The Cold Billionaire's Unexpected Love

Chapter 3

Author’s POV

“Not so fast,” Aric said sharply, his cold gray eyes locking on Selena as she froze in place.

Her teary hazel eyes, filled with fear, darted to his face. She shrank under his gaze, feeling his anger radiating from his body.

She clutched the scarf draped around her tightly. Her dress was torn at the shoulder, exposing more skin than she was comfortable with. So she used this scarf she found in this changing room to cover herself.

Aric’s jaw tightened at the sight. She hadn’t looked so reserved when she was out there on stage, barely covering her exposed skin, falling right into his arms in front of all the cameras. He refused to believe it was anything but a calculated act.

He began walking toward her, his fists clenched at his sides. Selena’s eyes widened in panic, and she instinctively backed away, trying to maintain as much distance between them as she could.

However, the room offered no escape, and her back hit the cold wall. She flinched, her breathing quick and shallow, as he stopped just a step away from her.

“Please let me go,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Why are you keeping me locked in here?”

“Let you go?” he echoed, his voice dripping with sarcasm and fury. “Not until you answer my questions.”

Her gaze darted to the door behind him, but she knew she had no way out. “What questions?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Who sent you here?” he demanded, getting straight to the point, his eyes narrowing, scanning her face for any sign of a lie.

Selena’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Aric said, his voice rising. “You think I don’t know? You were paid to come here and pull that little stunt, weren’t you? Right on stage, in front of everyone.”

Selena’s lips parted in shock. “What are you talking about? I…I don’t understand.”

Her confused expression only fueled his anger. “Stop pretending!” he snapped. “You might be a great actress, but you can’t fool me. Drop the act and tell me who asked you to create that scene.”

“I wasn’t… I think…” Selena stammered, her voice shaking. “I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding—”

“Misunderstanding?” Aric cut her off, his voice thunderous.

He took another step closer, his towering frame barely few inches away from touching hers. “Isn’t it a little too convenient that you ended up on stage, right at the moment I was about to give my speech? And then you just happened to fall into my arms, with every camera in the room perfectly positioned to capture the moment? Coincidence? I don’t think so.”

Selena turned her face away from him, clearly feeling uncomfortable by his proximity. She clutched the scarf even tighter around her. “Believe me, it really was a coincidence,” she said softly, trying to make him believe her words.

“Enough!” Aric shouted, making her flinch violently. He stared at her trembling form, his patience unraveling. “You think I have time for your lies? Just come clean already!”

“I don’t know anything!” Selena cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m telling the truth!”

Aric studied her closely. Her panic and tears seemed genuine, but he refused to let himself believe it. She could be a skilled liar.

“Fine,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Let’s assume you’re telling the truth. Then explain what you were doing here, in this hotel. Because judging by the kind of clothes you are wearing…” He let his eyes drop briefly to her torn dress and scarf before meeting her gaze again. “You don’t look like you belong in a place like this.”

The cheap set of clothes she was wearing wasn’t something people who frequented this type of five star hotel wore. He was even wondering, how was someone like her even allowed to step foot in this hotel. How did security team at the entrance didn’t stop her from entering this place?

Selena opened her mouth to reply but quickly stopped herself from saying anything.

‘I can’t tell him who sent me here. I can’t let him know why I am here.’

She looked down, shaking her head. “It’s none of your business. I’m not obligated to tell you anything.”

Her response only solidified his suspicions. “I haven’t seen anyone as thick skinned as you. Is money really so dear to you that you are willing to do anything for it?”

He paused to push his hands in his pocket, a look of disgust on his carefully sculpted face as he continued, “But again, what can I expect from a low class person like you? For people like you, money is most important thing, isn’t it? You are always hungry for money.”

Selena’s eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed in anger. “How can you talk to me like that? You don’t even know me!”

“Am I wrong?” he shot back, his voice dripping with disdain. His stormy gaze dropped to her shoulder where he knew her dress was torn, lingering for a moment before returning to her face. “You show up here, dressed like that, isn’t that for money? You can do anything for it, right? Even if it means throwing away your dignity.”

He can’t believe that for some money, she ran around in front of so many people showing so much of her exposed skin. She looks so innocent to do something like that.

Noticing where he was looking, Selena’s cheeks flushed with humiliation. Her hold on the scarf tightened, as she felt exposed under his scrutiny.

Her heart clenched at his cruel words. She felt anger rising in her chest, but she held it back, knowing nothing she said would matter to him. His mind was already made up.

She averted her gaze, refusing to let him see how much his words hurt. “I’m done talking to you,” she said quietly but firmly. “Let me go.”

Her defiance only seemed to provoke him further. “So, you won’t tell me, huh?”

“I said just let me go!” Selena raised her voice. Now she has had enough of his questioning.

Aric’s eyes turned darker in anger. He is not used to people raising their voices in front of him.

He closed the last bit of distance between them, his hard chest nearly pressing against hers. “Mind your tone woman. Otherwise consequences will be dire.” His voice a low growl.

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his warm breath fanning against her forehead. His presence was overwhelming.

Selena’s instincts kicked in. She pressed her trembling palms against Aric’s chest and shoved him with all the strength she could muster. He stepped back, momentarily caught off guard.

Without saying another word, she sidestepped him and dashed toward the door, her only thought to escape.

But she barely took two steps before she felt his hand clamp around her left wrist. In a swift motion, he yanked her back to him.

Selena gasped in surprise as her front collided with his hard, masculine chest. Before she could react, he twisted her arm behind her back, forcing her closer.

In the scuffle, the scarf she had been clutching so desperately fell to the floor, leaving her vulnerable. Her wide, tear-filled eyes locked with his icy gray ones as she stammered, “What… what are you doing? Let me go!”

