Surprise Marriage to a Billionaire
Chapter 55: The Heartthrob

Chapter 55: The Heartthrob

Rain finally exhaled deeply after Alexander left, feeling the tension drain from her body. She slumped onto the sofa, overwhelmed by the whirlwind of emotions that had just swept through her apartment.

"Come out now, Clifford. I know you’ve been eavesdropping," she called out, her voice a mix of exhaustion and amusement.

Clifford emerged from his room and settled beside her on the sofa. "So, what’s going on? How come no one told me you got married?" His tone was a mix of concern and frustration. "Something huge must have happened while I was gone."

Rain gave him an awkward smile. "I’m sorry. It all happened so fast. Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything. But don’t worry, I can handle it..."

Clifford’s expression grew more serious, his usual light-hearted demeanour replaced with a stern look Rain wasn’t used to seeing. "What happened, Rain?"

Rain blinked, taken aback by his intensity. "Hmm, what’s with that look? Since when did you become this intimidating? You’ve only been away for two months, and now you’re acting like this?" she joked, trying to defuse the tension.

But Clifford didn’t budge. "Did you forget your promise? I let you intervene with my life in exchange for letting me intervene in yours. So, tell me what happened while I was gone."

Rain sighed, realizing she couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. Clifford had been her friend since high school, someone she had confided in from the moment they met.

Rain still vividly remembered that day—the first time she encountered Clifford on the rooftop. It was an afternoon that had stayed with her, etched in her memory like a scar. She had been just twelve years old, a girl who found solace in the quiet corners of the school building during lunch breaks, trying to steal a few moments of rest from her exhausting routine. But that day, the rooftop wasn’t quiet.

Clifford had been there, standing dangerously close to the edge of the concrete railing, his eyes red from crying, his voice shaky as he poured out his anger and despair to the empty sky. He was tired of being bullied, tired of feeling alone, tired of everything. Rain could still hear his voice in her head, trembling as he spoke about how everyone seemed to make fun of him, how he was ready to give up.

*****

Flashback to Ten Years Ago...

"If you jump, I might become a suspect. Do you think they’ll put me in jail at twelve? Ah, right, I’m turning thirteen tomorrow. I guess they will not make me a suspect. But watching you jump would probably give me nightmares and ruin my birthday," Rain casually commented as she slowly approached him, keeping a safe distance.

She glanced down and clicked her tongue. "Do you think jumping from the third floor is enough to kill us? We’d probably just break some limbs and end up in the hospital," she muttered.

Clifford’s intense stare burned into her as he finally spoke. "Why are you here? Go away! Leave me alone!" he shouted.

"Well, I was also thinking if it’s better to jump and end things instead of keep living. You see your problem seems small compared to mine," she replied, her voice calm.

Rain then began sharing how her half-sister constantly messed with her, and how her stepmother would lock her in the basement and deprive her of meals. She poured out her troubles, matching his pain with her own.

Then she pointed to the tallest building in their school. "I think it’s better to jump from there," she remarked. Turning to Clifford, she naively blinked and added, "We’d die on the spot, right?"

"Are you crazy?!" Clifford hissed at her.

"Are you crazy?!" she shot back. Rain shrugged her shoulders and continued, "To be honest, despite everything I’m going through—the pain, the hatred, the unfairness—I don’t feel like ending my life just to make it stop. I want to survive and show them they can’t break me," she mumbled.

"If I die, they’ll feel relieved and happy. So I want to live and succeed. My Aunt Melanie told me the best revenge against those who try to pull you down is to succeed in life," she said quietly.

"Just leave me alone!" Clifford shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.

Rain ignored his plea and said, "How about a bet?" She pulled a coin from her pocket and held it up. "Choose one—heads or tails?"

"Come on, just play with me before jumping," she added, pouting at him.

"Heads!" Clifford grunted, exasperated.

"Alright. If it’s heads, we both jump. But if it’s tails, you jump alone. My life is in your hands," Rain replied. Without hesitating, she flipped the coin, caught it, and placed it on the back of her hand.

When she removed her hand, her face contorted in mock disappointment. "I guess it’s your lucky day—you won’t be getting hospitalized alone." It was heads. Without a second thought, she climbed onto the concrete railing of the rooftop.

"Hey, what are you doing?! You’re really nuts!" Clifford exclaimed. He rushed down and pulled her down from the railing.

"Why are you intervening in my life?" he hissed, his voice filled with frustration.

Rain chuckled a lightness in her tone that seemed out of place. "Do you feel like it’s unfair? How about I let you intervene in my life too, so we can call it even?" she suggested, her eyes meeting his with a spark of determination.

****

She and Clifford made a promise to each other that day, and ever since then, they had each other’s backs throughout their school years. Rain became Clifford’s protector whenever he was bullied for his weight and nerdy appearance, while Clifford helped Rain with her assignments and projects, revealing himself to be a genius, especially when it came to numbers and computers.

As they grew up, Rain, Clifford, and Sanya formed an unbreakable bond, with Sanya becoming close to Clifford through Rain. Over the years, Clifford transformed himself, working hard to improve his health and appearance. The once-nerdy boy was now physically fit and had turned into quite the heartthrob, with soft, bouncy brown hair and amber eyes that gave him a puppy-like charm.

Looking at her dear friend now, Rain marvelled at how much he had changed. There was no trace of the insecure boy she had once known.

"I guess I owe you an explanation," Rain finally said, her voice softening as she looked at Clifford. "But you have to promise not to freak out."

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