THE BILLIONAIRE'S SWEET REVENGE

Bryan's POV

The car comes to a halt in front of the small house that can pass for my gateman's quarters. I tilt my head aside to look into the house, with my anger at its peak for being cheated.

The light from the house illuminates the window making me see a shadow of a woman who I presume to be her, the woman who ran away with something that belongs to me.

She seems to be doing some chores as she moves about the room and turns to look at someone before she continues her work.

I keep looking, remembering what happened between us three years ago and how she disappeared into thin air. At first, I was worried about her but she was too dumb to leave traces of where she was going and within two weeks, my men found her staying with her old aunt in Los Angeles. I told them to let her be.

Now that I know she has something that belongs to me, I can't just overlook it and I am here to take it back. I don't care what she thinks or what she says, I am getting it back and I will punish her for denying me the right to know about my heir.

"Open the door!" I command, without taking my eyes off the window.

Kelvin, the driver comes out and opens the door to the Ferrari for me. I take a last look at the window and step out with my suede shoes shining brightly in the darkness. I turn my head slightly to look at the head of the bodyguard, coming from the other car.

"Maxwell and Patrick, follow me."

"Yes, boss", they answer and step forward immediately to do as instructed.

I adjust my aggressively tailored Italian suit with confidence and dip my two hands inside the pocket before taking a step towards the small house.

I do not have any idea why she is doing this, hiding my baby from me and depriving me of the right to know of his existence but I know whatever reason she has isn't genuine enough. Running away is an error on its own and the offense of not telling me about her pregnancy is a crime that deserves punishment.

I stand in front of the door and without the courtesy of knocking, Maxwell pulls the door open and I walk in. I hear a gasp and a soft scream of panic from the woman inside as she runs to her baby.

I venture fully into the house until her gaze falls on me, leaving the two hefty bodyguards at the door.

"Bryan?" She calls with her eyes bulging out in surprise.

I fold my arms and look around her little living room. It is still the same way it was when I offered her a life-changing opportunity that she misused. She left before the end of our contract and without getting her final pay. I thought she was going to come back for her pay but she never did.

She picks up the little boy whose eyes are on me. I watch him intensely and I can see his blue eyes and the clear resemblance between us. I need no soothsayer to tell me this baby is mine but I know she is going to deny it.

"Bryan...."

"Long time no see, Celine", I cut her off, staring at her outfit. She has an apron tied around her neck region, explaining why she was walking up and down the room when I was outside. She was obviously cooking a meal for herself and my baby. I can't believe my child is living in a shabby home like this and eating crumbs. The thought of this is making me more pissed.

"What are you doing here?" She demands, breathing heavily and hiding the boy's face.

"To take what is rightfully mine", I say without beating about the bush.

"What? What...d..do..do you mean by what is rightfully yours?" She stammers in question.

"My child", I point towards the boy. "I know he is mine."

She drops him back on the couch and folds her arms defiantly as she moves closer. "He is not yours!"

Before I can say anything, the little boy calls. "Mommy."

She turns back abruptly at his voice. "Yes, baby." She squates to his height on the couch.

The boy points at me. "Zaddy?"

She shakes her head. "No, baby. He is not your daddy."

"I am your daddy", I tell him.

Celine gets up immediately and rushes to me.

"He is not yours", she affirms with a confident and unwavering look.

"Whose child is he, then?" I question, my eyes wandering to the boy with piercing blue eyes like mine.

Celine narrows her eyes with her hands clenched. "He is mine."

"What about his father? Who is his father?" I drop my hand lazily and watch her intensely, studying her expression. Everything about her shows how bad she is at lying.

She is quiet for a while before she answers defensively. "That is none of your business."

"Then it means he is mine then and I am taking him", I conclude with a smile and walk past her to pick up the child who is already dozing off.

"No, no, no!" She chants blocking my way. "Please, don't take him away. I beg you!"

I stand staring at her crying face. She is still the same cry baby I know her to be but it does not affect me. I can't let my son stay here.

"Give me one good reason why you decide to host a billionaire's son in this slum", I say softly, careful not to wake the sleeping boy.

"I'm sorry, Bryan. Please, don't take him."

"I am taking him and there is nothing you or anyone can do about it", I stroll past her with the boy in my arms as she follows behind, pleading in tears.

I get to the door as Maxwell throws it open for me and I whisper to him. "Don't let her come out until I am gone."

Maxwell nods and slams the door shut behind me. I hear her muffle screams as I take long strides toward the car with my son in my arms, sleeping peacefully.

Kevin is out waiting for me and he opens the door for me to get in as soon as I am close by. I slouch into the car carefully so as not to wake him.

Kevin walks back to the driver's seat and enters. He ignites the car into action and as he drives off.

I hear her scream of "No!"

I realize she is watching me from the window as she screams again, her voice echoing round the entire residence. "No!"

Celine's POV

The moment I realize he is gone and not coming back to hear my pleas, I slump to the floor and burst into fresh tears.

