Betrothed to the Billionaire

Chapter 4

Lisa’s POV

“Mr. George has requested your hand in marriage.”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard him.

The words echoed in my head, over and over again, like something distant and unreal. My fingers tightened against the armrest of the chair, my nails pressing into the fabric as I tried to make sense of it.

Marriage?

To a man I had never seen?

To a name that existed more like a rumor than a person?

“No.”

The word came out before I could stop it.

Firm. Immediate.

I shook my head, rising to my feet. “No. That’s not happening.”

“Lisa”, my father started.

“I said no!” My voice cracked this time, louder, sharper, my composure slipping in a way it never had before. “You cannot be serious. You can’t just sit there and let him decide my life like it’s some kind of… transaction!”

Silence filled the room.

Heavy. Suffocating.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I looked between them, my father, my mother, and that man… Mr. Cole, who stood there like he had just delivered something ordinary.

Something acceptable.

“I’m not marrying him,” I said again, my voice shaking now. “I don’t even know him. No one knows him. He could be…” I stopped, frustration choking my words. “This is insane!”

“Lisa, sit down,” my father said, his tone controlled.

“I don’t want to sit down!” I snapped. “I want you to fix this!”

A flicker of something crossed his face.

Not anger.

Not quite.

Something… heavier.

“There is nothing to fix.”

The words hit harder than I expected.

“What do you mean there’s nothing to fix?” I laughed bitterly. “We’ll pay him back. That’s what we’ll do. I’ll work, I’ll… I’ll figure something out…”

“You?” he cut in, his voice sharper now. “Work?”

I froze.

“Yes,” I said, though the word felt weaker now. “Yes, I can…”

“You’ve never worked a day in your life, Lisa,” he said plainly. “You don’t understand how the corporate world functions. You don’t understand what it takes to build or sustain what we had.”

“What we had?” I repeated, my voice breaking.

He didn’t respond.

And somehow… that was worse.

“I can learn,” I insisted, desperation creeping in. “I’ll figure it out. Just don’t do this. Don’t give me away like this.”

My mother looked away.

My father exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face.

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is!” I cried. “It is simple. You just don’t want to try!”

“That’s enough,” he said firmly.

“No, it’s not enough!” My eyes burned with tears now. “You’re asking me to marry a stranger, no, you’re forcing me to marry him and you’re telling me it’s not enough?”

“Lisa…”

“I won’t do it!” I said, my voice shaking but resolute. “I’m not some deal you can make!”

The silence that followed felt final.

And for the first time…

I felt it.

That distance.

That gap between us.

Like I wasn’t being heard.

Like I wasn’t being seen.

Like my life had already been decided without me.

Something inside me broke.

I turned abruptly, my vision blurred with tears as I stormed out of the study.

“Lisa!” my mother called after me.

I didn’t stop.

I didn’t turn.

I just kept walking.

By the time I reached my room, I was shaking.

My hands. My chest. My thoughts.

Everything felt out of control.

I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, my breathing uneven as the weight of everything crashed over me all at once.

Marriage.

Ethan George.

A stranger.

A shadow.

I let out a broken laugh, my hand coming up to cover my mouth as tears spilled freely now.

This couldn’t be happening.

This wasn’t my life.

I slid down against the door slowly, my knees giving out beneath me as I sank to the floor.

“They can’t do this,” I whispered to myself. “They can’t…”

But they could.

And they were.

My future had been decided in a room I had no control over.

Signed away in a conversation I wasn’t part of.

For the first time in my life…

Money couldn’t fix this.

The realization hit deeper than anything else.

I needed someone.

Desperately.

My hands fumbled for my phone as I dialed the one person who was always there.

Daniela.

It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

No answer.

“Pick up,” I muttered, my voice breaking. “Please pick up…”

Nothing.

I called again.

Still nothing.

A fresh wave of frustration and hurt washed over me.

I wiped my tears angrily, staring at the screen.

Why wasn’t she picking?

And now…

Nothing.

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening again as something uncomfortable began to settle in my thoughts.

Lately…

She hadn’t been around as much.

Weekend plans canceled.

Dinners postponed.

Excuses that didn’t quite make sense.

“I’m busy.”

“I have something to handle.”

“Next time, I promise.”

At the time, I hadn’t questioned it.

I trusted her.

Completely.

But now…

Now, everything felt different.

I shook my head quickly.

No.

This wasn’t about Daniela.

This was about me.

About what I was being forced into.

About the life that was slipping out of my control.

I stood up abruptly, wiping my face.

I couldn’t stay here.

Not like this.

I needed to get out.

I needed to see someone.

And there was only one place I could go.

Ken.

The drive felt longer than usual.

My hands trembled slightly against the steering wheel, my thoughts racing too fast for me to keep up.

He would understand.

He had to.

He was the only one who knew me beyond everything else.

The only one who saw me as more than just…

I swallowed the thought.

By the time I pulled up in front of his apartment, my chest felt tight again.

This place…

I had gotten it for him.

Paid for it.

Furnished it.

Because I believed in him.

Because I believed in us.

I stepped out of the car slowly, my fingers curling tightly around my bag as I made my way toward the door.

My hands trembled as I searched for the key.

Why was I nervous?

This was normal.

This was familiar.

This was safe.

I found the key.

Slid it into the lock.

Turned it.

The door opened quietly.

I stepped inside.

And froze.

Something felt… off.

The air.

The silence.

Then…

A sound.

Laughter.

My heart skipped.

A voice.

Male.

Ken.

I took a slow step forward.

Then another.

And then…

A second voice.

Female.

My stomach dropped.

No.

No, that…

I moved closer.

Slowly.

Carefully.

The closer I got, the clearer it became.

That voice.

I knew that voice.

I had heard it countless times.

Laughing.

Comforting.

Reassuring.

Daniela.

Everything inside me went still.

Cold.

Empty.

My mind began replaying moments.

Every time she told me I was overthinking.

Every time she reassured me about Ken.

Every time she smiled and told me everything was fine.

A sharp ringing filled my ears.

For the first time in my life…

Money couldn’t fix what I was feeling.

I stood outside the bedroom door, my body rigid, my heart pounding so loudly it drowned out everything else.

And then…

I heard them.

Clear.

Unmistakable.

Daniela’s voice.

Soft.

Familiar.

Dangerous.

“Just be patient,” she was saying. “You know how she is. She’ll get the money.”

Ken laughed lightly.

“I’m tired of waiting.”

“You won’t be when it finally comes,” she replied. “We’ve come this far. Don’t mess it up now.”

A pause.

Then…

“When she gives you the money, we leave. Simple.”

My fingers tightened into fists.

My breathing slowed.

Not because I was calm.

But because something inside me had shut down completely.

I didn’t move.

Didn’t knock.

Didn’t speak.

I just stood there.

Listening.

As everything I had believed in…

Collapsed.

Silently.