Married On Paper To The Billionaire
Chapter 17: Setting Boundaries

"If anyone replaces out that I'm here, I'll make sure you lose your job immediately. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mrs Beaumont," the hotel manager said with a quavering voice.

"Another thing: while I'm here, I prefer to be referred to as Ms Emilia. Calling me Mrs Beaumont is like announcing my presence to the entire staff and I don't want that." "Duly noted, ma'am."

"Good. Now, excuse me. I'll ring down for dinner at 7 p.m. What's the special on the menu today?"

"Seared scallops and baby spinach with pomegranate glaze," the hotel manager said proudly.

"That's a special?" She scoffed. "Just send me the full menu and I'll choose something else." "Right away, ma'am."

"Thank you, Maurice," she said dryly and closed the door.

As she walked back into the suite, she smiled at herself. Elsie and Lillian would be proud of her aristocratic manner if they saw her now. She was becoming a true Beaumont.

"Aw, shucks! I don't want to be a true Beaumont," she said aloud to herself. "They're a bunch of conniving, stuck-up pretenders. That's not me."

She climbed onto the queen-sized bed in her suite and curled up under the covers. Then she called her sister.

"Hey, boo. How are you holding up?" Chloe asked her.

"Fine. Listen, I've left the Beaumont mansion and I just wanted you to tell Mom and Dad that I'm ok but I'll be unreachable for a while."

"You moved out? Why?"

"I can't stay in that house with that family of vipers. I thought they'd have my back after the last time but I was wrong. They all agreed with Kane to do the press conference behind my back." "Look, I know that's pretty messed up but you can't just run away. That's what Kendra wants. You can't let her win!"

"This isn't about winning. This is about me setting boundaries and not letting my so-called family continue to treat me like an outcast every time."

"So, what's next? Another divorce?"

Emilia paused to think about that question. "I'm mad at Kane right now, but not mad enough to divorce him. I just think I need to give him some space for now."

Chloe sighed with relief. "Good. Where are you?"

"I'm not telling you. I just wanted you to pass the message to Mom and Dad that I'm ok, that's all."

"Seriously? You're not even going to tell me? What if something happens to you?"

"Nothing's going to happen. I have to go now, Chloe. I'll talk to you some other time when I feel up to it."

"Wow..."

"Bye!"

She hung up quickly before her sister succeeded in building her into giving up her location. She needed some time to think without any interference.

Her phone began to ring. It was Kane calling her.

"Oh, so you want to talk now?" She asked her phone. "Well, I'm not interested!"

She ended the call and switched off her phone. That felt so good. She snuggled deeper under the warm covers and immediately fell asleep.

****

"I can't believe this!" Kane thundered angrily. "How is it possible that not even one person in this house knows exactly where my wife is? Did she just disappear into thin air?"

"One of the chauffeurs said she left with a Range Rover this morning and insisted on driving herself," said Lillian.

"And you let her leave?" He asked incredulously.

"I wasn't there. He came to report it to me after she'd gone."

"Why don't you just call her on the phone?" Elsie asked.

"I've already done that but she didn't respond and now her line is switched off!"

"Calm down, big brother. I'm sure she's fine," said Lillian.

"That's easy for you to say. It's not Samuel who has run off to an unknown destination," Kane retorted.

"Oh, please! Don't take out your frustration on me. This isn't my fault."

"Isn't it? If you'd been more discreet with your shenanigans, Kendra wouldn't have any leverage on us as she does now."

"Really, Kane? Was I the only one she had dirt on? What about Mother? And Jack?"

"And Samuel?" Kane added.

"Stop it, you two!" Elsie snapped. "We should be thinking about how to replace Emilia, not fighting among ourselves. And where on earth is Jack? He's never in this house." "Find him and tell him to focus on his MBA for real, this time or I'll have his ass hauled off to a rehab and pay to have him kept there for two years!"

Elsie was horrified. "You wouldn't do that to your little brother, Kane. Would you?"

"Try me. I've had it with him acting like a wayward teenager instead of the grown man that he is. Put a leash on him or I'll do it for you!"

He marched out of the dining room, leaving the women to stare after him in wonder.

"We have to replace Emilia fast," Lillian said after she recovered from her shock at his outburst.

"Have you spoken to her family?"

"Yes. They claim not to know where she is. I think they're lying."

Elsie sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't have signed off on that awful press release. I can't imagine how much it must've killed Kane to do that to his wife. Now, I feel horrible." Lillian shrugged. "It had to be done. It was either her or us, and I'd choose us over anyone else any day any time."

"Even if it was Samuel?"

"He's got skeletons in his closet too."

