Billionaire's Prisoner

6. Union Hotel

"What?" Oliver was shocked for a second. Emma had never directly asked him for money before.

Not like this. Not with that look in her eyes.

She met his gaze without flinching. "Didn't you hear me? I need a hundred thousand."

"For what?" he asked, his voice low with suspicion.

The amount didn't matter. He could write that check in his sleep. But the way she said it... rather demanded it… something felt off.

Emma tilted her head, eyes gleaming with a bitter edge. Now a hundred thousand is too much for you suddenly?

She smiled, masking the pain with sarcasm. "To find myself a boy toy. You want a baby, right? I figured I would get pregnant the old-fashioned way. Just not with you."

The lobby went silent. A few employees pretended not to listen, but Oliver could feel their eyes.

"Are you insane?" Oliver snapped. "You expect me to pay for your sick games?"

Emma's composure cracked, her voice rising with fury. "Sick games? You won't touch me, but you expect a child?”

Emma stepped even closer as she continued, “you even brought another man to defile me! So why can't I find someone who will touch me? Wherever I want him to."

Her words echoed through the lobby. Shelby gasped. The receptionist's eyes went wide.

“Shut the f**k up!” Oliver raised his voice.

Emma trembled with rage, then took a breath, swallowing it all down.

Her tone turned flat. "It's simple. Either give me the money, or we get divorced."

She looked away, inspecting her nails like she couldn't care less.

"A divorce, huh?” Oliver scoffed. Slowly he folded his arms near his chest before he continued, “and how exactly will you pay off your debts without me? You think your pride will cover your mother's hospital bills? You won't see a penny from me if we get divorced. I will hire the best lawyer if I have to, to leave you penniless."

Emma met his gaze coolly. "I have investments. I'll get a job. It'll take longer, but I'll manage."

Oliver froze for a second. She is not scared. Why isn't she scared? I could control her so easily before with money traps. What changed overnight?

Then she leaned in, her voice dropping to a smug whisper. "But you, Mr. Husband, might want to think this through. What happens when your grandfather finds out I divorced you... over your little w***e?"

She smiled sweetly. "I wonder how that will affect your inheritance."

She knew Oliver was the CEO in name only. William still held onto most of the shares. And in William's eyes, Emma was the perfect wife Oliver could ever have. And if he found out Oliver was cheating behind her back, things could get escalated.

Oliver's face went white. Then red.

"You..." Oliver was out of words.

How on earth did she learn to manipulate the situation in her favor? She used to be so dull and easygoing!

Oliver stared at Emma blankly. But today, she seemed different.

She never even had a boyfriend before the marriage. A frail mother and debts from her late father. That's all he ever saw Emma for.

I investigated her, of course. And now she's looking for an escort? This is insane!

That's right! She never even had a boyfriend. What is this all about then? Is she trying to make me feel jealous?

The thought settled in his mind, feeding his ego.

Maybe she had fallen for me after all these years. After all, I am handsome, rich. What else does a girl like her want in a man?

Oliver smirked, feeding his ego with his own thoughts.

"You? With a man?" He let out a low chuckle. "Good for you. Try to keep him."

He pulled out his checkbook, scribbled down the amount with practiced ease, tore the check, and held it out.

"Here. Have fun."

Emma took it without hesitation. Then she turned on her heel, heels clicking as she walked away. Just before exiting, she tossed a smile over her shoulder, her voice loud and clear for everyone to hear.

"Thanks, honey. See you at home."

Shelby stood there stunned, fuming in anger. And Oliver couldn't take his eyes off Emma as she walked out.

Suddenly, she made him feel intrigued in a way Oliver couldn't quite name.

Emma drove directly to the Union Hotel. It was already past six.

Great! I'm late!

Emma grew up in strict discipline and hence she was always punctual. Being late made her anxious. Like she was letting someone down.

As she walked to the reception to collect the keys, the receptionist mentioned, "The room you have booked has been upgraded. The new room number is 1101. Congratulations, Miss Smith. It's all free of cost."

Emma was surprised. Union was a four-star hotel in the city, and a decent room already cost a lot of money. Getting a free upgrade meant she was extremely lucky. That too on the top floor of the hotel.

Even luck is with me when I'm going down this path, huh! What a surprise.

She thought as she took the keys.

She took the elevator and soon she reached the top floor. To her surprise, there were only four rooms. Which meant this area was exclusive.

VIP only.

She spotted her room with ease and opened the door using the key card. The light was already on, and the soft smell of liquor told her that Damien was already in the room.

As she walked inside the room, she saw Damien lounging on a couch. Two of the buttons of his shirt were open. He looked a bit relaxed and devilishly handsome.

Her breath caught.

He's even more attractive than I remembered. Well, I was drunk last time. I need drinks even now. Oh god! I am really gonna sleep with an escort!

"You are late, Miss Smith. And I don't like waiting," Damien's rich velvet voice brought a shiver down her spine.

But Emma kept her expression steady and walked closer. "I generally come late. So you may as well practice patience, Damien."

Damien stared at her baby blue eyes. A mischievous smile was tugging along her lips. This woman!

If it were anyone else uttering those words, I would have killed her by now. Then why am I enjoying her defiance suddenly?

He couldn't explain it. Couldn't rationalize it. But something about the way she challenged him made his blood heat.

Emma sat on the sofa and handed him a file. "Here, sign it."

"Oh, what is it?" Damien quickly read through it and laughed out loud.

"A contract?" Damien asked. "So you are serious, huh?"

I am the one who always makes others sign contracts. And now, this woman has the guts to make me sign one. Huh!

Damien laughed, genuine amusement coloring his voice.

Damien continued, reading out loud. "No pictures, no videos. No digging into personal life. No public attention. Interesting. Did you write it yourself?"

Emma was taken aback. She couldn't afford to have a lawyer draft it, so she googled and put down whatever she thought made sense in her case.

"What if I did?" She challenged. "Now, sign it."

Damien didn't take the pen. Instead, he leaned over.

Emma flinched for a second, backing down. To her wonder, Damien cradled her face gently and looked into her eyes in a way that took her breath away.

What is he doing? Is he gonna kiss me? But shouldn't we sign the contract first?

Thousands of thoughts clouded her head when she felt Damien touching her lips with his thumb. His touch was featherlight. Gentle. Almost reverent.

Then, he let go of Emma, and with a smile, he pressed the thumb down on the paper.

Realization startled Emma again. He used her lipstick to press a thumbprint on the document as his signature.

"There," Damien murmured, his voice low and dark. "Signed."

Emma stared at the crimson thumbprint on the paper. Her lipstick. Her color. Marked on a contract that bound them together for two months.

It felt strangely intimate.

More intimate than it should.

"You're insane," she whispered.

Damien leaned back, his smile lazy. "So I've been told."

Emma gulped. I didn't really run much of the background check on him. What if he is really insane? Oh god, Emma! Where have you dragged yourself into?

He threw a glance at Emma as he continued, “so, Miss. Smith, now that you have bound me by this contract, you don't get to run even if I am crazy.”