THE BILLIONAIRE’S BARGAIN

CHAPTER 3

When Nora arrived at the venue for the exhibition, it was already 8:30 a.m. She was thirty minutes late for the event. This lateness was gradually starting to feel like a habit for her.

She had woken up at 6:30 in the morning, but it took another hour to arrange the pieces she needed to take with her before finally getting ready to leave. She blamed it on her inability to fall asleep the night before, after the scary window incident.

Nora couldn’t help but feel paranoid on the drive to the venue. She never had to worry about being followed all her life, but the incident from last night made her glance at her rearview mirror more times in a single outing than she normally would. “Was she a target for something?” She thought to herself.

She was scared and anxious, but she had to keep a clear head for the exhibition. She didn't want to disappoint Sebastine. Although, judging by the “angry mother “ look he was wearing on his face, she was way past that point already.

“Where have you been? What took you so long, Brooks?,” Sebastine whispered, trying not to attract attention to themselves “We almost lost this space sweetie” He added, slightly annoyed.

“I’m sorry, Sebastine —long story. Please don’t be mad” Nora sighed and started displaying her work in her section with Sebastine’s help. The hall was not yet filled with people, but she could see some activity going on already.

“It’s fine, let’s just set it up ok,” Sebastian told her in an understanding tone. Nora noticed how tired he looked, but he was always willing to help her.

“Astine?” Nora called him softly by the nickname she gave him. “Hmm,” he responded, not looking up at her.

“You are the big brother I never had,” She told him in gratitude. “I know I can be a handful sometimes, but thank you for always looking out for me.”

“Anything for you sweetie” He finally looked up, smiling at her.

Nora’s phone suddenly rang in her purse, and she excused Sebastine so she could take the call.

“I’ve got to take this call. It may be from the hospital” She walked away to find a private place to answer the call. It was not the hospital. It was Angela. Nora immediately felt guilty when she saw her best friend’s name appear on her screen.

It had been two long weeks since she last spoke to Angela. Even though a lot was going on in her life, she still did not excuse her negligence.

“Hey, baby girl”. Nora said the moment she picked up the call. “I’m so sorry I haven't called you in forever.”

"Now let me stop you right there, Brooks." Angela said firmly from the other end of the line, “Give yourself a break, alright? You've experienced a great deal over the last few months. "You have the right to be selfish."

Nora heard Angela's concern and love in her voice, and she sighed in relief, her eyes slightly watering up. She couldn’t believe how much she missed her.

“How is your mother doing?” ‘Is there anything new regarding her treatment?”

Angela asked her, trying to get up to speed with the news about her mother's health and also about Nora’s accommodation problem. It did not take long for her mood to change as the tears rolled down Nora’s eyes. Things were starting to get real for her, and it was not a good way.

“Come on, Nora. Please don’t cry. You’re breaking my heart,” Angela consoled her from the other end of the line. “So have you tried talking to the landlord about giving you an extension?” Nora heard her ask.

“He said he does not run a charity home, Angie. And that the next time he comes over, it would be to move my things to the nearest dump site.” Nora informed Angela.

“He should count himself lucky that I am out of the country. It would have been me and my boys moving him to the nearest dumpsite,” Angela said. Nora laughed in between her sobs.

“I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble because of me, bestie.” She teased Angel as she wiped her face with the palm of her hand.

“I’ll send you some money, okay? It’s not much, but I hope it will help you get by. And do not even think about refusing it.” Nora heard her say. “Swallow your shame and take money from your best friend.” She continued

Nora rolled her eyes and laughed at her friend. She was the one person who could get away with bossing her around.

“Thank you, Angie. It means a lot. Look, I have to hurry back inside. Sebastine would be wondering why I’ve been gone for so long” Nora said to her, looking around.

Her breath seemed to have suddenly ceased, as she came face to face with what she would describe as the most attractive man by all standards. She gawked at him shamelessly without even realizing it.

“Hello, Hey Nora. Are you still there?” She had been too distracted by the sight to realize Angela was still on the phone.

“Umm! Sorry Angie” She rambled. “I gotta go. Talk to you later” She hung up, still looking at the man.

The man looked wealthy, mysterious, and powerful. He was a little over six feet tall. He had a strong jawline, a head full of raven dark hair that sat on broad shoulders, and an impeccable fashion sense, from how dressed up he looked.

He wore a navy blue designer suit and pants, a white dress shirt, expensive shoes, and a wristwatch that looked like it could buy the entire building.

Nora could see how confident he looked, judging by the way he carried himself. What held her attention was his dominating presence, and he had not even looked at her yet.

She was still admiring this stranger shamelessly when he suddenly lifted up his head and looked directly at her. Nora froze. She knew he had seen her watching him. He stared at her intensely, like a predator eyeing its prey.

Her pulse quickened, and she gripped her phone a little bit tighter. Was it curiosity or something else that made her unable to look away? She told herself to turn, to break whatever strange connection had formed between them, but she remained planted on that spot, and he refused to back down too.

She was captivated by how confident his gaze was, but she was also intimidated by it. He appeared to be talking to someone on the phone, but his gaze never left Nora.

Nora blushed and looked away quickly, but not without noticing how beautiful his grey eyes were. "What is wrong with me?" She muttered to herself, feeling a bit flustered. She had never been this affected by a man before, much less a complete stranger.

No one had ever ignited that kind of reaction from her, not even Liam, her ex-boyfriend. She felt her heart race, her palms sweating, and a tingling feeling in her belly.

A slow, knowing smirk tugged at his lips, like he was in on a secret she wasn’t aware of. His voice was low, a quiet murmur into the phone, but his eyes never wavered. There was something unnerving about the way he looked at her—calm, certain, like he had already figured her out.

Nora swallowed hard and forced herself to turn away. But even as she looked away, a strange feeling settled in her chest. That man wasn’t just watching her. He was reading her, like a book he had every intention of finishing.

Just as quickly as the entire exchange began, it ended even so, as she heard her name being called by Sabastine. He saw her standing on the balcony and went to take her back inside.

"Hey, come on. People are checking out your work.” He told her, smiling, but abruptly stopped to look at her. "Are you alright? You look a bit flushed." Sebastine said as he observed her.

But he didn't wait for her response as he pulled her inside the exhibition hall. “Come, let's go make you a few extra bucks.” They giggled like children and moved back into the hall to where her pieces were displayed.

But even as she laughed with Sebastine, her mind was elsewhere. The image of the nameless man lingered in her mind, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, she had a feeling their encounter was far from over.