Mysterious Trillionaire Kingpin

3: A fake Heir

“Don’t keep your boss waiting!” Oliver muttered, cutting through his thoughts. “Or you are playing with your job.”

“You'd better take the flower or you will be jobless again,” Gift advised with mockery. “You know how long it took you to get this job?”

Noah looked over at Oliver and had the tiniest urge to wipe the smirk off his face. But he held back. 

His heart hurts so much.

“I'm waiting,” Oliver said dangerously, reminding him he had to choose between his feelings and his job.

He regarded the flower for another moment, before he turned around and started out of the room.

He would not wait to continue being the subject of mockery.

But the whole scene still felt surreal to him. A wall of pain fell into him. He gave Chloe everything he ever had but he got betrayed instead?

What pain could be worse than this? Years of being mocked couldn't be compared. 

His phone rang suddenly, its noise pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the screen. It was an unknown number.

He hesitated briefly before he picked it up. “Hello?”

“Hello Noah, this is Aria. We need to meet immediately. I will send an address to you,” she said and the phone went off.

Almost immediately, a message popped up on his phone.

Noah wondered why Aria would call him out of nowhere to meet. What could be wrong?

He glanced at Olive and Dine building before he flagged down a taxi over to the address Aria had sent to him.

It was a restaurant. 

An hour later, Noah stood awkwardly inside the luxurious restaurant. The polished floors reflected the light from the golden chandeliers above him, making his shoes feel slightly out of place.

He followed the waiter toward the private room.

The moment the door opened, Aria looked up from her seat.

Even after three years, she was still stunning enough to make people stop breathing for a second. Her long dark hair rested neatly over one shoulder while diamond earrings sparkled beneath the soft lighting.

She was dressed simply, but a look could tell how expensive the clothes were.

“Good to see you again,” Aria smiled, a bit pleased.

It has been years since they graduated but Noah still looked as handsome as ever, perfect for what she wanted to use him for.

“Why have you called me?” Noah asked as he pulled a chair for himself.

“Well, it's simple,” Aria sat up. “I brought a soft deal for you. I need you to be my boyfriend.”

What!

Noah blinked once, shocked. Aria was his college classmate but had always kept her distance when they were still in school.

That was no news anyway. A lot of people kept their distance from him because he was poor. He was constantly looked down on in school.

“What are you talking about?” He stammered, almost blushing.

“Calm down, I'm not asking you to be my real boyfriend,’ she corrected. “I'm asking you to pretend to be my boyfriend.”

“Heck no!” Noah said quickly, without thinking. 

“I'm not done, Noah. Will you just hear me out?” She hesitated briefly, and when Noah said nothing, she continued. “Just see this as a business because money is involved. I will give you five million dollars if you can execute this very well.”

Noah's eyes narrowed at the sound of money. He has spent everything he had on Chloe, so he doesn't even have any savings left. Besides, having such an amount of money would be enough for him to start a new meaningful life.

Aria regarded him for a moment, at his reaction, and a smile graced her lips. She was right about Noah after all. Noah was still the same. Aside from the physical quality, he was also easy to control.

“Are you in or should I look for someone else?”

“I'm in,” Noah responded quickly. 

“Good,” Aria stood up immediately. “Let's go.”

Noah hesitated. “Go where?”

“I'm taking you to see my family now.”

Thirty minutes later, Noah sat inside Aria’s luxury car while the city lights reflected against the window beside him.

Aria occasionally glanced at him, almost as if studying him. Even dressed poorly, Noah was still handsome. He had a sharp jawline, tall frame, and cold eyes. 

With the right clothes, nobody would question him being rich.

She finally pulled into the garage and turned to him.

“Remember,” she started calmly. “Don't talk too much. I will do the talking.”

Noah nodded once and they both entered the Giles villa.

Footsteps echoed from the grand staircase almost immediately and a beautifully dressed woman descended but pulled to an abrupt stop when she saw Noah.

Her eyes, sharp and demanding, swept over him. Then disappointment replaced it.

“Mom,” Aria continued happily. “This is Noah, my boyfriend.”

Noah bowed slightly. “Good day, ma'am.”

“This is him?” Disappointment edged Mia's voice. “The mighty boyfriend?” she asked carefully.

Behind her came a tall middle-aged man whose sharp expression darkened immediately. He was Aria’s father, Adrian.

Aria nodded once, with a smile as she moved closer to wrap her arms around Noah's.

“Yes, mum. This is the man I would like to marry.”

Silence filled the room instantly.

Adrian's gaze lingered on Noah's cheap shoes before moving upward again. His expression practically screamed poor! No way this was the person her daughter chose.

Noah fidgeted where he was. He had seen that look countless times before. People always looked at him that way, like he didn't belong in the same room as them.

Maybe it was a wrong decision to agree to be Aria’s boyfriend.

Mia forced a smile. “Aria, surely you must be joking. Is he one of your friends? Or do you want to employ more security guards?” Her expression swept over him again. “He does look fitting to be your security guard.”

“Mum!” Aria feigned annoyance. “Don't say that about him.”

Adrian cleared his throat. “What does he do then? Because he sure looks poor to me.”

Aria hesitated briefly. “He's not poor, Dad. He's the heir of a prominent family! The Cedric family.”

Noah nearly looked at her in shock but Aria subtly tightened her grip around his arm, the action warming him to stay quiet.

He however stared, confused.

What kind of a lie was that? He was Noah Davies, not Noah Cedric? A heir for that matter? How could he keep up?