Billionaire's Replaced Bride

Chapter 61: His Background

Ivanna

The morning begins with a warm touch on my lips. Even though it's part of my routine, I'm still enamored with this type of morning. I feel him stretching the kiss; it's always brief in the morning.

As I open my eyes, just an inch apart, I see a handsome smile lingering on his face. It's enough to make me smile back. I slide my hand around his neck and pull him in for another kiss.

I can recall the days I spent in Texas before. Mornings were much different than this one—living alone, working out, quick breakfast, leaving for college, and working straight for six hours to pay my bills! It's not like my life wasn't better. It was. But I can feel what I was missing. Maybe everything he has for me.

"Didn't expect this," Christian says when I pull back to breathe.

"I like doing exceptional things," I giggle and find his eyes lingering down my body.

I immediately cover myself with the quilt, shooting him a glare.

"Pervert! Mornings should start with productivity, but you ruin it with your dirty eyes," I groan.

"What can be more productive than staring at my beautiful wife?"

"I guess we were productive enough last night," I scoff, squirming when I move my legs a bit. "Ouch! You literally make it impossible for me to do anything in the morning."

I throw him a dirty look while getting up.

"Oh really?" He leans against the bed. "Who was asking to go harder?"

"Just shut up, you brute!" I seethe and climb down the bed, wrapping the quilt around me and looking for my lingerie.

He stares at me, as always. He stares at me all the time I'm around him, and sometimes I just hate it.

"What?" I bark at him while collecting my clothes from the ground.

Why does he need to toss them? Seriously! I wonder what kind of blunder can be created if someone breaks inside the room when I forget to clean it.

"Why are you so irritated every morning after a terrific night?" He stretches his arms, his tough muscles flexing is the hottest thing I have ever seen.

"Because you have ruined my favorite lingerie again. Just let me change before we have sex next time. At least, I can save my favorite ones," I pout at him, staring at my favorite piece of lingerie which is literally in pieces now.

"Don't pull on a sad face. I'll get you the same ones," he says, putting his nose back on his phone again.

He's just impossible.

"Go to hell!" I throw the ripped lingerie at him and storm into the washroom.

"I'm sorry," I hear him yelling. "Well, are you too sore?"

"Just focus on the phone. Let me take a bath," I yell back.

*

I come out of the washroom and find Christian still in his boxers as he walks around the room while doing something on his phone. He may have something important though.

"You could use the other washroom. Must be getting late," I say, going near the mirror and grabbing a comb.

"No! I'm not getting late today," he says, still darting his eyes on the phone. I look at him through the mirror.

"It's already late."

"I'm not going to the office today. I'll go somewhere else," he looks up at me and tosses the phone on the bed.

I can sense his voice getting low. However, I never really asked him too many questions about his work and other stuff the way he never asked me where I'm going or what I'm doing. There might be some tension about work.

"Okay, but I have to leave early for the gym," I say, taking out my clothes.

"Ivanna," his voice stops me from whatever I'm doing. He hardly calls me by my name. So, I suppose he wants to say something serious.

I turn around, to find him looking at me with calm eyes, no reaction on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Can you skip the gym and classes today? Only if you can, but if there's an emergency, it's fine," he says.

It's the first time he's asking me to cancel my plans so I don't really bother to question.

"No problem, I can skip them," I reply and wait for his response.

"Actually, it's Dad's death anniversary and there's a small function in the foster care home which Dad used to handle," he tells me.

"Oh!" I didn't really expect it to be today. And I literally fought with him early this morning.

That's gross, Ivanna.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I thought about attending the ceremony quietly like every year. But then I thought to ask you. If you could make it."

"You can just ask me to come," I walk closer to him, keeping my eyes on his dull face as he drops his head.

I scoop his face in my hands and make him look at me. It seems like he's too upset but he's trying his best to be normal.

"Are you okay?" I whisper, gently rubbing his cheek with my thumbs and he nods.

"I'm fine," a light smile rips on his face as he looks at me.

Seconds later, he takes me into a tight embrace. I hug him back as hard as possible. We don't share a single word, we just feel the warmth of each other's embrace.

That's it.

*

We fly back to Dallas. In a few hours, the car stops near the foster care home which is not so far from my place.

Surprisingly, we have come here alone. Neither Colton nor any of his staff came here and I wonder why? Didn't he let anyone be with him every year on this day? Maybe he doesn't want anyone to see him depressed and broken.

As we step inside together, holding hands, a bunch of kids are seen decorating the open area, and some women are helping them.

"Mr. Scott," a lady arrives to welcome us with a warm smile and shakes hands with Christian, then with me. "We were just waiting for you. And you're not alone this time," she gives me a smile.

"Yeah. This is--" Christian struggles to speak.

"I don't think we need an introduction of her. Welcome, Mrs. Scott," she says.

"Thank you," I smiled at her.

"And this is Mrs. Rachel, the head of the management of this foster care," she adds.

She walks with us through the meadow while talking.

"Your father would be very proud and happy today if he saw you taking his legacy to the peak," Rachel says.

"I did nothing. I just got his already built empire and ran it," Christian replies.

"Still, even after so many years, you didn't forget this place when your father had a lot of expensive commodities. You chose this place to celebrate his life," she says.

"How can I forget the place I once belonged to?" Christian's words halt me numbly on the spot as I look at him.

He has taken a few steps further. I'm still there, figuring out if I heard him right.

Does he belong to this foster home?

How's that possible?

He stops abruptly and looks back at me. Our eyes meet.

"Mrs. Rachel, I'll join you soon," he says, looking at me.