Billion-Dollar Obsession: My Aloof Sugar Daddy Wants Me Again

"Allison Brown? I'm Derek Cooper, a friend of Braden's. He asked me to come and get you." His voice carried a rich, effortless warmth.

Without waiting for her reply, he reached for her suitcase and took it from her hand with practiced courtesy.

Allison stood motionless, her throat constricting as her heart fluttered painfully in her chest.

Three years had passed. Never in her wildest expectations had she imagined meeting Derek again.

He was twenty-nine now, yet there was no trace of hardship or decline about him. Time had neither worn him down nor taken anything away from his appearance.

On the contrary, he had grown even more attractive, his features and manner more refined than she remembered.

When he looked at her, his expression remained calm and distant. There was an effortless elegance about him that made him seem even more untouchable than before.

After waiting a moment without receiving a response, he knitted his brows in mild confusion.

Only then did Allison understand. He had no idea who she was.

That was hardly surprising. Rylie Dale, the girl who had once carried her father's surname, no longer existed.

She had adopted a new first name and taken her aunt's family name, becoming Allison Brown.

Her fingertips drifted to her right cheek, tracing the place where her birthmark had once been before its removal. After forcing herself to regain her composure, she lowered her eyes and responded, "Thank you for coming to get me, Mr. Cooper."

The words sounded stiff even to her own ears, and her throat felt unusually dry.

She had first encountered Derek during her freshman year at university. At the time, he had been the one covering her tuition and educational expenses.

He was six years older than she was.

When they met, she had been eighteen. By the time their relationship ended, she was nineteen. In those days, she had always addressed him with endearment, never with the sort of distant formality she had just used.

The difference left her feeling strangely unsettled. She said nothing more and followed him to the waiting car.

Derek had always been a man of few words. He rarely opened up to others and maintained a measured distance from everyone around him, regardless of how eagerly they sought his attention.

Yet once they were settled inside the vehicle, he was the first to speak. "Braden mentioned that you're employed by Northstar Entertainment."

Allison took a brief moment before answering. "Yes. I work there as a screenwriter."

"Northstar is well regarded in the entertainment business," Derek remarked in a mild tone. "Still, Sdrolen is a highly competitive place, and this line of work isn't easy to break into."

"I've managed so far," Allison replied softly. "I like what I do, so that makes things easier."

With that, their exchange came to an end.

Derek studied the young woman dating Braden Ashton. He had watched Braden grow up, with the younger man trailing after him so often that their relationship resembled that of brothers more than ordinary friends.

Over the years, Braden had dated plenty of women, most of them models or social media personalities. They tended to share the same striking looks and carefully cultivated charm, making it difficult to distinguish one from another.

Even those who presented themselves as shy and reserved had usually found ways to ingratiate themselves with Derek. Beneath their polite smiles, most were hoping to gain something from his connections or influence.

Allison, however, appeared entirely different.

She showed no particular desire to engage him in conversation and seemed perfectly content to keep to herself.

Having spent years accustomed to authority and deference, Derek had never been one to chase after anyone's approval. He had agreed to meet Braden's latest girlfriend only because the Ashton family wanted Braden to settle down and had specifically asked him to assess the woman for himself.

He had now done exactly that.

His fingers brushed against the cigarette packet beside him as he raised an eyebrow.

At first glance, Allison seemed pleasant enough, though somewhat shy.

She had moved back into the condo her aunt had left her, situated in an aging residential building tucked away from the main road. Since vehicles could not enter the narrow passage leading to the property, she considered the distance and spoke up. "You can let me out at the junction ahead, Mr. Cooper."

Derek offered no objection.

The car pulled to a stop near the alley entrance. Allison had recently hurt her leg, forcing her to limp as she retrieved her suitcase from the vehicle. She thanked him quietly before preparing to leave.

From his seat, Derek noticed how slender she was. Perhaps even a little underweight.

Her appearance conveyed a certain fragility, yet something in the way she carried herself suggested a stubborn streak that refused to bend easily.

For an instant, she brought another young woman to mind, someone from his distant past whom he had not thought about for years.

His eyes lingered on her as she stood beside the car, eventually settling on her right cheek. After a brief silence, he reached into his pocket and produced a business card, extending it toward her without any particular urgency.

"You're Braden's girlfriend. If you ever run into trouble, feel free to contact me." His offer was polite, though the distance in his tone made it clear that he intended nothing beyond a simple courtesy.

Allison hesitated before accepting it.

She had absolutely no desire to contact Derek again. Nevertheless, refusing the card would only invite unnecessary questions, so she took it from him.

"Thank you, Mr. Cooper." She gave him a final nod, then turned away and dragged her suitcase into the narrow alley.

Derek remained in the car, following her retreating figure with his eyes until she vanished from sight. Even afterward, his attention stayed fixed on the empty entrance.

His phone rang a moment later.

Only then did he look away and answer the call, the faint trace of contemplation disappearing as his familiar coolness returned. "I'm coming now."

...

Allison struggled with her suitcase as she made her way up the stairs to the condo. By the time she had unpacked her belongings and arranged everything in its proper place, the evening light had faded into dusk.

Not long afterward, Braden called her through a video chat. His expression was affectionate, and his voice held the warmth she had grown accustomed to. "Allie, did you get home safely? Derek called to let me know you'd arrived."

Allison smiled at the screen. "I'm home. It's already getting late, so I'll go to the company tomorrow to wrap up all the onboarding paperwork."

"I'm still tied up with work, and Kelsey won't allow me to come over and see you. You'll have to be patient for a little while longer."

Kelsey Ashton, Braden's elder sister, held the reins of the Ashton family, and the family had never approved of his relationship with Allison. He depended heavily on his sister and lacked the courage to challenge her decisions, even when they concerned his own life.

Consequently, despite having been together for a full year, he and Allison had never seriously discussed marriage.

After voicing his frustration for a little while, Braden seemed to remember that his complaints might put his girlfriend in a bad mood. He quickly changed his tone and added, "If anything comes up, you can always ask Derek for help."

Allison fell silent. She stared at the screen for a moment, turning his words over in her mind before finally asking in a quiet voice, "You and Mr. Cooper are really close, aren't you?"