THE BIDDING OF Love

ad been waiting for her answer-not with doubt, but with certainty. As if he had known she would break. Leila's chest tightened. Because she had broken. Not just i

bly, her mind still reeling. This was real. She wasn't going home. She wasn't going back to the life she had struggled to hold together. She was stepping into his world now. The thought sent a chill through her. Aidan finally ended the call and turned to her. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at noon," he said. "We have an event to attend." Leila frowned. "An event?" His lips curved slightly. "Consider it your official introduction." She exhaled slowly. "So it starts right away?" His expression remained unreadable. "You agreed to six months, Leila. That time starts now." Something in the way he said her name sent heat crawling up her spine. She forced herself to nod. This was what she had agreed to. She couldn't act surprised now. Still, a flicker of unease burned in her chest. She had no idea what she had just signed herself into. The Drive Home The car ride back to her apartment was silent. Leila stared out the tinted window as the city lights blurred past, her mind racing. Aidan's words echoed in her ears. You need money. I need something in return. He had been brutally clear. This wasn't about love. It wasn't about companionship. This was a transaction. And yet... Something about the way he had looked at her tonight made her stomach twist. There was nothing tender about Aidan Sinclair. Nothing kind or soft. And yet, there had been moments-fleeting, barely-there moments-where something else flickered beneath his cold exterior. Something that terrified her more than his ruthlessness ever could. Because if she wasn't careful, she might mistake it fo