The Billionaire's Fiancee: A Billionaire Contemporary Romance
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Authors: Paige Parker
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Owner of one of the biggest real estate empires in the US, Philip Richardson buys yet another sprawling estate, this time in suburban London. He is amazed to see the well maintained gardens and lawns surrounding the estate and decides to meet the person behind such beautiful landscaping.
When he meets Eva Wallace, the stunning Landscape Architect, he immediately decides to hire her…. but not as a landscape architect! Instead, he asks her to accompany him to New York as his fake fiancée!
Soon, both of them realize that this arrangement suits them a little too well and decide to turn their sham into reality
…
.
.
“I’ll be there in another fifteen minutes or so,” Philip Richardson barked into his phone. He was on his way to his latest conquest- the sprawling Stockwood estate in the suburbs of London. It had cost him a fortune to buy that particular piece of property but then once he’d set his eyes on something, he didn’t settle down until he’d made it his own!
Philip smiled to himself when he recalled the number of estates he now owned all over the world. He wasn’t considered a ruthless businessman for nothing. In a short span of seven years, he had expanded his family real estate business to mindboggling heights and today, his family was considered one of the wealthiest and most influential families in all of the U.S.
Philip studied the beautiful countryside passing by as he sat comfortably in his limousine. He loved England for its natural beauty and wonderful weather. It was one of the reasons why he’d fallen in love with this country estate towards the south of London. It was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful houses he’d ever come across. When his realtor had first brought him to the magnificent house, he’d even pictured himself as a graying old man surrounded by a handful of grandchildren, living a retired life in the peace and quiet of the countryside! And the thought had both puzzled and amazed him…. To become a grandfather, he’d need to have a few kids of his own and the way he was currently leading his life, he had absolutely no time to devote to a serious relationship or marriage.
Lost in his own thoughts, Philip jumped a little when he heard his phone buzz again.
“Mom! How are you? How’s grandma?”
“We’re both fine, Phil!” He could hear the smile in his mother’s voice. “Where are you at present? Can you talk to grandma?”
“Yes, of course!”
“Phil, my dear, how are you?” came his grandma’s feeble voice.
“I am fine, grandma. Did you take your medicines today?”
“I did, I did! Your mother makes sure I pop each one of those colorful pills before I eat my breakfast. But I know that my time is not too far, Phil. You know, yesterday night, I had a strange dream. I saw your father and grandfather standing in a beautiful garden and it seemed as if they were both waiting for me, urging me to come to them…..” her voice choked a little.
Philip felt a deep sense of guilt grip his heart. As much as he’d have loved to spend more time with his family, his hectic work schedules didn’t allow him to take more than a few days off each year.
Before he could say anything, his grandmother continued, “My son, I understand that you are a busy man but don’t forget that when one dies, all one takes along are the memories that they created with their loved ones…”
“What are you trying to say grandma?” Philip sighed, already knowing the answer.
“Your mother and I are dying to hold your child in our arms,” his grandmother came straight to the point. “I can’t wait to spoil my great grandchild rotten and this dream of mine shall get fulfilled only when you decide to marry!”
“I hope you realize that I need a suitable girl for getting married and I have not…..”
“Oh shut up Phil! Are you trying to say that none of the gorgeous women I introduced you to last month caught your fancy? They were all stunning, highly educated and from very good families. Don’t tell me that not a single one of them appealed to you!”
Philip smiled inwardly on hearing his grandmother’s feisty voice. He knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to blackmail him once again by playing the “I-am-about-to-die-without-seeing-my-great-grandchild” card!
“Alright grandma! I promise you that I’ll get married within the next one year but please stop throwing poor, unsuspecting girls in my face! You have no idea how embarrassing it is for me sometimes….”
“Oh Phil! You have no idea how happy you’ve made me today! Now please remember your promise…. I want to see you married in the next one year. And always remember that Richardsons never go back on their promise, no matter what!” she stated and immediately disconnected the phone.
Philip stared at his phone in disbelief. What had he gotten himself into! Why had he made such an outlandish promise to his grandmother? Now he’ll have to
actually
get married within a year or be prepared to face his grandmother’s wrath! Without doubt, the former prospect sounded much more appealing to him!
It wasn’t as if there was any dearth of women willing to throw themselves at his feet. He’d had more casual flings than he could count on his fingers but Philip couldn’t see himself married to even one of those women. They all loved him for his status, for what he could buy them and Philip didn’t want to marry a gold digger just for the sake of it. He knew that he’d broken quite a few hearts by refusing to settle down all these years but for the moment, his current single status was suiting him just fine.
As the limousine came to a halt, Philip found himself staring at the huge house that had stolen his heart. Its large rectangular courtyard was paved with cream colored stone and right in the middle of it stood a raised marble fountain in the shape of a mermaid. The gardens around the courtyard were particularly breathtaking. Dotted with the most exquisite ornamental plants and flowers of every color imaginable, they were a sight to look at. The view was no less than spectacular. The humming of bees hovering over the flowers coupled with the gentle splashing of water put him at ease almost instantly.
