THE BILLIONAIRE'S UNWANTED BRIDE

The rain had been falling since noon. By six in the evening, the streets of Voss City were shining beneath the streetlights, reflecting the endless streams of headlights moving through the financial district. Elena Vale stood across the street from Voss Tower, staring at the enormous black building. She had never liked the place. It was too tall. Too cold. Too intimidating. And tonight, every instinct she had was telling her to turn around and leave. Her phone vibrated. UNKNOWN NUMBER: Come inside. Elena frowned. She looked up at the tower. “Of course,” she muttered. She slipped her phone into her handbag and crossed the street. The moment she stepped into the lobby, she felt every eye turn toward her. The receptionist stood immediately. “Miss Vale?” Elena stopped. “Yes?” “Mr. Voss is expecting you.” She narrowed her eyes. “I didn't tell him I was coming.” The receptionist smiled politely. “He knew you would.” That answer bothered her. “Where is he?” “Penthouse floor.” “Of course.” The receptionist pressed a button. A private elevator opened. Elena stepped inside. As the doors closed, she caught her reflection in the mirrored wall. She looked tired. She had spent the entire day dealing with phone calls from the bank, lawyers, suppliers, and people demanding money her family simply didn't have. Her father's company had been struggling for months. Now the banks were threatening to take everything. Their house. The company. Their remaining properties. Everything her father had spent decades building. And somehow, the one person who claimed he could fix it was Damien Voss. A man Elena had deliberately avoided for years. The elevator stopped. The doors opened. A man in a black suit stood waiting. “Miss Vale.” Elena stepped out. “Do you people rehearse saying my name?” The man blinked. “No, ma'am.” “Good.” He gestured toward the office. “Mr. Voss is waiting.” “I assumed that.” She walked past him. The doors opened. And there he was. Damien Voss stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He didn't turn immediately. The city stretched behind him. Thousands of lights. Hundreds of buildings. And somehow, the entire view looked like something he owned. Elena stopped several feet away. “You wanted to see me.” Damien turned. His gaze settled on her. “Close the door.” She didn't move. “I prefer it open.” His eyebrow lifted. “Why?” “So I can scream if necessary.” For the first time, something almost resembling amusement crossed his face. “Sit down, Elena.” “I'd rather stand.” “Suit yourself.” He walked toward the desk. Elena watched him carefully. Damien Voss was nothing like the men she had met at business meetings with her father. He didn't need to prove that he was powerful. He simply behaved like someone who already knew it. He placed a folder on the desk. “Your family's company is in serious trouble.” Elena's expression hardened. “I know.” “You have three major creditors.” “I know.” “Two have already filed legal notices.” “I know.” “And by the end of the month, your family could lose everything.” She stared at him. “Why are you telling me what I already know?” “Because I can stop it.” Silence. Elena crossed her arms. “And what do you want?” Damien opened the folder. “I'm prepared to clear your family's debts.” She stared at him. “All of them?” “Yes.” “Why?” “Because I want something in return.” “I knew there was a catch.” “There is.” Elena stepped closer to the desk. “What?” Damien looked directly into her eyes. “Marry me.” Silence. Elena blinked. Once. Twice. Then she laughed. Damien didn't. “Oh, you're serious.” “Yes.” “You want me to marry you?” “Yes.” “You barely know me.” “I know enough.” “You're insane.” “I've been called worse.” Elena shook her head. “No.” Damien didn't react. “No?” “No.” She picked up her handbag. “I came here because I thought you wanted to discuss business. Apparently, I was wrong.” She turned toward the door. “Your family will lose the company.” She stopped. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag. She slowly turned around. “Don't use my family to manipulate me.” “I'm not manipulating you.” “You just offered to pay millions of dollars if I marry you.” “Yes.” “And you don't call that manipulation?” “I call it an agreement.” “An agreement?” “Yes.” “What happens if I refuse?” “Nothing.” She stared at him. “Nothing?” “You walk out.” “And my family loses everything?” “Yes.” Elena's anger rose. “You're unbelievable.” Damien remained calm. “I didn't create your family's financial problems.” “You certainly seem prepared to benefit from them.” His expression changed slightly. “I don't need your family's company.” “Then why me?” He was silent. Elena stepped closer. “That is the question, isn't it?” Damien said nothing. “You have access to thousands of women.” “I know.” “Women who would probably fight each other for the chance to marry you.” “Probably.” “Women who understand your world.” “Yes.” “So why me?” Damien looked at her for a long moment. “Because you're the one person I need.” Elena's heart skipped. Not