Billionaires with Benefits

64 64. Pride or Love

The clock struck ten when Mark stopped his movement, making a dot on the paper. He stared at William who strangely asked him not to sign the paper. Mark didn’t expect William would do that.

Didn’t William always talk so passionately about this project? The project he claimed he was an inventor? The project he did from scratch without his parent’s help?

“What? Is there a mistake in the documents?” Mark asked, shaking his head awkwardly. “I have checked through the documents by myself and I think we can go with signing.”

“There’s nothing with the documents, Mark! Just ... don’t sign it!” William replied bitterly.

Meanwhile, Gaby started to realize that William overheard her conversation with Mark. She couldn’t face William. That woman looked at anything but him-in silence.

William gulped. At first, he was hesitating to do this. If Mark signed the documents, he would be able to take a week off and meet Paula. However, knowing the real feelings of Gaby and Mark made him feel uneasy. He felt that he wronged them.

“I come for business. Real business. You like it, you take it,” William said in a bland voice. He bit his inner cheeks lightly before continuing, “I have no intention of using Alan from the very beginning. I am offering this business to you with the hope that if you like my business plan you will invest. So, please don’t sign the document.”

“I like-”

“Sorry, I accidentally heard your conversation, Mark,” William cut Mark’s words. “Just treat this meeting like any usual business meeting. Sometimes you make it, sometimes not.”

.....

William smiled at them bitterly, taking the documents back with no refusal from Mark. Gaby still looked away, tightening her grip on the edge of the table. She didn’t feel sorry anyway. That was what she wanted, for Mark not to sign the papers.

Mark glared at Gaby in anger. He blamed her for the incident. His wife had embarrassed him in front of his client in such a bad manner.

On top of that, William was more than a client for Mark ... William was a savior ... saving him from a lifetime of regret.

“It’s fine, Mark. This is an investment anyway. Nobody wanted to lose a huge chunk of money,” William said, smiling lightly at Mark. He then turned his attention to Gaby. He lifted his eyebrows, asking her if what he said was right.

William packed his things calmly, fighting his urge to tear the papers into pieces. He didn’t want to show them how angry he was. He didn’t want pity from Mark. He didn’t need a mock from Gaby. He had his pride.

His heart clenched, recalling what Gaby said about him and this project. Too young and inexperienced? He did his best to make a rock-solid plan. He made the best team in every aspect and revealed everything to his potential investor as honestly as possible. He told them about the potential advantages and disadvantages without sugarcoating anything. If they still didn’t think that the project was convincing, he couldn’t help but give up.

“It was nice to see you. Have a nice day!” William left the room just when Mark’s assistant was about to re-enter the room. The assistant was looking at him in confusion and about to ask something but she was reluctant when she saw her employer’s gloomy expression.

William entered the parking lot and got into his car. He gulped, feeling a heavier burden in his chest. He came back with nothing. What would his dad say?

Whatever!

His pride was at stake. What he wanted to do was a real business. An image of Paula’s face flashed through his mind. It made him smile a bit.

“Sorry, baby! What would you say about it? Well, maybe you will blame my poor negotiation skill,” William muttered to himself, smiling lightly.

‘Why did you give him a silly presentation?’

‘That kind of answer wasn’t convincing enough!’

‘Show him how good your team is and how ready your plan is?’

William smiled bitterly, imagining what Paula would say right now. He hit the steering wheel, regretting why he didn’t have sufficient abilities to run the family business. What a pity! Before long, he then drove away from the building, keeping his dark thoughts aside.

Along the way, he was debating between going home right away or to his parents. But he decided to go home when he realized that he could temporarily escape his father’s anger. As long as he could postpone the war, it was fine.

However, what he was planning was just a plan. Surprisingly, when he arrived home, his father was waiting inside.

Colour left William’s face immediately. He was tongue-tied, and couldn’t bring his mouth to greet his father.

Alex said nothing either but his glare was full of disappointment. If a stare could kill, William would definitely die instantly.

Before long, a hard slap landed on William’s face. “How dare you make a one-sided decision? Who do you think you are?”

Alex continued hitting William mercilessly. Nobody would consider they were father and son in this state.

“Dad, I will explain!” William said firmly despite his trembling voice. Fresh blood dripped from the corner of his lips. His cheeks were swollen.

“I don’t need any explanation! It was clear that you are so dumb,” Alex snapped in a rampage. He wide-eyed his son as if he had just done an unforgivable sinful act. “I don’t even want to know the reason. A business was a business. Do anything to please your potential investors! That’s the number one rule for a beginner like you. And what you just had done was cockily abort the agreement because of your silly pride?”

“Dad, I will make it up later.” William looked at his father, unsurely. “I believe that I will find other investors for this project.”

“What? Can you do that? Mark is more than a good investor. He is the biggest fish that you had ever imagined. And you intentionally released him because you couldn’t handle a little bit of an insult?” Alex rubbed his face with both hands. His face was red hot from the growing anger. “Was that even an insult? You are too young and inexperienced. That is a fact. What you need to do is let them sign the agreement and show them your worth.”

“Dad, they were unsure that the project would be a successful one. They don’t want to lose their money. If I was not the one who helped Alan find his family, Mark would never consider putting his money into the project!”

“Then-”

“It means that I failed to convince him. The plan was not good enough for him. Do you understand, dad?” William cut his father’s words because he was not done explaining.

Alex shook his head in disbelief. Both hands were on his hips, walking back and forth with unabated anger. “Then, take the chance first, you cocky brat! If you can bring great success to this project, many investors will look at you. Do you think you can bring other investors to this project with your current condition? No way.”

A silence clouded the room. Nobody opened their mouths.

“I know that you are not good. But I never expect you are so stupid,” Alex whispered, looking away from William.

“Dad, I am not you. If I said I will not use that little boy for money, I will never do it.”

“Then, never dream I will allow you to take days off until you fix your mistake.”

***

Meanwhile in Tokyo ....

Paula gasped, she was sweating a lot. Her heart was beating so fast. She had a bad dream, seeing William in a beaten state. Wiping her wet face, she then turned off the air conditioner.

Picking her smartphone to check the weather. It was midnight. The temperature outside was 48 degrees Fahrenheit, so why was she sweating so much?

She walked out of her room and went to the kitchen to take a bottle of mineral water from the fridge. Afraid of dehydration, she emptied the bottle immediately and put the empty bottle in a designated waste box for recycled items. Of course, she took off the plastic wrap and the lid and then disposed of them in the red-colored waste box.

The local garbage regulation was a little bit different from her home country but she had to get used to it since she planned to stay in Tokyo for about two years. She planned to give birth there to avoid unnecessary problems with William.

“Hi, bean, is your dad okay?” Paula whispered to her belly, stroking it tenderly. Without her realizing it, a drop of tear fell to her cheek. She then wiped it out, smiled faintly, and said, “What? Do you miss him? He doesn’t even know that you exist.”

Paula chuckled lightly when she heard a rumble in her stomach. She then took out a box of fruit salad from the chiller and put it on the table. She munched her salad slowly while sadness clouded her heart.

“Be strong, baby! You can live well with only me!”

When the tears started flowing uncontrollably, she knew that she was the one who missed William. Not the baby.