Billionaire’s Sins by L. Steele

Billionaire’s Sins

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"The fact that I am going to die one day and everyone around me is going to die, and eventually, no one will remember me makes me feel so weird..."

-From Ava's diary

Ava

"Were you with her when you were married to Mom?"

My father’s face pales. Raisa gasps from her seat on the other side of the settee.

"That’s not fair, Ava," he admonishes me without raising his voice. "You know I loved your mother."

"And she loved you."

"She’d have wanted me to be happy," he murmurs.

"She wouldn’t’ve wanted you to marry her best friend," I snap. "Not so soon after her death."

"Actually," his lips twist, "this was her idea."

"What?" I blink. "I don’t believe it."

"When your mother found out that she was suffering from cancer and had only months to live, she swung into action. She asked Lina to move in with us so we could spend time together, to get comfortable."

"She asked Aunty Lina to move in so she could take care of her," I protest.

"And...so she could ensure that the two of us would give our relationship a chance to work."

"I…" I swallow and my heart begins to drum so hard in my chest that I am sure it’s going to burst out of my rib cage. "It’s not possible."

My father gives me a sad smile. "Why would I lie to you?"

"Because…" the words choke in my throat, "because you want to paint your relationship in a favorable light with me and Raisa? Because you want us to not hate you for marrying another woman?"

"You’re upset about your mother leaving us. You miss her—"

"Don’t you?" I frown at him.

"Every single moment of my life. After she died, I wanted to kill myself."

"Dad," I say, shocked.

"It’s true." He looks at Raisa, then back at me. "I never wanted to admit it, because what father wants to be seen as weak in front of his children?"

"We aren't kids anymore. We could have handled it if you had shared some of your grief with us. Maybe we could have helped you."

"You were busy trying to get your degree and you—" he turned to Raisa, "you were building your career."

"We’d have made time for you; we’d have found a way," I insist.

"I wouldn’t have wanted to take more out of that crucial time in your lives." He shakes his head. "No, your mother was right. She knew I wouldn't be able to go on alone. Even from beyond the grave, that woman made sure I was taken care of. And she chose Lina for it."

"You turned to Lina," I say quietly. "You found comfort in her arms. How long did you wait before Mother was gone before you shagged her?"

"Ava," Raisa snaps, "enough."

"Enough?" I gesture to my father, "Look at him. He doesn’t even deny it. Tell me, Dad, how long did you wait after Mum was gone before you turned to her?"

"The truth is, I was in a relationship with Lina before I met your mother."

"What?" Raisa and I exclaim at the same time.

"Then, I met your mother and... I fell headlong in love."

"No." I gape. "This can't be true."

"I loved them both," he holds my gaze, "but I chose your mother."

"And mum knew about your relationship with Lina?"

"They were best friends," he mutters. "They told each other everything. Did everything together, those two." His lips quirk, "I always joked there were three of us in that relationship."

His features brighten, and for a few seconds, he seems younger than his fifty-five years. God, he's so young. My mother was only fifty-three, too young to die. They had deserved so much more time together. But apparently, the universe had other plans for both of them. Now, she is in a grave and my father… He is getting ready to marry again. To a woman I’ve known my entire life. Who’d been with us on so many family holidays. Who was always a welcome guest in our house. I crinkle my eyebrows. Yeah, she’d always been there for us… She’d baby sat us, spent enough time at home to help us with our homework while my mother was busy painting and my father away traveling on work. She’d been here for all my big milestones.

"Oh, my god," I gasp aloud. "That’s it."

"What?" Raisa scowls. "What are you thinking?"

I turn to my father, "Lina's always been in love with you too, hasn’t she?"

Raisa stares at me. "What are you talking about?"

"Aunty Lina," I snap. "She never got over you. It’s why she never married. Why she hung around us all the time. Hell, I bet she was very happy when Mum finally passed so she could finally move in. Did the two of you have an affair behind her back even before she fell sick? Did you—?"

My father holds up his hand. "Stop," his voice rises, "stop that right now."

"Wow." I shake my head. "Look at you, all defending her now."

"I will not allow you to speak like that of a woman who’s wished nothing but the best for us."

