Mr Billionaires Dangerous Love

Butterflies. That fluttering sensation in your stomach. Most people associate it with love, excitement, or the thrill of the unknown. For me, it's more complicated. Sure, I feel them when I'm dancing with my best friend at a club or acing a tough project at work. But today, there are no butterflies.

Today, my stomach feels like lead, sinking deeper with every word my mother says.

"We know this is a lot to process, Sophia , but it's for the best," she says, her perfectly manicured nails tapping nervously on the arm of the leather couch.

My father, usually a silent observer in family drama, looks worse than usual. His gaunt face, framed by graying hair, makes him seem like a ghost of the man I grew up admiring. He's hunched over in his chair, gripping a whiskey glass like it's the only thing tethering him to reality.

"'For the best?'" I echo, my voice sharper than I intend. "You want me to marry some stranger to save your failing business? Are we in the 1800s?"

My mother's lips thin into a line. "Sophia , we're not asking you to fall in love with him tomorrow. Just meet him. His family is willing to invest in your father's company, but this alliance is... conditional."

There it is. The ugly truth. Conditional.

My father finally speaks, his voice raspy and weak. "Princess, the Lorenzos are powerful. Their son, Dante, is a good man. This could secure not just the business, but your future."

I stand abruptly, nearly knocking over the coffee table. "Secure my future? By selling me off like some pawn in a chess game? I have a boyfriend, Dad!"

"Liam ," my mother says, with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "The same Liam who's been cheating on you? The one you keep taking back like a fool?"

That lands like a slap. My vision blurs with anger, and my cheeks flush hot. "How do you even know about that?"

"Because everyone knows, Sophia !" she snaps, rising to her feet. Her tone is sharper now, her composure cracking. "Do you think Clara hasn't told me about the countless times she's seen him with other women? And yet, you cling to him like he's your savior."

Clara.

The name twists like a knife in my gut. My best friend. The one person I've confided in about everything, including Liam 's betrayals.

"Don't drag Clara into this," I warn, though my voice wavers.

"Oh, sweetheart," my mother says, her voice dripping with mock pity. "You really are naïve, aren't you?" She crosses her arms, her eyes glinting with something I can't quite place. "Do you want to know who Liam was with last weekend? At the hotel? It wasn't just any woman."