The Billionaire's Promise
Chapter 249: Epilogue

Chapter 249: Epilogue

Eighteen years later at the Blue Lagoon Hotel ...

A young woman wearing an off-shoulder blood-red ball gown was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the lounge of the biggest banquet hall in the hotel. A pear-shaped ruby pendant encased with eighteen tiny diamonds and suspended on a silver chain nestled just above her cleavage.

Her waist-length hair was gathered and braided to one side and adorned with small flowers made of silver.

Erika sighed. The woman in the mirror was very lovely. She inherited her mother’s hazel eyes and pair of shallow dimples.

Her neat eyebrows that perfectly arched over her eyes were from her father. Her eyelashes were long and curled at the tip.

As Erika studied her reflection, her life from what she remembered flashed before her eyes like scenes in a movie.

She has a perfect family. Her father adored her mother and never had a scandal. He was one of the wealthiest and most influential business tycoons in the capital. Her mother was the CEO of the famous brand CoChi.

Her maternal uncles and cousins doted on her even if the number of times they saw each other in a year could be counted on two hands.

For her eighteenth birthday, she inherited the island that her great-grandfather purchased for her grandmother. Her uncles Mu Feng and Mu Chen gifted her a BMW.

Her life was so perfect and yet she felt hollow inside. She realized that she had everything but she owned nothing.

When she was a toddler, her parents were overprotective of her to the point that they would smoothen all the rough edges and cushion the places that she would set her feet on.

When she turned seven, her father allowed her to learn martial arts while her mom enrolled her in piano, violin, painting, and ballet.

When she became a teenager, she was the envy of everyone in her school. She was both beauty and brain.

Many pursued her but among the school hunks, she felt infatuated with Matthew Chan. His family started as a middle-class but rose in wealth due to his father’s hard work. He was a tennis varsity player and a gym coach.

Two days ago, Erika visited the gym so they could practice their dance steps. Erika selected him as her final dance partner for the eighteen roses. It would also be an affirmation that she was accepting his pursuit and they would be officially in a relationship after the dance.

The receptionist already knew Erika so she let her inside.

Erika went straight to a separate room where Matthew normally trained. She was about to enter the room when she heard voices and their topic was her and Matthew.

"You are damn lucky, Dude! That’s Erika Lee and she invited you to be her 18th dance partner. Do you know what it means?" an excited voice reached Erika’s ears. That must be Richard, Matthew’s close friend.

"I mean, who is Erika Lee? She is very rich. Her family background is outstanding. She is a total package dude." Richard continued to blabber.

Erika stood awkwardly at the door. She did not know if she would enter or continue to eavesdrop.

’"Didn’t I put in a lot of effort to pursue her? Dude, I am also handsome and even a varsity player. Don’t you think that I deserve her?" Matthew sounded agitated.

"Ah, Matthew. I’ll be blatantly honest with you. If you want comparison then so be it. You are an ant, and she is a bear!"

Matthew: "..."

"Mat, didn’t you love Violet? She is your childhood sweetheart. Are you going to ditch her?"

"Hmmm, blame it on her family background and her lack of ambition."

"Don’t you feel sad that you are hurting her? Don’t you love her anymore? Last year, you were still crazy about her."

"Heh, what do you know about love? Love will only pull you down. Power and wealth are everything and Erika has them." A glint crossed his eyes.

Erika stiffened at the door. The moment she recovered, she stepped out of the gym and advised the receptionist that she left something in the car.

...

"Miss Erika... Miss Erika, are you alright?" The event’s organizer has been calling her for some time.

"I am fine," Erika said while still gazing at her reflection in the mirror.

"Please be ready, after the countdown, you will enter the banquet hall." The event organizer reminded her.

Erika nodded.

The deep pleasant voice of the host roared over the microphone as he started the countdown. When he shouted ’ONE,’ the wide door of the banquet hall opened and the spotlight fell on Erika.

She started walking gracefully on the red carpet that stretched from the entrance of the banquet hall to the foot of the stairs to the elevated platform where an exquisite single couch with lavish decorations sat.

Erik Lee and Aryana Jones were looking dotingly at their daughter.

"Dad, Mom, our sister is so beautiful!" a pair of thirteen-year-old boys said in unison.

"Of course. It’s because our parents have good genes." A girl about ten years old, butted in.

"Shhh. Be quiet kids." Aryana reprimanded them because Erika was nearing them.

Erik passed the bouquet he was holding to Erika, then he escorted her up the stage.

"You are dazzling tonight my princess. I am so proud to be your Daddy." Erik sounded emotional but he controlled his emotions.

"I am proud to be your daughter, Dad. She kissed her dad on the cheek and then paid attention to what the host was saying.

The rest of the evening was a blur to Erika. She was presented with the eighteen treasures which were expensive gifts coming from her godparents and uncles.

Eighteen of her female friends and classmates shared their wishes to her while holding a lighted candle.

Finally, it was time for the eighteen roses. Her first dance was with her father, followed by her twin brothers.

When Matthew stood from his seat to do the last dance, Erika kept a safe distance. Matthew felt something was off but could not point it out. When the music faded, Erika thanked Matthew politely. He had no choice but to go back to his seat with hunched shoulders. Erika seemed very cold contrary to what he was expecting.

Then, it was time to cut the cake.

"Make a wish ..." the crowd urged her.

Erika closed her eyes and made a wish, then she blew all the 18 candles on the cake.

***

Author’s note: I decided to write a sequel in the future. Please watch out for it.

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!