Her Forbidden Billionaire

“Oh, you can’t go about the day without teasing me, can you?” Raina accepted the joke. “Come now. Shoo! I’ll call you when I am done.”

“Okay. The same goes for me,” Veronica uttered before heading in the opposite direction, leaving Raina alone to find her way in the labyrinth of stalls and shoppers.

The Christmas trees could easily be spotted even from the entrance. She instantly ran for them, encountering a mild line of people waiting to pick their new Christmas tree and the one that suited their living spaces well. Arching her head, Raina managed to count twenty people in front of her. She sighed as her feet began thumping on the floor. She immediately sought comfort in the cell phone, playing a game she had downloaded the previous day and checking the news feed on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. As she reacted on one of her friends’ profile picture, she noticed that it was her turn.

“How can I help you?” The shop assistant was obviously excruciatingly tired which could be noticed from the dark bags under her eyes and the pale unhealthy complexion.

“I’ll manage by myself, thank you,” she uttered and went to explore the maze of Christmas trees. She wasn’t surprised that what was left these days of the Christmas shopping were goods that nobody liked before her. The Christmas trees that were displayed were either too small, short, or lacked greenery and were too slim as if they were there the past five years. After spending almost half an hour scanning them, she set her eyes on one of the better ones which was neither too tall nor too poor-looking. She motioned to the shop assistant that she would take that and went on in the Christmas decorations section.

It was undoubtedly the busiest department in the store, crowded with families who had small crying children making the biggest noise Raina’s eardrums witnessed. She passed a hugging couple who apparently couldn’t contain their happiness and she smiled at them. She wanted to be them. A little Asian girl almost bumped into her as Raina ruffled her straight black hair.

Finally, she started choosing the decorations. She had in mind that she needed some for the grocery store, so she kept her mind working on that as well. With a basket in her left hand, she was browsing through the stalls. Keeping in mind that she liked the red color the most, she opted for blood-red baubles with a mixture of smaller golden ones for the Christmas tree. A shiny star on the top and the tree was complete.

She moved onto the ornaments for both her apartment and the grocery store. Some decorative red lines found their place in her basket, then she bought Christmas hats for each of her employees including her and two for Dean and Veronica. Her eyes stayed on one huge two-meter-tall Santa, but after seeing the price she scurried past it and chose a smaller version which was only one meter tall. On the way to buy some ‘Merry Christmas’ stickers and signs, she stopped to look at a massive, but beautiful wreath. It was green with small pine cones attached to it and a white candle in the middle with the words ‘Merry Christmas’ written underneath it. Raina felt a sudden pang of tranquility and peace when she threw it a glance. In that moment she understood what Christmas was truly about and the feelings that overwhelmed the people during that time of year. She felt emotional as her heart rippled. Her hands trailed to her eyes to wipe a tear that was about to fall. As she placed it in the basket, she concluded that the price in that case didn’t matter. She would give up the tomorrow’s breakfast, lunch and dinner if needed just to buy that wreath. That was how important it was to her.

Rushing through the department store, she bought Christmas napkins, a miniature snowman and hundreds of other small stuff, but very significant to her. One last time she counted the products in the basket, when it dawned on her. It was Christmas time. And Christmas time meant presents. She dashed through the store to find the perfect presents for Veronica and her boyfriend.

It is said that finding the right gift for the person you know best is often the hardest thing. Raina could prove that right there and then. Going through the racks and stalls, she could find absolutely nothing for her as her mind made up thoughts of what Veronica would prefer. She thought to buy something for her apartment, but then Christmas was time for personal presents and she wanted to give her something that she would specifically like. In that moment her eyes fell on some Christmas lingerie. Perfect for the holiday she was having with her boyfriend.

“Oh, wait until you see this,” Raina said out loud and chuckled as she picked a Christmas scarf for Veronica’s boyfriend.

Raina was now heading for the tills when her brain brought Dean’s face before her eyes. You stupid Raina. She slapped her forehead and went in search for a present for her guest. If she thought that buying a gift for Veronica would be hard, it turned out that buying a gift for Dean was even harder. First of all, he was a man, and she wasn’t really into what men liked. And then there was the fact that he was close family. It needed to be something special.

Raina checked the scarves, but decided that it wouldn’t be right. Then, a Christmas sweater, but she didn’t know his size. A tie, but it seemed too cheap and like something her grandfather would wear on Christmas Eve. A tablet or something electronic was too expensive. A suitcase or something like that was too professional for the occasion. Her black eyes darted to the perfumes section. After smelling some of them, she deduced that a perfume wouldn’t present her in the best light in his eyes. But why she cared so much, she didn’t know. Just next to the perfumes were the watches section and when she spotted one huge jet-black watch, she realized that she got the ultimate present for Dean. She looked at it some more. The silver numbers and hands slowly moving. It was beautiful, indeed. And classy.

Adding that on the shopping list, she finally headed toward the cashiers. It was wonderful to take some time off the busy everyday schedule and let her mind have peace.