Taming The wild Billionaire

"Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay but we have gotten word from the groom. And, due to some personal, unforeseen circumstances, the wedding has been canceled. We are sorry for the inconvenience, everyone. Do have a nice day."

That was Miguel Santiago, Carlos's best friend.

If anyone had told Carlos Aston that he would be happy to hear Miguel's annoying voice any day, he would have punched the joker. But as Carlos heard the words he had been waiting so impatiently to hear, a slight smile found its way to his lips.

"That Ferrari better be hot and waiting for me because that was the scariest thing I've ever done in my life," Miguel warned in a stern voice as he quickly boarded the waiting vehicle Carlos came with.

Carlos didn't need to be told before he started the engine of his Audi and sped out of the event center. The last thing he needed was for his father to start a drama before everyone. So Carlos knew better than to waste any more time at the wedding venue.

"But seriously dude! I never knew you had it in you. You just gave me the best idea ever. Abandon my future wife at the altar haha!." Carlos began to say, dramatically clutching his heart.

"Remind me why I'm the getaway driver again!" he said as he shot his best friend a glare, and pressed his leg down on the clutch pedal.

"Anyway, since you jilted your hot bride..." Miguel began, but Carlos cut him short immediately and said.

"Impudent! That's the right word. She's an impudent woman, that one." Carlos corrected immediately, making Miguel roll his eyes.

"Well, whatever. Can I have her now that you've jilted her?" Miguel asked, smiling mischievously. The smirk on Miguel's face irritated Carlos and made his blood boil.

How dare Miguel want to take over his abandoned bride?

Angrily, Carlos pulled over and gave his friend his deadliest glare ever. He quickly unlocked the passenger door and tried to push him out, but Miguel wouldn't budge.

"Get lost!" Carlos growled.

"Nope. You know Carl, if your beautiful bride should see the way you are currently feeling me up because of her, she would know the reason for your dramatic rejection." Miguel advised, putting on a pitiful face. Carlos dropped his hands, as he ran his fingers through his hair angrily.

"Get out of this car now or I will blame you when Dad starts ranting." Carlos threatened. Before he could finish the sentence, Miguel was out of the car and hailing a cab.

"Good riddance," Carlos said as he drove to the family house.

Carlos was so satisfied with what he had done that he got himself a bottle of wine. He had disgraced the bitch most embarrassingly, he hadn't even shown up to his wedding and never planned to. His sweatshirt and sweatpants he's putting on confirmed it.

The only problem Carlos had now was explaining to his father why he decided to ditch the sloven. Not that he cared what his father thought. He had called off the wedding and that was all that mattered. He would celebrate later with Vivian; the only woman he could tolerate.

Carlos was still thinking about how he planned to celebrate his victory by going to his favorite club that night when the sight of his father's housekeeper, Mr Barnes interrupted him. Mr Barnes has been their butler and housekeeper even before Carlos was born and he was always uptight and grumpy.

"Hey Mr Barnes! How's the arthritis coming along?" He asked the housekeeper, with a dazzling smile on his lips.

Mr Barnes turned to face Carlos with his signature stoic face and bowed.

"Hello, Mr Aston. I regret to inform you that I do not experience any pain in my joints." He answered in his monotonous voice.

"Well, grow older, man! I have been fantasizing about seeing you wobbling. Wanna see how you do that with that stick up your backside." Carlos whined as he took out the bottle of Pinot Grigio he got for himself.

"I shall see to that, Sir." Mr Barnes retorted and was about to leave when he stopped abruptly. He peered at Carlos, his face creased in a frown.

"Forgive my forwardness, Sir, but aren't you supposed to be getting married today? Or, is the wedding over?" Mr Barnes asked.

"Oh, John, the wedding is over," Carlos replied as he swirled his wine.

He heard the roar of car engines and he knew his time of momentary peace was over. His father, Henry Aston was back and from the slamming of the car door, he was mad.

"Carlos Alexander Aston! You have just one second to explain yourself!" Mr Henry's angry voice preceded him. Seconds later, a very livid man stormed into the sitting room nearly breaking down the door.

Mr. Henry Aston was so angry that his veins were popping out and his face so red that a tomato would be shy of the intimidating color. He was tall, but not as tall as his son. And he walked up to Carlos and knocked off the glass from his hand.

"Woah! Chill man! That was my favorite glass! What crawled up your shriveled backside?" Carlos said, smiling widely. He loved to rile up his father and he didn't hesitate to do that at any opportunity.

"One word, Carlos. Just tell me in a single word, why?" Henry asked, sounding defeated. He had a stony relationship with his son and he had been trying to amend it but Carlos was just too stubborn and hotheaded to handle.

"Well, in a single word. It's my favorite glass because..."

