Unwanted Attraction: A Billionaire Romance Read online

  Copyright © 2021 by T.R. Iyer

  All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in, or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known, hereinafter invented, without express written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Typewriter Pub, an imprint of Blvnp Incorporated

  A Nevada Corporation

  1887 Whitney Mesa DR #2002

  Henderson, NV 89014

  www.typewriterpub.com/[email protected]

  ISBN: 978-1-64434-168-1

  DISCLAIMER

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. While references might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  UNWANTED ATTRACTION

  Attraction Series

  BOOK ONE

  T.R. IYER

  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Epilogue

  To my mom, my best friend, and my sister.

  Trigger Warning:

  The following story contains scenes and mentions of profane or offensive language,

  sex, childbirth, nuchal cord, and other medical conditions.

  Reader discretion is advised.

  PROLOGUE

  Sitting in the huge mansion, Ornelia was busy walking down memory lane. Within just a few months, her life had drastically changed—from being a shy twenty-one-year-old with big dreams to chase to becoming a namesake wife to a billionaire who had yet to grace her with his presence since the day he’d left for his business trip.

  From the very day Ornelia had learned to walk and talk, her father had made sure to instill politeness and kindness in her. She had always been one to obey her parents, because what would anyone ever get from rebelling?

  Surely, her father was proud of his obedient little daughter, striving to be perfect in all sense. In fact, any parent would have been. However, when he wished for her to become a doctor, she negotiated her way out and took psychology after promising him that she would get her doctorate sometime in her life.

  She had never doubted her father’s decisions, but marrying her off to a coldhearted bigot was a leap of faith he should not have taken.

  The news had come as a shock to her—to be married off at twenty-one was not a part of her big dream—but out of respect for her parents and the man behind this arrangement, she agreed to get married. She tried to find a silver lining out of the whole situation, like the possibility of continuing her studies after the wedding.

  Little did she know, her life was about to take a turn for the worse. This was only the calm before the storm; never had a calm ever felt so turbulent.

  Chapter One

  alexander

  Alexander and Ana Dawson, two lovers in their forties, lived a very humble life in their little house in Fresno, California. They had a young daughter studying psychology at Fresno University, and they were immensely proud of her. She was the best thing that had ever happened to them.

  But Lord knows, good things don’t come easily.

  Alexander was reminiscing the past of how he and his wife had met. He’d just graduated from college with a degree that landed him a job as an accountant in a small firm, thirty minutes away from where he was renting at that time. His parents lived far away and couldn’t afford to move in with him; neither could he have managed to support them if they had indeed come in the city. Sending them money as regularly as possible was the best thing he coul do, and they were content with that. Their only complaint had been that he didn’t visit them enough.

  Alexander and Ana had met when they worked in the same firm. Alexander was an accountant, and Ana was a receptionist. It was love at first sight for Alexander. As for Ana, she was completely unsure about her feelings toward him, but Alexander was incredibly persistent about pursuing her.

  Only then did her ice-cold heart melt when he went on his knees, begging her to be with him.

  Eventually she fell in love with him, and that love only kept growing as time went by.

  They’d dated for about four years before he put a ring on her finger. All those years of courtship had been worth it as their relationship became stronger than ever.

  “Honey, something came in the mail for you,” Ana called for her husband.

  “Good morning, Papa.” His daughter, Ornelia, gave him a kiss on the cheek as she made her way out of the door.

  Today was the last day of her exams. His daughter was about to graduate soon.

  “All the best, little girl. I know you are going to ace this one too.” Alexander waved to her.

  His wife came up to him to hand him the letter. “She didn’t eat breakfast today. Your daughter is going to be the death of me,” she complained.

  “She’ll eat something with Jake and Emily. Stop worrying too much about her,” Alexander said. He ripped the envelope open and took the paper out of it.

  “What is it about?” Ana asked in an anxious tone after seeing Alexander rocking to and fro on the couch.

  “Harrold King, he . . . uh . . . He passed away. I have been invited to the will reading.”

  Ana gasped at the news. Harrold King’s passing away meant the beginning of their doom.

  “What if . . . you don’t go? What if we just . . . pretend that we didn’t get the letter in the mail? Oh, Alex, I don’t like the sound of this will reading. Please, let’s not go,” she begged. Her heart knew it was bad news. As sad as the news of Harrold’s death was, this will reading was going to be worse. Instinctively, she knew; she sensed it.

  “It’s a legal notice, Ana. And when you picked up the mail, you must have signed the receiving copy. Not going to the reading would only delay what is about to come, not eliminate it,” he reasoned with his wife.

