THE BILLIONAIRE’S PROPOSAL
989 Words
Chapter 2:
The Billionaire’s Proposal
The words echoed inside Amara’s head long after they were spoken.
Ethan Blackwood.
The name alone carried enough power to make governments listen and competitors tremble.
Yet that wasn’t what disturbed her.
What disturbed her was the memory.
The article.
The rumor.
The implausible story she had once dismissed as nonsense.
According to reports from seven years ago, Ethan Blackwood had vanished after a private jet crash over the Atlantic Ocean.
His body was never recovered.
For months, the media speculated endlessly.
Then suddenly—
He returned.
Alive.
Unharmed.
Without explanation.
The public celebrated.
The media moved on.
But conspiracy theories remained.
Some claimed he had faked his death.
Others claimed he had been kidnapped.
And a few whispered something much darker.
Something supernatural.
Standing in front of him now, Amara understood why.
Nothing about this man felt normal.
Not his eyes.
Not the strange power radiating from him.
Not the fact that rain refused to touch him.
And definitely not the moving shadows beneath his feet.
Ethan studied her expression.
“You look frightened.”
Amara laughed nervously.
“Shouldn’t I be?”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Perhaps.”
The honesty of his answer made her even more uncomfortable.
She tightened her grip on the door.
“What exactly do you want from me?”
Ethan glanced at the hospital documents in her hand.
“Your grandmother requires surgery.”
Amara stiffened.
“You’ve been watching me?”
“No.”
His silver eyes narrowed.
“I’ve been searching for you.”
A chill traveled through her body.
Searching.
The word sounded wrong.
Dangerous.
Like she was something lost.
Something valuable.
Something hunted.
“Why?”
For the first time, Ethan hesitated.
The silence stretched between them.
Then he said,
“Because you’re important.”
Important?
Amara almost laughed.
She lived in a tiny apartment.
Worked two jobs.
And struggled to pay rent.
Nothing about her was important.
“You’ve got the wrong person.”
“I don’t.”
His answer came instantly.
Certain.
Absolute.
As though he had never doubted it.
Not even for a second.
The confidence in his voice unsettled her.
Ethan stepped inside.
Amara instinctively moved backward.
The air around him felt heavy.
Powerful.
Almost alive.
His gaze traveled across the room.
The worn furniture.
The cracked walls.
The flickering candle.
Something dark flashed across his face.
Anger.
Not directed at her.
At something else.
Or someone else.
“You’ve suffered.”
The words caught her off guard.
There was no pity in his voice.
Only observation.
As though he were stating a fact.
Amara crossed her arms.
“Everyone suffers.”
“Not like this.”
His eyes returned to hers.
For a brief moment, she saw genuine emotion.
Then it vanished.
Replaced by the cold mask once again.
Ethan removed another document from his jacket.
A contract.
Several pages thick.
He placed it on the table.
“Read it.”
Amara stared.
The contract looked official.
Expensive.
Terrifying.
“What happens if I say no?”
For the first time that night, Ethan looked away.
Toward the darkness outside.
Toward the storm.
His jaw tightened.
And when he finally spoke, his voice was lower than before.
“Then people will die.”
Silence.
Amara blinked.
“What?”
Ethan closed his eyes briefly.
As though regretting what he had just said.
“Forget that.”
“No.”
Her heartbeat quickened.
“What did you mean?”
He didn’t answer.
The silence itself became an answer.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Suddenly—
A scream echoed from outside.
Amara jumped.
The sound came from somewhere down the street.
Then another scream followed.
And another.
Ethan’s expression darkened instantly.
The room temperature dropped.
His silver eyes flashed.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared on his face.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For her.
“Ethan?”
He looked toward the window.
Then toward the door.
Calculating.
Listening.
Hunting.
“What is it?”
His answer came as a whisper.
“They found you.”
Amara’s stomach twisted.
“Who found me?”
Before Ethan could answer—
The apartment windows exploded inward.
Glass shattered everywhere.
The candle died instantly.
Darkness consumed the room.
Amara screamed.
Something crashed through the window.
Something enormous.
Something not human.
Two glowing red eyes opened in the darkness.
A deep growl echoed through the apartment.
The sound vibrated through the walls.
Through the floor.
Through her bones.
Amara could barely breathe.
The creature stepped forward.
Tall.
Twisted.
Covered in black scales.
Its claws scraped against the floor.
And its mouth contained far too many teeth.
The monster’s glowing eyes locked onto her.
Not Ethan.
Her.
As if she were the target.
As if it had crossed the city for one purpose alone.
To find her.
To kill her.
The creature smiled.
And spoke.
“Moonblood.”
Amara froze.
Moonblood?
How did it know that word?
What did it mean?
The creature took another step.
Then Ethan moved.
So fast Amara barely saw him.
One moment he was standing beside her.
The next—
He was between her and the monster.
His silver eyes began glowing brighter.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Until they illuminated the room.
The shadows beneath his feet expanded.
Living darkness spread across the floor like black water.
The monster stopped.
For the first time—
It looked afraid.
Ethan’s voice became cold.
Deadly.
Inhuman.
“You should have stayed hidden.”
The creature snarled.
“She belongs to the King.”
Ethan smiled.
A terrifying smile.
The smile of a predator.
“No.”
His glowing eyes fixed on the monster.
“She belongs to me.”
The room exploded with supernatural energy.
And Amara realized the truth.
The billionaire standing in front of her wasn’t merely protecting her.
He was hiding something far more dangerous than the creature that had come to kill her.
END OF CHAPTER 2
- Writer
