The Return Of The Secret Billionaire

Chapter 9

"I have told Doris to place the bid. And here's my proposal. If she wins, you must all promise to make Doris over here," he paused to steal a glance at her, and the worried stare on her face propelled him to speak faster, " the family CEO, and never ever, mention us divorcing again."

"And if she doesn't win?" Said Owen, almost instantly.

"Then, I'll leave her and never bother this family ever again."

There was a loud gasp from Doris, a slender hand covered on her opened mouth. This reaction followed a raucous laughter from Evelyn, and Owen followed in the footsteps of his mother.

Evelyn's mouth twitched with a smile, and let out a triumphant yelp. "Oh... So you, you want to tell me that... Seriously?" Another series of thundering laughter followed.

"You think that she would win? That you can win this bet? Ha!" A faint tremor of amusement appeared on Owen's lips.

Nathan watched in silence all through their drama. He was certain that his wife would win. All of their mocking would only be temporary, he was sure of that. His heart better hoped for the positive side than the negative.

"Oh God," Evelyn wheezed in, trying to catch her breath. "Alright alright, I mean, your husband can be a comedian sometimes. Ha!"

"I know right!" Agreed Owen.

"Alright. To be serious now," she finally said, managing to keep her face straight. "Well, I accept. I mean, it's a pretty stupid dare anyway. But, we, we accept. We accept."

They both rose up to their feet, and were about to take their leave.

Evelyn stopped, after seeing both her daughter and Nathan get up as well, "oh no, you sit down." She said to her son in law, then gestured a wave for Doris to come forward.

Doris managed to make her feet move as she trudged over to meet her mother. Evelyn took her by the arms and dragged her forward till they reached outside on their porch.

"Are you sure your husband is all fine? Cos' I don't think he is." Owen was the first to speak, but clearly, Evelyn didn't appreciate his action as she spanked him on his shoulder. "Ouch!" Mumbled Owen, rubbing his shoulders to cool the pain.

Ignoring her son, she leaned in forward till her mouth was near Doris's ears. Doris was quite taller than her mother, slightly a handful, but taller, so Evelyn had been almost standing on her toes to match height. "Clearly, that was your husband's wish. Once the results are out, I hope that you'll understand what to do by aborting that baby inside of yours, and finally meeting with an agreement to Pedro's wedding request."

Then, Evelyn and Owen disappeared right before her eyes and it wasn't until a roaring sound of a car's engine that Doris took it as her cue to step back inside.

Nathan was already standing up, trying to observe her mood. "What did she say?" He asked the instant he saw her come in.

With a darkened expression, Doris marched forward and slapped his shoulders hard—at least she hoped it would be painful enough. "How can you do that? A dare? Seriously!"

Nathan had already been expecting that much from her. "I'm sorry, okay. Really." He quickly placed her hands in his, then fought for attention because Doris would not bring her gaze to meet him amidst all the chattering and complaining. "Hey hey, Doris, I'm sorry. I really am," finally, her eyes met his. They were already teary.

Fuck!

He didn't mean to see her cry. Never would he do something so stupid. "Listen to me, I really am sorry that tonight happened like this. But I promise you that it wasn't a blind dare. I truly have some connections at work." He couldn't understand the expression on her face, so he added to emphasize his confidence. "Really."

Doris's expression softened a bit, but she was still furious and worried. "Yea? How?"

"Oh, uh... I know the CEO. He's really nice. And it's my area of specialty. I can handle this. I promise." He assured, then decided to brighten the expression on her face with a little tease. "Ok, on unrelated matters, you really should join the avengers because with that strength of yours--"

A faint, transient wistful smile lightened her brooding face. "Oh shut up."

✩★✩

Unknowingly to Doris, Nathan had secretly instructed his staff to take her bid only. He had that much power to make the decision.

A week later and it was already time for the grand announcement to be made. The day to announce the winner of the bidding.

He closed an hour earlier than normal time, hoping to head home on time.

Evelyn and Owen had been present that evening, waiting for the result of the bidding. Also because Nathan had invited them over.

The deciding day was already here, so the Castiels had been in Nathan's home, waiting for the news release. Evelyn had been on a long red dress that exposed the right amount of cleavage to taunt any man—and women! Although her sole purpose hadn't been to seduce anyone, she only wore on the red attire for her confidence and pride to be unleashed, as she had promised Owen they would stream a live video, mocking her enemies—Nathan.

True, she wanted Evelyn to win, just not through Nathan's connection. Pedro was the key to their answers.

"Well, time to say goodbye to your husband. I'll meet lawyer Bankers to ready your divorce papers." Owen said, trying to sound jovial, but not also hiding the seriousness in his tone. He too couldn't even believe his eyes that Nathan would do something as foolish as making such a dare, and now, he would be losing his wife. A tiny part of him felt bad for his sister. He was on a brown fancy shirt and dark pants, striding in a pair of Oxford shoes. Yea, they'd been meaning to mock Nathan, and by 'they', it meant he and his mother.

Nathan quickly went up to change from his suits to a more comfortable shirt and pants. He washed his face, praised himself in advance for his success, then prepared to go to the living room to face the hell of beings. Doris had quickly stopped him at the door entrance, serving him some freshly baked fudge cake along with his favorite; a famous brand of soda. It was chilled and the cake was still warm, as well as enticing.

Though Doris wasn't much of a great cook, she baked goodies of delicacies. He was the cook of the house, whilst she prepared the best desserts. "Eat this before you come outside.

He muttered a quick; "thank you," before gobbling down the dessert. A while later, he was done, so he straightened his posture and walked to the living room.

"Oh look at him, finally." Evelyn said, eyeing him with disdain. They were seated the same way as they did the last time they visited, Owen and his mother together, so he went over to stay beside his wife. There was a small center stool in the middle, and on it was the rest of the baked cake, along with wine beside it and two glasses of cup. Doris hadn't been interested, and she knew Nathan wouldn't be either. He wasn't much of an alcohol lover.

"We thought you'd never come out." Teased Owen.

"I just hope that after all this mess is cleared, you will truly stick to your own side of the bargain. Else, I'm suing you to court."

"Okay mother, no need for --"

"No, dear daughter, listen to me. This man here, he's a weak ass husband. Do you think he loves you?" She replied with a scoff. "He only wants to take all your money and run."

"You're not even making any sense." With a blank expression on Doris's face, she replied.

"Yea mother, the news will be up soon. Let's listen." Owen muttered, and Evelyn flared up in anger. But she kept quiet.

The floor around them had been littered in cake strands and—although Evelyn had claimed it was an accident—spilled red wine on the thick cream colored rug. They were treating his house like a bin, calling him all sorts of names in his own home. But Nathan had to remain calm.

Soon, it will be their turn.