through and that I was carrying his child. Roman picked up the phone, but the words didn't come out of my mouth

"Hello, who is this?" I heard him say from the phone, his voice cool, yet curious, but I could not find the right words

"Hello," he said again, and I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"Want to go again?" I heard a lady's voice from the background, and tears gathered again in my eyes. I dropped the phone. I couldn't believe he had completely forgotten about me and had moved on. He must have hated me.

"Doctor," I called out, desperation in my voice.

"Doctor!" I screamed, I was in pain and hurt, my heart ached, and my head spun. The realization that I was pregnant for a man who didn't want me anymore, the nurse rushed in.

"Miss Zara," she said as she tried to calm me down. I screamed at her, holding my head.

"I want it out, take it out!" I exclaimed, scratching my stomach

"I don't want Roman's baby growing in me, call the doctor! I want it out!" I screamed further, the doctor came in and tried to hold me down

"Doctor, you have to get it out, please take it out," I cried and begged him.

"Push 10 milligrams of diazepam," I heard the doctor say as I went into darkness.

I woke up feeling dazed. I looked at my stomach, it was as it was before. I was still carrying Roman's child, the man who had built me and broken me.

Before him, my life was fairly simple, I was just an HR assistant who was happy with my job. After work, Tania and I would head to the mall to grab dinner and then head home.

We would sing and dance until sleep crept in, and the routine would continue the next day. I had left home in search of greener pastures when I lost my parents two years ago, and Tania was the first person I met.

"Hello, newbie," I could remember her saying with a bright smile.

"Hi, I am not a ..." I tried to say, but she interrupted me.

"Oh yes, you are! I can tell. I'm Tania, and you are Vic," she guessed confidently while pointing at me as she beamed with happiness. I couldn't help but like her immediately.

"No, I'm Zara, Zara Amani"

"Nice to meet you, Zee, got a place to stay?" she asked me. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

And that was how I ended up with Tania; she was like a sister I always longed for but never had, and we fought life together. I didn't know her number by heart, so I decided to leave a message on the home line.

I thought about what I was going to do from there, but I had no idea. I had to build my life somehow, but I didn't know how.

"I heard you are awake," Dr. Adrian said as he stepped in, his voice breaking my thoughts.

"Doctor, what do I do?" I asked him like he had been in my life long enough

"We would be keeping you here for close monitoring. I would like to run some more tests on you before I can discharge you," he explained as a matter of fact.

Wasn't he listening? What would I do after all that?

"Miss Sylvia Grant will be coming to see you anytime soon; I believe she has some important matters to discuss with you. I am very sorry you are in this situation, Miss Zara."

"Thank you," I said as he excused himself. There was not much he could do for me, and I didn't blame him.

I was tired, too tired to think further, I felt utterly drained. I wished at that moment that it would all end.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't know when Sylvia came in.

"Zara," she called softly.

"Oh, hello," I replied without enthusiasm.

"I heard what happened today, if you don't mind, my dear, I would like to hear your story, you seem like a woman who has been wronged." She said as she settled into a chair across from me. I looked into her eyes, not knowing what she wanted.

I thought about it for a while, and I wasn't leaving the hospital soon, so I didn't mind.

"My name is Zara Amani...." I began recounting the details, I went on and on about how I got to New Valley after tragically losing my parents, down to how I ended up at the hospital, and she listened all through, never interrupting.

"Do you want revenge?" she asked, shockingly.

I had thought about vengeance, but didn't think anyone would ask me such a question.

In that fleeting moment, I knew, I knew what I had to do, to get back at the ones who hurt, and especially to Roman, who couldn't stand by me at my worst time. I hated him, I hated that he hurt me; his betrayal felt like a wound that could not heal, and I was bound to make him pay.

"Yes," I heard myself say before the effects of the medication I was on began to take hold of me, and my vision faded into darkness.