Billionaire Daredevil In Love

Clayton:

When I went back to the balcony, the party was almost in full swing again. The crowd had gone back to what they were doing - drinking, dancing, carousing - before Nadine's rant, but there was something missing in the air that had been present. Something had dulled and I knew Nadine was the cause. At that instant, I felt so much hatred for her. My mother was still in the corner where she had been, now seated. Trent was chatting with a group of people. I could tell from his voice boomed above others and how he laughed loudly that he was drunk. I went to my mother; I had some explaining to do.

"Hey, mum," I said to her and she got on her feet. There was a forlorn look on her face.

"Clayton," she said with a nod.

"I'm sorry, mom," I said. "That fucking bitch! I'm so sorry."

"Language, boy," she cautioned. "Besides, it's nothing that I can't handle by myself."

I nodded to myself. Perhaps she was right, but I could not tame the anger that was wild in me already. Trent came to stand beside me. The party was already dull by then and some of the guests had started to move out, coming to meet me and give me their wishes. There were a lot of presents, and they were all handed to the servants to keep in storage.

"This was a really cool party," Trent said to me as we left the balcony to go downstairs. The last of the guests were tricking out. The party had started out fine and was potentially going to be a huge statement in the city, but when Nadine went crazy, the vibe of the party fizzled out.

"Shut up, Trent," I said, miffed when he opened his mouth. He staggered a bit as we walked.

"Really, though," he continued, "it may not be the best party that this city has seen, or even the best that you and I have thrown, but it's still really good. People will talk about it for days."

"And that's exactly the problem, Trent," I said between clenched teeth, "days. I want people to talk about this party for years, for as long as this city exists, until after we're dead and our great-grandchildren have taken over."

"Well," Trent said, "there's still plenty of time to do that. It's doable. You're Clayton fucking Rocco, aren't you?"

"Ahh, yes, whatever," I said with a wave of a hand. "I'll never forgive that sick bitch, Nadine, for this shit, though. I'll make her life even more miserable. She thinks Enzo can save her. How stupid of her."

"Wait, Enzo?" Trent asked. "Like, your brother? What happened?"

"Long fucking story, Trent," I said to him.

Nadine:

Enzo took me into the courtyard which was quiet except for the distant muffled noise from the party. He held my hand gently as we walked and we sat at a spot and talked and talked. He spoke softly, which endeared me to him. But I was more endeared by how solicitous he was, how kind.

"So how did you come to be married to my brother?" He asked.

"Ohh, that's a long story, Enzo," I said. "Our marriage is only contractual. As you might have discovered, it is devoid of the love and affection that should be in a proper marriage. We're just staying together for as long as the contract lasts, so..." "Mmm, I see," he said. "So why did you sign it then?"

"The contract?" I said. "Well, my sister was dying of cancer and I needed money for the treatment. I asked Clayton for the money and he said he would only give it to me if I agreed to marry him." He chuckled.

"My brother is a funny man," he said. "I mean it's quite obvious that he doesn't love you, or whatever, so why did he ask to marry you? I mean, it begs the question, why, you know.

"I know, right,* I said. "No offense, but your brother is quite a nutcase."

"None taken,* he said and then burst into laughter. I joined him and after we had both laughed, I rested my head on his shoulder.

"What about you?" I asked. "Are you married?"

"Ahh, no," he said. "I'm not, actually."

"Really?" I said, raising my head from his shoulder. "I find that hard to believe."

"And why is that?" He asked.

"I mean, look at you," I said. "You're wealthy, you're handsome, you're... you have everything that a woman would want in a man, and you're not married? Nah, you gotta be kidding me."

"I'm not," he said. "You see, the thing about people like me is that we often find it hard to get into meaningful and sincere relationships, because people often pretend so they can get favors from us. I haven't dated anyone in years." "Years?" I said, shocked.

"Yup, years," he affirmed.

"That sounds a tad sad," I said.

"It is, Nadine," he said. "It's really lonely, you know. Which is why I'm happy for my younger brother, Clayton. He seems to have figured this whole thing out. I mean, it's like a puzzle, and I'm just staring at it without a clue in the world what to do."

"Well, we shouldn't say Clayton has figured it out," I said. "I mean he gets by."

"Isn't that the same thing?" He asked.

"Well," I said with a shrug.

"I think we should go back now," he said. "It seems like the party has ended. I won't hear the music again."

"Yeah," I said standing up. "Thank you for this."

"Nah, don't worry about it," he said. "It's nothing."

"Ohh, it is," I said. "I don't know what would have happened if you had not come. I mean, I was prepared for whatever he wanted to do, but I didn't know how brutal he would be. And thank you for this, too. This conversation. It was stimulating."

"Thanks for the conversation, too," he said with a smile.

He looked at me and gave me the most beautiful smile while holding my hands.