My Sister Stole My Boyfriend And I marry a billionaire

Chapter 2

Hannah stared at everyone, tears pricking the corner of her eyes.

“You keep making me feel like nothing when it involves Hailey” She should stop speaking but she couldn't bring herself to. Her voice appeared broken and cracked because of her tears.

Her mother's jaw clenched. “Leave if you aren't comfortable with how things run here, Hannah! Move out of the house!”

No one argued. Rather, it looked like they supported the decision. She realized they didn't love her. She really had no reason to stay.

She walked past everyone and walked upstairs to her room.

“She would pack whatever she could and leave.” She thought. But as she stood in the centre of the room, a realization hit her like a punch to the gut. She had nothing.

The room was empty, another reminder that she had always given everything to Hailey.

Tears rolled off her cheeks, hot and burning. She wiped it off immediately.

She walked back downstairs and for a moment, she froze.

Her family, who should be filled with guilt and worried about her, were seated around the table, laughing heartily like the happiest in the world. Jaxon fed Hailey like a princess and for minutes, no one noticed her presence behind them.

She walked through the entrance, hoping someone would notice. No one did. They were completely lost in the joy of sitting around the table, being a family which she had never been among.

She walked out, didn't look back, and moved through the streets aimlessly.

She couldn't stop thinking about all the sacrifices she made for her parents, sister and boyfriend. In the end, they reduced her to nothing but a joke.

The citylines blurred into darkness as she walked. She failed to register everything happening around her, as her head was downcast, mind distant.

She eventually stopped, head whipping up and suddenly processing her environment. She gasped softly.

She was in the middle of nowhere. She had been walking with no destination in mind.

Hannah dipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out some dollar bills. Worry flashed across her face instantly. The money wouldn't get her through the night.

Suddenly, she glanced up. Her eyes landed on a bar standing tall across from where she was.

She didn't think twice before heading in, the dollars clutched in her hand like a lifeline. She could figure her life out later but at the moment, she desperately needed a drink.

The first wave of music hit her ears, followed by the loud continuous melody that filled the room.

Hannah settled down in front of the bartender’s desk, placing her order.

Cocktail. Tequila. Anything strong.

The glass was placed in front of her seconds later. Her hands wrapped around it and once again, she became lost in thought, replaying her mother's words in her head.

“Having a hard time, Ms. Kingsley?” Someone's voice jolted her, pulling her out of her reverie.

Hannah’s face shot up. Her whole body froze in shock. Her cold boss was staring directly into her eyes, the man who everyone including her had always avoided.

Cold. Arrogant. Frustrating.

That was every employee's view of Xavier Cruz.

Every employee who entered his office came out with a sullen face. Hannah had been one of them once, when he tore a report she had spent hours perfecting.

She didn’t expect him to remember her name, but here he was, calling her as though they had been friends for years.

“Mr. Cruz?” She called, her voice laced with disbelief.

He didn’t respond. He faced the bartender and ordered his own drink.

He settled into the chair beside Hannah. “You look so…..” He turned to look at her. “Gloomy”

Hannah took a sip from her drink. She dropped the glass gently, resting back into the chair with an exasperated sigh.

“I got dumped,” She said.

Xavier Cruz turned his face to her completely, looking interested.

“My boyfriend left me for my sister. My parents supported it” She paused, dramatically explaining with her hands. “The asshole had gotten her pregnant. I realized they had been planning it for a while”

“So they betrayed you,” Xavier said calmly.

Hannah nodded, forcing a smile to her lips. She reached for her glass and saw that the content was empty. She had been drinking heavily while she spoke.

Xavier slid his own drink to her before she could call the bartender.

“Thank you,” she muttered.

Silence fell over them for a second before Xavier broke it.

“The company is on the verge of failing. The board members want to establish my father's legacy rule now of all times” Xavier let out a short bitter laugh, staring into the wall.

Hannah turned her face to him, interested. “What legacy?”

Xavier's face snapped back to her. “Marriage. Whoever leads the company needs to be married”

Hannah nodded in understanding, though she believed that was an absurd legacy the late Mr. Cruz had imposed.

For another minute, they both remained silent until Xavier's voice rose.

“I have a proposal for you,”

Hannah’s gaze lifted, a frown settling on her face. “A proposal?”

“Be my wife for a year.” He blurted.

Hannah blinked. “What?”

“You want to make your boyfriend and family regret what they did, don’t you?” he paused for a second before he continued. “I need a wife to stabilize my position as the CEO.”

Hannah listened.

“You need someone like me to put everyone who dumped you in their place” He explained. “It’s a win-win. Marry me for a year and that's done”

He wasn't joking, and the realization made her stomach churn. As far as she could recall, all she ever said to Xavier Cruz daily was greetings. And now? He was proposing marriage to her at a no-name bar.

“How long do you need to think about it?” Xavier asked.

Hannah didn’t speak. She was busy replaying his proposal in her head.

She’d be the wife of Xavier Cruz, the wealthy CEO of Cruz Automobile. She imagined the look on her parents' face when they knows. The look on Jaxon’s face when he finds out.

Her mind became made up in an instant. She turned to Xavier, face firm with determination.

“Deal accepted,” She stated.

She had left the house with nowhere to go. She never imagined she would stumble into a role as Xavier Cruz’s wife. And now, she would make her family look back at everything and regret ever treating her the way they did.