The billionaire's contracted wife

Hey Lena, stop smiling foolishly. You have been like this all day long, it's almost frightening. Can you please cut that off? It scares me."

Lena, who had been all smiles before, frowned all of a sudden.

"Eh! What nonsense are you saying? What do you mean by that? How can you say that I'm foolish, Ella? That's very cruel," Lena complained.

"I didn't say you are foolish. I said that you are smiling foolishly," Ella argued.

"What's the difference?"

This time, Ella was speechless.

"Alright, you won. Now tell me, what's making you all so happy? You won some lottery?"

"Well... I think Richard is going to propose tonight," she said happily.

"Tcht! That moron. What makes you think he's going to propose? Did he tell you himself?"

"No he didn't. But tonight is our third-year anniversary and he promised to give me a special gift, something that I have always desired. Come on, think about it. What else have I desired all this while if not this?"

Ella scoffed and decided not to comment. "Anyway, I'm running late. I have to go now, I'm not going to do the night shift today. Please cover for me sweetheart," Lena said, putting on a pitiable face.

Ella's face darkened immediately.

"Fine, I will allow it just this once. Just remember you owe me a favor," she replied after a moment of silence.

"Thank you sweetheart." Lena happily hugged her and hurried off.

Ella glanced at her clothes and shook her head helplessly. 'She's even dressed huh? I hope that son of a bitch doesn't do anything that will upset her again.'

...

A few minutes later, Lena stood in front of the Wellington Hotel. It was the venue Richard gave her and also the time. After looking at the table number he sent to her, she quickly went inside the hotel. She met one of the staff and showed her the table reservation. The staff helped her to the reserved table, but Richard was yet to arrive.

She glanced at the time, tapping her fingers on the table. 'Why is Richard not here yet? What could possibly still be holding him?' Anyway, it was just a few minutes' wait so she didn't mind that much, or so she thought.

Richard arrived forty minutes late. He was wearing a small smile on his face and quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry for making you wait babe. I got caught up in the studio, you know, trying to wrap some shit up," he explained.

Lena forced a small smile. 'Interesting, he delayed such a special day just to spend more time in the studio. Was it that important?' Richard was a musician-or so. He couldn't be considered much because he wasn't even well-known outside the studio.

Lena had to admit, he didn't have any talent in music. She had listened to some of his songs, and they were all wack. But seeing how much work he put into his craft, she didn't dare tell him that to his face. She had even borrowed him money a lot of times.

"No, don't worry. You don't need to apologize. I do understand how important your work is to you," she replied with a forced smile.

Richard nodded happily and continued talking.

Somehow, she felt Richard kinda wasn't the same tonight. He was still his talkative self, but somehow he seemed agitated or nervous. She couldn't put her hand on what it was exactly. He always avoided eye contact with her. It was very surprising.

Somebody you have been with for the past three years-there was no way you wouldn't be aware if he or she started acting out of place, and that was exactly how he was acting now.

"Are you sure you are alright Richard? Are you sick?" she asked worriedly.

Richard just laughed and claimed he was a little bit tired from working in the studio and that it was nothing much. What he said didn't sync, but she decided not to comment, being a considerate girl.

They ordered drinks and other refreshments as they continued to enjoy themselves. A few minutes after her first drink, Lena started feeling kinda funny. She couldn't describe how she was feeling at the moment.

Her body felt like it was on fire. A strange heat coiled in her veins, spreading all over her body. Her vision blurred, colors melting together, and her breaths came in small, desperate pants.

Lena swore this had never happened to her before. She wasn't an alcoholic, but she had drunk alcohol on some special occasions like this, so she was familiar with her body system and knew that what she drank wasn't enough to induce such a change in her system.

She immediately knew that something was wrong.

Richard came forward and asked worriedly,

"Are you alright babe? Seems like you are drunk. Come let me take you to the room I had prepared before," he said, offering his arms.

Even in her strange condition, she was still able to register what he said clearly.

'Wait, can it be that he purposely drugged me so he can have sex with me? No way that can be true, right?' Lena felt amused. She had been a chaste girl and hadn't allowed Richard to copulate with her.

Originally, she had decided to be more open today and give in to Richard if he proposed to her today, but alas, Richard wasn't patient and had already resorted to underhanded means, greatly disappointing her.

With the help of Richard, she was able to stand. She grasped his shoulder tightly and balanced her shoulders over his body. Maybe she was thinking a lot after all.

Perhaps this was all an accident, and she was really drunk. But then, how she was feeling now couldn't be described as simply being drunk. At the moment, her mind felt fuzzy, and she could no longer think straight. She was completely defenseless.

Unknowingly, she was resting her head on Richard's shoulder and didn't see him smile triumphantly. At last, he had succeeded. He had a look of pity when he looked at Lena, but then his face brightened up as if he thought of something.

He could feel Lena's hot breath on his shoulder. Her breath grew hotter and hotter as she clung tightly to his body like a koala. Richard frowned.

