Monday was known to be the most exhausting day for most workers, and this was not different on Emery's part.

Her head ached from the lack of sleep but she forced herself to stay awake—just so she wouldn't incur Dean's wrath. No one knew what had gotten Dean edgy since morning, but Emery was not about to find out.

Emery rubbed her eyes again as she scrutinized the figures she had typed before pressing on the enter button. She woke up with a blurry sight this morning but had no time to look for her long-abandoned contacts, so here she was with her red eyes.

Part of her wanted to acknowledge the fact that her blurry vision could be as a result of her head being banged against a door, but that thought alone sets her on edge so she brushed it aside.

"Miss Hamilton, to my office right now," Dean called over the intercom.

"What does he want now?" Emery groaned and dragged her tired self into Dean's office.

"You called for me, sir?" Emery asked from the doorway.

"Where did you keep the files I gave you during our last meeting?" Dean asked with his sole gaze on his laptop.

"On the top shelf like you said, sir." Emery went over to the said cabinets at the far end of his office.

She leafed through the upper drawers and when she found the said file, she pulled it out of the lot. Barely had she moved than her elbow knocking another cabinet open.

"Dammit," Emery cussed under her breath.

"Here, sir." she placed the file on Dean's desk and went back to clean her mess.

Emery picked up the fallen file which actually had the looks of a diary and straightened up to stash it back into the drawer but a picture slipped out of the diary. Unconsciously, she looked over at Dean and when she saw that the coast was clear, she flipped the picture over.

It was a picture of Dean and a young girl. A girl way younger than him if their physical features were anything to go by. It didn't take Emery much to know the girl was Dean's lover from their handsy post.

That wasn't what bothered Emery though. It was the familiar face of the girl that struck a memory. Emery's heart grew wary as she forced her brain into recollection. Wait a minute. Same hazel eyes. Same shade of brown hair and that smile.

It was Billion's sister. She looked older here though, probably seventeen or eighteen.

Am I missing something here?

"Is everything OK back there?" Dean inquired.

"Yes sir," Emery stashed the picture into the diary and placed it into the cabinet.

"Will that be all, sir-" the door opened on them and a fuming Annabel strode in.

"How dare you do this to me!"

Dean jerked back in his seat at his ex-fiance's force entry. Before he could even blink, Annabel stormed over to him and slapped him hard across the face. Emery gasped at the violence and that drew Annabel's gaze to her.

"How dare you come into my office and create such ruckus," Dean seethed.

"I know you. Emery, right?" Annabel asked as if she was not whom Dean was addressing.

Emery nodded hesitantly as she eyed the two angry ex-couple. Her brain told her to leave but her body did not get the message cause she just stared at the scene playing before her.

"What is Miles' fiance doing in your office now?" Annabel demanded.

"That's none of your business. Leave my office before I call security, Anna." Dean lashed out.

Annabel scoffed. "There's actually a reason why I came here, Clifford though the slap was just an appetizer. But if you want us to settle our scores in front of a future Dekker, then we can. I bet Miles will be thrilled to find out the kind of bas-"

"Enough!" Both ladies flinched at the command, and one could hear a pin drop after the harsh sound receded. "Leave us, Emery."

Emery scurried out of the office without further ado. Tracy was nowhere in sight when she came back, and she took the solo moment to sought through her thoughts and put meaning to what she had just witnessed.

"He trusted you as a brother and you went around fooling with his little sister!"

Emery's eyes darted around when Annabel's voice rang in her office. She searched for the source of the voice only to see the red light on her intercom still blinking.

Emery didn't consider herself the nosy type but for some unfathomable reasons, she found herself listening in on their argument.

"She was just a kid! And not to mention that we were still dating at the time! You cheated on me!" Annabel continued.

"Stop yelling will you? I know I made a mistake but you're not in any position to talk about cheating. If you ever want to talk about this like two mature adults, then let's do this somewhere else," Dean said.