"Please, Bryan", I beg, burying my head in between my legs, wishing he can hear me or feel my pain. The pain of being separated from my child. Jason is my life, he is all I got and he is the reason why I left Bryan's mansion, without letting him know.

I didn't want Bryan to take custody of my child, denying me the right to know and cater for my son. I didn't tell him I was pregnant before running away.

Now I regret it.

What is the essence of running away when the past has now come to haunt me? How can I survive without my boy? He is the only one I have and my source of strength and motivation.

The burnt smell of what I am cooking hits my nostril but I am too weak to stand up and turn the stove off. I feel like dying. I thought Bryan has forgotten all about my existence but I know I am wrong now. I shouldn't have come back here, I should have stayed in LA for a long time before coming home.

The bodyguards he asked to stop me from following him go out of the house too, leaving me all alone to wallow in self-pity. The door opens and I refuse to raise my head to see who the intruder is until I hear his voice.

It is Paxton, my next-door neighbor.

He runs to my side. "What the hell happened?" He asks, a few distances away from me before hurrying back to turn the stove off and drop the burning meal.

"Paxton, he took him", I cry and finally raise my head.

"I heard your scream, what happened?" He questions and scoops me up in his arms. "Who? Where is Jason?" His eyes scan the living room and I see reality dawn on him as I keep crying my eyes out.

"Who took Jason?" He asks sharply as if he has a supernatural ability to go after him and bring my son back. I wish this is it, I won't hesitate to give Paxton Bryan's apartment address so he can rescue my son from the wicked man's grip. Bryan is a wicked and heartless fellow, he made me go through hell during the period of our contract which was to last for just a year.

I didn't run away because of the torture he made me go through, I ran because of his child growing in my womb as a result of one night of mistake that led us to have sex. Bryan never touched me during those periods except on that fateful day and when it resulted in pregnancy, I knew I had to leave. I was having mixed feelings and doubts about my pregnancy.

First, I was doubting if he would accept the child as his since I was just an unwanted bride. Secondly, because I know he is a billionaire and our contract was going to end soon. I was sure if he wanted his child, he would never let me have a say in his life, visit him or let him know me as his mother. That got me scared and I ran.

"Bryan", I answer his question and continue crying.

"Who the hell is Bryan? Do I know him?" He asks in impatience. Paxton is a good friend and neighbor. He shows so much care to Jason and Jason loves him.

"Jason's father", I reply as my cries turn into sobs. The deed is done already, I just need to look for a way to make sure that he gives Jason back to me even though it seems like a tough dream to achieve.

He goes silent for a while and I did not look at him. I decide to tell him what actually happened and how I met with Bryan. We haven't talked about this before but I know he is curious to know.

"Before my grandmother's death, the doctor said we needed a million dollars for her leg surgery", I begin and look at him.

He nods for me to go on. "There was no way I could raise such a huge amount. I didn't want grandma to die because she was the only family left of me. I was having sleepless nights because I was thinking of how to raise the money. My salary for a whole year won't be enough so I decided to ask my boss for assistance, promising to pay back installmentally." I sniff and pause for a while before I continue.

"That boss of mine is Bryan and he said he has an offer for me if I truly want his money. I told him I was in without considering the consequences. His offer was for me to be his secret wife for a year and we signed a contract. Since he said there will be no strings attached to it, I saw nothing wrong in it."

"He gave me the money and grandmother did the surgery but unfortunately she died. He reminded me of the contract and I had to just go along with it."

"One day, we had some visitors and we all got drunk. I wasn't as drunk as he was and I tried to help him to his room. He was always harsh on me and I have never been to his room before. I was in awe of how big and well furnished the room was that I didn't know when he stood back up from the bed. I tried to help him back to the bed but he pulled me to himself on the bed and we had sex. I discovered I was expecting a child after two months and it broke me."

"I felt he was either going to reject my child too or take him away from me so I moved away from his house, without getting my final pay from him." I raise my head to see Paxton listening attentively with a serious look on his face.

"I don't know how he got to know about Jason, I was careful not to go out with him all the time but now he knows and my baby is gone", I begin to cry again and he rocks me to his body.

"He is punishing me for not telling him about my pregnancy. How is this my fault when I didn't even know if he wanted the child the way I wanted him?"

"It's ok, Celine." He assures.

"My baby", I cry again.

"I will do something about it", he says and I jerk my head up. He nods and smiles. "I will find a way to bring him back, don't worry."

"God bless you!" I pray for him with sincerity in my heart. But when I remember how dangerous Bryan could be, I begin to shed tears all over again, Losing hope.

"Jason will be back, I promise", he vows again and hugs me to himself. I snuggle to his chest, ignoring the fact that I didn't tell him all the story and the other reason why I left Bryan's mansion.

Bryan's POV

I didn't make plans for Jason to have a nanny before he was brought into my house. I stared at him in amazement, finding it very hard to believe that the boy in my arms is my flesh and blood. He looks handsome just like me and when I noticed the rashes on his skin, I cursed beneath my breath, blaming Celine for making my son look and feel like a pauper that he isn't.

