Chapter 1: The Deal
304 Words
The hospital bill was $60,000.
Ava Bennett stared at the paper until the numbers blurred and burned her eyes.
Grandma’s surgery was in 7 days. Her uncle laughed in her face and hung up.
"You're on your own, orphan. Stop calling me."
She was 22. No parents. No savings. Just this hotel uniform and a job that paid peanuts.
It was 2 AM at the Carter Grand Hotel. VIP floor. Silence.
Ava knocked on room 8801 with a tray of coffee. No answer.
Protocol said use her master key.
The room smelled like whiskey, expensive cologne... and danger.
A man was lying on the bed. Suit jacket off. Tie loose.
Ethan Carter.
The CEO. The billionaire. The man from the news who never touched women. The man who destroyed companies for breakfast.
He looked up. His eyes were glassy. Drunk. Wrong.
"Get out," he rasped. "Before I ruin you too."
Ava took one step back. Her heart was pounding. "Sir, do you need a doctor?"
Before she could leave, the door slammed behind her with a click.
He grabbed her wrist. Not hard. Desperate. Like a drowning man.
"Stay," he whispered. His voice broke. "Just for tonight. Please. Don't leave me alone."
She should have run.
But he looked broken. And grandma needed that surgery.
By morning, he was gone.
No note. No trace. Just like he never existed. Like Ava was a ghost.
Three weeks later, a black car stopped in front of the hotel. Rain was falling.
A man in a suit handed her a black envelope with gold letters.
"Mrs. Carter," he said coldly. "Mr. Carter would like to discuss a contract. Tonight."
Ava’s hands shook. The envelope felt heavy.
She didn’t know that one night would sell her name... and her body... to a billionaire.
And that he remembered everything.
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