One Night With A Mysterious Billionaire (The Heiress's Revenge)-Chapter 27: oh how I missed him.

Third person pov

from Stephanie Gabriel, the young miss of the Gabriel family, the one that controlled the country’s media industry. Opening it, Lena realized it was a fundraiser, one where items would be auctioned off at outrageous prices.

She had always hated events like this. In the past, she would simply hand her card to Ashley and Evans and have them attend on her behalf. They, in turn, would blackmail her into giving them more invitation calls.

But this time was different.

Stephanie had invited her personally.

Lena knew she couldn’t refuse. That alone was reason enough to attend.

As she worked, her thoughts drifted back to Raymond and everything that had happened over the past few days. No matter how often she argued with him or pushed him away, he had never stopped taking care of her. She had promised him things, yet she hadn’t fulfilled a single one.

Raymond deserved better.

This was a contract marriage, after all, and she needed to start holding up her end of the bargain. If not for him, her family and Evans would have stripped her of everything, her dignity and her mother’s company included.

With a quiet sigh, Lena made a mental note.

She would make it up to Raymond tonight, once she got home.

Lena went home after work, only to realize that Raymond was not around. The house felt unusually quiet, almost hollow. She checked the living room, the study, and even peeked into the kitchen, but there was no sign of him. A faint unease crept into her chest. She took out her phone and tried calling him, once... twice... three times. Each call went unanswered.

Her uneasiness slowly turned into discomfort.

Why was he treating her like this?

Was he avoiding her?

Or worse... did he no longer want her?

Her thoughts spiraled the more she stood there alone. After a while, Lena shook her head, forcing herself to stop overthinking. She told herself it was pointless to torture her mind with assumptions. With a sigh, she went to the upstairs, took a long bath, and prepared for bed. She stayed awake longer than usual, waiting for the sound of the door opening, but Raymond never returned. Eventually, exhaustion pulled her into sleep.

When Lena woke up the next morning, the first thing she noticed was the bed beside her. It was still untouched—neatly made, cold, and empty. Her heart sank.

A sense of foreboding settled deep within her chest.

She got out of bed, bathed, dressed for work, and went downstairs. As she entered the dining room, she instinctively looked toward Raymond’s usual seat, where he often sat with his laptop, sipping coffee while scanning through documents. The seat was empty.

Her unease deepened.

Lena called for Bertha, and the woman emerged from the kitchen almost immediately. Lena greeted her before asking the question that had been weighing heavily on her heart.

"Did Raymond come back home last night?" Lena asked softly, her eyes unconsciously scanning the room again.

Bertha shook her head. "No, ma’am. He stayed at the west wing."

Lena blinked, confused. "The west wing?" she repeated. "There’s a west wing?"

Bertha chuckled lightly. "It’s alright if you don’t know. Raymond likes to keep things... very orderly."

Lena was surprised, but she had no idea that by the end of this conversation, she would be shocked beyond words. Seeing the curiosity in Lena’s eyes, Bertha nodded and continued with a gentle smile.

"You might not know this, but I came with Raymond from Vegas City. Liam and Damon too. Even most of his drivers, security team, and staff."

Lena’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"He owns three villas like this," Bertha continued.

"They’re all close by, used to house his most trusted people. The west wing is where Mr. Damon stays. The south wing belongs to Mr. Liam, while the east wing is for the security personnel... and me."

Bertha smiled fondly. "Raymond treats his workers and friends like family. That’s why when he decided to relocate to York City, we all came with him. Including Mr. Damon."

Her gaze drifted upward, as though she was lost in a painful memory. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but she quickly blinked them away and offered a wry smile.

"The rest... you should ask him yourself," Bertha said gently. "I’m sure he’ll tell you when he’s ready."

She then asked, "Do you need anything else, lena?"

"Yes," Lena replied quickly. "Where exactly is the west wing?"