"Not that, you idiot! Why did you not show up at your wedding? Why did you cancel it? Why did you abandon that young girl at the altar like that, Carlos? Just why?" Henry yelled. He was almost at the breaking point.

His son had made a lot of money for Aston Realtors and he was dedicated to his job, but that was the only good quality he had. Apart from his physical appearance of course. Carlos was an utter pain in the butt, but he was his only child and Henry Aston loved him so much.

"Did you think you could make me marry whoever you want? That you can arrange a marriage without my consent and suddenly drop the bomb a day before the wedding? Newsflash Dad, that was a gross move." Carlos said, returning to his grumpy self.

Twenty-four hours ago, his father suddenly told him he was getting married. And that he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"I'm sorry I only told you about the wedding yesterday, but I didn't want you to refuse. The board is getting worried. Every day the tabloids have bad news about your habits and I'm really surprised that you aren't with a woman right now." Henry said calmly. He was guilty of springing up the marriage on Carlos the day before the wedding, but he was scared his son would do something disastrous.

"Trust me, I will have the board under control. I know enough to keep them on their toes. Just find out their weaknesses." Carlos retorted heartlessly.

"You need to surround yourself with people who trust you, Carlos. If that's your way of handling things, then I guess they were right." Henry said with an air of finality.

"Right about what? Whatever. The main issue is that if it's a wife that's going to get you out of my hair, then Vivian is available." Carlos said as he walked towards the door.

He was done with this conversation. He wasn't marrying that tramp, Bailey Whitney, no matter what his father said.

"Vivian?" Henry asked, laughing. He would rather die than let his son marry the leech.

"Yes, Viv. She's way better than that loosed woman, Bailey or whatever her name is." Carlos spat out, not looking back.

"Loosed? Who said Bailey's a loosed woman? Have you heard the news lately? You're the greatest manwhore in New York!" Henry said. This was a pure case of hypocrisy.

"Trust me, Dad. She's not the angel you think she is." Carlos said as he turned to break the sweet news to his father. He wondered how Henry would react on hearing it.

Bailey Whitney was in trouble. She knew that her father would blame this on her. He would blame her for making his groom abandon her at the altar. Ridiculous, right?

She tugged on her short straight hair and began pacing around.

"It isn't my fault that he decided not to show up, right? It's not like I'm ugly, so it wasn't my fault in any way. Gosh! Now I'm talking to myself." She groaned as she collapsed on her bed.

She could still hear her father as he spoke with Mr. Aston on the phone. She knew he'd come for her after the call and she didn't want to see the disappointment and defeat in his eyes.

As she heard her father bouncing up the stairs, her heart thumped louder and faster. And she tried to look more presentable. Her efforts were futile as she was still in her wedding gown. That was enough to remind her father of the public disgrace.

"Bailey." Her father called out softly, opening the door. Her father, Edward Whitney, was a bald, fat man in his sixties. He always looked tired, but today was worse.

"Downstairs. We are having a family meeting." He rasped out, giving her a very disappointing look before he left.

Bailey quickly scrambled to her feet and followed him. She knew the slightest offense would tip him off the edge. By the time they got to her father's study, her Mom and twin sister were already there. No one had removed their wedding attire yet except her twin sister, Valerie. Valerie changes clothes more than a designer.

Bailey sat down at her usual seat, avoiding the gazes of her gloomy family members. Her mother, Elena was a beautiful and thin woman in her early fifties. She had an hourglass figure and it was so obvious that she passed down her genes to Valerie. They looked alike in every aspect. Blonde, thin, tall, and beautiful. Her mom was a retired model and Val had followed her footsteps.

Bailey was more like her father. Quiet, reserved, and classy. She was five feet three inches tall and petite. She had short, blazing red hair and a button nose with a good sprinkle of freckles. Her emerald eyes contrasted with her hair and her skin was as white as a sheet.

She was beautiful in a calm yet intriguing manner and she knew it. She worked as the head of the fieldwork department at Wit Builders. She had only appeared in the tabloid once when her face had been captured at a ball. Her reputation was clean and she intended to keep it that way. But it seemed Carlos Aston had been determined to break that record.

"Billionaire Playboy Jilts Plain Jane. Where do they even get these headlines from?!" Val screeched as she scrolled through her phone.

"That's enough Valerie. We have more important issues at hand." Her father scolded, before shifting his attention to Bailey.

"Bailey, what's the first rule in this family?" He began his onslaught, as he glared at her.

"Avoid any scandal," Bailey replied and swallowed hard. Her father was already blaming her outrightly. This wouldn't end well for her.

"That's right and I must commend that you've followed that rule religiously unlike your sister..."

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm not plain Jane. People love me because I'm such a lively, ball of sunshine. It's only normal that the paparazzi would be attracted to me too." Val screeched again, as she filed her press-on nails. This attracted a glare from her father. But she was the favorite of her parents who spoiled her like a child.

