The Hollywood Billionaire’s Fangirl Wife (A Painful Kind of Love)

Chapter One

Jilly: Did you eat? You didn’t eat, did you.

Jack: That’s speculative.

Jilly: Jack.

Jilly: That’s not food.

Jack: It’s not poison either.

brO, BEAU, THROW.

Jilly took a sip of her hot Americano while considering her options.

A popular RnB song played in the background, but it might as well be inaudible.

She was one of those types of people who could block out everything at will, regardless of the circumstances.

And right now, the most important thing for her to think about?

Who do I want as my brO?

An ideal big brother would be someone reliable and protective, someone she could trust like...

Keanu Reeves in John Wick!

If she ever died unexpectedly, she could always rely on John Wick to take care of her babies.

But even as Jilly wrote down the character's name, she also found herself rationalizing her decision to her Heavenly Father.

It's not that I'm pro-violence or anything, but this is just a game.

I promise I'm not going to seek vengeance if ever something happens to any of my babies.

Really, God, I swear!

Jilly squirmed in her seat. Why did it feel like she was lying to herself?

She truly believed vengeance was the Lord's.

And she believed in this wholeheartedly.

She would not seek vengeance. She would not.

Or so she tried to convince herself while moving on to the next item on the list, which was. ..

Oh, this was easy.

She knew right away who she wanted as a BEAU.

Ryan Reynolds in the Wrexham documentary if he were a fictional character, duh.

And as for THROW...

Poppy's jaw dropped when she and Jilly exchanged answer sheets, and she saw what her downline had written for THROW. Was the other woman for real? Seriously?

Jilly, however, was not surprised at all with what her mentor wrote. The twist in this game was to only choose from fictional characters, and it was so like Poppy to be romantically creative...and adorably predictable.

Valerian in his cameo role in Staffan Aehrenthal's music video as brO.

Valerian when he was asked to pose as a fairytale prince for the cover of Quintessential Life as BEAU.

And it was still Valerian as her THROW, particularly when he lent his voice for a villainous character in an animation film.

In all honesty, Jilly should have seen this coming. There was just no way that Poppy, who was so incredibly cute with how she wore her heart on her sleeve, would write down any other name than her husband's.

"I don't get it," the other woman suddenly said.

Jilly looked at Poppy in surprise. "What's not to get?" She honestly thought her answers were all straightforward, if not self-explanatory.

"Why did you write Guy de la Rocq's name for THROW when you literally founded the Secret International Alliance of Supporters of—"

"Sssh!" Jilly was privately appalled. It wasn't called a secret for nothing.

"Sorry," Poppy apologized quickly, and in a suitably lower voice this time. "But...you get why I'm confused, right?"

"Not really."

"But you adore him—"

"Absolutely," Jilly affirmed without hesitation.

"So why choose to throw him out of your life?"

"Because he's younger ." How was that even a question?

Poppy rolled her eyes. "Five years aren't much—"

"It's, like, fifty in my book."

"Oh, please," Poppy scoffed. "You look half your age!"

Jilly didn't take the compliment seriously. Poppy was the Queen of Nice. Of course she'd say something like that... and mean it, too.

And besides, had Poppy forgotten already? Jilly had long told her about the world having two types of fangirls: those who were simply fans of the individual because of his works...and those who were fans of one's works because of the individual.

And of course, at the sensible age of forty, Jilly always believed that—

A sound broke into her thoughts, causing Jilly to look up.

Oh .

Poppy's billionaire husband had arrived, and as expected from someone frequently described as Adonis incarnate, Valerian Rossfield's sudden appearance had just about every woman in the cafe sitting up and acting like, well, fangirls. Or at least the type that Jilly was not .

A pair of icy blue eyes swept over the room before landing on his wife. Only then did they soften, just enough for those who knew him to notice the change.

"Do you really not mind?" Jilly couldn't help asking her friend, seeing the way the other girls were rather shameless in their efforts to attract the attention of Poppy's husband.

A brunette at the corner table actually flipped her hair three times in succession. The barista behind the counter kept polishing the same spot over and over. And a college student by the window seemed to have forgotten her textbook existed.

"Just a bit," the younger woman admitted with a rueful smile. "But it's not his fault he's beautiful, right? And incredibly smart. And honestly, people rarely believe me about this, but he's also amazingly funny..."

Jilly had a hard time holding back her own smile. Here we go again . Once Poppy got started like this, she could go on and on and on...

Poppy noticed the way Jilly was looking at her, and her expression turned sheepish. "I did it again, didn't I?"

Valerian's lips curved slightly when he reached his wife's table and saw the way the two women were laughing even as they started gathering their things.

Poppy had only just started mentoring Jilly two months ago, but the two already seemed best friends for life...even though they were also opposites in many ways.

Jilly was forty to his wife's twenty-five, a quiet and thoughtful soul whereas his wife was more like a friendly little bee than a social butterfly.

Their contrasting traits were evident even in their Bible preferences: Jilly's was a no-nonsense, personal-sized, leather-bound KJV while Poppy's was the Amplified Bible version, complete with floral tabs, ribbon bookmarks, and an embroidered case.

After greeting his wife's friend with a smile, Valerian pulled Poppy into his arms for a brief but thorough kiss that had her slightly flushed even when they were already outside the cafe, and she was waving goodbye as Jilly got inside her Tesla.

