BOUGHT BY THE BILLIONAIRE: A contract of scandalous love

a C

tion makes you d

at two in the morning, staring at my reflection like it might offer a

here for hours. Days. Weeks. Time has blurred into a cocktail of exhaustion and dread. Dad's latest surgery drained the last

s n

s Ca

etic face peeks through the door. "Your father's stable.

es lately, they sound like a death sentence. I

low her down the sterile

, I'd ig

e I can't afford to i

o answer.

, smooth voice. Mal

a Ca

alking. "Wh

nic V

hes the air f

Freakin

playboy. And the man my father blamed for

ow what gam

ower. Top floor.

m n

angs

dancing with a viper. But the rent is overdue, Dad needs another procedure

on. Stupi

f glass and steel that looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie.

ike it

judgment. I guess a thrift store blazer and scuffe

ll. Then nods. "Mr. V

. My heart climbs faster than the numbers. I

than office. Marble floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows

d

d behind him, framed by a wall of glass and clou

ath ca

ures and eyes like ice forged in hell. His tailored charcoal suit h

says, like he

say, forcing steel into my

e. Controlled. Pr

selling a

willing to buy time. For yo

this is about my fath

ls. Mortgage. Legal fees." He steps closer, his v

ard. "What'

ck on mine.

le

rt, hysterical bark

year. In name only. No love,

y the hell would

aditional European firm. They value family values. A bachelor with a trail

ot for

llion d

ped br

r ends. Your father's bills, paid. His

an't b

stranger for a

you," he steps closer, voice softer, " you're

he word. Beca

desk. He picks up a sleek folder and offers it. "The cont

, fingers

des. "If you sign, you're mine. In pub

nded by overdue bills and the quiet hum of de

argon. But one clause stan

ffectionate marriage. Failure to convincingly portray emotiona

. Real co

d myself to sleep, wondering how to save h

pick up

si