"We are definitely talking about this. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Emery heard the slam of a door and quickly turned off her intercom. She reclined into her chair when Annabel pranced by her office.

Oh my God could it be?

It was as clear as day that Dean Clifford and Billion's late sister were in a relationship. And from Annabel's remarks, it sounded like they were in an illicit affair.

Damn.

Does Billion know about this?

"That Violetta lady is insufferable," Tracy grunted as she stormed over to her desk. Her comment brought Emery out of her trance.

Although Emery shared in the view that their HR was indeed insufferable, she held back any form of contributions to Tracy's remarks and tried to focus on her work.

Her mind wasn't her own though as Dean and Annabel's argument swarmed in, coupled with everything she had come to know.

This is so messed up.

The mental fuss halted when her phone rang. With a heavy heart, Emery picked up the call. The man's relief sigh from the other end made her feel guilty for ignoring him.

"Hey."

'I have been calling you...Is there any reason why I'm being ignored?'

His tone was measured and Emery could not discern whether he was upset or not. Before saying what she had been meaning to voice out, she glanced over at Tracy's desk to see her punching her keyboard in the name of typing.

"We need to talk. My lunch starts in fifteen minutes and if possible, let's meet at coffee Maker. It's just across the street from C&D," Emery said.

There was a prolonged silence at the other end before Billion spoke again.

'Alright. See you then.'

Emery sighed and dropped her phone on the desk. Let's get this done with.

· · • • • ✤ • • • · ·

"Can I get you anything else, sir?" Billion shook his head. The waiter nodded and walked to another table with his notepad and pen in hand.

He took a sip of his tea and checked his wristwatch for the second time. He had arrived at the coffee shop five minutes earlier and was waiting impatiently for Emery to show up.

We need to talk. That sentence alone did it for Billion. His day was already on the rugged side since his talk with his mother last night, and Emery's distant behavior wasn't making it any better.

The bell at the entrance chimed and Billion's gaze shifted from his phone to the door. He noticed how her step faltered when she met his gaze. Right then, Billion had a feeling she bore bad news. The thought made him antsy than he had ever been.

"Hi," Emery said as she sat from across him.

"Are you OK?" Billion asked. At the concerned question, she glanced up at him.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm sorry about the missed calls. I've been a little busy with Chris coming home and all that," she added.

"Your brother has been discharged?" she nodded. "I'm glad to hear that," Billion said.

"Thanks," Emery mumbled. An uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"Would you like to order anything?" Emery shook her head. "So, we need to talk, huh?" Billion initiated the conversation.

"Yeah. A second please," Emery said and dug into her purse for the ring. "Here." she slid it towards Billion.

A flash of light flared by them, and they both turned towards the source simultaneously. There was a familiar van outside the shop and Billion recognized the nosy reporters immediately.

"Did you tip off the paparazzi?" Billion asked apprehensively.

"I thought this would be the easiest way to break it to the public that we are over... and about that second chance, It's a no," Emery mumbled.

What she failed to tell Billion was that her ex-boyfriend was the one who tipped the paparazzi off. Nicholas had sworn to tell the media about their deception if she did not turn Billion down publicly.

It was her payment for breaking up with him. If he couldn't have her, then Dekker couldn't as well. He had spewed the words in her face.

"Emery…" Billion gulped from the painful pang in his chest when her words settled in. He stared at the girl before him for what felt like ages just to get any hint of relief or regret but he got nothing.

Emery kept pinching herself underneath the table to keep her passive look on. Her efforts paid off when he grabbed the ring and rose to his feet.

But before Billion could take a step out of the booth, he saw her left hand which was now on the table. He was consumed by rage as he stared at her red wrist.

"Who did that?" Billion asked.

Dammit. Emery quickly tugged the sleeves of her shirt down. "I hurt myself during Chris's barbecue yesterday," she blurted.

