Twelve Nights with the Ruthless Billionaire: His Christmas Captive

Two

Two weeks later

I stared across my best friend's living room, replaying the image of Tyler and Paul together. No matter how hard I tried to push it away, it kept returning. Every memory of our relationship felt contaminated by the question of how long he'd been lying to me.

Jasmine, my best friend since college and now my colleague at the school, was getting ready for work. Before I caught Tyler cheating, I was already on leave and spent most of the time in the hospital. Now that I'd left Tyler, Jasmine offered me her place and said I could stay as long as I needed, but I couldn't keep taking over her living room for her and her husband. Going back to Mom's house wasn't an option either. Too many memories waited in every room.

"You're overthinking again, Lisa. You should be relieved this happened. Tyler is a liar and a pretender, but at least you didn't catch an STD."

Jasmine handed me a cup of cocoa and sat beside me, picking up the paper on my lap. She studied the figures I'd been calculating.

"I was trying to figure out how much money I have left," I said dryly. "Maybe I'd discover a magical talent for doubling it."

My mom's dialysis bills weren't going anywhere, and now my brother needed a new lawyer.

My brother and his friends had been accused of stealing millions in goods from a crime lord powerful enough to keep them locked up for months. Paul had handled his case for free, so cutting him off hurt more than I wanted to admit.

Jasmine sighed. "I wish I could help, but I emptied my savings, lending money to my husband's business. With how crazy men cheat these days, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm shooting myself in the foot too."

"Come on, Jazzy. Not all men are cowards like Tyler."

Jasmine gave me a look. "You're very confident for someone who just got cheated on."

I rolled my eyes and finished the rest of my drink.

"Now, instead of moping all day, why don't you come with me to school for the winter party? The children miss you."

"What's the point?" I mumbled. I didn't want to show up and dampen everyone's mood.

"You never know. A few hours of dealing with sugar-high children might be exactly what you need."

I groaned as she talked me to death, eventually convincing me to freshen up and leave with her.

The winter party was in full swing when we walked into the classroom. Christmas decorations covered the walls, and the children were running around excitedly.

The moment they saw me, several of them shouted my name and rushed over. Jasmine was right. Seeing the five-year-olds brought a smile to my face, along with a sting behind my eyes.

"Are you okay?" Jasmine mouthed.

I nodded and forced a smile.

About two hours later, the principal's assistant came over and told me the principal wanted to see me downstairs.

"It's Zara," she said. "Your favorite problematic student. Her father brought her to the winter party, but she refused to come upstairs. He asked us to notify him if you came in."

My heart skipped.

The Montgomerys were one of the wealthiest families in the country, and Omarion's face was everywhere, from corporate cover stories to digital billboards downtown. Whenever Montgomery Holdings made an announcement big enough to move the market, his name was attached to it.

I followed the assistant downstairs and spotted Zara in the lobby, with the principal trying to coax her toward the stairs. Her purple cardigan matched her glasses and backpack perfectly.

"There you are, Miss Bennett," the principal called, sounding noticeably relieved.

Zara stopped crying the moment she saw me. She blinked as though she wasn't sure she was really seeing me. I put on my brightest smile and wrapped her in a hug.

"Zara missed you so much she refused to come upstairs," the principal said. "She even refused to join the party."

"I'm here now," I said softly. "We're making paper snowflakes and having so much fun in class."

Her eyes flicked toward the staircase. Then she reached into her backpack and pulled out a card envelope. My name was scrawled across the front in uneven, bright crayon letters.

To Miss Lisa, my favorite teacher in the world.

My chest tightened. The envelope felt thick in my hand.

"Oh, Zara." I hugged her again, blinking back a surge of tears before slipping the card safely into my cardigan pocket. "Thank you, sweetheart."

A baritone voice sounded behind me. "That must be some card."

I blinked and turned around, remembering too late that Omarion Montgomery wanted to speak with me.

He rose from a leather chair a few feet away, and suddenly I understood why the principal had looked so tense.

I'd never seen him this close before.

He was taller than his photographs suggested, with close-cropped black hair, tanned skin, and sharp features. His crisp white shirt stretched across broad shoulders, the sleeves folded neatly above his forearms. Black trousers completed the look, while lightly tinted lenses softened his gaze without hiding the striking blue of his eyes.

My gaze lingered a second too long before I pulled myself together. I smiled politely, still looking at him.

His gaze dropped from my face to my neck, then slowly returned to my eyes.

"It's finally nice to put a face to the name, Miss Bennett.”

"Mr. Montgomery specifically asked to speak with you, Lisa," the principal said, sounding eager to please.

I glanced down at Zara, who was still holding my fingers. "He can come upstairs with us if he likes. We invited parents to the winter party, and a few are already there."

Omarion glanced at his watch. The offer suddenly sounded ridiculous. A man running an empire probably had better things to do than sit at miniature kindergarten tables.

"I can spare a few minutes."

He stepped forward, following us upstairs.

The staircase was wide enough for three people, yet I became painfully aware of him behind me. His cologne reached me, warm and subtle, and I caught myself noticing the way he moved.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I was still trying to process Tyler's betrayal. The last thing I needed was to start noticing how attractive another man was.

"With all those notes you exchanged with Zara's therapist, I pictured a grandmother with reading glasses hanging from a chain."

I turned, caught off guard, and laughed, the first genuine laugh I'd had in two weeks.

"Sorry to disappoint you, sir."

His mouth twitched.

When we reached the classroom, Zara's eyes went straight to the other children.

"Zara!" one of the teachers called warmly. "Come see what we're making!"

Zara looked at me, then walked into the room on her own. Her father and I stayed just outside the classroom.

"Zara doesn't usually get this attached to people," he said. "You must have some kind of magic touch."

I smiled and watched her settle at the table, already reaching for the crayons. Since losing her mother the previous year, Zara had barely spoken in class or connected with the other children. She rarely responded to anyone except me, and over the past few months, she'd become especially attached to me.

"Zara is a sweet girl who's capable of more than she shows. She just needs a little more encouragement.”

"That's why I have a proposition for you."

His phone buzzed. He silenced it without checking.

"Winter break is three weeks. I want to hire you to stay with Zara for twelve days, from Christmas week through New Year's."

My brain struggled to catch up.

"I'm a classroom teacher, Mr. Montgomery. Not a private nanny or therapist."

He removed his glasses and slipped them into his pocket. Without the tinted lenses, his blue-gray eyes were impossible to ignore.

"Zara already has a nanny who's cared for her since birth and one of the best therapists in the city. What she doesn't have is someone she responds to like this."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "It's probably just a coincidence. I don't do anything special. Besides, it's Christmas break."

"You wouldn't be working as her teacher. This would be a private arrangement during the break. I'll speak with the school and make sure you won't have a problem. Name your price."

Shoot.

Money, something I embarrassingly lacked. Mom's medical bills, Benny's defense fund, and the apartment I needed before I wore out my welcome at Jasmine's all came to mind.

I should have said no. But my pride lost to my bank account.

"Twenty thousand."

I threw out the number to test him.

He went silent, and regret hit instantly.

Great. Now he thinks I'm an opportunistic extortionist.

"I'll do fifty.”