My Billionaire Enemy Loves Me

Chapter 2 : Cash vs. Sass

Daniel Chandler.

The name was like a bad taste in Stephanie's mouth.

Everywhere she looked, there he was – plastered on newspapers, magazines, TV screens. He was like a celebrity-shaped virus, spreading like wildfire. And the worst part? He was the CEO of some mega-company, making enough money to buy a small country, and everyone was fawning over him like he was a freaking saint.

"Ugh, seriously?" Stephanie groaned, tossing the magazine far away from her.

Immediately checking her nails, just to make sure she hadn't chipped any of her perfectly painted masterpieces.

She adjusted her sunglasses, trying to block out the image of Daniel's smug little face that was now permanently etched into her brain.

It had been a perfect morning. She'd woken up to a sweet text from Terry, her boyfriend, sipped on a delicious iced coffee, and admired her own gorgeous reflection in the mirror. Then, BAM! There he was, staring back at her from the cover of a magazine.

"This is supposed to be 'my' magazine!" Stephanie grumbled.

After flipping through the pages, she found the dreaded "Successful Men in Business" section, which she regretted.

He took up an entire page with his smug little face. His undercut hair was slicked back, his square glasses hid those intimidating eyes, and his tiny, pointy nose–which, weirdly, she found kinda cute–was practically touching his lips.

"He's like a fish with a bad attitude," Stephanie muttered, rolling her eyes. "He'd be every woman's dream if it weren't for me. I probably hate him more than my boyfriend's exes."

She let out a long sigh, relaxing on her beach towel.

It was the first time in months she had a completely open schedule, and she was determined to make the most of it. She had already booked a trip to Bali, planned a weekend getaway with Cindy, and even signed up for a pottery class without a reason why.

But out of all the schedules she made for herself, the weekend reunion was at the top of her list. Everyone knows her, so she'll be the star of the event.

"Who wouldn't remember me?" Stephanie thought with a smirk.

She'd been the girl with the big name and the even bigger dreams. Now, she was a successful model and actress, still turning heads and making hearts skip a beat.

"I guess some things never change," she mused, glancing at her shadow in the sand. Her long, dark hair flowed in the breeze. She had a body that could launch a thousand ships, and she knew it.

But even with her stunning looks and successful career, Stephanie couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was off with Terry.

They were the "Sterry" love team, a viral sensation with hundreds of thousands of followers, but lately, things had been a little... quiet.

"You look like someone burned your house! What's with the face?" Cindy, Stephanie's best friend and co-worker, asked with a raised eyebrow, arriving with her hair still dripping from a swim.

"Nothing, I'm just not in the mood," Stephanie mumbled, not wanting to talk about the magazine encounter.

"Not in the mood, equals either; A. Terry forgot to message you a long sweet message in the morning or B. You broke a nail. Choose." Cindy, who knew Stephanie better than anyone, could practically read her mind.

"C. None of the above," Stephanie replied, adjusting her bikini top. "I'm just not in the mood," she repeated, brushing her hair back and sighing.

Cindy hummed, picking up the discarded magazine. "I just saw on the internet that your channel with Terry just reached a million followers. Congratulations," she reported.

Stephanie just nodded. She'd seen it too, but she wasn't feeling celebratory.

It felt like there was nothing to be happy about it.

"Yeah, well, the money goes straight to the foundation. It's a huge addition, glad that people love 'Sterry,'" she breathed, glancing at Cindy who was flipping through the magazine as she wrapped herself in a dry towel.

"Well, who wouldn't love the both of you guys? You're the sweetest couple on the internet," Cindy chuckled.

But Stephanie wasn't convinced.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Terry. He was still sweet, still sending her messages, but lately, he'd been avoiding eye contact and even seemed hesitant to say the magic three words.

"Cindy, do you think... do you think Terry still loves me?" Stephanie asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Cindy looked at her friend, surprised. "If people say that you two are in love with each other, they mean it."

"No, I mean from 'your' point of view," Stephanie insisted. "I know people just say it because they support us."

Stephanie waited for a positive response, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Because I know, there's something wrong. I don't know, I feel like he's been distant these past few days. I mean, he's still keeping his sweet messages and all his usual stuff, but since I asked him for a little step forward, he started to treat me coldly," she shared, her voice trembling slightly.

Cindy closed the magazine, tossing it back where it was. "He loves you, and if he sometimes forgets to tell you that, just think of it that he's still a human. Note that his project in Paris Fashion Week is too hectic."

