Hate To Love You My Billionaire Lover

A gift arrived for Arianna before her lunch break at work. The security guard carefully handed it to her.

Her eyes dazzled after opening several layers of packaging. A huge emerald pendant was lying peacefully on a pillow of dark blue velvet. It was embedded with diamonds on its retro-style pedestal.

It was the pendant from the advertisement she and Travis discussed yesterday.

She felt belittled, as usual. This jewel seemed more like a payment than a gift. He always sent her a present the following day after spending a night with her.

Travis always felt like he owed her. She wouldn’t spend his money or live at his house, which displeased him immensely. This was his way of compromising.

Arianna hung the necklace around her neck. It matched her expensive work clothes perfectly. Though she did not like receiving gifts from Travis, she felt delighted.

At lunchtime, Arianna met up with Melissa in the break room. She stared at Arianna’s necklace and said, “Knock-off jewelry is looking more and more real nowadays. This looks almost genuine.”

Arianna just sighed as Melissa picked the pendant up off her chest to take a closer look.

“It looks so real. Look at that craftsmanship and detail.” Melissa moved her gaze to look Arianna directly in the eye, “This must be expensive.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“It wasn’t so bad,” Arianna answered vaguely.

Another female colleague sat down at their table. She had repeatedly been trying to set Arianna up with a friend of hers. He was very handsome, and Arianna was exactly his type. Arianna decided to shut down the idea once and for all and casually mentioned, “Actually, I’ve had a boyfriend all along.”

“Last time I asked, you said you didn’t have one!” Melissa quickly interjected.

“He’s been abroad, so it’s been on-again-off-again,” Arianna said carefully.

“So you guys are on again right now? And we can assume this necklace is from him?”

Arianna smiled at the two women as confirmation.

They finished their lunches and turned their attention to the TV. The news was broadcasting a newly built orphanage. The host said that Transcendent Jewels funded it and that the company president, Travis Cooper, declined to give a full interview.

They showed a clip of him saying, “Giving back to society is the obligation of every company.” Then, he could be seen getting into his car outside of the orphanage.

Melissa said to the girls, “That Travis Cooper seems like a really great guy. He’s so attractive and even has a good heart.” She gestured to the TV, “Don’t you agree, Arianna?”

Arianna just sighed in agreement and leaned back in her chair.

The women decided to use the rest of their break to go to a nearby shopping mall. Arianna lingered by the perfume counter while the other women headed for the clothes.

Melissa stepped up beside her and noted, “How many perfumes do you buy in a year? You could literally open a perfume shop.”

Arianna pointed to a cologne before Melissa could drag her away and asked the clerk, “Could I get this one, please? Thanks!”

“Oh, a cologne for the mister?” Melissa asked slyly.

“The bottle is nice. I like to collect them, you know.”

Melissa raised an eyebrow. She didn’t believe her.

****

After dinner, Arianna scrutinized the bottle under a lamp. The thick, transparent bottle resembled the shape of a bottle of whiskey with blue liquid glowing in a demonic light.

She opened the glass door of her cupboard, which held three shelves fully occupied by perfumes. There were various shapes and materials of perfume bottles: glass, ceramic, metal, and so on. Some were nearing empty, while others were barely used.

Arianna sprayed the new cologne around the room before placing it into her case. Though she had many perfumes, she didn’t like them. She didn’t tend to smell them until she got home, leaving many of them unused after the two test sprays.

The scent of the cologne gradually spread through her apartment. It was a little too heavy, so she had to open the windows for some fresh air.

The new necklace glimmered under the lights of her apartment. This reminded Arianna to put it in the safe.

The safe also held her family’s treasures. There were many heirloom pieces from her mother and grandmother. The rest of the jewelry was from Travis.

She had never exactly examined what or how many items she had in the safe. Arianna didn’t have too much interest in jewelry. And she seldom had the chance to wear them as she rarely attended banquets or formal occasions.

Travis did not request her company that night. She was relieved.

Arianna grabbed the box of cigarettes from the drawer and sat down on her terrace. She turned on some soft music and slowly inhaled the toxic air into her lungs.

Travis didn’t like to see her smoke despite teaching her how to smoke many years ago. Back then, Travis was in his first year of postgraduate studies. He was young and sharp. He politely asked her, “Do you mind if I smoke?”

Even then, he used the saying as a notice that he was about to light a cigarette.

Arianna nodded nicely. She watched him gracefully light his cigarette, thinking it was beautiful. She asked, “Can I have one too?”

He was slightly surprised, but he handed her a cigarette and lit it for her.

She sucked on it before coughing to the point of tears. He laughed gleefully. After calming down, he gently started hitting her back and handed her a glass of water.

Travis explained how to avoid being choked by the cigarette and how to blow smoke rings in between his chuckles.

Being the quick learner she was, Arianna had mastered it by the time she finished the first cigarette.

Travis stopped grinning and sternly said, “But it’s better than girls don’t smoke. It’s harmful to your body. And, a smoking girl isn’t attractive.”

Arianna still remembered this moment clearly. Not that she really listened to him, though.

When she went abroad to study in Europe, she smoked like crazy. But then, she stopped for a while because her lungs were so damaged she could barely run anymore. She even had to spend a few days in the hospital.

But once she recovered, she began to smoke again, just much less than before.

Arianna lit another cigarette but didn’t smoke. It sat between her fingers as she looked over her terrace. She took the occasional puff to help it burn out quickly.