The Billionaire’s Playmate

“I will go there and visit you, Maki! Why didn’t you tell me? Was it Rozzean? Did Rozzean do this?”

I glanced at Luther briefly as I said that. I noticed the corner of his lips lifted. How could Rozzean hurt his friend?! Knowing Maki, he would not reveal the truth to our family. Just like what he did to my family about my plan, he would wait for me to confess.

Thaliana, the damage you’ve caused has gone too far. You not only emotionally hurt people close to you, but now Maki has been physically harmed by Rozzean because of you!

“You don’t need to visit me, Thaliana; I’m fine, cousin. I just didn’t want to go out because I have a crush on a nurse here in the hospital. I’m feeling better now. What I want to know is about you. I heard from Griz that Luther Valleje was with you and he is your fiance. What happened to my friend?”

I looked at Luther again. His facial expression turned serious once more.

“T-That’s why I’m with Luther now. I went to see Rozzean and told him the truth.”

“How are you? Is he angry, right? When you asked me about Rozz’s condition, I didn’t want to tell you. I can’t lie to you, you know that. But he was devastated, Thaliana. He really looked for Tali all over Tagaytay and nearby areas. He seemed like crazy. I told him that I didn’t hide you, but he didn’t believe me.”

“He accused me of taking you out because I was the only one who went to his house that day. He was so damn furious. Luckily, he didn’t kill me.”

Oh… Rozzean.

“I-I’m so sorry, Maki… I didn’t know it would be this bad. I regret it now. That’s why I also plan to talk to Dad. I’ll tell him and confess everything I did. It shouldn’t be like this…”

I heard Maki sigh. He winced when he spoke, his whole face seemed painful due to the injuries he got. I know Maki; he really hates getting his face injured. He loves his handsome face so much.

“Thank you so much, Maki. I don’t know how I can make it up to you. T-Thank you for not filing a case against Rozzean. He even went to your place and did that to you. If Uncle found out, they might not hesitate to have Rozzean jailed.”

I know Maki’s parents, even our male cousins. They absolutely hate when someone harms our family. There are only a few of us girls, and almost all are boys. No one dared to court us because they fear them, especially my brothers.

Griz, Grand, and Grecion will never let anyone who hurts our family and get away with it. My siblings are crazy; they are ready to go to extremes if necessary.

“I will never sue Rozzean, Thaliana. First, I was really the reason why you disappeared from his house. I took on the anger of my friend, not because I deserve it, Thaliana, but because I pitied him that night.”

I was stunned by what Maki said.

“He looks so lost. His appearance was exhausted, probably from searching for you. He loves Tali so much that he even hurt me, his friend. I understand what Rozz was going through at that time, so I didn’t fight back. I’m just thankful he didn’t kill me. I just let him release his frustrations.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and my lips quivered as I heard what Maki said. I will never forget Rozzean’s reaction when I told him the truth-how deeply he was hurt upon learning the reality from me.

“My worries for my friend was higher than thinking about myself that night, Thaliana. He really loves Tali. I told you that from the beginning. You left his house, but you didn’t listen.”

I wiped away the tears that escaped my eyes upon hearing Maki’s words. I nodded repeatedly.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s too late to ask for forgiveness from all of you. I promise I will fix this.”

“Haaa… Thaliana, if I didn’t really love you, I wouldn’t have done that!”

I smiled at what he said.

“What? Did Rozzean forgive you? What did he do?”

“He didn’t… b-but I will do my best, Maki. I will do everything to earn his forgiveness. I won’t give up on him. I love him, and I have no intention of letting him go, especially when I’m the one at fault for all of this.”

Maki nodded in understanding.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Good luck, Thaliana. Rozz has a different way of getting angry. But I hope if he truly has no intention of forgiving you, he’ll tell you. I know you made a mistake, and you didn’t expect to fall in love with Rozzean. You regret it now, and you’re hurting a lot. So, if there’s really no hope, I hope Rozzean tells you. And please, Thaliana, know when to stop when you’ve done everything, and you’re still not accepted.”

“You are precious. You made a mistake, but you shouldn’t forget your value because of that one mistake, Thaliana.”

What Maki said hurts me. Rozzean already said that he doesn’t need me in his life, but I will still try my best to earn his forgiveness. What I want is for Rozzean to forgive me, but it’s not likely… it’s not likely that, in his intense anger, his love for me as Tali will disappear.

After bidding farewell to Maki as he said he would rest, I ended the call. I lowered my head and wiped away the tears from both cheeks.

“I don’t know how to fix this, Luther. I don’t know how to make things right with Rozzean. I never thought it would come to this point, and now, I’m scared that I might lose him forever. I love him so much, and I can’t bear the thought of him hating me.”

