Stolen By The Billionaire

Chapter four

ISABELLA'S POV

I spent the entire next day looking over my shoulder. Helena's threat hung over me, and Vanessa's text message felt like a knife waiting to drop. But I wasn't going to cancel on Damien. I refused to let them control every aspect of my life.

Maya showed up at my office that afternoon unannounced.

"We need to talk," she said, closing the door behind her.

"If this is about Helena's blackmail…."

"It's not. Well, not just that." Maya pulled out her laptop. "I did some digging on your mystery man. Damien, right?"

My stomach dropped. "Maya, I asked you not to—"

"I know what you asked. But Bella, this guy isn't who he says he is." She turned the screen toward me. "There's no consultant named Damien in this city. No tax records, no business registrations, nothing. It's like he doesn't exist."

"Maybe he works under a company name."

"Maybe. Or maybe he's lying about everything." Maya's expression softened. "I'm not trying to ruin this for you. I'm trying to protect you. With everything going on with Helena and the will, you can't afford to trust the wrong person."

"I'll be careful," I said finally.

"That's not good enough."

"It's going to have to be." I closed the laptop. "I'm meeting him tonight. If something feels wrong, I'll walk away. I promise."

Maya's phone rang. She glanced at the screen and her face went pale. "I have to take this."

She stepped into the hallway. When she came back, she looked shaken.

"That was my lawyer," she said. "Helena's not just coming after you. She's filed a lawsuit claiming your father promised her half the company in a verbal agreement before he died. She's using the fact that you're committing adultery as proof that you're unfit to run Chen Industries."

"She can't do that. There's no evidence of a verbal agreement."

"She has a witness. Someone who claims they heard your father make the promise." Maya sat down heavily. "Bella, it's Victor Kane. Your father's old accountant."

Victor Kane. I hadn't heard that name in years. He'd worked for my father for decades before retiring right after the funeral. "Victor loved my father. He'd never lie about something like this."

"Maybe he's not lying. Maybe Helena convinced him he actually heard something. Or maybe she's paying him enough that he doesn't care about the truth."

I felt the walls closing in. "What do I do?"

"Talk to Victor. Find out what he really knows. And Bella? End things with Damien. At least until this is over. You can't give Helena any more ammunition."

She left, and I sat alone in my office. I should cancel dinner. I should focus on saving my father's company.

But I didn't want to.

I texted Damien: "Still on for tonight?"

His response was immediate: "Wouldn't miss it."

The restaurant was quieter than last time. Damien was already there. He stood when he saw me.

"Hey," he said, kissing my cheek.

"Hey yourself."

We ordered wine. Then Damien set down his glass and looked at me seriously.

"I need to tell you something," he said.

My pulse quickened. "Okay."

"I haven't been completely honest with you. My job, the consultant thing, it's not exactly true. I do consulting, but it's more complicated than that."

"How complicated?"

"I own several businesses. Real estate mostly, some investments. I keep a low profile because it's easier to operate that way." He reached for my hand. "I should have told you from the start, but I liked that you didn't care about money or status. You just saw me as Damien."

Relief flooded through me. This was his big secret? "I don't care about your money."

"I know. That's why I'm telling you now." He squeezed my hand. "I don't want there to be secrets between us."

The irony wasn't lost on me. I was keeping my own secrets.

"Thank you for telling me," I said.

My phone buzzed during dessert. A text from Marcus: "Helena's at the house. She wants to talk to both of us. Now."

I showed Damien the message. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Is everything okay?"

"Family drama. It's complicated."

Damien signaled for the check. "Let me drive you."

"No, I…." I stopped. I was tired of facing everything alone. "Actually, that would be nice."

When we pulled up to the mansion, Damien's expression changed. He stared at the Sterling estate like he'd seen it before.

"This is where you live?" he asked.

"For now." I unbuckled my seatbelt. "Thank you for dinner."

"Isabella, wait." Damien turned to face me. "Your husband. What's his name?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I need to know what I'm getting into. Who I'm competing with."

I hesitated, then said, "Marcus Sterling."

Damien's jaw tightened. "Of Sterling & Co.?"

"You know him?"

"I know of him. His father, Richard Sterling, has a reputation in the real estate world. He's ruthless. Destroys anyone who gets in his way."

