Page 18 of The Billionaire's Contract Baby

"Without further ado, let us taste the wines. The waiters are here to serve you different sets of wines. We can talk about the technical aspects later, but for now, enjoy!" We all clapped as he finished. He came down the podium heading for us - or rather Esme. She walked to him, they hugged, she said something too quiet for me to hear.

The servers started appearing, carrying trays of wine. They spread out the guests chose what they wanted, drank it, and smiled. Others had a contemplative look on their faces. One server approached me. I took two glasses and presented one to Crystal. She raised her glass, a gleam in her eye. "Cheers?"

Chuckling, I replied, "Cheers!" We linked our glasses, and I took a sip. The taste was smooth and tangy - not a rare taste, but it had a special blend of flavors that reminded me of Asian wines.

"It tastes good but not really my jam. I don't know if that's the right comment." Crystal looked at the wine, swirling the drink in her glass.

"You're doing good. You'll catch the hang of it soon. If I were to bet, this wine was produced in South Korea. Though their main wine market is rice wine, I guess some wineries are branching out. Oh… I should stop." She looked lost, then laughed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to understand how you got all that from one sip. You're a pro."

"Thank you. We're still going to be tasting more wines soon. So, just take a few sips from each glass," I reminded her, remembering she had a low tolerance.

Esme and Elijah joined us; we drank with them and shared pleasantries. They moved on to other guests. It was just Crystal and me now. We drank wine for close to an hour. I was starting to appreciate Elijah's vision. Each wine was better than the last. I was already planning the next step regarding these wines.

Despite only taking a few sips of the various wines, Crystal looked flush, so I stopped her from drinking more. It wasn't until later into the evening that we were able to leave. Crystal immediately fell asleep when she got into the car. I took a minute to say goodbye to Bruno and the others before we left.

A few hours later, I was back at the hotel. I took Crystal up to my room. She must have been really exhausted because she didn't wake up. I laid her down on the bed. Gently, I took off her dress and my clothes and joined her. I pulled her close to me and slowly fell asleep.

***

I awoke to see Crystal awake with a steaming cup in her hand. She was standing by the window in her lingerie looking out to the rising sun. I sat up in bed. She turned and smiled brightly at me. "Good morning, handsome." She walked over to me breezily.

"Good morning, Crystal. How long have you been up?"

"Just a few minutes. I saw you sleeping soundly and thought it best to let you rest. Here, have some coffee." She sat on the side of the bed and brought the mug to my lips. I held her gaze as I took a sip of the coffee. She urged me to finish it, which I did.

“I feel more awake now." I stretched and got out of bed.

"That's good." Something in her tone made me pause. "I have enjoyed my time here, but I'm already missing home. When are we leaving London?" She wrapped her arms around my waist from the back.

It was morning, and I was a little excited. I inhaled slowly to control my breathing and replied, "I understand that you're homesick. We’re going to leave tomorrow." I turned around in her embrace and looked directly into her eyes. "I have to make a stop at my brother's place. His name is Igor."

"You have a brother?" Crystal looked genuinely surprised. I guess only people who paid attention to my family knew that.

I touched her silky hair and considered how to say this. "Not just a brother. There are two brothers, and I'm the eldest. I also have a sister; she's the youngest. Each of us is taking care of different aspects of the Rosii empire. Igor is taking care of Rosii Resorts here in London. So, I'm not as alone as you might believe."

I broke the embrace and went to the closet to put on a robe.

“Do you have a great relationship with them? I've seen a lot of TV series, and it seems that's impossible." She also put on a robe and looked at me inquisitively.

"Of course. It must be because we learned to love and cherish each other at a young age. After my father passed, a year later my mother joined him. In effect, we had to rely on each other. You can say that we came out alright in the end." I shrugged; the pain of that memory no longer hurt. I could barely remember their faces.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been horrible. You turned out better than alright, I must say,” Crystal said. “I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have siblings, someone else in the family that I could trust and have a relationship with. It seems it was never in my stars." She had a lost look in her eyes that made me remember that she grew up as an orphan. She had no experience when it came to familial love.

I wanted to say something, but she suddenly smiled as if nothing had happened. How long had she hidden this pain? I would love to help her heal, but how could I heal such a great hurt - the absence of her parents? Even my siblings found it hard to grow up without the presence of our parents.

"When are we going there?" She was already walking to the connecting door.

"This afternoon. He will be home to receive us." She said something I didn't catch as she closed the door. Something was up with her, and from the little I'd seen, I had to let her tell me herself.

I didn't tell her the whole truth. Igor had an argument with me when I divorced Luna. He was all about image. He was annoyed by the divorce and the revelation of the fact that she cheated on me. He would rather I had stayed and kept a tight leash on her. To him, the divorce created a bad vibe for the company.

I had rejected his suggestion vehemently. It has been three years, and we haven't spoken at all. If there was one thing he knew how to hold, it would be a grudge. I hoped I could mend things with him before I went back to America. No lie, Crystal's presence would make that easier. Igor was married to a rich heiress and when he saw me with Crystal, he would assume something more was going on.

With how things had been going between us, I was ready to give it a chance. Maybe this time, it would be better. Crystal seemed like a better woman than Luna ever was. Not all women are the same, and I wouldn't fall for a lie twice.I hope not.

Shaking my head, I went to the bathroom. I shouldn't think too far ahead and take things as they come. If I came on too strong, Crystal might back off, and I didn't want that.

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