"What if he didn't? Would you have allowed him to take the fall for your family?"

"Mother, please! I'm not in the mood for your guilt-tripping. We all messed up. We're all guilty. Don't put the spotlight on me while you hide in the shadows as if you're innocent." "Don't speak to me like that!"

"Fine! Case closed!"

Lillian got up and stormed out of the dining room just as her older brother had done a few minutes ago. She wasn't going to allow her mother to turn her into a villain to make herself feel good. Alone, Elsie sipped on her Earl Grey tea. It was lukewarm, so she dropped it and pushed the teacup away. She had to think of a way to fix this mess that she had helped to create.

"Where on earth are you, Emilia?" She whispered to herself. "You can't let Kendra win again, darling. You simply cannot let that happen..."

****

"Thank you for agreeing to see me," said Kendra. "I'm glad you're not mad at me after everything that has happened."

"What do you want?" Kane asked her coldly. He was in no mood for his ex's drama. It's been 48 hours since Emilia disappeared and he was on the verge of losing his mind.

"I'm glad you asked," she said with a grin. "So, here's the thing. This whole scandal with your family has cost me my career. Brands have been dropping me like hot coals. I can't even get any modelling gigs!" "You've only been out of prison for a few days. I'm sure they'll hire you once the media buzz dies down."

"I don't think so, Kane. This is my industry and I know how it works. Once they cut you off, you're done. Nobody wants to associate with me anymore. I've become a social pariah."

"What has that got to do with me? I did a press release to clear your name. You were the one that went to social media afterwards to trash me and my family."

"Ok, fine. Maybe I shouldn't have done that but it can't be undone anymore. Let's move on."

"I agree."

"That's why I'm here. I need money, Kane. Lots and lots of money."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I've become unemployable, you know. I don't want my lifestyle to suffer. It's expensive to be me and I need to keep myself looking good if I'm going to catch the eyes of another billionaire." "I don't have time for this, Kendra. I'm busy."

"50 million dollars."

"What?"

"That's how much I need. It's a chicken change to you but it will set me up for early retirement. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be working, so gimme the money."

"Are you crazy? Why would I give you 50 million dollars?"

"Because you owe me. I spent nearly four months in prison, my reputation is destroyed and I can't work anymore because of you and your wife!"

"Don't mention my wife!"

"Whatever... Look, I need the money. My family literally depends on me for everything and I don't want them to suffer."

"Since when did you start caring about anyone but yourself?"

"That's beside the point. I need the money, Kane. Pay up."

"What happened to all the money you've been making?"

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.com is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! "It's expensive to be me. Everything I do is luxurious and that means mega bucks."

"I don't have 50 million dollars to give you, Kendra. Leave me alone."

She sighed dramatically before speaking again. "I don't want to do this, Kane, but you leave me no choice."

"What?"

"I can count on my fingertips at least five tabloids that will pay me top dollar to spill your family secrets to them in detail."

"I knew it," he growled. "I knew you'd never stop."

"Why should I? Would you?"

"I can't believe I once liked you," he said regretfully. "I must have been a poor judge of character to have found you attractive once."

"Spare me the should could would and give me the damn money!"

"I don't have 50 million dollars to give you."

"Don't test me, Kane."

"I mean it. I don't have that kind of money lying around somewhere. All of my money is tied up in investments."

"I don't care! Find a way to get it. If this was a hostage situation, wouldn't you get the money and pay for your freedom?"

"You've been watching too many movies. There's nohow I'd pull out that amount of money from my accounts without raising eyebrows. This transaction is meant to be a secret, right?" "Fine. How much can you get your hands on right now?"

"Five million."

"Bullshit! Your family's secrets are worth more than that."

"Take it or leave it."

"I'm not taking it. Don't push me, Kane. If I walk out of this office without my money, your family's messy secrets will become breaking news tomorrow morning."

"The best I can do is 10 million. I will not add another cent to that and that's my final offer."

She thought about it for a few seconds. "Gimme ten now and five later. Fifteen million seems fair to me."

"You're wasting my time. Ten million or nothing!"

"Alright, fine! But I'm taking it all today before I leave."

"Right after you sign a non-disclosure agreement and a legal undertaking to not show up at my doorstep again, asking for more money. I'm not running a charity organization here." "Whatever. Just give me my money and let me move on with my life."

Two hours later, she was on her way out of Beaumont Towers, ten million dollars richer. She'd agreed to sign all the papers Kane's lawyers presented to her just so that he would give her the money. Deep down in her gut, she knew she would come back for more. No amount of threats or NDAs will stop her from exploiting this goldmine to the fullest.