"As I was saying, I wanted you to take over from me, but that would be impossible if we're on the verge of bankruptcy, right?"

"That's why we need the Astons urgently. They are willing to have an alliance with us for no other reason, besides the good reputation you have managed to retain, Bailey. So why would you mess up at the last minute?" Edward asked, disappointment clouding in his eyes.

Bailey felt sick. She loved living up to her father's standards and all she had done was to get his approval. She was the forgotten child, she had to grovel for their attention and the only way to do that was putting herself into the family business and outsmarting her sister. But now she let her parents down.

"But it's not my fault that he rejected me. I did as I was told. I never fought against that decision because it was for the good of our company. It isn't my fault." Bailey defended.

"It's not your fault? You are so annoying! You think you're smart, but you're so daft. Did you think Carlos Aston just decided not to marry you for no reason? It's because you are boring! All you do is work and...I don't know. Just work!" Valerie spat out venomously.

It wasn't news that the sisters hated themselves. They always wanted to outshine each other and so far, Val had done a wonderful job of that, but was too jealous to see that.

"Sweetie, it's not just because she's boring. The real reason is that someone decided to 'live a little', probably because of that tomboy you spend so much time with." Elena explained as she stared at her daughter without any emotion whatsoever.

"What do you mean?" Val asked curiously. Bailey sensed that her little secret was out and she wasn't wrong.

"She had an affair with Carlos Aston, some years ago." Her mother divulged, looking pleased with herself for spilling that piece of information. Val looked at her sister, pure jealousy splayed across her face.

"You! You're such a vixen. Acting all innocent when you've been laying him all along." Valerie said, standing. She was ready to pounce on Bailey and beat her into an unrecognizable puddle.

"Valerie,... language." Her father cautioned.

"I will speak however I please, Dad. She... she has been... I can't even say it! You're a bitch, Bailey. I hate you!" Valerie spat out and tried to pounce on her, but Elena held her back.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I am. But it happened five years ago. I just wanted to take a break from work and we were not having an affair. We dated for a few months." Bailey explained as she felt tears clouding her vision.

She willed it back as she tried to look strong. But she was crumbling on the inside. She had just lost the last hope of salvaging their company, all for hot, steamy pleasure.

"You're sorry? Do you think you can undo what you've done by being sorry? Imagine a womanizer complaining that my daughter was too forward with him and all but pushed herself on him. If a womanizer can complain about you, I don't know what to call you." Edward said, looking disgusted.

"It's not what you're thinking, Dad. I was young and..."

"You robbed your sister of the chance of being with her dream man and yet you couldn't even get him. You're despicable!" Elena added as she tried to calm Val.

It wasn't a secret that Valerie had an undying crush on Carlos. Her parents were so happy when Mr Aston had named his condition for helping them as marriage. But their happiness was short-lived when he announced that he wanted Bailey, the more sensible sister.

Before they could tear her apart even more, Edward's phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, he motioned for everyone to be silent as he answered the phone. After a few seconds, his face broke into a smile as he spoke to the man in low tones. Within a minute, the call was over and he turned to face his family, smiling widely.

"The wedding is back on. Tomorrow at ten a.m."

The beauty of the hall was breathtaking. The hall was adorned with an elegant red and white decor, creating a romantic and refined aura. The walls were decked in flowing white fabric, accentuated with rich velvet silk.

The crowd of wedding guests was overwhelming and there were a lot of reporters and paparazzi. To an onlooker, this was a high-society wedding of two people madly in love. Only the families knew the real truth.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I'm saying this but you're more beautiful than yesterday." Ava gushed out, breaking Bailey's moment of admiration for the decorations.

Ava is Bailey's best friend and confidant. She's the reason why people referred to Bailey as plain Jane, because of Ava's tomboyish nature.

"You look the same, Ava. And for the last time bestie, you know it's really weird for a maid of honor to be in a jumpsuit, instead of a gown? I placed an..." Bailey was about to tell Ava she had a gown ready for her, but Ava wouldn't hear of that.

"Nope! That's not happening. I need to be in pants to be able to kick Carlos Aston's sexy butt if I have to." Ava snapped. Her purple and orange hair was tied in a very untidy bun and shoved into a hat and she wore a plain white jumpsuit and white boots. She looked more like a woman on a mission than a maid of honor.

"What if h..."

"He will show up because if he doesn't, he won't be able to face his side chick ever again." Ava threatened, cracking her knuckles. Before Bailey could reply, someone knocked on the door.

"It's time." Her father called out. Bailey heaved a sigh of relief as she heard those words. The last time she had been in that dressing room, her father never said those words.

"Are you sure about this, babe? You know payback is sweet. We could just walk away too like he did ....."