Dios. Billion pinched the tip of his nose to control himself. That bruise was not a self-inflicted wound and he could bet on his life that all that makeup was to cover up a bruised face as well. He knew only one person who would dare to touch her in that manner.

"I have had enough of this nonsense. Where does that breed of a boyfriend stays?" Billion seethed.

Murmurs and whispers erupted in the quiet shop as their heated conversation, drew the attention of the other patrons.

"Bill stop this. I already told you-"

"This nonsense ends now. Come with me," without waiting for her reply, Billion slapped the bill on the table and dragged her gently out of the coffee shop.

He pushed through the mass of reporters and led Emery into the passenger seat. One of them managed to get his attention when he jogged over to the driver's side. Not that she succeeded.

"Mr. Dekker, was that a breakup we just witnessed?" she asked.

"Actually, that was a reunion," Billion curt-said and drove away.

                                · · • • • ✤ • • • · ·

Billion packed the car at the curb right in front of the McLean's house and pried off his seatbelt. "Stay in the car," he told Emery.

"You don't have to do this," Emery pleaded once again.

"That douche must learn to pull off his diapers and put on some briefs," Billion said and shut the door after him.

Emery's heart was beating wildly as she watched him prance to the McLean's home. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. Not as her expense. But even she knew it was too late for that.

God so help Nicholas McLean. Billion pressed on the doorbell. Twice and hard.

A second after, a shirtless Nicholas yanked the door open. The stranger at his door looked familiar but Nicholas couldn't put a name to the face.

"Are you Nicholas McLean?" Billion asked.

Nicholas nodded hesitantly, and said, "Who is asking?"

"Someone you should not mess with…" Before Nicholas could recover from his confusion, Billion added, "I don't know what she ever saw in you but if you go anywhere near her again, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your miserable life behind bars."

Unconsciously, Nicholas glanced behind Billion. His glare got menacing by the second as he met Emery's nervous gaze.

"I'm right here, McLean so if you've got something to tell me, this is the chance to be a man and pick on someone your own size," Billion said.

"I guess you are Dekker then," Nicholas said, his nose flaring in anger.

"I don't need a guess to know you are the douche who laid his hands on her. Touch her again and you'll have me to deal with…"

Nicholas scoffed. "What are you going to do? Slap me with dollars?" he taunted.

"I don't waste my money or time on fools like you. The cops have something for you though," Billion countered.

Before Nicholas could comprehend what Billion meant, sirens blared through the neighborhood. Billion stepped back as two officers got down from their car and walked over to them.

"Do anything stupid, Dekker and I'll tell Clifford Hills about your fake engagement," Nicholas threatened.

"Go ahead, the cops will love to hear the dips on your crack job as well," Billion whispered to his hearing alone.

Nicholas paled at the remark. Everything the cops said from then faded into the background as he stared back at his ex-girlfriend Never in his wildest dreams did he think she will tell anyone about his one-time mistake, but it seemed like the tables had been turned now.

"Arrest him, and if you want more evidence, I'll bring my fiancée to the station tomorrow," Billion told the two officers and strode out of the house.

"I didn't do anything!" Nicholas defended as he was being ushered to the waiting car. "You're going to pay for this! Both of you!"

"It will do you well not to make further threats in our presence, Mr. McLean," one of the cops cautioned as they led Nicholas into their car.

Emery looked away when the cops pulled out of the house. Nicholas was unstable and deserved what he got but her conscience gnawed at her for betraying him in that way.

When Billion got behind the wheel, she couldn't meet his gaze. The shame was too much. All this while she had been hanging onto a guy who turned out to be abusive when there was a man who had treated her with nothing but care and kindness.

Was she ashamed of her life choices? Greatly. He probably thought less of her now, she reasoned.

"Please take me home." She really needed some time for herself.

"After we get you checkup," Billion said and started the car.

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Hi folks 👋

Dios - God.

Guess what?

🎉Billion's Bride won 2nd place in the romance category of the 2018 Victory Awards🎉

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