'I need to hurry up.'

Lena woke up with a groggy feeling and headache. She frowned and stretched, then she felt a sharp pain in her lower body. She became fully conscious immediately. A strange man was lying beside her, sleeping peacefully. The man was quite handsome and well-built. He lay with his back facing the ceiling.

"WTF! What happened last night?" she shouted inwardly, trying to recall yesterday's events.

Richard had taken her upstairs, but suddenly, he said that he forgot something downstairs. He opened the door and let her in before disappearing downstairs.

The room was actually occupied, but she didn't notice it due to her condition. A man came forward and romanced her body as if he was expecting her. Lena tried to resist, but her body started acting up. Every touch of the strange man caused shivers to run through her body. He kissed her neck gently; her whole body shivered.

Her lower body was already wetted. One thing led to another, and now... here she was.

Lena covered her face with shame when she recalled last night's event. She didn't need to be told; she had been drugged last night by Richard, and also, he purposely brought her to this room. He must have planned the whole thing with this man.

Tears fell from her face as she cried; she felt betrayed. Her trust shattered. She also felt disgusted for the man who had to use some underhanded means to lay a girl. It was such a dishonorable heart. Now her first time belonged to an unknown man.

Her heart was wrenched with pain. She stood up all of a sudden and quietly dressed up. Before the man could wake up, she sneaked out.

Unknowingly, after she left, the man who had been asleep woke up. He seemed to have been awake before but was reluctant to get up.

"What the hell? That damn Bastoni tricked me," he muttered. He wasn't feeling happy; he was very mad. He could hear her crying, and considering that she was still a virgin, he came to the conclusion that she didn't come of her own volition. She must have been tricked.

All of this was an accident. But would she even believe him?

"Anyway, I think I need to have a word with that Bastoni. It seems he doesn't know his place anymore. I'm sure this has something to do with my father. That old turtle," he cursed.

"But then, she is really beautiful and also my type."

***.

A few minutes later, Lena arrived at Richard's house. After a simple knock, no one answered. She tilted the door handle curiously, and it opened naturally. There was no need to continue knocking, so she walked in immediately, fuming. She was ready to confront him and tell him a piece of her mind.

Of course, that was just an excuse. The truth is, she was still hopeful-very hopeful-that all this might be a misunderstanding. She knew it was wishful thinking, but she still wanted to hear from him.

He wasn't in the living room, so she headed to his room. As she got closer, she heard his gloomy-sounding voice. He probably just woke up.

"What the hell are you saying, Lazarus? What do you mean I took her to the wrong room?"

Lena, who had been about to open the door, paused. She figured she was about to eavesdrop on something important. Luckily, Richard's phone was on loudspeaker.

"You heard me right, Richards. You took her to the wrong room. My boss was displeased. Another bitch was sent to his room, so he thought he had been tricked. He was very angry and swore he wouldn't give a damn," the person at the other end of the phone replied.

"Bullshit! This is bullshit! Don't tell me you and your boss don't want to pay me, and you are giving nonsense excuses. I'm not stupid at all. You think after sacrificing my girlfriend's virgin body, I will allow you to go without paying me?" he cursed loudly.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Lazarus asked, feeling offended. "I'm not lying to you. It was the wrong room, and also, the occupant seems to be a powerful person. I wasn't able to investigate his identity due to his tight security. He might be a billionaire or maybe a powerful official, who knows?"

Lena couldn't listen anymore and burst inside the room.

"You vile bastard! How dare you do this to me? How dare you sell me off like some cheap slut?"

Richard was startled.

"Wait, I can explain." He hurriedly tried to explain, but she didn't give him the chance to.

Smack!

She slapped him.

Richard was in a daze. This was the very first time Lena had ever lifted her hands and slapped him. She had always been a kind girl; he couldn't believe she was this fierce.

Lena left immediately and didn't even look back to see his shocked expression. She ordered a cab outside.

On reaching her apartment, she was quite shocked to see her best friend, Ella, standing on her doorstep with a pizza box.

"Hey, what the hell was keeping you? I have been waiting here for a few minutes now, you know? Don't tell me you slept over with..." She paused when she saw Lena's expression clearly.

"Hey, what happened, sweetheart? Why is your face like this? What did that bastard do to you?" She was genuinely worried, seeing how she looked.

Lena stepped forward and hugged her tightly. She was feeling so emotionally down right now and really needed someone to rely on, and Ella came at the right time. She felt honored by her friend's faithfulness. Even though she was on the night shift last night, she still came to check on her and see how her date went.

It wasn't the first time. Ella had always been there for her, always watching out for her. Their only issue was that she hated Richard and had always advised her to leave Richard that he was no good. She had always hated hearing her bad-mouth Richard, but now she felt that she had really wronged her friend.

When Ella was informed of what had happened, she was mad.

"That bastard! How dare he do this to you? I always knew that boy was good for nothing," she fumed.

Lena had to try her best to calm her friend down. She could see that Ella was genuinely worried about her, and that made her happy.

