The Gentle Billionaire Always By My Side

In a dark lonely alley, Ariel walked with a slumped body. Her left eye was bruised and was hurting really badly. So was her right arm.

She was fed up! How long did she have to live with that abusive drunk? He claimed he loved her yet each time he came home at night, he would reek of alcohol and force himself on her. If she resisted even a little, he would hit her.

Was that love? How would she know anyway? She never had someone to truly love and care for her.

Ariel was the adopted daughter of the Albert family. Anyone would be thrilled to be adopted by such a wealthy and well off family but instead of being thrilled, she was filled with regret and anguish.

She had the guise of an adopted daughter when she was actually the product of an affair between her father and her unknown mother.

This spite her step mother so much that she made sure she lived like a real bastard child and hid the fact from her to avoid her from claiming rights.

They all treated her like dirt and made her live in the basement. If they were going to treat her like that, why adopt her in the first place? She would wonder.

Her life was hell as it was and then she met Marco. At first he was charming and she fell for his caring and loving side. He was practically the only person who treated her like a living being.

After she turned 18, she left the Albert family and went to live with him but little did she know that she was falling from the pan to the fire.

In the first year of living with him, he was as caring and loving as he originally was but as time went by, he started changing.

He became far from caring and loving and he often treated her like a punching bag.

"Your only worth is your body!" He'd say. "You're completely useless. You should be happy that someone like me loves you!" Other times, he'd say.

But was that really love? She wanted to ask but never got the chance or worked up the courage.

Now she was even doing all sorts of bad things on his behalf. He made her take loans, lie and even steal. She wasn't good at any of that and often got caught. This led to being beaten and even jailed for a week or two.

She still did all those things because she thought he truly loved her and that was what a person receiving love must do. They must sacrifice a bit.

'But Clara never did those things!' she thought as she dragged her body through the dark alley.

Clara was her sister. The real and only true daughter of the Albert family. She was the real princess and was treated like one of course.

She was also one of the reasons why her life was worse than hell while living in that house.

Ariel kept dwelling on this and felt even worse as she thought of how Clara got anything and everything she ever asked for while she was simply a shadow. No! A shadow was far better than her in her circumstance.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lip. Her hand hurt a lot.

All of a sudden, she heard men punching and hitting from a distance. It was all dark so she couldn't see clearly from her range. Was there a fight? Her curiosity caused her to draw closer and got a closer view.

There were a bunch of guys in black beating up a man on the floor.

"Oh no! Should I call for help?" She asked herself. "But they look like gangsters. Will I get involved?"

A side of her told her to run but she didn't want to be a coward. She was already running away from a lot in her life. She mustered up courage and did the most courageous thing she had ever done in her life.

She took out her phone and played a police siren in her highest volume. This alerted the gangsters and they immediately fled.

Ariel gave out a sigh of relief. They didn't know it was a prank and luckily she was able to save the man from dying in the hands of those thugs.

When she was sure that they had gone far, she went to the man. He was barely breathing and was unconscious. His face was covered in his own blood, his hair messed up and so was the rest of his body.

"What should I do?" She asked herself, feeling panicked.

The man slowly started to regain his consciousness and blinked.

"Are you awake? Can you stand?" He heard a female voice ask but his vision was blurry. "You must be like me!" She said, sadly. "People just want to hate you even when you're not doing anything." Her sad voice immediately gave him the impression that she was a constant victim of abuse. But then she said, "But don't give up. It will all be over soon!" She assured him, managing to smile amidst her own pain. "Everything will be okay in the end."

Her silhouette was unfamiliar and weird. He couldn't see her face and could only hear her voice.

"Are they...gone?" He asked in a deep tone and she nodded. "Did you chase them?" She tried to help him up before answering but then she heard people approaching.

"Boss!" Someone called and for fear of it being the guys from earlier, she decided to run. She didn't want to get caught.

"Wait!" He called out with his little strength.

"I'm sorry, I'm not bold enough to face them. I'm scared!" She said and in that instance, he caught a glimpse of her face and as she attempted to flee, he caught her hair and it came off her head. It was a wig!

Ariel ran, without minding her lost wig. It wasn't as important as her life but she left with regret. She shouldn't have left that man to the fate of those people. What if he died? But there was nothing she could've done either.

The man, who was left to his fate, stared at the black wig.

"Boss!" The people approached and contrary to Ariel's worries, they were actually his people. "We were looking for you everywhere! They beat you up so badly, Boss! Where are they?" The front man asked but their boss seemed to be paying no attention to his words.

"White!" The man called, and looked at him. "I seem to not feel any pain anymore!" He said.

"Eh? Boss, what are you saying?" White asked, confused.

"Follow that girl!" He ordered, pointing at the direction Ariel ran in and without question, white sent out two men to follow her stealthily.

He watched as his boss stared at the wig and spotted a smile on his lips. This immediately gave him goosebumps. What had gotten into him?

