The Billionaire's Redemption

Chapter Four

Alex's footsteps echoed through the dimly lit hallway as he entered his home on the Friday night of the week, when his parents announced the arranged marriage between him and Isabella.

The air felt heavy with an unsettling tension. As he stepped into the living room, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Her pictures adorned every available space, transforming the familiar surroundings into an unsettling shrine. The frames hung meticulously, capturing the nooks and crannies of his living room. The room, once a sanctuary, pulsated with a strange energy.

"What an audacious act." A surge of anger erupted within him as his gaze fixated on the intrusive display. 

His normally composed demeanor shattered, and his head turned blank, consumed by a fiery rage. The audacity of her act struck him like a thunderbolt.

The wall was only filled with a variety of pieces of artwork, and he found it comfortable that way. He didn't know why some persons liked hanging their pictures' frames on the wall because he saw no relevance in it.

"What on earth are all these?!" He dropped his suit coat on one of the sofas as he paced to the stairs, shouting her name.

"Baby boy. You're welcome, honey." As Alex opened his room's door, he was met with the unexpected sight of her pacing towards him, even though he had known of her presence in his home.

His bedroom was his personal space, which he didn't like anybody to be in except for him.

She threw her arms wide, reaching out for a hug, but Alex stood stoically. He didn't retaliate with an embrace, leaving her outstretched arms lingered and suspended in the air.

Alex couldn't believe his eyes at the modifications she had made to his room. 

The room was so personal to him that every arrangement and thing there were of significance to him, but she had invaded what he did call his private space.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" She lifted her chin forward to meet his gaze directly.

"What are you doing here? Besides, how did you get in?" He moved his face sideways to avoid making eye contact with her.

"Your dad gave me a spare key to unlock the entrance door since you had been avoiding their calls and mine for days, and why are you questioning my presence here? Am I not your babe?" 

He moved away from her to his bed in regret; his face was downturned towards the tiled floor.

Just like he had been, he regretted being his parents' puppet and not fighting for his independence from them, because how could a key to a grown man's house like him still be with his parents?

"But you should have informed me about your arrival. What if I'm away on a business trip?"

"That's not a big deal. I would definitely wait, darling." She brushed his hair tenderly while she beamed in smiles.

The sweet names she was calling him irked him, but there was nothing he could do about it since he was stuck with her.

He could not believe that she was okay with the whole arrangement. 

"Isabella, tell me, are you good with this?" He looked into her eyes while holding her hands.

"What?" 

"This whole thing—"

"You mean this marriage?" She cut in.

He scoffed at hearing the word 'marriage'.

"Yes. This arranged marriage." He replied.

"It's what our parents want and consider to be good for—"

"What about you? Are you cool with it?"

"Yes, of course." She chuckled.

Her reply weighed him down. Although he had known that she liked him, he had hoped that what he felt for her would have diminished because he did shove and stay away from her like a plague whenever she threw herself at him in the past. She had once seduced him to have sex with him when they were teenagers, but he was able to overcome her temptation and assault.

"Don't you think we are taking this too fast?" He devised another means to convince her.

"What do you mean, darling?" 

He wondered why she couldn't stop smiling because he found her smiles disgusting.

"Easy does it, right? I think your move here is too sudden. How about we give what is between us time?" He said.

"Whether it's sudden or not, conventional or not, I don't care. You have no idea how long I've yearned for this moment." 

"But—" She shut him up by planting a kiss on his lips, and he instinctively shoved her.

"It's okay, my love." She smiled for the umpteenth time.

"It can never be, Isabella. Why can't you just reason with me for crying out loud?" He cried out.

"Don't worry, darling. It would be." Her sudden burst of passion caught him off guard. 

She pushed him onto the bed. The sudden landing on the bed's plush surface barely registered as her fervour intensified. With an intensity that seemed to engulf the space, she leaned over him, attempting to climb on top of him and showering him with a cascade of kisses on every inch of his face.

"Isabella, please stop it." His plea echoed in the room, a continuous refrain that underscored his discomfort. 

Despite his verbal resistance, he squirmed, attempting to evade her advances. However, his attempt to move away from under her was met with resistance, as Isabella, fueled by desire, had effectively pinned him down, her intent clear in the magnetic force that held him captive, leaving him with limited mobility.

He decided to play along. He feigned submission, allowing her to believe she had the upper hand as his body went limp under her hold. 

As she momentarily let down her passionate assault, thinking she had triumphed, Alex seized the opportune moment. With a sudden burst of strength, he swiftly reversed their positions, pushing her away and regaining control of the situation.

He groaned in annoyance and left the house.

He called his dad immediately as he entered his car.

"What a memorable day it is for you to call me." 

He apologised for ignoring his father's calls and texts, saying that he was busy. 

"I know you'd end up getting along, but we all hope you do soon. We are all anticipating your wedding anniversary." He replied when Alex complained about the arrangement and Isabella packing in.

He immediately ended the call because his father seemed to be worsening the issue.

He called Henry immediately and asked where he was. 

"Perfect timing." Alex said when Henry told him that he was in the bar they used to patronise.

He ordered a drink when he got to the bar and narrated his ordeal to Henry.

"So in summary, what you mean is that you have suddenly had a fiancee within a week?" He chuckled.

"Are you trying to mock me or what? I came to you to rant my problem to you, but all you could do was mock me instead of advising or pacifying  me."Alex retorted.

"What piece of advice do you think I have for you that you haven't heard or that I've told you before?" 

"I seriously can't withstand seeing that devil or waking up beside her every day." Alex replied.

"Then send her out of your house. I don't even know why this is an issue for you."

"But I would be going against my parents if I did."

"The ball is in your court then. I've said this countless times, and I'll still continue doing so. You seem to think foolishly doing what your parents tell you to do at your age means you are being responsible, but, bro, it isn't. You are an adult, for crying out loud. That's all I have to say about this. Welcome to the circle, once again." 

"Which circle?" Alex furrowed his eyebrows at him.

"To the fiancee's circle, of course." He laughed and placed his hands on Alex's shoulder, but he shoved it, which made him laugh hysterically.

With his unending jokes as Alex continuously complained, he was able to forget his worries as they both laughed it off, but he still didn't have the nerve to send Isabella out of his house or go against his parents.