"You’re not denying it, though. She did carry a torch for you all this time."

My father rubs the back of his neck. "Like I said, we dated. But after I met your mother, it was only her and no one else. I couldn’t see myself living my life with anyone but her."

"So, the two of you didn’t sleep together while you were married to Mother, before she fell sick?"

Raisa gasps again, "Really, Ava, what’s wrong with you?"

"It’s fine, Raisa. Best to clear this up right now." My father gazes at me steadily. "I never slept with anyone else except your mother until," he swallows, "until your mother asked me to sleep with Lina."

I gape, "You mean, she asked you two to..."

My father nods, "Your mother wanted us to share a bed while she was alive."

"What?"

My father rises to his feet and walks to the window. He stares out for a few seconds, then turns to me. "She insisted. She did everything in her power to bring us together."

"Oh, and you happily obliged?" My heart begins to race and my pulse pounds at my temples. Adrenaline laces my blood and I jump to my feet. "Mum was on medication, half out of her mind with pain. She likely didn’t know what she was asking for—"

"Don’t dishonor your mother’s memory." He turns on me. "You know she was cogent right until the end. The cancer may have eaten away at her body, but her mind was sharp until the last moment.

I swallow down the tears that threaten. Damnit, my beautiful, proud mother, the glorious woman who had been my role model until the end, the gentle soul who could soothe my fears away with a single word… She had been the most intelligent woman I’d ever known, the most talented artist—who had never had the kind of success she’d deserved. It’s why she’d never wanted me to pursue a creative profession, had wanted me to become a doctor. She was the reason that I had tried, until I couldn’t keep up the charade. I had left medical school and she had been heartbroken. Sometimes, I wonder if it wasn’t the shock of that which had brought on the cancer. Don’t go there. Not now. Not when you’re trying to hold it together for the sake of protecting her memory, her legacy. Everything that she had built her entire life.

"If you expect me to stay quiet just because Mum signed off on this marriage, then you are mistaken." Shit, what are you saying? You are going to hurt him; you know that. But I can’t stop speaking, can't stop the horrible words from pouring out. "If you marry…that...that woman," I swallow, "I’ll... I'll never forgive you, Dad."

My father’s gaze intensifies. "You’re so adamant, so focused on what only you can see. You’re so like her."

The tears I’ve been keeping down well up and spill from the corners of my eyes. I wipe them away, swallowing down the ball of emotion that clogs my throat. "If I were anything like her, I’d be able to stop you from marrying again, so soon after she’s gone."

"It’s been six months, Ava," my father says in a low voice. "I’m tired and lonely. You girls have your lives, your careers—"

"One which you still don’t approve of, by the way," I mutter.

"Your mother and I wanted the best for you. And it’s true, when you said that you couldn’t pursue the medical profession, we were shattered. But that’s only because we wanted you to have a secure career."

"I have a secure career now." As a belly dancer, whose dance studio is struggling for funds. But I don’t say that aloud.

"I am proud of you, Ava."

"Are you?"

He nods. "You persisted in your dreams, never backed down. You went after what you wanted and made it happen.

"And me?" Raisa scowls at both of us. "What about me?"

"You’re the one I can always rely on to smooth over the cracks in the family."

"Don't do it, Dad." I plead, "Please, just because she asked you to do it, doesn’t mean you have to marry Lina. The least you can do is honor her memory by not replacing her in your life."

"I am honoring your mother’s memory. By living." He fixes his gaze on me. "Can’t you see that?"

"Oh Dad." I bite down on the inside of my cheek, "I know you have a right to be happy, and I want that for you, I do. But replacing Mum..."

"I am not replacing her, Ava." He walks over to me. "No one can. I am simply doing my best to keep going."

"I see." And I do, I really do. It's just, I can't get my head around another woman taking my mother's place in his life. And I don’t know if it’s better that it’s her best friend, or if that makes it worse. "It's just, I need some time to get my head around that. Is that okay?"

He peers into my eyes, then nods. "Okay." His lips quirk. "Okay, Ava."

I turn to leave and Dad calls out, "Wait. You'll come to the wedding, won't you?"

"I... I am not sure," I say without turning around. Then I walk out the door.