because the words were romantic. Because they sounded like a warning. She shook her head. “You don't even like me.” “I didn't say I did.” “Then this makes even less sense.” “You don't have to understand it.” “I absolutely do.” Damien leaned against the desk. “You're stubborn.” “And you're arrogant.” “You're difficult.” “You're controlling.” “Probably.” Elena stared at him. “You agree too easily.” “Because I know what I am.” She couldn't help laughing. “You're impossible.” “And yet you're still here.” Her smile disappeared. “Because you're holding my family's future over my head.” “No.” “Then what is it?” Damien's voice became quieter. “I'm offering you a way out.” “A way out?” “Yes.” “You're asking me to marry a stranger.” “You know who I am.” “I know your reputation.” “That isn't the same thing.” “No, it isn't.” Elena took a breath. “Tell me something, Damien.” “What?” “Why does everyone seem afraid of you?” The room became completely silent. Damien's expression hardened. “Who told you that?” “Nobody.” “Then why ask?” “Because I notice things.” “And what have you noticed?” “That people lower their voices when you enter a room.” Damien said nothing. “That businessmen twice your age ask for your approval.” Still nothing. “That your security is heavier than most government buildings.” His jaw tightened. “And that nobody ever says no to you.” Elena held his gaze. “So I'm going to say it again.” She turned toward the door. “No.” She reached for the handle. Then Damien spoke. “Elena.” She stopped. “Your father didn't tell you everything.” She slowly turned around. “What did you say?” “Your father knew me.” “My father had business dealings with you.” “That's not what I mean.” Elena's expression changed. “What are you talking about?” Damien walked toward the desk and opened another folder. He removed a photograph. He didn't hand it to her. He simply placed it on the desk. Elena walked closer. The moment she saw the photograph, she froze. It was old. Her father stood in the center. Beside him was a younger Damien. And beside Damien was a man Elena recognized immediately. Damien's father. She looked up. “What is this?” “A part of the past your father never told you about.” “Why are you showing me this?” “Because the reason I'm asking you to marry me has nothing to do with your company's debt.” Elena stared at him. “Then what is it?” Damien's eyes remained fixed on hers. “Someone is looking for you.” Her heart sank. “Who?” “I don't know yet.” “You don't know?” “No.” “Then why should I believe you?” “Because three days ago, someone broke into your father's old office.” Elena's face went pale. “What?” “I had someone watching the property.” “You had someone watching my father's office?” “Yes.” “Why?” Damien didn't answer. Elena stepped toward him. “You said this had nothing to do with my company.” “It doesn't.” “Then what does it have to do with?” Damien's voice dropped. “You.” Elena stood completely still. Outside the window, lightning briefly illuminated the city. Then Damien said the words that made her blood run cold. “Someone is trying to find out what your father left behind.” “What did he leave behind?” Damien looked at her. “That,” he said quietly, “is exactly what they're looking for.” Elena swallowed. “And you know where it is?” “Yes.” Her eyes narrowed. “Where?” Damien didn't answer immediately. Instead, he closed the folder. “Come back tomorrow.” “Why?” “Because if I tell you tonight, you won't sleep.” Elena stared at him. “You're really enjoying this, aren't you?” “No.” “Then tell me.” Damien's expression became unreadable. “Because once you know the truth, Elena, there is no going back.” She stood there, torn between anger and fear. Finally, she walked toward the door. Before leaving, she looked back. “I still haven't accepted your proposal.” “I know.” “And I'm not going to.” Damien nodded. “I know that too.” She frowned. “Then why do you look so certain?” His eyes met hers. “Because you haven't heard the last part.” Elena's hand froze on the door. “What last part?” Damien's voice was calm. “If you refuse to marry me, I won't be the person you have to worry about.” Her heart pounded. “Then who?” Damien looked toward the rain-covered windows. “The people coming for you.” Elena stared at him. For the first time that evening, she wasn't thinking about money. She wasn't thinking about the company. She wasn't even thinking about the absurd marriage proposal. She was thinking about one terrifying question. What had her father left behind? And why was Damien Voss willing to marry her to keep her alive? The elevator doors closed behind her. Neither Elena nor Damien noticed the black car parked across the street. Inside it, a man lowered his phone after taking a photograph of Elena leaving Voss Tower. Then he made a call. “She met him.” A pause. “Yes.” Another pause. The man's voice became quieter. “Should I proceed?” The answer came through the phone. “No.” “Then what do we do?” A cold voice replied: “Wait until she says yes.” The call ended. And across the city, someone smiled.