I have never thought of having a child again which is what led me to offer Celine a contract. My mother wanted me to be married and have a child but I was less interested in being a committed family man.

I didn't want any more commitments because of my past and my realization that women are all the same, except of course my mother who has a golden heart.

I wanted to make her happy so I told Celine about my offer and she agreed immediately to my relief. I had been nursing the thoughts for a while even though it sounded ridiculous and I thought it will look stupid if I tell anyone about it.

Celine came for me at the right time and I decided to take advantage of her helplessness.

It was supposed to last for just a year, then we can go our separate ways but she left before then. I knew about the sex we had when we were drunk and I knew that was how Jason was conceived.

I know his name is Jason because of the rusty silver pendant I saw on his neck last night. I got home and asked the head maid to take care of him till I find a suitable nanny for him.

I could see the happiness on her face when she took Jason from me, I know it was because she knew instantly that he was my son but I doubt if she knows who the mother is.

I already told her to place the job vacancy out for any interested candidate capable of taking care of my son to come for an interview. I am going to make sure that Jason looks completely different in a week. He will no longer look like the pauper that his mother is, he will look like the billionaire's son that he is.

I yawn and get out of bed, after smiling sheepishly to myself for several minutes of thinking about Jason and how happy my mother would be when she gets to know about his existence.

After Celine left, it was my excuse to tell my mother that our marriage didn't work.

Before Celine became my wife, anytime I tell my mother that I don't want to be married, she always tells me to give it a try, even once.

She stopped disturbing me when Celine left without traces. But I know she will be happy, even though I still don't know whether to tell her that Celine is the mother of my child.

I move into the bathroom lazily and take my bath. I usually get to work by 6 am so my alarm always wakes me up at 5:30 am. I finish taking my bath 10 minutes later and I begin to get dressed. I have an appointment with an Australia-based businessman at 8 am and I need to prepare my files and contract before he comes.

We were talking about a partnership with his steel manufacturing company the last time we met because of his financial problems and I weighed the pros and cons of partnering with a bankrupt company.

I finally gave him my reply last week after several months of thinking about it. I know I will benefit from the partnership more since he has agreed to make the revenue share 70%-30%. I will get the 70% since I will be funding the company from scratch while he takes the 30% and that is when the company is back at its peak.

I finish dressing and take my briefcase before checking my watch to see it is already 5:48 pm. I leave home early because of the distance which usually takes up to 30-40 minutes drive from home.

I stride out of my room and almost bump into Camila, the head maid in charge of the affairs of the house and now in charge of taking care of my son.

"Where are you rushing to?" I ask as I step back before she can bump into me.

"Sorry, sir. I came to inform you that Jason has been crying since 4 am that he has been awake." She says with a bow.

"Crying? Pacify him then", I wave her away, walking past her to go to work. I really don't want to be delayed by anything.

"Sir", she stops me, shaking tremendously like a cold leaf dancing on the tree. "Jason wouldn't eat too. He is crying so hard and I am scared he will fall sick. I didn't wake him up to eat last night because of how soundly he slept but when he woke up with a cry this morning, I thought he was hungry and prepared some food which he pushed away." She explains.

"Pushed away?" I am amazed at her choice of words. How can a two-year-old child be stronger than a 50-year-old maid?"

"Yes, sir."

"Find a way to make him stop crying then", I say with irritation.

I signal to her to stop talking with my hand as I walk to the door. I am about to go out when I hear a loud yell, making me turn back abruptly to see where the sound disturbing the calmness of the house is coming from.

"It's Jason", Camila points to the other maid bringing the crying boy into the living room. Jason is struggling to get out of her hold.

"What the hell!" I hurry back into the house. The maid, Leila moves closer to me and when he sees me, he falls silent.

"Jason, why are you crying?" I ask him in a soft voice. I don't want him to know I am angry so he won't be scared of me.

"Mommy", he murmurs and begins to cry again.

"It's ok, baby", I throw my briefcase to the nearest armchair and take him from Leila.

"I want mommy", he keeps saying while crying.

"You want mommy?" I ask back and he nods. "Alright, I will go and bring your mommy now, ok?" He nods again.

"But promise me you will eat and stop crying", I say but he is silent. "Jason, will you eat?"

"I want mommy", he burst into fresh tears and I sigh heavily, looking over at Leila and Camila who have a pitiful look on their faces. I never thought of the efforts that come with harboring a child. I thought having him close to a woman who is mother-like to him will make it less difficult.

"I will go and bring mommy, now. Don't cry again", I say, trying so hard to control my anger.

What sort of stubborn child is this?

"Will you?" He ask me with doubtful eyes.

"Yes, I will. Now go and eat and stop crying, ok?"

He nods as I hand him over to Camila. I pick up my briefcase and exhale deeply before turning to the door.

"Bye-bye, daddy", I hear him say as I walk out to meet my driver.

So much for being a single father, I muse to myself.