The evening air felt warm against Poppy's skin, carrying the mix of scents that made San Antonio summers special: grilling meat from nearby restaurants, sweet-smelling flowers from the hanging baskets outside storefronts, and the earthy undertone of the river that flowed through downtown.

"Are you sure it's fine that we didn't invite her for dinner?" Valerian asked, placing his hand at the small of his wife's back.

"She prefers to be home early for her babies," Poppy explained as they walked to their waiting car.

Babies? As far as Valerian knew, Jilly was single and childless. But perhaps that was girl code for something else?

Their driver pulled up in a sleek black limo, its engine purring softly as they slid into the cool leather interior.

"Where are we having dinner?" Poppy asked.

"We have reservations in Haru ."

Poppy beamed. Anything Japanese was always good, and her mood brightened even more when they arrived at the restaurant.

It was their first time to dine here, and she loved how the place was designed to look like Kyoto in spring.

Wooden bridges arched over artificial brooks, connecting private themed rooms to the main dining hall.

The walls were all digital screens, showing an immersive backdrop of cherry blossom trees, men and women walking around town in their kimonos, and merchants selling a seasonal selection of dango, mochi, taiyaki, and other local delicacies.

"There he is," Valerian murmured.

She turned to follow his gaze, and Poppy's eyes widened. She knew they were meeting one of his business partners for dinner tonight, but what she didn't expect at all was for it to be...

Guy de la Rocq?

Even from a distance, there was no mistaking one of Hollywood's most successful and highest paid stars, with his white-blond hair a startling contrast to his deeply tanned skin.

Even though over a decade had already passed since he had taken the role of a brooding hero in a musical adaptation of Wuthering Heights, celebrity news programs still loved to describe him as their favorite blond Heathcliff, a role which had earned Guy an Oscar, a massive fanbase around the globe, and his first billion, among other things.

Valerian noticed his wife's expression and mistook her surprise for Guy's presence in San Antonio, considering his line of work. "He's been living in Texas for three years. And he has a ranch in Evergreen as well," he explained. "But Ryu's helped him keep things under the radar."

Poppy's confusion cleared as soon as she heard the other billionaire's name. Ryu Harcourt might be everyone's idea of an "ordinary" billionaire, but the reality was the complete opposite.

Guy stood as they approached, extending his hand to Valerian. "Good to see you again."

He wore a simple black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing strong forearms tanned by the Texas sun. No tie, no jacket, a casual elegance that somehow made the other well-dressed men in the restaurant look like they were trying too hard.

"Guy." Valerian's greeting was typically brief as they shook hands.

Poppy did her best to contain her excitement on her friend's behalf as Guy turned his attention to her.

Jilly's super secret Hollywood crush, of all people!

"And you must be Poppy." The other man's smile was a mixture of reserve and charm. "I've heard a lot about you."

Poppy could only smile weakly, with her thoughts already racing.

Could she? Should she? But...how could she not?

Never would she have imagined that her husband would be friends with Guy de la Rocq, and when she overheard the two men talking business and realized that the Hollywood superstar actually owed her husband a favor of sorts...

Poppy almost knocked over her water glass.

This had to be a sign. Right?

Poppy cleared her throat, and when the sound had both men looking her way, she didn't allow herself to have any second thoughts, saying in a rush, "Can I call it now?"

Both billionaires continued to stare at her, their expressions unreadable in the intimate lighting.

"The, um, favor, I mean."

Her husband raised a brow at this but said nothing. Guy, on the other hand, inclined his head in courteous assent. "Of course." His tone was perfectly polite as well, but it somehow made Poppy gulp. This was not a man to cross, for sure, but...

"I'd like to set you up," Poppy blurted out, "if that's okay?"

"A blind date, you mean?"

"Uh huh." Poppy pretended not to notice the way her husband's blue gaze had narrowed on her. "But I'd actually rather you not say anything about dates or stuff. Maybe just think of it as meeting a new friend? She doesn't go out much. So she gets scared off easily..."

Valerian waited until dinner was over, and their guest had left, before turning to his wife.

He didn't have to say a word. Poppy already knew just by looking at him, and she could only smile sheepishly in return.

"So...remember I once told you that Jilly's the founder of a super-duper-secret fan club. .."

Poppy knew the exact moment the penny dropped for her husband.

Valerian didn't know whether to wince or shake his head. Jilly... and Guy de la Rocq? How on earth was that going to work?

GUY HAD JUST GOTTEN off the treadmill in his private gym when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Hi, this is Jilly. Poppy told me to text you. Could you come over tomorrow at 8pm?

Guy raised a brow when his phone vibrated again, this time because of a QR code that contained the GPS link to his blind date's address.

How unexpectedly forward and efficient, for a woman who didn't go out much.

Or maybe this was simply a case of having different ways of quantifying exactly how much was. ..much.

When he emerged from the shower, another text message awaited him.

Oh, and please bring an extra shirt. Just in case.

Guy was no stranger to women making the first move, but this was unprecedented , for someone like him whose dating history could best be described as extensive.

His lips pressed in a tight line as he recalled Poppy further describing her friend as someone easy to "scare off". Whoever this woman was, she clearly had Valerian's wife fooled into believing a lie. But since he was a man of his word...