Luther looked at me with sympathy, but I could also sense a bit of frustration in his eyes. He’s caught between his loyalty to his brother and his understanding of my mistakes.

“Thaliana, I’ve known Rozzean for a long time, and I’ve never seen him that angry before. You really hurt him. But, I can see that you regret what you did. The question now is, how do we make him see that and forgive you?”

I took a deep breath, wiping away the tears that continued to fall.

“I don’t know, Luther. I really don’t know. I just want to fix things, but it seems like everything I do only makes it worse.”

Luther sighed, “Give him some time, Thaliana. Right now, he needs to cool down. Let him process everything. Maybe later on, when he’s calmer, we can find a way to make things right. But you need to be patient and show him that you’re sincere.”

I nodded, realizing that Luther was right. I needed to give Rozzean space and time to process his emotions. But the fear of losing him was eating me alive.

“That’s the spirit, Thaliana. Love has its way of healing wounds. Give it time, show him your sincerity, and maybe, just maybe, he’ll find it in his heart to forgive you.”

Luther’s encouraging words somehow brought a glimmer of hope, but the uncertainty still lingered. I knew the road to forgiveness wouldn’t be easy, especially with the heaviness of my mistake.

“Thank you, Luther. I appreciate your support and understanding, even in the midst of all this chaos. I just hope that someday, things will get better.”

Luther nodded, giving me a reassuring smile. “I hope so too, Thaliana. Let’s focus on taking things one step at a time. We’ll figure this out together.”

As we continued to go back, my mind was filled with thoughts of Rozzean and how I will try to win him back. The night seemed endless, and the weight of my actions hung heavily in the air. All I could do was cling to the flicker of hope and pray that love would indeed conquer all.

After fifteen minutes, Luther and I remained silent. I gazed out the window, contemplating how Rozzean would forgive me and thinking about what I should do.

“Aren’t you gonna eat the chocolates? Eat them so you’ll feel better. Also, drink plenty of water.”

I turned to Luther, nodded at his suggestion, and then grabbed the chocolates from the paper bag. He also bought a large bottled water for me.

“Aren’t you hungry? You didn’t eat much at the restaurant earlier,” he asked.

“A bit…”

When the car stopped, I looked outside. We were at a 24-hour restaurant. We were still in Tagaytay.

“Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”

I nodded in agreement with Luther. I also felt hungry, and the chocolate he gave couldn’t satisfy it. As I stepped out, I hugged my arms due to the cold. Luther approached me and took off his leather jacket, putting it on me.

He made me wear it and guided me into the restaurant.

Luther is also kind. Maybe if I didn’t meet Rozzean first and fall in love with him, and if Luther were really my fiance, there might be a possibility that I would like him. He’s caring, kind, and understanding with the family.

He’s a great person.

No wonder Daddy also agreed to Luther. Considering my father’s nature, he wouldn’t easily agree for me to marry someone he doesn’t fully know. He knows Luther for sure. As Luther mentioned to me, Daddy prefers Rozzean, but he also knows Luther well.

Daddy must be aware of Luther’s personality, and that’s why he agreed to let him replace Rozzean as my fiance.

As we sat down to order food, I looked at Luther. He still has work tomorrow, but here he is with me now. He shouldn’t be doing this. First, I’m the reason why Rozzean and his father were not in good terms again, and now Luther had to step in as my fiance just to save Rozzean’s company.

I sighed at the trouble I caused him.

“Luther…” I got his attention.

“Hmm?” He was looking at his cellphone. He glanced at me briefly when he heard me call him.

“You don’t have to take me home. My car is at the restaurant; you can just drop me off there.”

“No, I will take you home.”

“But your house is far from mine, you’ll probably get home in the morning. You still have work later.”

That’s what I thought too. CEOs like him are busy; I’ve witnessed it with Daddy and my siblings. We rarely had meals with Daddy because his time was consumed by the company. He often came home late at night due to the workload.

“I can go home by myself.”

Luther put his cellphone down on the table and looked at me seriously.

“I said I will take you home, Thaliana.”

I took a deep breath. As I said, I won’t insist anymore.

I just nodded at what Luther said. I checked the time on my cellphone. It was already 2:00 am; we were definitely going home in the morning.

“I already informed your father that you are with me here in Tagaytay. They might get worried because you haven’t returned home yet.”

“T-Thank you… although I could have told them myself–”

“Do you really love my brother, Thaliana?”

Out of nowhere, Luther suddenly asked me that.

His eyes were serious as he looked at me. It’s like he’s waiting for my reaction and answer to his question. But he already knows my answer… why is he still asking?

“Luther… you know my answer, don’t you?”

“Why not me?”

I paused at his question.

“Why not me, Thaliana?”