Ariel got to the little apartment she shared with Marco. She didn't feel like going in since she wasn't successful in getting what he had asked her to steal. Maybe, it was for the best!

Her bruised eye and hurting arm were the result of her failed attempt as she was caught before she could even reach it.

"I hope he didn't drink!" She said to herself.

She opened the door and was about to announce her presence when she heard him talking. He was on the phone.

"Don't worry!" She heard him say. "I'm doing everything you ask, aren't I? She does them blindly because she's stupid!"

'Who is he talking to and who is he talking about?' She thought.

"Of course!" He said. "I'll get it done next week. Besides, she loves me too much to refuse anyway!"

Ariel's eyes widened.

'Is he talking about me?'

"I'll get the job done and it'll be over. Trust me!" He grinned and just then, she dropped something, alerting him. "I got to go." He said and cut the call. "You're back!" He scanned her hands but it was empty.

"I... I couldn't get it!" She said and fiddled her thumbs.

Marco frowned but since he was in a good mood, he decided to let it go this time.

"It's alright!" He said and she looked up at him, surprised. "We don't have to steal every time to get food and other necessities from now on either!" He said and she was more surprised.

"Did your business work out?" She asked with delight.

"Something like that!" He said and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Something good happened! Let's order dinner. What do you want to eat? I'll treat you like a princess tonight!"

Ariel felt really relieved. If everything was okay then that meant she wouldn't have to steal ever again and maybe he wouldn't drink and hit her either. She smiled and hugged him.

'Keep smiling!' Marco thought with a menacing grin. 'You're going to make me really rich!'

A few days after that, Marco approached Ariel while she was doing the dishes and made a proposal. It wasn't a marriage proposal but was something extremely disgusting.

The plate she was holding fell from her grip and crashed on the floor.

"What are you doing? Don't you know that was worth a fortune?" Marco barked but her hands were trembling.

"What did you just say?" She asked with a shaky voice. "You... you want me to... "

"Stop overreacting!" He said and scratched the back of his head. "It's just drinking, can't you do that little? I finally got this job. He's my boss so I want him to have a good impression of me!"

"But... but... what if he tries to touch me?" She asked and he took a nasty look at her. He leaned in and whispered.

"What? It's not like you're some pure virgin. You were already dirty before I took you in, anyway. This is the least you can do for me, isn't it?" Ariel was horrified at his words.

She stepped back. Who was he? Was he the man she thought was absolutely loving and caring? He was a completely different person.

"Now, you don't have to look at me like that." He said and thought of something before sighing. "Okay, if you don't want to do it. I won't force you!" He said.

"Re... really?" She asked and he nodded.

"Have I ever lied to you?" He hugged her and grinned. "I won't force you to do what you don't want!"

Ariel felt a little relieved but there was this sense of foreboding she couldn't help but feel. His hands, which were once warm and felt safe were now cold and threatening.

She couldn't help but think back to the conversation she heard him have with that person over the phone. Was he playing her?

No! She was definitely misunderstanding things. They had been together for four years, there was no way he would play her. She had to have faith in their love.

That night, Marco took Ariel out for dinner. He bought her a nice dress and took her to a really fancy restaurant. This assured her that he still loved her and all that anxiety was just in her head but the foreboding remained.

"Um, is this okay?" Ariel asked. "We're not exactly that rich to come out to such an expensive restaurant to dine!" She voiced her worries.

"Relax! My boss is paying me more attention these days after he saw a picture of you on my phone." He said, clearly hinting something.

"Your boss?" She felt uneasy. Why did it feel like this was going in the wrong direction? She should change the topic. "Anyway, I like the dress you got me. It's really beautiful!" She said with a loving smile.

"Glad you like it! I spent hours thinking about what would suit your beauty best." He responded, smiling back. 'I wasn't the one who bought it though but there's no harm in taking the credit!' he sipped his wine.

Marco got a message and checked his phone.

"We're done here!" He said and got up.

"But I'm not done yet!" She said but he glared at her.

"What? Do you want to eat all that and get fat?" His question was sharp and painful but he suddenly smiled and said. "I'm just joking!"

'That was a joke?'

"But come on, I made a reservation at a hotel nearby. We can't miss it, can we?"

"A hotel?" Once again, that foreboding nagged her.

"Yes! Let's go!" He took her hand and she grabbed her purse as he led her out of the restaurant.

They entered his car and he drove to a five star hotel. Ariel was speechless. Why would he reserve a hotel when their house was perfectly okay? And an expensive one at that.

"Come on, you're nervous aren't you?" Marco asked and she nodded. "Here!" He picked up the glass of water that was readily sitting on the table. "Have this water, it'll calm your nerves!" He said and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" She asked anxiously.

"I just need to check in at the reception office. I won't be long. Just drink the water and wait for me!" He pecked her on the forehead and left.

Ariel felt even more anxious.

