Billionaire's Second Chance At Love

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Ronin continued to explain everything he had already planned for the day. It wasn't a very dynamic schedule. In fact, if Carmen hadn't hurt that badly, she would have found so much rest and homestay almost boring. But she knew she needed to get well, and that too fast. And the reason now was not only to get back into the game they started but also because she was looking forward to this clandestine romance with Ronin Logan.

Carmen couldn't help but watch the way his lips moved when he spoke, the way he used his hands, as if that would explain whatever he was saying even better. She had always admired the way he took even the smallest of tasks so seriously and executed them even more dedicatedly. He would get so absorbed in whatever he would be doing that he always forgot everything else around him.

Carmen nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Sounds like a plan. Looks like you have everything figured out."

Ronin looked at her for a brief moment, the corner of his mouth tipping up. He leaned forward until their faces were inches away. "It's just the beginning, Carmen. My ultimate plan is to make you fall in love with me. And believe it or not, I have figured that out too."

Carmen's face couldn't have flushed brighter, but even then, she managed to look amused. "Let me guess. Is that what you have been doing all night? Making plans for achieving this ultimate goal of yours."

"You bet." He grinned.

"You're an idiot."

"I would like to think of myself as more of a strategic planner."

Carmen chuckled, shaking her head. "Well, Mr. Strategic Planner, good luck with that. I'm not an easy target, you know."

"Are you saying I can't win your heart with my charm and dazzling personality?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Charm and dazzling personality?" She scoffed. "Please. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I might need more than that."

He raised a brow, mocking. "More than charm? You drive a hard bargain, Ms. Price."

She smirked. "Maybe I do. You'll have to work for it, Mr. Logan."

"Oh, I'm up for the challenge," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'll have you swooning in no time."

Carmen laughed, enjoying the banter—and him. "We'll see about that, won't we?"

"I believe we will," he said to her before kissing the tip of her nose, grinning. "But I'm not kidding; you should know by now that when I put my mind to something, I don't back off until I get it."

She brushed his short hair away from his forehead, gazing at him and admiring this man who was making her feel things she had never felt before. "I know, and believe it or not, I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

"And you're telling me now?" Diana frowned, her temper rising. "How could you keep something like this from me? This is ridiculous. You deliberately put her life in danger, Simon. What the hell were you thinking?"

Simon rolled his eyes as they both sat in his office. "I didn't tell you because I never thought Carmen would go with that Logan so willingly. Besides, shouldn't you have tried a little harder to stop her? She just said she was leaving, and you let her go? What happened to 'I need to protect my daughter and shit'?"

Diana glared at him, frustration and anger evident in her eyes. "Don't you dare turn this around on me? Carmen is my only child. I would never force her to do something she wouldn't want. And after learning everything you have done, do you really think I would let her be anywhere near you? You're an even bigger fool than I thought if that's the case."

Simon glared harder, barely keeping his anger in check as he fisted his fingers and held back. "And what makes you think that Logan is any better than me?" He sneered. "Do you really think he deserves her after what he had done? He messed up nine months of her life, married her but never even touched her. He embarrassed her, ridiculed her, and made her life a living hell, only for him to divorce her when the woman he loved returned. You think he's better than me?" He scoffed, sinking back into the chair and crossing his legs. "I know my methods were wrong, but at least what I felt for her was genuine. If it weren't for that, do you really think I would have gone to such an extent for just any ordinary woman?"

Diana's eyes narrowed, and it didn't look like she was moved by his speech. "Don't pretend your actions were driven by love. What you did was manipulative and cruel. Besides, if it were up to him, I would have you know that neither of you deserves my daughter. Both of you ruined her life in your own fucked-up ways."

Simon leaned back, a scoff escaping his lips. "So, what's your grand plan now? Are you going to try to break them up? Drive a wedge between Carmen and Ronin?" He chuckled sarcastically. "Good luck with that. Carmen isn't as naive as she used to be. Have you seen her? She's stronger now. She won't change her mind just because you tell her so. Not to forget the relationship between you two is more messed up than hers and mine. At least she knows that what I did was out of desperation and my obsession with her, but you...her own mother, you abandoned her when she was just a child..."

"Shut up!" Diana yelled, standing up with such force that the chair she sat on tumbled backwards. "You know nothing about me and her. Nothing. So, before you go and talk shit about people, you should learn their complete story. And if you can't do that, then like your father, you should keep your mouth shut."