The Billionaires's Temptation (Book 1)

50. Bernard on board

Sarah

"Hey, Erica," I positioned the phone on the vanity mirror as the face of my cousin appeared on the screen.

"Sarah! What pleasure do I owe you today? You finally decided to check up on your cousin," she said, plopping on her couch. Her cat's face occupied the screen.

"Eww! Take him away!" I spat, reaching for the hair cream and dabbed it on my palm. I didn't even know why I was holding it in the first place. It's not like I've washed my hair.

"You can't do anything about my cat. He's the only one keeping me company while Luke is away." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Erica's cat had been with her since it was a little kitten. Now the cat has matured into a big cat. Erica is my cousin from my mother's side, and also one of my favorites. I have a lot of cousins. Some I don't even know existed until the end-of-year family gathering. I'd see new faces. I don't really mind. At least we form a bond during that time of the year.

Erica got married to the love of her life, Luke, two months ago, who is a popular footballer. I can see why the cat is keeping her company. "I mean no harm. Anyways, I didn't call for us to argue. How are you?" I asked, finally rubbing the hair cream onto my hair.

Erica heaved out a sharp breath, resting her back down. "I'm doing good. What about you? How is Bernard and Molly? Damn! It's been a whole lot of months since I saw Bernard." The door was pushed open, and Bernard's face appeared. It was as if Erica had summoned him.

"Isn't that him?" she asked, squinting her eyes at the screen. I turned to Bernard, who didn't even cast a look my way as he walked towards the closet. "Bernard, Erica is saying hi here," I called out.

He turned around, and it took me less than a second to figure out the expression on his face. "Hi Erica." And that was it. He turned his back around.

"It looks like Bernard is exhausted from work," I said, trying to hide away my embarrassment at the way Bernard had acted towards Erica. He didn't even try to prolong the conversation.

"I can see that," she answered back. All of a sudden, silence engulfed us. I knew Erica had noticed something with the way her eyes were darting at a particular spot in her room.

"Anyways, how is your brand going? I haven't heard you launch any new products lately," I commenced again. Erica owns a lipstick brand company. The company is not on the low and not on the high. I'm proud of how much effort she is putting into making it to the top.

"Business is going well. We're still working on the launching. I've gotten an invite to an exhibition in Paris, so I'm planning on using that as an opportunity to launch it."

"Really! That's incredible. It has always been your dream to visit Paris. That dream is getting fulfilled. I would love to go on a trip too. You know, to take my mind off staying in this New York." I said the last word, casting a look at Bernard who had already changed and has occupied the bed, pressing on his phone.

"You and Bernard can make some time and go somewhere with Molly. It will be nice to have quality time with your family." At that moment, I wished I could enter the phone and hug Erica for her statement. That was exactly what I needed Bernard to hear.

But as clueless as he was, he didn't even lift his face from his phone. "You're right, Erica. The trip is what we need!" I had to raise my voice extra louder, just in case. But all was in vain.

Erica's face disappeared from the screen as it was replaced by the ceiling. "Sorry, Sarah, I think we'd have our conversation some other time. I just got an urgent work to take care of at the company," she said apologetically.

"Don't worry. Take care of yourself."

"You too. My regards to Molly, please." We waved at each other before I ended the call. I took in a deep breath before sitting up. I walked toward Bernard.

The first thing I did was snatch his phone away. "What are you doing?" He asked, fixing his confused eyes on me.

"You were not paying attention to me," I confessed.

"What attention, if I may ask? You wanted me to say hi to Erica, I did that. What more do you want?"

"I need your attention, not your absent mind. And I'm not referring to Erica in this. I'm talking about us, our problems," I emphasized, still holding his phone.

Bernard sat up and pulled out his hand. "Hand me the phone," he said calmly.

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around my body with the phone still in my possession. "I'm not giving you the phone back until we sort things out here," I declared.

Bernard raked his hands through his hair in frustration. "Look here, Sarah, I have no time for an argument tonight. I'm exhausted from work. I want to rest. We will talk more tomorrow."

He was about to turn and hop onto the bed when I spoke up, an annoyed chuckle escaping me. He should be prepared for a thorough argument because I'm not going to drop the topic until I say my mind. "It had always been about work. That is the only time you spend time doing." I said, my voice dripping with annoyance.

Confusion clouded his face, and I continued. "Seriously, Bernard, do you ever think about us, even for a moment?"

"Your wife and daughter? You are always busy with work. You leave early and come back home without bothering to check how I am doing or whether Molly is fine. When will you cut yourself some slack from being Father's puppet?"

"Please, Sarah, don't start now."

"Of course I will. Because I honestly don't understand you anymore. You are not the Bernard I know. The man who brightens up my day with kisses and love every morning. The man standing in front of me is a different Bernard. A man driven by his father's words. I-" I choked on my words as the emotion began taking over me.

"I have lost my old Bernard." I literally broke down in tears. A very serious one, with tears streaming down my eyes. Bernard was taken aback by my outburst.

"And now, what's the meaning of this, Sarah? It's late, for Christ's sake," he said, his eyes going to the wall clock on the wall. It wasn't midnight yet. Bernard was only exaggerating it. Okay, maybe I was the one exaggerating the matter by breaking down in tears.

"You don't care about me anymore. You don't care about your daughter, Molly," I cried, raising my voice even louder. Bernard took a deep breath, then marched forward, leaving barely an inch between us. "Don't touch me!" I snapped when he attempted to touch my body.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry won't solve the matter. Can't you see how lovely Logan and Olivia are? It makes me jealous because I don't get that with my husband. We don't have sex anymore." Among all the problems, the sex part was the only thing that came to my mind.

An amused smile dangled at Bernard's lips. "Why? Did I say anything bad? When was the last time we had sex? You always complain you are tired or we should leave it for next time, which never happens eventually." This time around, I was the one to rake my hand through my hair and took a step forward. I stared at Bernard, hoping he'd see through my pain. "I've missed you, Bernard. I missed us." I muffled out.

"I don't want to lose my marriage. I need you. Molly and I," I added. His eyes loosened. We stared at each other.

Please lose your guard, I pleaded inside. I had to make him go by my books tonight. "You're right. I haven't been paying attention to you two. It's just that work has been mounting every day. And you know father," he tried to explain.

Annoyance seeped into me, but I kept on a brave face. I had to remain composed. "Forget father. You are married to me, not to him. I have rights over my husband. Which is why I'm suggesting this," I said, finally preparing to drop the bomb.

"And what is that?" He asked, his brows creasing in question. I circled my arms around his neck, bringing his face closer to mine. First thing, I needed to seduce him. I placed a light kiss on his lips. His body seemed to relax with just a small gesture of touch. "Why don't we go for a trip?" I said.

As expected, the smile on his face faded. "A trip? Why?"

"To spend quality time alone. You, me, and Molly," I explained. He stared, deep in thought. Nevertheless, I didn't allow him to process whatever objections his mind might be formulating. I connected our lips together.