"Why am I feeling like this?" She asked herself and shook her head. "I must really feel nervous." With that, she drank the water. "I'll wait for him here and I... I'll... " she suddenly started feeling sleepy. "I'll just lay down for a moment!"

With that, she passed out.

While Ariel was unconscious, Marco walked in with an unknown man and started making small talks. Though she was unconscious, her consciousness did not entirely fade and she could hear them speaking.

"Alright, I brought her just as you wanted." That was Marco's voice. She wanted to open her eyes. She wanted to ask him to help her up. She was scared.

"She's such a beauty.. I thought the picture was fake but seeing her for myself, I can't seem to control myself." Came the voice of the man who had accompanied him in.

"See, I told you."

"But are you really comfortable with giving your girlfriend to your superior just to get better treatment?"

"Ah, this is nothing. She's just a little thing that follows me everywhere. She has no one so even if this is done, she can't leave me because she has no one to go to." Marco boasted.

Ariel, hearing all this, felt her heart had been hit with a rock. What was he saying? What was Marco saying? It was a lie, right? He wouldn't do such a thing to her.

"Alright then. You can go out now. I'll take care of her for the night." The man said.

"But didn't you say you're into 'that'? I can hold the camera for you."

"And how am I supposed to trust you that you won't use it to blackmail me later?"

"I would never. Though I'm confident that this bitch has nowhere and no one to rub to, I still need something on her in order to keep her on a leash. I might need her for something like this again, you know what I mean?" He winked and the man nodded, giving in to his reasoning.

"Alright. You can film but make sure my face does not appear in the video, got it?"

"Yes, sir." Marco's eyes brimmed with vigor.

Ariel's eyes were already spilling out tears. She couldn't understand it. Why was this happening? Marco was going to do such a thing to her without a single inch of regret.

Why was she the one that would have to suffer?

Just as the man advanced towards her, she struggled to open her eyes and once she did, all she had to do was move her weak limbs. She didn't care if she'd have to risk her life.

No matter what, dying was better than living such a humiliating life.

"You're so gorgeous." The man said, licking his lips and his eyes leaking with lust. "The dress I got for you seems to fit you really well. You don't know how many times I imagined ripping it off you and having you beg under me." He touched her face.

Ariel felt sick. This dress... Was it from him? Her eyes raged and the anger within burned, causing her to finally move her body like she wanted.

When the man least expected, her elbow went straight for his face but Marco caught it, glaring at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" He looked angrily at her. "Can't you be obedient?"

She glared back at him in disgust and anger.

"What's with that gaze? Can't you sacrifice this much for me? Why are you being so petty? Just because you're pretty, do you think everything revolves around you?"

Ariel's anger surged. Who was he to speak to her like that?

Of course she knew the world did not revolve around her.

From the moment she was born, the moment she understood her situation in that house and the moment she started receiving his abuse, she knew very well that that world was not about her but that it was against her.

She spat on his face, infuriating him and he hit her face without restraint.

"Hey, don't ruin her face." The man said. "She has to look good for the camera."

"Oh, sorry sir." Marco looked like a trained pup in front of his superior but in front of Ariel, he glared daggers.

"Thanks for hitting me." Ariel suddenly said.

What she needed more than anything was a reality check and as soon as he hit her, everything became really clear and she understood what she must do, going forward.

Neither of them expected her to suddenly retaliate because of the drug but then, she started struggling and screaming her lungs out.

"What the... Did you feed her the drug?" The man asked Marco who nodded.

"I did. I don't understand why she still has this much control of her body."

"Then feed her another."

While Marco was rummaging through his pocket for the remnant of the drug, Ariel bit hard on the man's hand and punched his face before walking out from underneath him but that wasn't enough.

Her ankle got caught.

"You little bitch. How dare you?" The man spat out with a bloody nose. "You'll regret this. I'll break you into a million pieces."

'No, I have to escape.' Was all Ariel could think of.

"Give me something to tie her with." The man ordered and Ariel's eyes widened, still reminding herself.

'I have to escape.'

Just when Marco picked up his tie, a hard knock came in the door.

"Hey, what's going on in there?" They both froze.

Seeing this, Ariel took her chance and yelled as loud as she could.

"Help me."

This cry for help reached outside and the door burst open.

"What's going on here?" It was a staff member.

The man held Ariel down and covered her mouth to avoid her from screaming or making a fuss.

"Nothing's going on. You must have it wrong." Marco said, smiling awkwardly.

"But I heard."

"Don't butt in other people's matters." He said to the staff and tried to close the door but at that moment, Ariel bit the man's hand to the point of ripping out his flesh, causing the man to groan in pain and let go.

"Please help me." Ariel screamed.

Marco tried to close the door by force but suddenly, a foot or rather, a shining black leather shoe which seemed to cost as much as a house, stopped the door.

"I seem to have heard a damsel in distress." Came the voice of the shoe's owner.