The Otherside Of Love || Sadistic Billionaire

Natalie’s POV

I shot my friends a furious look, still simmering with anger over what they had done earlier. However, I couldn’t maintain my facade for long; soon, we burst into laughter.

“I can’t believe you did that, you crazy ones,” I said amidst my giggles.

Rebecca replied with excitement, “I can’t believe he sent you that amount of money already. Is there any way to push his fiancee aside and make him engage me?”

“What about your fiance?” Fello asked her, his tone dripping with fake disdain.

She rolled her eyes and said, “Dev is a wealthy man, but he’s not as rich as Rafael.”

I stared at her with amusement. “Haven’t you heard of love before?”

“Love is for weak people,” she replied, lifting her chin defiantly.

Her reply reminded me of Rafael’s opinion about love; they shared the same perspective.

But there was a difference between their reasons for that opinion. As much as I understood Rebecca’s love for money, I also knew the extent of her suffering due to her mother’s relationships. She had moved from one man to another for financial security. While some of her mother’s boyfriends treated her well, others subjected her to harassment and mistreatment.

“Where are you going?” Fello asked as I got up from the booth where we were sitting after returning from our short ride.

“I’ll fix my makeup,” I said, intending to call Rafael and clarify things with him.

I think Fello guessed what I was going to do. She patted me on the shoulder and said cheerfully, “Yes, go girl!”

I headed to the ladies’ room without looking back. There were a few girls there, so I had to wait for a little bit before making my call.

I washed my hands and patted my hot neck with my wet, cold hands. When the girls exited the restroom, I dialed Rafael’s number. The phone rang and rang, but he didn’t pick up. Could it be that he was still at the company until now? I glanced at the watch on my phone screen. It indicated eleven thirty, making it impossible for him to still be at the office.

I decided to make one last try before returning to my friends. This time, he picked up the call on the fourth ring, just before I was about to surrender and end the call.

I froze when I heard her voice. She sounded out of breath as she said, “Hello!”

I blinked several times, then glanced back at the screen. Rafael’s name was displayed on the screen, confirming that I hadn’t accidentally dialed the wrong number.

“Hello,” Debbie said again, her voice sounding lazy this time.

I gritted my teeth and pulled the phone away from my ear, my heart pounding crazily. But before I pressed the end button, she said again, “Natalie, are you there?”

I forged ahead, asking, “Where’s Rafael?”

“In the bathroom, taking a shower,” Debbie replied with a flat tone, as if it were a normal thing.

I couldn’t bear to hear anymore. I didn’t want to hear her voice anymore.

I hung up the call.

What the hell was Rafael doing with her?

Are they…?

That was impossible.

But what’s impossible, you idiot? He knows you were with your friends, and you wouldn’t be home soon!

The tears wouldn’t come out of my eyes, but a big lump formed in my throat. My heart tightened, and every cell of my body was hurting. With trembling fingers, I called Rafael’s number again. But this time, neither Rafael nor Debbie picked up.

I emerged from the washroom in a daze, my knees trembling. Even though I wasn’t sure if they were together, as the way my mind was forming pictures, I felt uncomfortable.

The vision was a little foggy because of the unshed tears, so I bumped into a tall man. He held me by my waist and asked with concern, “Are you okay, Miss?”

I pushed his hands away from me, forced a pale smile, and replied, “I’m sorry, did I hurt you with my high heel?”

He examined me with his eyes, and though I wasn’t comfortable, I felt the need to be polite. After all, I was the one who had bumped into him.

He shook his head and said, “Never mind. You can compensate me with one glass.”

Though I knew I couldn’t drink, I felt compelled to agree. Still, I nodded and gestured towards a corner, saying, “Okay, you can find me in that booth.”RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

He nodded, and I straightened my stance, took a deep breath, then walked towards my friends.

“What happened? Why is your face pale? And who is that guy? Do you know him?” Fello showered me with questions once I sat back down.

Rebecca rolled her eyes and retorted, “Why are you acting like a nanny? Let the girl enjoy herself.”

“Hi, hot girls,” said the man who I bumped into moments ago, holding two glasses of wine in his hands.

Fello eyed him from top to toe, then whispered to me, “Are you going to drink?”

I nodded and said, “Just one glass.”

“I’m Jad,” the man said as he sat beside me.

I smiled politely and replied, “I’m Natalie.”

He handed me a glass of red wine and mumbled, “Just one glass, I won’t disturb you anymore.”

Rebecca was engaged in conversation with her followers through an Instagram live feed, while Fello silently scrolled through her phone.

Even though I wasn’t good with alcohol, I drank the wine as quickly as I could, just to get rid of this guy. I don’t like guys who try to impose themselves, thinking it’s cool, and that girls will love it.

The strange thing was, the man left once I finished drinking my glass. I watched him walk away after he said goodbye politely. He didn’t even try to put his hand on me like others might have, trying to take advantage of the situation. He avoided Rebecca’s camera when she tried to focus it on him.

However, I felt relieved he didn’t try anything. It spared me the need to defend myself.

After a short while, I found myself craving more drink, something stronger. A heat surged through my veins, and an overwhelming feeling invaded my body. Even though I was weak when it came to alcohol, it had never caused me this kind of sensation before.

Images of Rafael with Debbie kept replaying in my head, even though, deep down, I felt it wasn’t like my mind was telling me. It was like I was hallucinating, trapped in a bubble of confusion.

“Nat? Dear, are you okay?” Fello asked me with a worried expression when she saw me asking the waiter for another glass.

I waved my hand at her, signaling not to worry.

I drank. I drank a lot, to the point where I lost count. Every time I told myself it would be the last drink, I found myself craving more.

I asked the waiter for another glass, but this time Fello held my hand, stopping me from drinking more. I yelled at her, “Stop interfering! I’m not a kid.”

I drank the glass in one gulp and left the booth, heading to the dance floor. I started dancing with whoever stood before me. I felt their hands touching my body. I felt disgusted, but I couldn’t stop them.

I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I felt a wave of heat surging through my veins, and I needed to calm it down. And for some reason, I couldn’t calm it down except with a man.

Amidst the loud music, with trembling hands, I called Rafael. Surprisingly, he picked up the call from the first ring this time. “Hey, Nat,” he greeted.

My tears rolled down my cheeks uncontrollably. From between my sobs, I managed to say, “I hate you!”

He snapped promptly, “Natalie? What’s all this noise?”

I snapped back, “I said I hate you, didn’t you hear me?”

“Natalie, tell me where you are, and I’ll be there soon,” he said firmly.

“Don’t come. I don’t want to see your ugly fucking face. I hate you. Don’t you understand?” I snapped and hung up on him.

“Good girl,” shouted the man who was dancing with me, handing me another glass.

My phone didn’t stop ringing, but I didn’t pick up. I didn’t even bother to check the caller ID.

My friends tried to pull me off the dance floor, but I refused.

After a short while, the man asked me, whispering in his disgusting voice while licking my neck, “Let’s go to a room.”