  “When is it?” she asked, sounding disheartened.

  “A week from now, but everything will be fine, Ana. I promise I will do whatever it takes to sort this out.” He held her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

  They had no other choice. This was inevitable. He had seen this day coming for a very long time. All he could do was wait for the reading and see what it actually stated.

  Prayers were all he had.

  Chapter Two

  ornelia

  “Mom,” Ornelia called out, “I am going to go hang out with Emily.”

  Her exams were
finally over, and she was a free bird, for a while at least. She was going to Emily’s place, two blocks down. Jake was going to be there too.

  They had been pretty tight throughout their university life. She met Emily and Jake on the first day at their university, but the two had been friends since kindergarten. Ornelia just happened to join them—and voila!—they became a trio.

  She was extremely excited to see her friends after almost two weeks.

  She made her way out of her room and ready to leave. She wore a simple white T-shirt and washed-out jeans.

  Her wardrobe consisted of mostly plain pastel-colored T-shirts and a few black and blue leggings and jeans. Emily had given up on taking her to shopping trips as she often ended up picking the same kinds of clothes.

  “Okay, sweetie. When will you be back?” her mom queried.

  Her mother never asked her such a question.

  “By nine in the evening? Is there something you want me to do?”

  “Oh no. I’ll just ask your father to get some groceries on the way.” Ana smiled at her daughter and continued her work in the kitchen.

  “Where is Papa, anyway? He’s been gone since morning.”

  Again, it was very strange. For his father to have left the house that early in the morning was quite odd.

  “He had to go for a will reading,” her mom informed her.

  This only sparked her curiosity. “A will reading? Whose . . . ?”

  She knew most of her father’s coworkers and friends. Being the manager of the small finance firm, he had taken her and her mom to a lot of his office parties, which made Ornelia become acquainted with most of his friends. Her mother already knew many of them as she’d also worked with them before she had her.

  “Just an old friend of your father’s. He’s not someone you know. Now go before you get late.” Her mother ushered her out.

  Strange, strange. So strange, she thought and quickly left the house.

  ***

  Ornelia arrived at Emily’s place ten minutes later. Jake had already come.

  Emily’s parents were out of town for a few days, not that it mattered. They knew Ornelia and Jake like the back of their hand, and they seemed to have some tolerance toward their daughter when around them.

  One time, it came to their knowledge that Emily had stolen their wine when they were away, to drink it with her two beloved friends. They confronted Emily, and of course she had her excuses, but they were kind enough to just give her the benefit of the doubt. Since that day, no one had ever talked about the missing bottles of wine.

  “What is this? Did the party already start without me?” asked Ornelia, having noticed the big bowl of popcorn, three flute glasses, and a bottle of wine already set out in front of the TV. Jake was already sitting on the couch.

  “Not yet. Mr. Indecisive here can’t make up his mind.” Emily threw a small pillow at him.

  Emily and Jake couldn’t go a day without fighting—that was how their relationship was. They would fight like toddlers and then make up by calling truce or making stupid deals.

  “I select with ‘precision’ and ‘perfection’ so that all of us can enjoy,” reasoned out Jake. He then retaliated against Emily by pulling a strand of her hair when she went to sit beside him.

  “Guys, can we stop fighting and just choose a movie? I have to be home by nine,” Ornelia informed them.

  “What? Why? I thought you were staying,” Emily whined.

  “You know how my parents are, about my spending the night anywhere other than home. They just worry a lot,” Ornelia explained.

  “Ugh, your parents are literally the sweetest people ever. I can’t even argue with that.” She threw some popcorn her way, still pouting.

  Ornelia hugged her and ruffled her hair.

  “Jake, can you drop me off?” requested Ornelia. “I don’t think Papa can make it.”

  “Sure, why not? But you should realize that this is the first time you’ve asked me to do this for you. Have you finally fallen in love with me? Do you want me to give you a kiss on your porch while I’m at it?” He wagged his eyebrows as a goofy smirk flickered on his face. His sneaky comment got him a smack on the head from Emily.

  “Stupid b*tch. F*ck him, Nella. I’ll go drop you off if we get late,” Emily spoke in a firm voice, punching Jake on his arm with every word she said.

  “Ouch, that hurts, Emily. Fine, you go drop her off.”

  Jake gave up trying to select the best movie and ended up choosing Twilight.

  “Ugh, it took him an hour to select with ‘precision’ and chooses Twilight. My punching is very valid, Nella. Anyway, where is your father?” Emily asked.