"It’s not far from here," Bertha answered. "Any of Raymond’s drivers can take you there."

Lena hesitated before asking, "How did you know he was there if you didn’t stay in the west wing?"

"He called me this morning," Bertha replied. "He asked me to prepare breakfast for him."

A small light flickered in Lena’s eyes. An opportunity. She realized she had found a way—an opening to apologize and possibly bring Raymond home.

"Is there a way I can make the food myself when I get there?" Lena asked hurriedly, her mind already racing with plans to appease him.

Bertha raised an eyebrow. "I can help you pack what you’ll need, but aren’t you supposed to be going to work?"

Lena smiled confidently. "I’m the boss. I can take a day off, and no one will question it. Besides..." she paused, then added sincerely, "Raymond deserves this. Everything I have is thanks to him."

Bertha nodded. "Alright. Go upstairs and change. I’ll get things ready."

Lena rushed upstairs and quickly changed out of her work clothes. With no casual outfits available, every item in her closet was from a designer—she settled on a very short Chanel gown. She styled her hair into a neat updo and paired the dress with simple flats. Unknowingly, her long, elegant legs were left on full display which would later become a problem with a certain someone

She went downstairs feeling both elated and nervous. She hoped everything would go well. With Raymond backing her, she knew she could soar higher. She had to make this two-year contract count.

And no matter how much she told herself it was about business, the truth was undeniable, she missed Raymond. She missed his jokes, his indulgence, the way he babied her. She missed his warmth beside her in bed, his care, his protection. She wanted everything back... fully.

Outside, Bertha and Sullivan had already loaded everything into the car.

Lena thanked Bertha before Sullivan opened the door for her. She slid into the seat, and the car soon sped off.

Her heart fluttered with excitement and fear. What if Raymond was angry? What if she had made things worse by coming unannounced?

What she didn’t know was that Raymond was already aware of her arrival, Sullivan had informed him earlier.

—

Raymond hadn’t gone home the previous night because he was overwhelmed. Everything in his life felt chaotic. Lena herself was a handful, not that he couldn’t handle her, but he had promised to treat her better. How could he resort to force or harshness when he had sworn to protect her? 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

To avoid another confrontation, he stayed with Damon, hoping to clear his head and figure out his next move.

On top of everything, his grandfather was threatening to hand the company over to his stepbrother, after all the effort Raymond had poured into building it. He refused to be forced into something he didn’t want, like the marriage he was proposing. but he knew he had to tread carefully. He would be damned if he allowed the company to fall into his stepbrother’s hands.

He was still in Damon’s home office, discussing strategy, when Sullivan called to inform him that Lena was on her way.

Raymond froze. "What is she coming here for?" he asked sharply. "And who told her about this place?"

Before the call ended, he learned that Bertha had told her, and that she was bringing ingredients to cook for him.

Raymond was surprised, but he couldn’t deny that her food tasted good. He also saw through her intentions immediately. This was her way of apologizing.

She wasn’t entirely at fault, he also has a part to play in the whole fiasco that went down.

He sighed, then told Sullivan to bring her over.

Damon, already aware of what was about to happen, grabbed his suit jacket from the table.

"I’ll leave," he said with a knowing grin. "No need to see me out. And don’t break anything, we both know makeup sex is always the best."

Raymond chuckled but said nothing.

He leaned back in his chair, quietly anticipating Lena’s arrival, completely forgetting all his troubles.

Not long he hears the sound of a car driving in and he knows Lena has arrived. He stood up to welcome her at the door.

When Lena got to the door, before she could knock, the door opened and her face heated up because Raymond was standing at the door in his full glory looking captivating. Oh how she missed him.

Not long after, he heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and immediately knew Lena had arrived. He stood up and went to the door to welcome her.

When Lena reached the door, before she could even knock, it opened. Her face instantly heated up as Raymond stood there in all his glory, looking utterly captivating. Oh, how she had missed him.