Suddenly, Philip thought of the person behind such beautiful landscaping. The previous owner of the house, a famous politician and one of his many acquaintances in the political world, had mentioned something about a housekeeper. But he wondered if a housekeeper might have managed to create such beauty with the help of a plain gardener. Philip decided to call him and find out.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Brown? Philip Richardson this side.”
“Oh, how are you, Mr. Richardson? Comfortably settled in your new home, I am guessing!”
“Well, almost! I just wanted to ask you who’s behind the landscaping around this house? The beauty of it suggests it is the work of some professional.”
“You guessed it right, Mr. Richardson. It is indeed the creation of a very talented landscape architect, Ms. Wallace. I saw some of her work at a renowned flower show a few years back and then hired her to create a rooftop garden for my townhouse in London. She did a fantastic job and so I requested her to do the landscaping of the estate as well.”
“Does she still work for you?”
“No. In fact, she quit the job a few months ago. Said she needed some time off to sort some personal issues.”
“Oh! Do you have her contact number? Perhaps she’d like to be hired again….”
“Hmmm, maybe, though I’ve not heard from here ever since. I’ll message her number to you. Her full name is Eva Wallace.”
“Thank you Mr. Brown. Have a good day.”
Philip didn’t know why, but he had a feeling that this Ms. Wallace would be an interesting woman. He was already looking forward to meet the talented lady.
Philip decided he needed to do some research on Ms. Eva Wallace before calling her to his office for a meeting. He always believed in being the best, hiring the best people for jobs and he wasn’t fully convinced as of now that she was the best person for the job he was about to offer her. No doubt her work had been excellent so far as the gardens and the courtyard of his new estate were concerned, but he hadn’t seen any other of her works.
He asked his secretary to run a background check on Ms. Wallace. In a matter of few hours, all important details about the woman were present on his table. He went through the papers before him quickly and was impressed to see that she had worked for some high profile people in England and all her former employers had only good things to say about her dedication and hard work.
Thoroughly impressed, Philip asked his secretary to arrange a meeting with Ms. Wallace.
Eva was having a bad day again. She couldn’t sleep properly last night as she was worried sick about her dad’s deteriorating health. She woke up with a severe headache that only worsened when she saw the stack of pending bills on her table. With her dwindling bank balance, it wasn’t long before she and her father would literally be on the street!
Eva pushed that depressing thought out of her mind. She’d have to start looking for a job again. She knew that it would be selfish of her to leave her father in such a condition and go out looking for jobs but that was the only way she could put food on the table for both of them.
Eva had started out young and had been pretty successful in her career but that one disaster turned her life upside down. Her father met with an accident that left him partially paralyzed. To make matters worse, she found out that her father’s once flourishing hotel business hadn’t been doing so well lately and he had loaned huge sums of money from banks for refurbishing some of his hotels. All of Eva’s savings had gone towards repayment of those loans and she’d even had to sell their ancestral home. Even then some of the amount was still outstanding.
Despite the fact that her father had wasted most of his fortune in seeking pleasure in the company of women and wine instead of focusing on his business, Eva couldn’t bring herself to resent him. After her mother’s death five years ago, her father had been her pillar of strength. She knew that he missed her dearly… perhaps that was the reason he’d drowned himself in alcohol and dated women recklessly hoping to meet someone who’d remind him of his late wife.
Eva gave out a deep sigh and got ready to face the day. She couldn’t allow herself to wallow in self pity. Just as she was about to head downstairs to check on her dad, she heard her phone ring.
“Miss Eva Wallace?” said a cool, polite female voice.
The call was from an unknown number and Eva wasn’t sure if she’d heard the woman’s voice before.
“Yes. Who is this?”
“I am calling from Philip Richardson’s office ma’am. Mr. Richardson wants to meet you regarding some job that he has in mind for you.”
“Mr. Philip Richardson? The American real estate mogul?” Eva couldn’t suppress the surprise reflecting clearly in her voice.
“Yes, ma’am. He has recently bought a new estate near London and he wishes to hire you as the Landscape Architect.”
“How does he know about me? I mean, who recommended me for the job?” Eva was still shocked that a man as important as Philip Richardson would care to meet her personally!
“Apparently, the previous owner of the estate, Mr. Jacob Brown, recommended your name.”
“Oh! So you are talking about the Stockwood estate? I didn’t know that Mr. Brown had sold off that property.”
“Well, he has. And now Mr. Richardson is the proud owner of the house. Should I schedule the meeting at five this evening?” she said a little impatiently.
“Uhhh… alright!”
“Good. A car will be sent to pick you up at 4:15. Have a good day, Miss Wallace.”
Eva couldn’t believe her good luck. The timing of the call had been just perfect! Here she was thinking about looking for a job and all of a sudden, such a huge project had landed right in her lap. She rushed downstairs to share the good news with her dad.
