One Night With A Mysterious Billionaire (The Heiress's Revenge)-Chapter 24: Am I the drama

"You can go back to your room. I’ll join you shortly." He dismissed me.

I didn’t wait for him to repeat himself before bolting out of the room, my feet barely touching the floor as I moved as fast as my legs could carry me.

My heart thudded painfully against my chest, each step echoing the confusion and hurt twisting inside me. The moment I reached my room, I shut the door behind me and collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

_

My mind felt heavy, clogged with too many unanswered questions about what had just happened. Raymond’s words replayed over and over again in my head, sharp and cutting. I tried to make sense of it all, but the more I thought about it, the more tangled my thoughts became.

The night stretched endlessly. Sleep refused to come no matter how hard I tried. I lay awake, staring into the darkness, dreading the thought of sharing the same bed with Raymond. Every time I closed my eyes, his cold expression flashed before me. My chest tightened, and I turned restlessly from one side of the bed to the other.

At some point, exhaustion finally claimed me.

When I woke up the next morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains. I turned instinctively toward Raymond’s side of the bed, and froze. It was untouched, perfectly made. Relief washed over me as I realized he hadn’t come to bed at all.

I exhaled slowly and got up.

After washing up, I dressed carefully. A black skirt paired with a crisp white shirt, topped with a fitted suit jacket. Beneath the skirt, I wore a skin-tight net, completing the look with black heels.

I let my hair fall freely down my back and curled it neatly. A few pieces of jewelry, light makeup, nothing excessive. When I was done, I stared at my reflection for a moment, then nodded to myself.

I looked composed. Strong.

I grabbed my handbag and laptop bag and headed downstairs.

Raymond was seated at the dining table, his laptop open in front of him, just as usual, calm, focused, unbothered. I ignored him completely and headed straight for the door.

"Lena," he called. "Won’t you say hello before you leave?" I stopped.

Yesterday’s outburst was still fresh in my mind, the sting refusing to fade. I turned around sharply, my temper flaring before I could stop it.

"Why should I say hello?" I snapped. "I thought we weren’t supposed to intrude on each other’s space."

"What is your problem, kitten?" he asked, his tone firm. "Sit down and eat with me before you go."

"I don’t want to eat with you," I shot back, anger blazing. "Or even be in the same room as you. I wouldn’t want to invade your privacy."

"Why are you being so difficult?" Raymond asked. "Is this about last night?"

"Oh, so you forgot?" I laughed bitterly. "You forgot what you said to me? How you always remind me that this is a contract and I should remember my place? Now that I’ve decided to follow the contract strictly, you suddenly have something to say?"

"Would you stop being childish and unreasonable?" Raymond snapped, clearly losing his patience. "What was our agreement about the painting room? I specifically told you not to enter, yet you did. You’re lucky I didn’t punish you. If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have walked away without consequences."

"Lucky?" I scoffed. "Unreasonable? You’re the unreasonable one, always authoritative, always bossing everyone around. Let me make something clear: you are not my boss. The world does not revolve around you."

Raymond let out a dark chuckle, clearly exasperated.

"No, it doesn’t," he replied calmly. "But your life does, for now. Until the contract ends."

My breath caught.

"You can’t get away from me, kitten," he continued coldly. "Not until I let you go."

"You can’t keep me here!" I screamed. "I’ll sue you if you try to hold me against my will!"

"Did you forget you signed a legally binding contract?" he replied smoothly, a devilish grin curling his lips. "And no one would dare take your case once they know I’m involved."

"Stop being difficult, Lena," he said, his voice firm.

"All I ask is that you follow instructions."

"And if I refuse?" I challenged him. "What will you do?"

"I’ll punish you," he replied without hesitation.

"Now stop whining and come eat."

"I’m not eating," I said stubbornly. "And you can’t make me."

Raymond fell silent. For a moment, I thought he might explode, but instead, he simply watched me. When he didn’t respond, I turned and headed for the door.

His gaze darkened briefly as it lingered on my legs, the net beneath my skirt catching his attention. Whatever he was thinking, he said nothing and let it go.

"Who does he think he is?" I fumed inwardly as I stepped outside. "Always telling me what to do. Every time I try to be nice, he throws that stupid contract in my face."

"Sullivan, open the door. Let’s go," I snapped.

"Yes, ma’am," Sullivan replied quickly, opening the car door without hesitation. He could clearly sense my mood and wisely chose not to say anything.

As the car pulled away, I continued cursing Raymond in my head.

The humiliation from yesterday resurfaced, fresh and painful. I hadn’t even been that angry at first, I only went to check on him. But his nonchalant, dismissive attitude always managed to push my buttons.

As the adrenaline faded, shame and frustration crept in.

I groaned softly, realizing the scene I had caused was unnecessary. I knew the terms of the contract. I knew I wasn’t supposed to intrude on his privacy. Yet his words still hurt more than I wanted to admit.

_

Raymond, on the other hand, was just as troubled.

He sat alone, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him, emotionally and physically. His grandfather’s request still echoed in his mind, leaving him restless and tense. Now, on top of that, he had fought with Lena.

He knew he had crossed a line the night before. He hadn’t meant any of it. He wasn’t himself.

Why did everything have to spiral like this?

All he wanted was peace and quiet, yet just when he thought he’d found it, everything seemed determined to shatter it.

With a sigh, Raymond went upstairs, changed into a grey shirt and trousers, grabbed his car keys, and left without asking for a driver. He drove himself to his favorite lounge, calling Damon and Liam along the way. He instructed Liam to leave the general manager in charge for the day because he knew that Liam needed a drink too.

Tonight, he needed alcohol.

To him, alcohol was the only thing that never betrayed, never questioned, and never walked away.

Lena arrived at work that morning with her mind in complete disarray. No matter how hard she tried to focus, her thoughts refused to cooperate. Numbers blurred on her screen, documents went unread, and meetings passed without her retaining a single word. Eventually, she gave up entirely and called HR, instructing them to draft Evans’ termination letter immediately.

After ending the call, she leaned back in her chair, her fingers pressing into her temples. All morning, her thoughts circled around Raymond and the argument they had.

The more she replayed it in her head, the more she convinced herself that his attitude had been far too overbearing. That had been the reason she lost her temper, nothing else. At least, that was what she told herself.

She was still lost in thought when Sylvia knocked and entered her office, her expression tense.

"Lena," Sylvia said carefully, "your father is downstairs. He insists on seeing you. I tried to send him away, but he’s causing a scene."

Lena’s expression darkened instantly. For a moment, she felt the strong urge to smash something, anything, just to vent her anger. She had almost forgotten that man even existed, and now he had the audacity to show up at her workplace to stir trouble.

Her lips curled into a sneer. She didn’t need to guess why he had come. It was always the same reason, money. He needed her to keep funding his ungrateful life. If not for the title of "father" attached to him, she would have ordered security to throw him out without hesitation.

"What a headache," Lena muttered under her breath.

"You don’t have to see him if you don’t want to," Sylvia said gently. "I can tell him you didn’t come to work today."

Lena shook her head slowly. "It’s fine. He’s my father, after all."

Even as she said the words, there was no warmth in her eyes. After everything he had done to her over the years, she felt nothing but repulsion toward him. Still, she stood up and headed downstairs, Sylvia following closely behind.

The moment Lena reached the lobby, she froze.

Standing there were not just her father, Mr. Smith, but also Ashley, and Evans.