Bought by the Ruthless Billionaire

The rain was falling heavily in Port Harcourt. Inside the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Amara Peters stood in front of the accounts office with her green gown soaked and sticking to her body. Her old handbag was torn at the handle. Her eyes were swollen from crying all night. Her slippers were full of mud. "Madam, I have told you before," the nurse at the counter said without even looking at her properly. She was busy pressing her phone. "Your mother's case is serious. Kidney failure is not malaria. We need a deposit of two million naira before tomorrow morning to continue her dialysis. If not, we will discharge her. Hospital policy." Two million naira. Amara's hand shook as she brought out her phone. She opened her Opay app. Account balance: N1,240. That was all she had left in this world. "Please ma, I beg you in the name of God. Just give me small time. Three days. My mother will die if you stop treatment," Amara begged, her voice cracking. She knelt down. People in the waiting area were staring at her but she didn't care. The nurse finally looked at her with pity. She sighed. "Amara, I am not wicked. I know you. You are a good girl. But it's not my decision. Go and look for money. Borrow. Do anything. If you don't pay before 8am tomorrow, oga at the top will discharge her." Amara walked back to Ward C like a ghost. Her legs were heavy. Her mother, Mama Nkechi, lay on the small bed, looking thinner than ever. The machine beside her beeped weakly. Her mother's eyes were closed but she was breathing hard. "Mama," Amara whispered, holding her mother's rough hand and crying silently. "You will not die. I will find the money. I promise you." Her mother opened her eyes small. "Amara... leave me... go and live your life... don't borrow trouble..." "No, mama. I will not leave you." Just then, her phone rang loudly in the quiet ward. Unknown number. A Lagos number with +234. She quickly went outside to the corridor to pick it. "Hello, is this Amara Peters?" a deep, cold, powerful male voice said. The voice was calm but it made her shiver. "Yes... who is this please?" "Damian Blackwood." Amara's heart stopped. The phone almost fell from her hand. Damian Blackwood — the billionaire who owned Blackwood Group, half of Lagos Island, oil companies, real estate. The man her father, Chief Peters, used to work for as General Manager before he was sacked three years ago for allegedly stealing 50 million naira and then disappeared. "Your father owes me 50 million naira," he said calmly, like he was talking about 5,000 naira. "He has been hiding for 3 months. My lawyers have been looking for his family. And we finally found you. In Port Harcourt." Amara's back touched the cold wall. "My father... he left us two years ago. Me and my mother. We don't know where he is. We have suffered. Please sir..." "I don't care about your suffering," Damian cut her off. Cold. "Debt must be paid. But I saw your mother's hospital bill. Two million naira for dialysis. You have N1,240 in your account. I know everything, Amara." Amara was shocked. "How did you..." "I can clear her bill tonight," he continued. "I can pay for her full treatment, fly her abroad to India for a proper kidney transplant if needed. I can give you 50 million to clear your father's debt and start a new life. Tonight." Amara's heart beat fast. "What... what do you want in return, sir?" "You," he said. The word hung in the air. "Come to Lagos tomorrow. Become mine for 90 days. Live in my mansion in Banana Island. Be my wife in contract. Follow my rules. No other man. No questions. After 90 days, you are free, your mother is healed, and the 50 million debt is gone. Clean." Amara couldn't breathe. The rain was hitting the windows hard. "Be yours? What do you mean?" "You will understand when you come. My driver will be at your house in Peter Odili Road by 6am tomorrow. Pack one bag. Decide tonight." The line went dead. Amara stood in the corridor, phone in hand, rain noise everywhere. Her mother was dying inside. She had N1,240. 50 million naira for 90 days with a ruthless billionaire who hated her father. Would she sell herself to save her mother? She looked at her mother through the glass window, who was coughing and struggling to breathe. She had no choice.