Owned By The Billionaire CEO

Amy's eyes widened as she caught a brief glimpse of him at the exit of the Schneider Golf Course.

But before she could even blink, the bodyguard's heavy frame covered her view.

She was sure he was Mr Schneider, standing 4 yards away and about to step into the limousine.

Jacob Schneider.

The famous philanthropist, her last hope, if her sister would ever be able to walk again.

"Mr Schneider! Please help me sir, my sister is in the hospital and I need to pay for her surgery tomorrow!" she cried out in a loud voice that she never imagined she could muster.

The serene environment turned even quieter as the few people present turned to look at her in wonder.

Jacob Schneider had a look of bewilderment on his face.

Silence.

More silence.

The bodyguard took this cue and started moving towards her, to bundle her off like a ball of clothes.

But she would fight and plead and kick and give it her best before letting that happen, she determined, starting to speak again.

"Pleas..."

"Stop." It was Schneider. Both Amy and the bodyguard froze at the command.

"Young lady, I don't grant the money, the Schneider Foundation does. Do well to make an application at the foundation instead of this. Good day."

Amy felt her world crumbling, as images of Debby in a wheelchair flooded her head.

She bit her lip as she imagined her sister's swimming career going down the drain.

She remembered how proud she was when 16-year-old Debby won her first gold medal in a swimming competition.

"I won sis!" Debby grinned with joy, running to Amy in her wet swimming trunk.

"Come here sweetie, you did it!"

Amy opened her arms wide and Debby fell into them for a bear hug.

"I wish Mom and Dad were here too," Debby whispered, her eyes glistening with tears.

"They're watching us, sweetie. And they're definitely super proud of you," Amy assured her, as the two sisters shed tears of sober celebration.

And that was the first of many gold medals her baby sister had brought home with big smiles.

What would become of those smiles when Debby realized her legs were gone?

No, that couldn't happen! She must try harder to convince Mr Schneider.

Jacob Schneider made to enter the vehicle once more but Amy had a quick reply:

"Please sir, my sister is a young girl with a promising swimming career ahead of her. Two days ago, on her way back from school, she got involved in a fatal accident. Her legs got damaged and she's now on the verge of amputation. If her legs are gone, her hopes and dreams will be dashed. She has less than 18 hours for surgery and I don't know how to raise a whole $55,000 in just a day.

"The Schneider Foundation has an application process of 5 working days. It would be too late by then sir. I'm begging you. You're our last hope, you're Mr Schneider himself." Amy was in tears.

After listening to all Amy had to say, Schneider shook his head slowly.

"Sorry young lady. The Schneider Foundation gives the money, not me. I can't help."

The bodyguard was starting to gesture her off. She intensified her tears, standing her ground and the bodyguard was becoming forceful.

"What is your name?"

This was a different voice entirely. Amy looked up and saw a man she hadn't noticed standing beside Schneider all the while. The bodyguard stopped again.

"Amy. Amy Wilson." A flicker of hope kindled in her heart as some beads of tears found their way to her mouth.

He regarded her with a stare she couldn't quite decipher. Was it pity? Contempt? Or something far more dangerous?

"I'll give you the money for your sister's surgery, Ms Wilson."

Amy held her breath-not daring to believe what she had just heard. Who was this man and why was he doing this?

"Thank you very much sir. I'm..."

He cut her short, "Be at my office, 4pm today."

She nodded fervently and collected a blue business card he was holding out.

"Thank you sir"

He gave her a long cursory glance, said nothing, walked across the road to a blue Rolls-Royce, got in and zoomed off.

Amy exhaled heavily, realizing she had been holding her breath out of anxiousness.

Jacob Schneider gave her a curt nod and his bodyguard closed the door of the limousine.

She turned away, on her way to find the address printed on the blue business card.

***********

She squinted up at the high skyscraper, distantly making out the logo "Walton Inc." at the top of the high-rise building in the heart of Manhattan.

A few minutes later, she was seated before the Rolls-Royce man in a fully air-conditioned room, her sweaty palms between her thighs.

"Do you understand, Miss Wilson?" he asked, squinting at her and his voice barely a whisper.

Amy nodded, her throat tight with unshed tears.

He would give her the money, but she must agree to the contract laying on the desk before her.

She had just finished reading the contract and it was way heavier than she imagined.

The legal language, precise and unforgiving, painted a chilling picture of her future. A future where she would be "anything he needs her to be," his possession, her body and soul at his disposal.

"Yes, I understand," she whispered back, her voice trembling slightly.

The words tasted like ash in her mouth, a bitter acknowledgment of her desperate bargain.

Amy signed the papers, her signature a shaky scribble on the document.

He handed her another set of papers.

"Sign."

"This isn't different from what I just signed," she remarked after taking a glance.

"I want you to have your copy of the contract, with a signature that isn't photocopied. In case you later need a reminder that you're someone's property," he smirked.

She wondered if it was too late to tear the paper, bolt out of this goddamn office and find help somewhere instead of a psycho cold billionaire CEO who just desperately wanted to own a human for 2 years.

Her heartbeat accelerated, she contemplated running back to the streets, looking for the next person to offer $55,000 for Debby's surgery.

But what would happen if she couldn't get help elsewhere within 15 hours?

"Waiting, Miss Wilson."

His voice cut her reverie, jolting her senses back to the moment.

Amy gave a tight smile; now she knew that she would gladly sign this contract a thousand times over just to see those big smiles again.

Besides, after Mom and Dad died, she promised Debby she would never have a reason to feel inferior or different from her mates, whatever the case may be.

It had been hard, but she had been faithful to that promise, working multiple jobs to provide a comfortable life for her sister, and this was yet another sacrifice she had to make for Debby.

Her lips pursed into a thin line and she scribbled her signature on the document, sealing her fate.

"Good. But I wonder how a girl doesn't know that after a surgery the patient needs to recover in the hospital for weeks. Eventually, it costs more than just the surgery bills.

"I hope you're not dumb, Miss Wilson. I can't stand dumb girls," he smirked.

"Don't call me d..."

"You'll get $80,000," he interrupted her retort.

Amy was grateful but hurt by how insulting he was.

The exchange was swift and efficient. In the next 15 minutes, $80,000 was transferred, a life raft in the turbulent sea of her financial trouble.

*****

Amy slept with a big smile on her face that night, almost forgetting the contract she signed with Thomas Walton.

What she hadn't anticipated was the chilling realization that her new owner, the cold, ruthless billionaire, would begin to exert his power at a time and manner entirely different from what she ever expected.