She struggled against him, thrashing as much as her position allowed, but Aric was immovable.

He pressed her against the wall, pinning her securely, cutting all of her struggles short. “Why are you struggling so much, huh?” he asked, his voice low and taunting.

He leaned in, his face so close she could feel his breath on her skin. “Isn’t this what you wanted in the first place?”

Selena turned her face away, pressing her head against the cold wall, desperate to avoid his piercing gaze. But Aric wasn’t having it. He slid his free hand to the nape of her neck, his grip firm but not painful, and tilted her head back toward him.

“Look at me,” he demanded.

Her voice trembled as she whispered, “You’re crossing the line. You’re misbehaving with me.”

At her words, a smirk played on his lips—the first flicker of emotion other than anger. “Misbehaving?” he repeated, mockery evident in his tone. “You think I am crossing the line? I haven’t even started misbehaving yet. Why are you so scared already?”

Selena swallowed hard, fear evident in her wide eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat louder than the last. “What… what are you planning to do?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

Aric didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he held her gaze, his smirk deepening. Without breaking eye contact, he called out, “Blake.”

A moment later, the door opened, and a man in his late twenties entered. His expression was unreadable, a tablet in his hand.

Selena’s discomfort skyrocketed as she realized a stranger was witnessing her in this vulnerable state.

She struggled harder, her voice desperate. “Let me go! Please… I’m begging you!”

But Aric didn’t budge. His hold remained firm as he addressed her with chilling calm. “You know, I’m impressed. You’re good at this. So good, in fact, that I’ve decided you deserve a reward—for your exceptional acting skills and for keeping quiet this long.”

Selena’s brows furrowed in confusion, her panic growing as she tried to decipher his words. It wasn’t until she saw him glance at Blake that understanding dawned on her.

Blake nodded in silent acknowledgment of his boss’s unspoken command. He raised the tablet, angling it to record the scene.

“No,” Selena whispered, her voice breaking. Then, louder, “No! What is he doing? Stop him!”

Aric’s hold on her tightened—not enough to hurt, but enough to keep her from breaking free. “Isn’t this what you wanted?” he asked, his voice mocking. “To be caught in a compromising position with me? I’m just helping you fulfill your task.”

Panic surged through Selena, and fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. She shook her head frantically, her sobs wracking her body. “Stop this… please stop this… I don’t want this… I didn’t do anything… please believe me… I didn’t… you misunderstood me. Let me go… please…”

Her words came out in broken sobs as she pressed her face against his chest, her tears soaking into his shirt.

Aric stared down at her, his jaw tightening. He hadn’t expected this. He thought she’d break and confess, not dissolve into such raw, helpless tears. For a moment, he stood frozen, then slowly loosened his grip.

Selena sank to the floor as he let her go, her back sliding down the wall until she was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest. She hugged them tightly, trembling, her sobs echoing in the room.

Aric ran a frustrated hand through his hair, his emotions conflicted. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He stepped back, rubbing his face with his hands before fixing his gaze on her once more.

“I’m letting you go for now,” he said, his voice low and restrained. “But if I find out you were sent here to create a scandal, I swear… you won’t like the consequences.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode out of the room, Blake following close behind.

Leaving her all alone to cry bitterly.

‘When is this fateful night going to end?’

***

Author’s POV

A man stood in front of the mirror, his broad frame casting a shadow across the dimly lit bedroom.

His jaw was set tight, his fingers pressed against the cool surface of the vanity as he stared at his own reflection. His dark eyes burned with untamed fury, locked onto the bandage that covered the fresh wound on his forehead.

A reminder of her defiance.

Behind him, his most trusted bodyguard stood rigid, head bowed, sweat beading at his temple. The silence was suffocating until, finally, he spoke.

“I am sorry, boss. I chased after her but... she managed to escape,” the bodyguard admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

The words only made the man’s grip on the vanity tighten. His knuckles turned white, but his expression remained unreadable.

“She is such a fierce creature, isn’t she?” he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. His calloused finger ran over the bandage, feeling the sting beneath.

A small price to pay for the thrill she had given him.

The bodyguard swallowed hard. He knew this tone too well—the deceptive calm before the inevitable storm.

“It makes me want her even more,” the man added, his voice tinged with something dark, something dangerous.

The bodyguard hesitated before speaking, choosing his words carefully. “Boss… I think… that it’s not the right time to approach that girl. Especially when she is involved with Aric Stone and is being investigated by him. If he got a whiff of our connection to that girl, he will think that we were the ones who sent her there to ruin his event.”

A heavy silence followed. The man didn’t move, his gaze still locked on his reflection. The tension in the air was suffocating, stretching the seconds into eternity. The bodyguard braced himself, dreading the reaction that would follow.

But then, to his surprise, his boss nodded.

“You are right.”

Relief flooded through the bodyguard’s chest. Perhaps, finally, his boss would let go of this dangerous obsession. But his relief was short-lived.

“I shouldn’t try to force her like I did last night,” the man continued, his tone disturbingly composed. “I have to use a different method. A way where she won’t be able to push me away ever again.”

Then the man turned, his dark eyes gleaming with something unreadable as he gave his next order. “Make sure that Aric Stone doesn’t find out anything that happened between me and Selena last night. He should never know that I was the one she came here to meet.”

The bodyguard immediately nodded, his voice steady despite the unease gripping him. “Onto it, boss.”

Satisfied, the man turned back to the mirror. He studied himself for a long moment, then slowly, a smirk curled at the corner of his lips. His fingers trailed over his wound once more before he whispered, almost like a vow,

“I’m going to make you mine, Selena. One way or another. I promise you that.”