The Billionaire's Promise
Chapter 214: If Only It Was True

Erik opened his eyes and found himself staring at ceiling of the hotel room. The dim yellow light coming from the lampshade at the side turned the color of the paint into a soft yellow rather than white.

Erik’s heart was beating fast. His dream seemed so real that he remembered every detail of it, even the color of her dress. He cursed himself for waking up too soon.

He stood up and opened the sliding door and sat at the reclining chair in the balcony. It was a cloudless night. The stars appeared brighter in the sky. It was 3:00am and the night skyline below was a little less brighter but still colorful.

He went inside and took a pack of cigarette and settled back on the chair in the balcony. When Aryana disappeared, he has smoked more and more and has resorted to alcohol to drown his sorrows.

His days were a little better because he was busy with work. He took care of three companies including CoChi that he had no time to think about anything else. His nights however was a hellish experience. He did not realize how much Aryana has become a part of his life until she disappeared.

He slept every night hugging Aryana’s pillow. He did not allow the maid to wash it as it still had Aryana’s lingering scent. It was what kept him asleep for a few hours during the nights.

He lighted the cigarette and watched as the tip emitted a red glow and give off white wisps that rose into the air. He hasn’t dream about Aryana in the past few weeks. It must be the pregnant model that triggered that dream. He wished that he did not wake up so soon so he could spend more time with Aryana.

He touched his hand where Aryana’s hand rested in his dream. She was pregnant and the baby was a girl. If only it was true...

Erik checked his messages and saw a message from Elaine asking his opinion on a collaboration with a famous mall in the south of the country. Erik typed a long message in reply.

Aryana’s friends in CoChi was devastated when she disappeared. Elaine was hysterical when she first learned that Aryana was kidnapped. Vince wasn’t able to come up with a good design for sometime.

The sales was greatly impacted. Erik took over. CoChi was Aryana’s baby and he will not allow her efforts to go down the drain. She will be devastated to learn that the company she worked hard to build would go bankrupt.

"Guys, this company is Aryana’s sweat and blood. I know how you feel about her disappearance. What you feel is nothing compared to what I am feeling right now. So I hope that you can carry on. Aryana loves this company so much. She will be sad if we don’t take care of it."

Rex, Elaine and Vince were touched with Erik’s words. It was a wake up call for them. They felt that a bucket of cold water was poured over them. Erik’s words inspired them and lifted their spirits.

He hired a young model whose build and facial features were similar to that of Aryana to endorse the products. Elaine had access to the social media account that Aryana used to promote CoChi’s products and posted new photos of the young model. CoChi’s sales started to pick up with the new endorsements.

A few of Aryana’s fans noticed that the model was not Aryana and grumbled on the internet. Elaine did not want to fool Aryana’s fans. In CoChi’s official website they introduced the young model as Aliyah.

Erik visited Madonna’s website and studied the model’s photos. She really looked like Aryana except her eyes appeared smaller.

He closed the sliding door and went back inside his bedroom. He took out his laptop, opened his gallery and selected a photo of Aryana. He went to Madonna’s website and grabbed a few photos and placed it side by side.

The app he opened was one of the latest product of Red Phoenix, his IT company. He ran an analysis and it returned a 98% match. Could it be her?

But if it was her, why did she not contact him? How did she land in China? Erik has a lot of things in his mind that his head ached and his insomnia acted up again. He finally managed to fall asleep, slumped in the chair, with the laptop still open but with a black screen.

It was 7:30 am when Marlon knocked on Erik’s room. It was unlike Erik to wake up late especially when his appointment was at 9:30 am.

Erik woke up with a start. He heard the knocks on the door. He checked his cell phone and his eyes narrowed. He went to the door and opened it before going to the bathroom to get a quick shower without saying anything to Marlon.

Marlon went to sit in front of the laptop. He casually touched the keypad and the screen brightened.

Marlon sighed. On the screen, he saw a photo of Aryana and the pregnant model. They were placed side by side and the semblance was glaring. However, she couldn’t be Aryana. If she was, how can she hurt Erik by not contacting him and coming back? Didn’t she knew what kind of life Erik led when she disappeared?

He tapped on the keypad but he was prompted for a password. At that time, the door of the bathroom opened and Erik went out with just a towel wrapped around his lower body.

Erik lost weight in the first two months when his wife disappeared. While his body still looked good, he has not gotten back to his original weight.

"Why do you have a photo of this model?"

Erik glanced at the screen. A look of longing appeared in his eyes.

"Get in touch with that model and try to set up a meeting with her. I’d like to collaborate with her to endorse the maternity series of CoChi."