"No, Ava! Please don't jinx this." Bailey snapped at her as she walked to the doors of the church where her father was impatiently waiting for her. The moment she held onto her father's arm, he rushed inside.

Bailey's breath hitched as she saw who stood at the podium. It was Carlos freaking Aston, in the flesh and blood!

He was as mouth-watering as ever. He was six foot three inches tall and was dark and muscular. His inky black hair was slicked back, accentuating his carved, granite jaws and cheekbones. His ocean-blue eyes stood out, blending perfectly with his tanned skin. He was the perfect definition of walking romance and it was obvious Bailey wasn't the only one who thought that. Almost all the women in the room were ogling him.

By the time Bailey recovered from the spell Carlos's wicked looks had cast on her, they had arrived at the podium. Being so close to him, Bailey felt the cold fury radiating off him and the anger blazing in his eyes. And for the first time, Bailey felt genuinely scared. But she hid her emotions perfectly and put on a happy smile, as she took his outstretched hand.

***

If anyone had told Bailey that her wedding wouldn't last longer than two hours, she would have socked the dude. But here she was, two hours later en route to the Aston Estate. The closest proximity she had had with Carlos was their wedding kiss and wedding dance, then she had been stuffed into a car with a grumpy driver, while her husband took another vehicle.

Bailey touched her lips as she was still reeling from the kiss. That was the most featherlight kiss ever and she still wasn't sure he kissed her. His hot breath had fanned her face and she had gotten drunk off his addictive aftershave and manly scent. The moment his lips brushed hers in the tiniest bit, she felt the familiar tingles that had made her jump into his bed so easily.

"Is there a problem, Mrs Aston? We've arrived." A voice interrupted her musings and jolted her back to reality. They had arrived.

"Welcome home! I can't believe I am finally a mother-in-law!" Melanie Aston, Carlos' stepmother, sang as she also alighted from her car. She ran to Bailey and hugged her tight.

"You're welcome, dear. Feel free to gossip with me anytime." She said, winking.

"I finally get to talk to you. I mean Carlos' 's been hiding you and that has made me wonder how special you are. Gosh! I love red hair, by the way, it makes it hard. In case you haven't realized, I'm Miguel." Miguel rattled out in one breath, as he practically stripped her with his eyes.

"Do not look at me like that. You don't have that right and I won't apologize for my next actions." Bailey snapped at him. She wasn't comfortable with anyone related to Aston, but eye-raping her was on a whole other level.

"Feisty! I like that. Here I was thinking you will be the demure, little wife. Hey, how about we..."

"That's enough Miguel. Come on, let's go inside." Melanie said, shooting Miguel a steel glare. Bailey was grateful for that because the young man talked too much for his good.

They walked into the sitting room and sat down as they were each poured a glass of Madeira.

"Where's Carlos?" Bailey asked the real question that had been bugging her. It was abnormal that a newly wedded couple would go home in separate cars.

"He's at his house. I would have followed him to worsen his mood. But you were too beautiful to pass." Miguel said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Do you always flirt with married women?" Bailey asked, wishing he would just stop.

"Oh no, sweetheart. That would be your husband. Sleeps with everything in a skirt. Oops! I shouldn't have said that right?" He said in mock pretense.

"Miguel, can you please shut up? I don't know why my son keeps you around." Melanie grumbled.

"You probably shouldn't say that in front of Carlos. I mean he loves me and can't do without me, but you know he doesn't see you as a mother or his mother." Miguel said. Bailey didn't miss the pained look that passed through Melanie's eyes.

"I need some time alone. Please could you direct me to my room?" Bailey asked, feeling suffocated. Knowing Carlos' reputation, he was probably between a woman's thighs at the moment.

"Of course! John, could you take Bailey to their room?" Melanie called out. Within seconds, the middle-aged man appeared and signaled Bailey to follow him. He left hurriedly before Miguel could start teasing him, with Bailey hot on his heels.

Mr Barnes didn't utter a word as he took Bailey to the room and Bailey was grateful for that. She wondered how she would maintain their relationship if her husband couldn't even stay around. With that thought in mind, she changed into a short, tight gown Mr Barnes had brought up and fell asleep.

The sound of a slamming door and curses roused Bailey. She was surprised that it was already night and Carlos wasn't back yet. At that point, she heard his deep voice curse loudly and heard his heavy footsteps pounding up the stairs. Before she could get ready to receive him, the door swung open and there stood Carlos, in all his glory. Bailey didn't miss his messy hair and the sweatshirt he had thrown over his suit pants, in a hurry. It seemed her husband had been pretty busy.

"Hi," Bailey said, giving him a dashing smile. But his eyes were more interested in her breasts which threatened to spill out of the dress.

"Hey!" Bailey called out, finally getting his attention.

"Get your shit together. It seems we will be staying in the same house. Alone." He spat out and walked up to her, his eyes clouded with lust and anger.