Hate To Love You My Billionaire Lover

“Do you mean you are happy to let your grandfather watch his company get dismantled into pieces and sold like scrap metal? To let him see his old partners, who’ve worked with him for decades, lose their jobs? And then to go to prison on top of that? Don’t you think that’s worse than what I’m asking of you?”

Arianna bit her lip. She knew every word he said was a fact. All of this would be worse than death for her grandfather.

But Travis was not finished, “And, Mr. Sanchez offended more people than just me in his prime. His competitors, who were once driven to despair by your grandfather, would surely have more uncivilized negotiations for you too. Do you really think he can live peacefully if I let him go? And what about the thousands of families you would leave without an income?”

Arianna snorted and said, “Won’t you be the one putting them out of jobs?”

But Travis Cooper was right. Nearly half of the Sanchez Group’s first-line employees followed her grandfather for over twenty years. They dedicated a lot of their time to the company, for which they were rewarded with high salaries and welfare. If the company collapsed, the majority of these people would be abandoned.

Her grandfather should have protected them better.

“It would be reasonable and legal if I dismiss them. And you could have avoided such a problem, including the imprisonment of your grandfather.” Travis replied to her coolly.

“For years, you were planning to take down my family business. How could you give it up so easily?” Arianna suspected he had a new plot behind this deal.

“I didn’t expect the Sanchez Group to be so vulnerable. There is no sense of accomplishment when it is in ruins. I’m tired of playing this game.” Travis looked at her with a mischievous expression, “You should give me an answer before I change my mind.”

Arianna took a sip of the tea. Her palms were sweaty and slippery on the handle of the teacup.

The clock was ticking. Travis held his smile and was looking at his watch. Arianna was totally lost.

“Half a minute left.” When Travis’s voice rang through the air, Arianna became scared. The teacup slipped through her fingers and shattered on the ground.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Tea splattered on Arianna’s legs and the carpet. It stained the white parts of her dress but did not burn her legs, as it was only lukewarm.

Travis said, “You have one week to think about my proposal. Next Friday night, I hope to see you here. I won’t do anything in the meantime, and neither should you. If you must try to pull some tricks, then be smart about it.”

He pressed the call button and said, “Visiting time is over, and who is coming next?”

The secretary stepped in and reminded Travis, “President Cooper, your meeting begins in three minutes.”

Travis stood up and straightened out his suit jacket, “Yes. Could you get the janitor to clean this up, please? And find someone to send Miss Jenkins home safely.”

He left the room with a powerful stride. The two of them did not look at each other.

****

Arianna was very good at self-deprecating when she was bored. However, she always thought of herself as an animated heroine or superwoman when she was young.

She was a beautiful and proud girl, possessing flowers, gifts, and everything else she could ever want. But when she was about to enter adulthood, she turned from the heroine into the victim. All the bad things in the world came to her, and she could not save herself from them.

Now she resembled a lead character in the ridiculous love novels she used to read. Then, she encountered shameless coercion from a powerful, evil businessman. In order to save her family, she had to be thrown into the thorn bush.

While she was drinking her coffee and making fun of her life, she had goosebumps all over. She could not even swallow the coffee because she was so disgusted.

Travis Cooper told her not to play tricks. But in fact, she knew little about playing tricks anyway.

In the days following her meeting with Travis Cooper, she had been sleeping day and night and was having flashes of the same dreams repeatedly. A little baby was lying in the arms of a strong man; a girl was dancing slowly on a stage; an elegant young woman was holding a bouquet in her white wedding dress; a white-haired old woman was sitting and watching the sunset peacefully…

Each frame of the dream was a beautiful picture. Yet, despite its tranquility, Arianna always woke up with her body covered in sweat. She felt like those dreams were what she couldn’t achieve if she took Travis’s deal.

She hated herself for being so fragile. Sleeping did not alleviate the pain either.

While she was awake, she felt like she was losing her mind. That week, she watched dozens of porn videos – male and female, homosexual, gang bang, bestiality – all kinds of postures and scenes. She swallowed her repulsion and watched them all. Even if she couldn’t learn skills, it could be considered a vaccination for her impending fate.

In the middle of the night, she often felt as if someone had crept into her room and pinned her down. She could not scream or escape. But when she woke up, she found that it was her arms across her own chest, squeezing her tightly.

Travis Cooper was a man who stuck to his promise. In that week, she did not receive any warnings or harassment. Her grandfather was looking tired but peaceful. Arianna knew Travis eased on the company so her grandfather could have a chance to breathe.

As the deadline of the deal approached, Arianna calmed down.

She told her grandfather to go abroad and visit an old friend. She made sure he stayed the night.

Arianna took a shower and washed every inch of her body vigilantly before putting on lotion. She put some comfortable clothes into a bag. She carefully studied the properties of the contraceptive and took some pills before going out. She threw the box away a few miles from her home.

She also rented a car for the occasion.