  “I don’t know. Mom said something about a will reading. I have no idea who has died, so I didn’t pry a lot,” Ornelia said directly.

  Jake pretty much forced them to watch parts one and two of the film.

  Somehow by the end of the movie, Emily was in the middle and Jake’s head was already resting on her lap.

  Ornelia’s life was pretty much perfect—with her little family and friends and with their graduation coming up—she couldn’t wait for what her future had in store for her.

  She had a plan of action for her life, just like everyone. She wanted to graduate, obtain a master’s degree, practice as a psychologist and then maybe get her doctorate.

  She fervently hoped to follow through with this plan of action.

  Chapter Three

  “Ornelia, wait for me,” a voice called out for her from behind.

  “Hey there, Emily. All set for the graduation? Where is Jake?”

  “Well, he is on his way, driving with his parents and mine. Are you up for the after-party?” Emily asked, hope shining brightly in her eyes.

  “I am not sure. My parents are supposed to be here soon. And you know how my dad feels about parties.” Nella tried hard not to crush the very little hope Emily had.

  “Come on, Nella. It’s the last day. I am sure he will let you go, if you ask him nicely,” Emily insisted.

  “I don’t know, Em. They were pretty excited about my graduation, and I have never seen them like that. I think I’ll spend this day with them. Thanks for the invitation though.”

  As much as Ornelia did want to go, her father had specifically told her to go back home with them. She knew she would be allowed to hang out with Emily and Jake whenever, but parties were a long stretch for her; besides, her father was a little protective.

  “If you change your mind, you know where to find me. I’ll mostly be with Jake and few others.” With that said, Emily moved toward Ornelia’s seat and hugged her one last time.

  ***

  “A pleasant afternoon to each and every one here. On this joyful occasion, I would like to congratulate our graduating students, who are finally stepping out into the world. . . . I wish you all the very best for your future . . . and for now, I would like to welcome our valedictorian, Miss Simmons, on the stage,” said the chairman of their university.

  After the valedictory address, a few speeches of other important guests followed, but only two stood out. Those were by the business tycoons Maximus King and Ethan Mars, who were there to recruit potential candidates for their investment firm.

  Ornelia quietly chuckled at the thought of how weird-sounding their names were. Maximus faintly reminded her of the horse from the movie Tangled.

  Despite their weird names, both were persuasive and enthusiastic and seemed highly dynamic; no wonder they made a big fortune at such a young age. And with their expensive suits and tall statures, they were headturners at the event.

  Maximus King appeared as someone who commanded attention in the crowd, and he looked dashing—his dark curls; sharp nose; rosy-pink lips, full and so succulent. His high cheek bones gave him an aristocratic feel.

  And his eyes . . . Ornelia thought

  She knew what storms were like, but these ones looked like they were out to take her.

  That was when she noticed him glaring at her
, or maybe it was someone else? She turned around to check who he was looking at, and when she turned back, he was nowhere in sight.

  Well, talk about a creep. Handsome but most definitely a creep.

  The closing remarks by the president of the university concluded the ceremony. Ornelia made her way to her friends to say goodbye, before they were off to the party.

  “Hey, guys. I am going to miss you so much,” Nella said, hugging Jake and Emily.

  They hugged her back and told her they were going to miss her just as much, and that they would keep in touch.

  Then Ornelia noticed something different. The two were holding hands. Having known Emily in the entire four-year period at the university, it was a complete no-no for her .

  “Wait, the two of you . . . finally . . . ?” Nella asked, gesturing between the two with a splitting grin on her face.

  Jake and Emily kissed in approval. Ornelia could barely contain her excitement and happiness for them.

  “Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “I am so happy for you guys. As disgusting as that kiss was, you make a cute couple.” She hugged them one last time before she was summoned by her parents.

  The car ride was tense, and for some reason, it seemed as if something huge had happened, which clearly, she missed. Seeing her mother upset was a rare sight. Usually her mom would sit beside her father while he drove. But that day was different. She was sitting in the back seat, busy looking out the window, her hands folded across her chest.

  Ornelia also noticed that her dad had a death grip on the steering wheel, his jaw was constantly clicking—a sign that he wasn’t in a great mood either.

  Deathly silence was all there was.

  ***

  They finally arrived home, but neither of Ornelia’s parents uttered a single word to each other, not even to her.

  “Um, is something wrong? I thought you guys were happy that I graduated university with honors. One step closer to the doctorate,” she began as they reached the living room.