THE BILLIONAIRE’S CONTRACT LOVER

The first time Adrian Blackwood offered me a million dollars, I slapped him. The second time, I asked him to repeat the amount. Not because I wanted his money, or because his expensive suit and arrogant expression suddenly made him attractive. My younger sister was lying in a hospital bed, and without immediate surgery, she might never walk again. A million dollars could save her. And the man sitting across from me looked as if spending that amount was no more difficult than ordering coffee. "Well?" Adrian asked, glancing at his watch. "Do we have an agreement?" "You're asking me to become your lover for six months." "Correct." "And you expect me to sign a contract?" "That's generally how contracts work, Miss Bennett." I wanted to throw my water in his face. At thirty-two, Adrian owned Blackwood International, a business empire spanning hotels, real estate, and technology. Women chased his attention, newspapers followed his relationships, and according to the gossip columns, he never kept a woman around for long. Now he wanted me. The waitress who had spilled coffee on his shoes three weeks earlier. "Why me?" I asked. He studied me with his cold gray eyes. "Because you're desperate for money, but you're not interested in mine." I nearly laughed. "If that were true, I wouldn't be here." "There's a difference between needing money and wanting it." "How comforting. I didn't know you were an expert on desperation." "I know enough to recognize it." I hated him because he was right. Two hours earlier, a surgeon had told me Lily's operation would cost three hundred and eighty thousand dollars. We needed to pay a deposit by the following afternoon, or her surgery would be postponed. My nineteen-year-old sister wanted to study architecture and build affordable houses. She even had a sketch of our dream home tucked away in an old notebook. Now, after a terrible accident, she couldn't walk. I'd spent months working two jobs, selling our mother's jewelry, and borrowing from anyone willing to listen. I had nothing left. Then Adrian's assistant called with an offer. I should have refused. Instead, I straightened my secondhand dress and walked into a billionaire's office. "Let's discuss the terms," Adrian said, sliding a black folder toward me. "Why do you need a pretend girlfriend?" "My grandfather believes I'm incapable of maintaining a serious relationship. He's amended his will. If I don't prove I'm ready to settle down before his seventieth birthday, he'll transfer his voting shares to my cousin." "When is his birthday?" "Six months from today." "So you need someone to convince him you're in love?" "I need someone to convince him I'm capable of it." Something about his answer bothered me. He said it without sadness, as though love were simply another business skill he'd failed to acquire. I opened the folder. The contract covered public appearances, private events, confidentiality, and personal boundaries. "Find someone else." I stood, grabbing my handbag. "Your sister's surgery is scheduled for Friday," he said quietly. "Without the deposit, the hospital will postpone it." "How do you know about Lily?" "I had my assistant verify the information from your application to my company last year." I stared at him. I'd applied for an administrative position eleven months ago and never even received an interview. "You could have offered me a job." "I could have." "Instead, you waited until I was desperate enough to accept this." His expression tightened. "I didn't create your circumstances, Miss Bennett." "No. You simply decided to profit from them." Silence filled the room. I looked at Lily's photograph in my handbag. She was smiling, her hair blowing across her face. I couldn't lose her. "Does the contract cover her surgery and rehabilitation?" "Every expense." "And if I refuse?" "I'll respect your decision. The medical arrangement is part of the offer, not a threat." I wanted to believe him, but I didn't trust him. "Six months," I said. "Six months." "No controlling what I wear, who I speak to, or what I do when you're not around." "Agreed." "No touching me just because you think you own me." "I have no interest in owning you." "Good. I don't belong to anybody." "That makes two of us." I picked up the pen, my fingers trembling. "If I sign, the hospital receives payment tonight." "You'll have confirmation before you leave." I stared at the final page. Ava Bennett. Six months. One million dollars. Then I signed. Adrian took the folder. "Welcome to the arrangement, Miss Bennett." "Call me Ava." He held my gaze. "Welcome to the arrangement, Ava." I stood, determined not to let him see my fear. "Do I get to know anything about the man I'm pretending to love?" "You'll learn what you need to know." "And what if I discover something you don't want your grandfather to know?" "Remember the confidentiality clause." "Remember that I'm not one of your employees." For a moment, we stared at each other. Then he smiled. A real smile that transformed his face and made it painfully obvious why so many women had fallen for him. "You're going to be trouble, Ava Bennett." "Only if you give me a reason." "I suspect you'll find one." By ten that evening, Lily's surgery had been confirmed. I cried when the nurse called, then cried harder when Lily answered her phone. "They're doing the operation?" she whispered. "Yes." "Oh, Ava." "It's going to be okay." "You're a terrible liar." I laughed through my tears. "Get some rest, little sister." "Please don't do anything stupid because of me." I couldn't answer. If she knew what I'd agreed to, she'd beg me to walk away. After we hung up, a man in a black suit approached me outside Adrian's penthouse. "Miss Bennett, Mr. Blackwood has arranged your suite." "My suite?" "Your belongings have already been delivered." Upstairs, he showed me a spacious bedroom overlooking the river. A black evening gown hung inside the wardrobe, with a handwritten note attached. Wear this tomorrow. Your role begins the moment you walk into that room. Apparently, my first public appearance was the Blackwood Foundation's annual charity gala. Tomorrow evening. I sat on the bed, staring at the dress. Six months. I could survive six months of fake smiles, family dinners, and pretending to love a man who treated affection like a business transaction. But I wouldn't let the money change who I was. A knock sounded at the door. Adrian stood outside in a white shirt, his sleeves rolled to his elbows. "Did you receive the dress?" "Yes." "The car leaves at six." "Fine." I hesitated before he could leave. "Thank you for helping Lily." Something shifted in his expression. "Don't thank me yet." "Why?" "My grandfather doesn't know about our arrangement." I frowned. "What does he think?" "That I'm bringing home the woman I'm going to marry." I stared at him. "Marry? You told me I was pretending to be your girlfriend!" "I told you I needed someone to convince him I was serious about a relationship." "That's not the same thing!" "I know." "Then why didn't you tell me?" "Because I knew you'd refuse." I folded my arms. "And what happens when the six months are over?" "I'll handle it." "Of course you will." His phone vibrated. He checked the message, and whatever he read wiped the confidence from his face. "What's wrong?" I asked. He slipped the phone into his pocket and looked directly at me. "Tomorrow night, you're going to meet someone who knows exactly why I chose you." "Who?" "My ex-fiancée." Then he walked away, leaving me with a million-dollar contract, a borrowed future, and the growing suspicion that I'd just made the biggest mistake of my life.