THE BILLIONAIRE'S PRICE

CHAPTER FOUR : The Signature

Isla Raymond's Point of View

Ten minutes. He gave me that. I had ten minutes to decide if I would sell a year of my life to save my sister's life.

I did not need that much time. It took me about ten seconds to figure out what I needed to do.

I could hardly hold the pen that Caspian's lawyer gave me because my hands were shaking so much. The man with the sharp look had brought more papers. So many sheets of paper. I did not read them. I was not able to read them. I could not change my mind because Maya needed that hospital bed, but if I read them, I might have.

The lawyer said, "You need to know what you are signing." He was an older man with gray hair and no emotion on his face. "This is a contract that you have to follow. Starting tomorrow, you will be legally married to Mr. Grey for one year. You will have to do this over the course of the year—

"I get it," I said, even though I did not get it at all. I was acting out of pure fear and panic, and the sight of Maya's pale face in that hospital bed. "Where do I sign?"

Caspian stood by the window and watched me. He had not budged. He had not said anything else. He just sat there and watched like it was the most interesting thing he would ever see.

I wrote my name line after line after line. Isla Raymond. Isla Raymond. Isla Raymond. It felt like I was giving away parts of myself every time I wrote it. It felt like I was drawing a line through the person I used to be and making a new one. Someone who made deals with dangerous men behind closed doors. Someone who would do anything, even the most horrible things, to keep her sister alive.

"Done," I said when I was done. My voice sounded like it was coming from far away. As if it were coming from under the water.

The lawyer put all the papers together. He nodded at Caspian and looked at him. It was the scariest smile I had ever seen when Caspian smiled. It was not hot. It was not nice. He smiled, which meant he had gotten exactly what he wanted and would keep getting it forever.

He said, "Congratulations, Mrs. Grey." "You are married."

The words hit me like a punch. Mrs. Grey. Now I was Mrs. Grey. I was married to a man I did not know. This guy who seemed to know everything about me. This man seemed to own me, just like he owned everything else in his life.

I said, "I want to see the money." I felt stronger than my voice sounded. "Before I do anything else, I want to see it in the account."

Caspian typed something on his phone. My phone buzzed in my pocket right away. I took it out. I was still shaking when I logged into my bank account. And there it was. Ten million dollars. It was just sitting in my account like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like my life hadn't just turned inside out.

I started to cry, but I did not know if they were happy tears, sad tears, or just confused tears because everything was happening too quickly.

Caspian said, "Your sister's hospital bed is set for six o'clock tomorrow morning." He still had that scary smile on his face. Isla, "She is going to be fine." More than fine. "She is going to get the best care in the world."

"Good," I said quietly. "That is great." That is what I wanted.

Caspian said, "Now you have what you wanted." He came closer to me. "That means I get what I want."

I looked up at him. He was even scarier up close. His face was sharp and controlled, and his eyes were dark. He was not soft at all. Nothing nice. Just strength, certainty, and something else I can not put my finger on. Something that made my skin feel hot and made my heart race in a bad way.

"What do you want?" I asked, even though I was not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

He said, "You." "You move into my penthouse tomorrow." You will wear my ring. You will go to events with me. You will smile for the cameras. People outside this room will see you as my wife in every way that matters. He stopped. "We will work out the rest in this room."

I said again, "The rest." "What does that mean?"

Caspian said, "It means we are strangers who just got married." "We are going to have to get to know each other." He reached out and touched my face. Just one finger, moving down my cheek. "Now it is time."

I turned my face away. "No." We made a deal. Marriage in front of others. The contract said that.

Caspian's face did not change, but his eyes seemed to light up for a moment. Something dark. "Yes." It said that. And you will keep your end of the deal. He let go of his hand. "But do not get me wrong, Isla. I did not spend ten million dollars on a deal. I used it on you.

My phone rang. Sarah sent a text. Then there was one from Marcus. Then one from a number I did not know. I opened it.

*Your sister is waiting for you. Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun for her. — C.G.*

Caspian knew I was going to see Maya tonight. He knew I would tell her about the move to the hospital. He probably planned the timing so that I would go right from signing my life away to telling my sister the good news.

"How did you—" I asked.

"I know a lot of things," Caspian said again. He went to the door. The man with the sharp look opened it right away. "My driver is waiting for me downstairs." He will drive you to the hospital. Say congratulations to your sister. Let her know that you married me so she can get the care she needs. He turned around to look at me one last time. "And Isla? Come back to this address tonight when you get back.

He gave me a card. It looked expensive and was black. A place to live in the city's most expensive area. I thought it was his penthouse.

"I will not go back there tonight," I said. "I am going home." I am going to bed. "I am going to think about what just happened."

Caspian said, "No." His voice was soft but firm. Like a door shutting. "Tonight, you are going to say goodbye to your apartment. You are going to pack your stuff. And you will come to me. Because that was the deal, Mrs. Grey. And I always get what I am owed.

I wanted to fight. I wanted to tell him that this was not right. I wanted to tell him that I had only sold him my time, not my freedom. But he was already leaving, and the man with the sharp eyes was pointing to the door. I was holding a card that meant I had to leave everything I knew behind.

I checked my phone again. At the ten million dollars that was supposed to help my sister. Maya sent me a text asking if I was coming to see her soon. At the address of a penthouse that I guess was now my home.

And I realized something awful.

I did not just get married to a man. I got married to a cage.

A beautiful and expensive cage that saved my sister's life. But it was still a cage.

I got up on shaky legs and walked to the door. The man with the sharp face moved out of the way so I could pass. I could feel Caspian's eyes on my back as I walked down the stairs to the car that was waiting for me.

Looking. Always on the lookout.

I was beginning to think he had been watching for a very, very long time.