C7 Meeting the billionaire

Regina thought marrying Alex Hartwell would solve one problem.

She never imagined it would drop her into a world so different from her Courthouse Wedding that she would barely recognize herself inside it.

As the black luxury car rolled through towering iron gates, Regina stared out the window and wondered if she had just made the biggest mistake of her life.

The drive from the courthouse felt unreal.

Regina sat quietly beside Alex in the backseat of a sleek black limousine, her hands folded tightly in her lap.

Just a few hours ago she had been crying over Collins.

Now she was married to a billionaire.

Life had lost its mind.

She couldn't imagine it.

So funny.

If someone told her about the whole story of what happened she won't believe but now it's happening to her.

The city slowly disappeared behind them as the car traveled through a private road lined with enormous trees.

Regina looked out the window.

Her mouth slowly fell open.

Ahead stood massive iron gates decorated with silver initials.

"H.H."

Hartwell Holdings.

The gates opened automatically.

Regina swallowed hard.

The car continued forward.

And forward.

And forward.

"How far is your house?" she finally asked.

Alex didn't look up from his tablet.

"Three minutes from the gate."

Regina nearly choked.

"Three minutes?"

A small smile touched the corner of his mouth.

"Yes."

"That's not a driveway. That's a neighborhood."

For the first time all day, Alex laughed.

The sound surprised both of them.

It was brief but genuine.

Regina found herself staring.

His expression softened when he smiled.

For a second he looked less like a cold billionaire and more like a normal man.

Then the moment vanished.

The mansion appeared.

Regina's heart nearly stopped.

The building looked like something from a movie.

White stone walls.

Tall glass windows.

Fountains.

Perfect gardens.

Luxury cars parked outside.

Very beautiful.

She couldn't imagine it.

The place was bigger than the entire apartment complex where she had grown up.

This is money.

Wow.

Money is good.

All this keep going through her mind.

"No way," she whispered.

The car stopped.

Alex stepped out first.

A chauffeur opened Regina's door.

She carefully climbed out.

Several staff members were already waiting.

Housekeepers.

Security guards.

Gardeners.

Personal assistants.

At least twenty people.

All standing in a line.

Waiting.

For them.

Regina wanted to run.

At she was like these people are too much.

They are much.

Later she put on her confidence.

She stood beside Alex.

The head butler stepped forward.

"Welcome home, Mr. Hartwell."

His gaze shifted toward Regina.

"And Mrs. Hartwell."

The words hit her harder than expected.

Mrs. Hartwell.

That was her now.

Somehow.

Alex nodded.

"This is Regina. She will be treated with the same respect as any member of this family."

She is my wife.

The same respect you give me must be given to her.

The staff immediately nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Regina forced an awkward smile.

"Hello."

A few smiled back kindly.

Others looked confused.

She couldn't blame them.

The staff had probably expected Alex to marry some wealthy socialite.

Not a woman whose wedding had collapsed hours earlier.

Inside, the mansion was even more unbelievable.

Crystal chandeliers hung from impossibly high ceilings.

Beautiful artwork covered the walls.

A staircase curved elegantly toward the second floor.

Regina turned slowly.

"Do you live here alone?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"My grandfather stays here occasionally."

"Occasionally?"

Not Everytime.

Alex glanced at her.

"You ask a lot of questions."

I think you like asking question.

Regina folded her arms.

"I married a stranger today. Questions are all I have."

To her surprise, Alex nodded.

"Fair point."

That earned the smallest smile from her.

A young housekeeper approached.

"Mrs. Hartwell, would you like a tour?"

Just to take you around.

Regina looked at Alex.

He shrugged.

"You are going to be here for a while."

The words felt strangely intimate.

A while.

Not forever.

Hmmm.

Just a while.

The reminder stung more than she expected.

An hour later Regina found herself completely lost.

There was a private theater.

A gym.

An indoor pool.

A library larger than her old school.

She stopped inside one room.

It overlooked a beautiful garden.

The view was breathtaking.

"You can use this room if you will like."

Regina turned.

Alex stood in the doorway.

She smiled softly.

"It's beautiful."

"It belonged to my grandmother."

Something changed in his voice.

Something vulnerable.

Regina noticed immediately.

"You were close to her?"

Alex's expression darkened.

Yes.

"Very."

Very close.

We are very close to each other.

The answer carried years of grief.

Regina didn't push further.

Instead she nodded.

"I understand."

For a moment silence filled the room.

Not uncomfortable silence.

Just two people carrying different kinds of pain.

Before either could speak, footsteps echoed through the hallway.

A cheerful voice followed.

"Where is my new granddaughter?"

Alex sighed.

Regina blinked.

An elderly man entered the room.

His eyes immediately landed on her.

Then his face lit up.

"You must be Regina."

The old man wrapped her in a warm hug before she could react.

Regina laughed.

"Hello."

"My goodness, you are beautiful."

"Grandfather," Alex warned.

"What? I'm old, not blind."

She is beautiful.

Wow Alex you resemble me anyway.

You know good thing.

Your eye catch big fish.

Regina laughed again.

The old man winked.

Alex looked completely embarrassed.

And somehow that made Regina like him more.

The evening passed with dinner.

The maid serve them their dinner.

They eat together happily as a family.

For the first time since meeting Alex, Regina saw another side of him.

His grandfather brought it out.

He smiled more.

Talked more.

Even joked occasionally.

I think he so much love him.

The kind of smile he give when they are talking and chatting together.

The cold billionaire disappeared.

A real person emerged.

After dinner, Grandfather squeezed Regina hand.

"Thank you."

Regina frowned.

"For what?"

For what sir?

"For bringing life back into this house."

She glanced at Alex.

He immediately looked away.

Something about that reaction made her curious.

Later that night, Regina wandered through the mansion searching for her room.

She accidentally opened the wrong door.

The room was dark.

Moonlight spilled through the windows.

Photographs covered a shelf.

Her eyes drifted toward one framed picture.

Alex.

Standing beside a beautiful young woman.

Both smiling.

Both happy.

Both very much in love.

Regina stepped closer.

She step closer to check the picture very well.

Then she noticed something else.

The woman wasn't just an ex girlfriend.

She was wearing an engagement ring.

Regina stomach dropped.

Alex had been engaged before.

What am I seeing.

Am I not seeing it.

Let me check very well.

And judging by the way he looked at her in the photo...

he had loved that woman deeply.

A voice suddenly spoke behind her.

"What are you doing in here?"

Regina spun around.

Alex stood in the doorway.

His expression had turned ice cold.

For the first time all evening, genuine anger burned in his eyes.

And Regina realized she had just stumbled into a part of his life he desperately wanted hidden.

Who was the woman in the photograph and what devastating secret from Alex past is he trying to protect?