Billionaire's Hidden Princess by Alegna Ciee (romance novel chinese novels TXT) 📗

“Ermmm… Since you started talking?”

“From the beginning, then?”

“Y-Yeah.”

At that, awkward silence sprawls between them for a moment. Both aren’t sure what to say next.

That’s until Leticia remembers what she promised to Livius. She has already braced herself to give her response to Gabriel’s love confession as soon as they meet again.    

“Ummm… Listen, Gabriel…” she started once more, steeling her gaze at him.

“I have to tell you something.”

It doesn’t have to take a second for him to know what this will be about. Going by how firm and determined her stare is, he can tell that she has given this some thoughts. But even then, he can’t help but arch his brows in surprise, not really expecting how she had to look at him like that.

It’s as if this decision of hers is already final and irrevocable – nothing can ever change her mind even if it’s the end of the world.

 “I’m sorry, Gabriel, but I can’t return your feelings.”

With that, the gush of emotions finally set off.

He feels himself crushing at the weight and firmness of her rejection. His eyes sting for as brief as a second, and he’s struggling to keep a straight face at this point.

Though already prepared, he still ends up getting hurt.  

Gabriel has received tons of love confessions before. A lot of girls comes after him every time, and he keeps turning down each one of them. Now that he’s the one who’s getting rejected, he finally realized how painful it actually was all along.  

“See…? Just what do you know…?” he quietly thought, pertaining to Livius as he remembered his words back then.

“If I’m only after one thing from her, then why does it have to hurt like this?”

In all his years of living, Gabriel didn’t know that the only way to be really certain of his feelings is to have them rejected first.

---

“Are you sure about this, President Apollon?”

Standing in front of his office desk is his secretary, wearing a slightly conflicted expression all the while. The red-orange hue of the mid-afternoon sunlight pools the entire room, accentuating some sort of heaviness that’s looming in the air.

The head of the Apollon Group Holdings just sits still on his rolling chair, chin propped over the back of his folded hands. He has his elbows resting on the table at the same time, looking deep in thought.

Displayed on his computer’s monitor is a custom-designed banner marked with elegant writings, spelling the words, “Apollon Group Holdings’ Anniversary.”

“Taking her there would mean you’re finally ready to reveal her to the world,” Ian continued, his gaze steadied on him.

“What do you think, Ian…?” Livius trailed off with a sigh, leaning back on his chair and crossing his legs.

“Am I being too impatient?”

Ian honestly thought that he should be the one who knows that the most. He’s the one who’s always spending time together with Leticia, after all.

“More than that, Sir, I believe that Ms. Selene should be the one you have to concern yourself with… Is she ready?”

Livius isn’t sure of that either.

But then, they’re dating for almost a month now, and as much as he didn’t want to show her to anyone yet, he feels the need to. After all, she isn’t getting the respect and treatment that she deserves.

Whenever Leticia visits him in his workplace, she looks like a stray with how his employees keep pushing and leading her around. They’re dubious of her since she doesn’t look like of any importance.  

Marriage interview requests keep piling up on his table either. Livius is always receiving calls and messages, being arranged to a meeting with a potential marriage partner, and getting chased around by some of his business partners’ daughters.

He’s already getting tired of all of it at this point.    

Yet the real problem here lies on the fact that what everyone knows is that he’s still single.

“But then again, just like Ian said, what Eya has to say should be the one that matters the most here,” Livius pondered in silence, staring intently at the computer monitor as if poring holes over it.