"You shouldn't worry too much, Ella. I think I will get over it very soon," she assured her friend.

Knock knock!

A loud knock came from the door.

"Are you expecting anybody?" Ella asked.

"No, I'm not." Lena was also confused.

"Okay, I'll get the door for you then," Ella volunteered. Lena nodded, grateful.

Soon, she heard Ella's loud voice.

"You? What are you doing here? How dare you show your face after what you did?"

Lena immediately sat up from the bed. She could hear Richard's voice too.

"What's your business with how I handle my relationship and how I treat my girl? It's none of your business, so get out of my face!" he said angrily and was ready to push his way through when Lena came out of her room into the living room.

"What are you doing here, Richard?"

Richard's eyes lit up, and he knelt immediately.

"Please, Lena, I can explain. Just give me a chance, please..."

Bam!

Lena shut the door in his face.

"And this is how you get rid of unwanted people-you don't waste time arguing with them."

Ella was shocked. She was looking at Lena in a new light...

****

The next day, Lena received an emergency call from her little sister. Their mother was terribly sick and had been rushed to the hospital.

She was shocked when she heard the news and hurriedly took a cab to the train station.

After some hours, she arrived at the hospital where her mother had been admitted.

"You are finally here, Lena," the middle-aged doctor called out happily when he saw her. It wasn't the first time they had met-he had treated her mother a few times before, and he was also her late father's friend.

"Mr. Winston, how are you today? How is my mom? I hope it's not too bad," she asked nervously.

Winston's face darkened, causing Lena's stomach to tighten in fear that the worst had happened.

"Lena, I'll tell you the truth. This time around, your mother must undergo surgery. This is the only option now. She has reached a stage where ordinary treatment won't work anymore. If she doesn't undergo the surgery, I'm afraid she won't have much time left."

Her face darkened when she heard the doctor. This was very bad, no doubt. It wasn't that she didn't want her mother to undergo surgery, but rather that she couldn't afford it.

It was no small amount-seven hundred thousand dollars. That was the full cost of the surgery, and she needed to pay a deposit of four hundred thousand dollars for it to commence.

She managed to force a weak smile. "I understand, Doctor. We'll see what I can do about it," she said. "I'll go and see her now."

The doctor nodded approvingly.

Inside the ward, a black-haired girl, around eighteen, was hugging a middle-aged woman lying on the hospital bed. The girl was sleeping lightly.

Lena sighed when she saw them. A small smile appeared on her face as she stood there, watching them while trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. The woman seemed to sense her presence as her eyelids fluttered open.

"Lena," she called in a week, tired voice.

Lena hurriedly wiped her tears and moved to the other side of the bed, hugging her mother.

"Mom." The two women embraced.

The young girl woke up and looked a little lost for a moment. Then her eyes lit up.

"Lena! Thank goodness you're back. What did the doctor say? Will she be alright?"

Lena smiled and ruffled her head. "Of course, she will be alright, although the doctor said it will take time." She didn't mention the surgery. She would figure out on her own how to come up with the huge sum.

I think I should meet Uncle Williams and see if he's willing to help, she decided.

She planned to visit one of her late dad's wealthy friends. Uncle Williams was a very rich and capable man. If he was willing, he could easily pay for the surgery. However, she didn't have much hope. She just wished he would help with part of the payment while she figured out the rest.

Even if she had to sell her body, she was ready to do anything to save her mom, who had been taking care of her and her little sister ever since their father's death.

After talking with her mother, she gave some random excuse before heading to Uncle Williams' house.

Williams welcomed her happily. He was a middle-aged man, roughly around fifty-five years old, but it didn't show in his appearance. He actually looked ten years younger and still appeared strong.

The way he welcomed Lena made her feel flattered, and she thought she might be successful today-perhaps.

He invited her into his spacious study. Looking around, Lena thought this wasn't just a study-it was so heavily decorated that most of the expensive items in the room seemed unnecessary. Maybe Uncle Williams was the kind of person who loved showing off his wealth.

"Welcome, my dear. What can I get for you?" Williams asked, all smiles.

"I don't need anything, Uncle Williams. No need to bother yourself," she said politely before getting to the point. "Actually, Uncle, I have something important I need to talk to you about."

"Come on, Lena. Enough with that 'Uncle' thing. I don't like it. Can you just call me Williams?" he requested.

Lena nodded meekly. "Okay."

Then she told him about her mom and the impossible hospital bill.

Williams' eyes shone brightly. He looked at her intensely.

For some reason, Lena found his gaze kind of creepy.

"My dear, you have grown up, and without a doubt, you've become a woman as beautiful as your mother. Indeed, your family's genes are superb. I will help you, but I have one condition. If you agree, I will pay all the hospital bills and even make your life better."

For some unknown reason, she started feeling nervous.

"What is the condition, Uncle?"

Williams winced. He didn't like that title at all.

"Sleep with me and be my mistress, Lena."

"What?!"