Hate To Love You My Billionaire Lover

After acknowledging the gods and making his wish, Travis turned and asked her, “Aren’t you going to make a wish?” The respectful expression on his face had not disappeared. He seemed very serious in his actions and his question.

Arianna lowered her voice, trying not to offend the gods and prevent Ryan from eavesdropping. She whispered, “My wish will probably contradict your wish. I worry the gods will face a dilemma. So I think it might be better not to make one.”

Travis didn’t ask any more questions, but he put his arm around her as they walked out of the temple. When they headed back down the mountain, he said to her, “I really can’t see you being anti-governmental or anti-societal. I just prayed that our state would be strong and flourish.”

When he said this, Arianna choked on the mineral water she was drinking. She coughed for quite a while before her breathing returned to normal. Arianna couldn’t believe that he was talking to her about this. If only the charities and agencies he worked with knew about what he was doing to her – they would be as disgusted as she was.

Seeing the expression on her face, Travis asked, “Why are you frowning? If our nation is strong and flourishing, it will be easier for us to make money. By the way, I also prayed for you to stay healthy and beautiful. I hope that didn’t contradict your wish.”

Now, Arianna felt like she was going to puke. She took another swig of the water bottle and said, “Thanks for that. Although I know you only wished that, so I wouldn’t be sick and ugly when you act on our arrangement.”

As she was speaking, she stopped paying attention to her feet. Arianna nearly fell off the stairs and down the mountain, but Travis grabbed hold of her arm to steady her. He smiled and whispered in her ear, “If you were this smart before, you might not have ended up in this agreement with me.”

****

After the temple, they went to a street market. It was full of both locals and tourists, and there was a strong smell of spices that filled the air.

There were stalls on both sides of the street filled with colorful merchandise. And from time to time, everyone had to step aside to let a cow and its new owner pass by.

Arianna was looking around. She had never been interested in shopping – besides for perfumes – but this culture was completely different. Plus, it was much better to be wandering around in crowded places than in the hotel room facing Travis. With so many people around, she could dilute the presence of such a nasty person.

Down the street, she noticed a couple of street jugglers and stopped to watch an enchanting dancer perform. After the song was completed, the beautiful flute melody sounded through her eardrums. The next show was the traditional snake dance.

Ten meters separated her from the cobra, and layers of people filled that space. However, she felt like the snake’s eyes was staring at her, warning her of unspeakable danger. She felt a chill down her body and wanted to look elsewhere, but she could not move her eyes. The noisy market sounded like it had quieted down, and it was only her and the snake left under the sun.

As if someone had shouted to her from a distance, she tried to answer but was unable to move. But someone pulled her hand and dragged her forward, releasing her from the magic snake’s stare. After being dragged ahead for a while, she realized that Travis Cooper was pulling her, so she quietly freed her hand from his.

Arianna felt like her soul was wandering in another realm. She felt like she was oblivious to everything going on around her, and she didn’t mind.

She could not hear what Travis said to her, only seeing his lips move very slowly. Then, watching him stop to take out his cell phone, she noticed something in the corner of her eyes on the roadside. She was still absent-minded until a runaway calf was rushing at her at full speed.

Someone shouted at her, “Watch out, Miss Jenkins!”

Arianna’s reaction time was slow, but her thinking was fast. She knew what was going to happen, but she just closed her eyes since she couldn’t move. Travis pushed her out of the way before another voice shouted, “Mr. Cooper!”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

The noble and graceful Mr. Cooper took the hit from the calf in order to save Arianna, the seemingly average companion. Though he was knocked down, he got straight up calmly, as if he was just swept over by a big leaf. Although he did wince in pain, he still looked perfect.

However, when the bright red blood wet his light-colored shirt, his face and lips finally turned white. Their trip to the market was definitely over.

Ryan rushed over to him, and Travis explained that he felt fine and nothing was broken. He had to keep declining Ryan’s suggestion of visiting the nearby clinic to check his wound. They simply accepted the calf owner’s apology and decided to drive back to the hotel. The wound was bandaged with a loose fabric from Arianna’s outfit in the meantime.

Everyone was silent in the car, but Arianna had something on her mind. “Why do you look so happy?” Travis asked her suddenly.

“I was just thinking about the law here. Cattle are sacred, so I highly doubt it will be punished in any way.” She said carelessly and stopped herself from saying, “even if it killed you, it would have been given dinner and had a good night’s sleep.”

However, regardless of whether she said it or not, Travis guessed her true thoughts once again. He said coldly, “I was hit because I wanted to save you. Could you at least show a little care or gratitude for what I’ve done?”

Arianna kept her mouth shut. She didn’t show concern or gratitude to him because she couldn’t do that for her abuser. However, this was the first time she had spent a day getting along with him since they knew each other, and she couldn’t stand it. She did not ask him to save her, and she did not want to be grateful to him.