“Oh my dear, I am so happy for you! I always knew that you’d achieve great things in life.” Her father’s eyes shone with pride and love for her. It broke Eva’s heart to see her once tall and intimidating father sitting helplessly in a wheelchair.
“But dad…. If I decide to work again, who’ll take care of you…” she began, a frown forming on her pretty face.
“I am perfectly alright, my child. You have already done so much for me. I know that I don’t deserve your love after what I’ve done….” His voice choked with emotion. “I don’t want to be a burden on you and I can’t take any more advantage of your kind nature, Eva. You have a life of your own. Please don’t let this opportunity slip from your hands and don’t worry about me. I can manage just fine now that I have got the hang of moving about in this wheelchair.”
“Are you sure dad?” she asked apprehensively.
“I am positive, my dear! Now wipe out that silly frown off your face or you’ll get wrinkles before you know it!” he smiled.
Exactly at 4:15 in the evening, a chauffeur driven limousine grounded to a halt before Eva’s small but comfortable home. Her father had often chided her for staying in such a humble place when everything was fine and she was earning big bucks for herself, but she had always maintained that she enjoyed the simple and natural things in life. Eva had never really been materialistic and sought great pleasure in the company of plants. That was the main reason why she ended up being a Landscape Architect- her profession gave her the chance of being surrounded by nature and she absolutely loved her job!
For a fleeting second, Eva wondered how Philip Richardson found out where she lived, but then assumed that Mr. Brown must have given her address to him. Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she went out towards the car waiting for her.
In a matter of twenty minutes, Eva found herself inside the huge building in upscale London that was Richardson International. She took a few minutes to compose herself before walking to the reception area. Though she had previously worked for some very influential people, none of them had been as powerful and rich as the Richardsons. The receptionist acknowledged her with a polite nod and guided her towards Mr. Richardson’s office.
Eva had searched the internet to gather some information on Philip Richardson in the past few hours and hadn’t been surprised to note that the billionaire was a seasoned flirt, a playboy to the core. He had girlfriends in practically every corner of the world! He was also devilishly handsome to look at, a fact that was unsettling her insides more than she liked.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked the door of Philip Richardson’s office. A rich, deep voice ushered her in.
Once inside, she saw him lounging casually in a big black chair, dictating something in a voice recorder. As their eyes connected, Eva felt a bolt of lightning rush through her body. He was dressed in an immaculate black suit that fit his body to perfection. His sun kissed skin and hair as dark as the raven’s wing made him look even more handsome than he’d seemed in the photos on the internet. A slight dimple that formed on his right cheek as he spoke added to his undoubted sex appeal.
As she neared the visitor’s chair across the table from where he was sitting, he gestured her to take a seat. Eva sat down, fumbling with her hands nervously. The fact that he was continuously looking at her made her want to crawl under the table. Anything to hide herself from those deep, dark eyes that reminded her of a raging storm!
Once he finished talking, he put the recorder aside and sat up straight.
“So, Miss Wallace, finally we meet!” He smiled slow smile, the pearls of his white teeth showing clearly in a mouth that was temptingly kissable.
Good grief! Eva scolded herself for behaving like a smitten fan girl. She had to have a grip on herself if she wanted to land this job and making a complete fool of herself in front of this dangerously handsome man was surely not going to make that happen.
“I am Philip Richardson and it is a pleasure to meet you,” he stretched out his hand which Eva shook a little hesitantly, as if fearing that she might get electrocuted by his touch.
If he noticed her hesitation, it didn’t show on his face.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too Mr. Richardson,” Eva managed to reply.
“I’ve seen your work at the Stockwood Manor and I must say, I am mighty impressed.”
“Thank you, Mr. Richardson,” Eva replied with a smile. She was genuinely delighted that he’d found her work impressive.
“Please call me Philip. I prefer to be addressed by my given name, especially when I am in the company of a woman as beautiful as yourself,” he smiled devilishly.
There he goes unleashing his charm, Eva thought to herself. She had to be careful around this man. For all she knew, he probably used this line on every other girl he met!
“Mr. Brown informed me that you quit working at the estate a few months back.”
“Well, I uhhh… I had to quit due to some personal reasons. But don’t worry, I have everything sorted now. I am all set to resume my work at the Stockwood estate,” replied Eva. “That is, of course, if you plan to offer me the job at all,” she added hastily, hoping that she hadn’t sounded too eager.
“Hmmm… Of course I intend to hire you, that’s the reason why I called you here. But….”
“But?” Eva felt her heart sink. She desperately needed this job and the contemplative look on Philip’s face was showing that he was having second thoughts about hiring her.
“But not as a Landscape Architect,” he finished.
Eva looked at him for a few long seconds, trying to make out what the enigmatic man was saying. He wanted to hire her, but not as a Landscape Architect? Whatever did that mean?
“I beg your pardon sir?”
“Yes, you heard me right. I want to hire you to play the role of my fiancée and accompany me to my home in New York!”