"That sounds about right." I reached for the door handle. "I really need to go."

"Be careful," Damien said. "Men like Richard Sterling don't play fair."

I kissed him quickly and got out of the car. When I turned toward the house, Marcus was standing in the doorway.

"Was that him?" he asked. "Your consultant?"

"None of your business."

"It is when Helena's inside threatening to go public with everything unless we both agree to her terms." Marcus stepped aside to let me in. "She wants to talk to you about your boyfriend."

Helena was sitting in the living room, a glass of wine in her hand. Vanessa was there too, looking smug.

"Isabella, so glad you could join us," Helena said. "We have a lot to discuss."

I stayed standing. "I'm not giving you sixty percent."

"Actually, I've reconsidered. I don't want sixty percent anymore." Helena set down her wine glass. "I want it all."

"That's insane."

"Is it? Because I have new information that changes everything." She pulled out a folder and tossed it on the coffee table. "Your mystery man, Damien? I know who he really is."

My blood went cold. "What are you talking about?"

"Damien Blackwood. The Damien Blackwood. Youngest billionaire in the city, controls half the commercial real estate market, and has a very interesting history with your family." Helena smiled. "Did he tell you that your father owed him money? Twenty million dollars, to be exact. Money your father borrowed and never paid back."

I felt like I'd been punched. "You're lying."

"Am I? Ask him yourself. Or better yet, ask him why he's really interested in you. Because I guarantee it has nothing to do with love and everything to do with collecting on a debt."

Vanessa spoke for the first time. "He's been using you, Isabella. The whole time."

Marcus was staring at the folder. "Damien Blackwood? You're sleeping with Damien Blackwood?"

"I didn't know," I whispered.

"Of course you didn't. He played you." Helena picked up her purse. "Here's my new offer. You sign over the entire inheritance to me, or I release everything to the press. The photos, the affair, and the fact that you've been conspiring with Damien Blackwood to defraud the Sterling family. Because that's what it'll look like when people find out Marcus's wife is sleeping with his father's biggest competitor."

"I'm not conspiring with anyone."

"Try proving that in court." Helena moved toward the door. "You have twenty-four hours. After that, I'm going public with everything, and you'll lose the inheritance anyway. At least this way, you can walk away with your dignity."

She left, Vanessa following behind her. When they were gone, I collapsed onto the couch.

"Is it true?" I asked Marcus. "About my father owing Blackwood money?"

"I don't know. But my father would." Marcus pulled out his phone. "I'll call him."

"No." I stood up. "I'll ask Damien myself."

"Isabella, if Helena's right…."

"Then I'll deal with it. But I'm not making any decisions based on her word alone."

I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. I needed answers, and I needed them now.

Damien's number rang four times before he answered.

"Isabella? What's wrong?"

"Where are you?"

"Home. Why?"

"Send me your address. We need to talk."

There was a pause. "Okay. I'll text it to you."

The address came through seconds later. A penthouse in the most expensive building in the city.

I drove too fast, my hands shaking. When I reached the building, the doorman waved me through. The elevator ride felt like it took forever.

Damien was waiting when the doors opened.

"What happened?" he asked.

I stepped into his penthouse. "Did my father owe you money?"

Damien's expression shifted. "Isabella…"

"Just answer the question. Did my father owe you twenty million dollars?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yes."

The word hit me like a physical blow. "And you didn't think to mention that?"

"I was going to tell you."

"When? After you got your money back? Is that what this is about?" My voice was rising. "Did you know who I was that night at the bar?"

Damien didn't answer, which was answer enough.

"Oh my God." I backed toward the elevator. "You played me. This whole time, you've been playing me."

"It's not like that…."

"Then what is it like, Damien? Or should I call you Mr. Blackwood?"

His jaw clenched. "How did you find out?"

"Does it matter? You lied to me about everything."

"I didn't lie about how I feel…"

"Stop." I pressed the elevator button. "Just stop. I don't want to hear it."

"Isabella, please. Let me explain."

The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside and turned to face him. "Did you approach me that night knowing exactly who I was and what you wanted from me?"

Damien met my eyes, and I saw the truth there before he spoke.

"Yes."

The doors closed on his face, and I was alone.