"Men are sometimes unreadable and complicated. We women, what we have to do is to understand. As long as he doesn't smell like somebody's perfume," Cindy added with a smile.

"Well, she's got a point," Stephanie thought.

"Stop being paranoid, Steph. He could never exchange you for anyone or anything," she said softly, melting Stephanie's heart.

Stephanie mirrored Cindy's smile, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I'm probably going crazy. I guess these vacations will be a total answer for me to loosen up and throw away the stress, yeah?"

"Hell, yeah."

Throw away the stress? That's a pretty lie. Stephanie knew it. She knew it already as soon as she accepted the invitation to the reunion because she was certain that the man she loathed the most would be there.

Could she face him?

Stephanie scoffed mentally. She would just shrug it off if ever she saw him. She wouldn't let herself be a lovesick, bitter mess around him.

She'd keep Terry with her, to keep her distracted and pull her out of misery if ever it happened.

It wasn't like a very long year had passed since that night of the great war. And she was only a teenager at the time. What was the big deal?

Being stepped on her ego, she wouldn't bother letting go of the boiling anger in her blood. It wasn't justifiable. It was purely a dark memory to recall.

And now, she had to ready herself for an event that she wasn't planning on going to but ended up having no choice, maybe? She's going to face him and prove to herself that she has finally moved on.

Stopping by a mall, she wore a pair of huge sunglasses and a baseball cap and kept herself blended with the crowd as possible. She didn't want to cause a scene.

Going straight to the branded clothing store, she pouted her red lips to release a breath.

A sales lady came in close to her with a friendly smile and offered help.

"Yes, I'm looking for a designer's dress. Something pricey but can blend with people," she requested and immediately found her the hangers of choices.

This was a big challenge for her. As a woman, she found it hard to choose which to choose, especially that the reunion didn’t mention any theme to follow.

Red sequined dress? No, that'll stand her pearl-white skin.

A gold maxi dress? No, she's not going to the beach and having a contest with the sun of who's the brightest and blinding.

A black ball gown? No, she's not attending a funeral or a gothic promenade.

But a royal blue sheath dress?

Without thinking twice, she grabbed it and paid for it. Price didn't bother her anymore. She owned a black card. She had no worries about how much she spends.

She predicted it before when she was still in high school that the time would come when she wouldn't bother looking at the price tags of anything she buys. And it happened.

Shoes? She's got a whole section of it to choose from at her home. She doesn't need to problem with that.

What she has to pass through are the people who are suspiciously looking at her.

Seriously, I maybe pretty but these disguises makes me look stupid. Lucky her, she can be called partly an i***t but a whole lot of pretty.

Half running, she did until she reached the ground floor but unfortunately stumbled into a man's broad and hard chest.

"Ouch!" It's a shriek. Not hers, though.

Knowing who owned that voice, she lifted her head and saw the familiar face of a man.

Though he was more mature than the last time she saw him, the beauty in his face stayed the same, only even better.

"Steve?"

That adorable frown and his thin cat-like lips, he pouts, looking at her.

"Stephanie? Oh my-- it's you! Did you know that the makeup endorsement you got rented my location to place your picture on my billboard?"

He smiled happily, showing off the deep dimples on both cheeks with his eyes nowhere to be found when he was happy.

"Oh?" She awkwardly replied and fixed her cap and shushed him.

"Yeah, unfortunately, my old bro told me to take it down," he shrugged.

And by the term "old bro," Stephanie would know who that might be. It's Daniel, the only older brother of Steve, that stupid ass man she has ever known in her whole life.

"Look, you should probably leave the red lipstick behind if you don't want to be recognized. And I have to go, I gotta fix a problem that my young bro caused. And to tell you, looks like me, my brothers and cousins are going to attend the reunion, I'll see you there!"

Steve jogged his way in the other direction, like a reckless teenager while wearing that suit.

Shaking her head negatively, she tightly clutched the handle of the paper bag she had in hand and headed outside the mall.

Now her mood just got ruined even more. It's confirmed that Daniel's going to be there at the event. No doubt, no doubt, no doubt!

"Don't you stress yourself about him, Stephanie!" She scolded herself the moment she got inside her car, looking at her reflection in the rearview mirror. "Either he's there or not, you don't care! You have Terry with you, and you don't have to worry about anything at all."

Smiling finally, she started her engine, but then her eyes found the reason why her mood was a lot more sour than a pineapple.

Daniel is walking out of the mall she was in with his head high, looking like a man who came out of a magazine with his face yelling handsomeness.

Her teeth gritted, nose cruching. "Out of all demons that stayed on earth, I hate him the most."