The Australian Tycoon Obsession

Chapter 5: An Offer She Couldn't Ignore

Sleep refused to come, Scarlett lay on the narrow bed in her tiny apartment, staring at the cracked ceiling while the rain continued to drum softly against the window. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same face.

Damien Blackwood.

His calm voice.

His unwavering confidence.

The way he'd looked at her as if he already knew she'd eventually say yes, it was infuriating. She turned onto her side and pulled the blanket closer.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself.

She had known the man for only a few days. He was simply a customer. A customer who happened to be one of the richest men in New York. So, why couldn't she stop thinking about him? With a frustrated sigh, she reached for her phone. It was almost midnight. Her best friend, Emily, had sent three messages.

Emily: Did the billionaire come back today?

Emily: Don't tell me you're actually considering his offer.

Emily: Scarlett? Are you alive?

Scarlett couldn't help smiling.

She typed a quick reply.

Scarlett: He gave me another ride home.

Almost immediately, Emily called.

"You did what?" Emily practically shouted.

"It was raining."

"So you got into his car?"

"I didn't have much choice."

"You always have a choice!"

Scarlett laughed.

"It wasn't like that."

"It never starts like that,' Scarlett."

Emily groaned dramatically.

"First, it's a ride home. Then it's lunch. Then suddenly, you're dating New York's most eligible billionaire."

Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"You're impossible."

"I'm realistic."

Emily paused before asking more seriously, "Do you trust him?"

Scarlett thought about the question.

"I... don't know."

"Does he make you uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Does he respect your boundaries?"

"... Yes."

"And has he ever pressured you?"

Scarlett remembered how Damien had immediately accepted every rejection, only asking her to think about his offer instead of forcing an answer.

"No."

Emily sighed.

"Then maybe give him a chance."

Scarlett sat up.

"You were just warning me."

"I still am. Rich men usually come with complicated lives."

Scarlett smiled sadly.

"I've noticed."

...

The following morning, the café was unusually busy. Scarlett barely had time to breathe as customers filled every table. She secretly hoped Damien wouldn't come today. That way, she could spend at least one day without wondering what she was going to say to him, but fate had other plans.

At exactly eight-thirty, the café door opened. She didn't even need to look up somehow, she knew. Damien walked inside wearing a charcoal-gray suit that looked as though it had been tailored exclusively for him. The usual conversations around the café quieted. People noticed him like they always did. Their eyes met. Instead of walking to his usual table, Damien headed straight for the counter.

"Good morning."

Scarlett forced herself to remain professional.

"Morning."

"The usual?"

"You already know the answer."

She prepared his coffee while pretending her heart wasn't beating faster than normal. Damien accepted the cup with a quiet thank you. Instead of leaving, he remained standing.

"You've been thinking."

She looked up.

"What makes you say that?"

"You have a wrinkle between your eyebrows."

Without thinking, Scarlett touched her forehead.

Damien smiled.

"You just proved my point."

She sighed.

"I hate that you're observant."

"I consider it one of my better qualities."

She laughed despite herself.

"You would."

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn't awkward. It felt... familiar. Dangerously familiar.Finally, Damien reached into the inside pocket of his jacket.

Scarlett immediately frowned.

"If that's another business card, I'm throwing it away."

"It isn't."

He placed a cream-colored envelope on the counter.

"What is this?"

"Open it later."

"I'm not accepting expensive gifts."

"It isn't a gift."

"Then what is it?"

"Information."

She looked suspiciously at the envelope.

"You enjoy being mysterious."

"I enjoy keeping your attention."

Scarlett stared at him.

"You actually admitted that."

"I did."

Before she could think of a response, the café manager called her name.

"Scarlett!"

She turned.

"We need another hand in the kitchen."

"I'm coming!"

When she looked back, Damien was already walking toward the exit. He stopped only once. Without turning around, he said quietly,

"Read the envelope before you decide."

Then he disappeared through the café doors. Scarlett looked down at the envelope in front of her. Curiosity gnawed at her. She wanted to open it immediately. Instead, she slipped it into her apron pocket.

For the next four hours, it felt as though it weighed a hundred pounds. She had no idea that whatever was inside was about to change everything.

Scarlett tried to focus on work. she really did. But every few minutes, her hand drifted to the envelope tucked safely inside her apron pocket. It felt heavier than paper had any right to feel. Customers came and went in a blur of coffee orders, pastries, and polite smiles, yet her thoughts remained fixed on the stranger in the tailored suit who had walked into the café and quietly turned her world upside down.

Read the envelope before you decide.

Those words echoed in her mind.

By the time her shift finally ended, the sky outside had turned a deep shade of orange. The streets buzzed with evening commuters hurrying home, but Scarlett lingered in the staff room, staring at the envelope lying on the small wooden table.

Taking a slow breath, she broke the seal. Inside was a single sheet of thick white paper. No company logo.

No unnecessary decoration.

Just a typed message.

Miss Scarlett Hayes,

I don't make the same offer twice. If you want a future that matches your talent instead of your circumstances, meet me tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m.

Blackwood Corporation.

Ask for Damien Blackwood.

Beneath the note rested something else.

A sleek black access card with the company's silver emblem engraved across the front. Scarlett stared at it in disbelief. He wasn't inviting her for another conversation. He expected her to walk straight into one of the biggest corporations in New York.

"Is this man always this confident?" she whispered to herself.

She folded the letter carefully and slipped everything back into the envelope.

"No," she muttered, shaking her head. "This is ridiculous."

Yet even as she said the words, she knew she wasn't being honest with herself. The offer tempted her. Not because of the money. Because someone had looked at her and seen potential. That had become incredibly rare.

...

The subway ride home felt longer than usual. She watched strangers talking, laughing, scrolling through their phones, while she replayed every conversation she'd ever had with Damien.

He wasn't arrogant, not in the way powerful men usually were. He listened, and he observed, and somehow, every question he asked made her feel like he already knew the answer. It unsettled her.

By the time she reached her apartment building, rain had begun falling. She hurried upstairs, unlocked the door, and collapsed onto the small sofa. The envelope landed on the coffee table once again. Her phone buzzed. It was Rachel

"Hey, Scarlett! Are you free tomorrow evening?"

Scarlett smiled.

"I think so. Why?"

"A few of us are going out after work. You should come."

"I'll let you know."

Rachel laughed.

"Still overthinking everything?"

"You have no idea."

After ending the call, Scarlett's gaze returned to the envelope.

Sleep was almost impossible that night. Every answer she found seemed to create two more questions. What if accepting meant giving up the peaceful life she'd built? What if refusing became the biggest mistake of her life?

...

Across Manhattan, Damien Blackwood stood in his office long after sunset. The city lights reflected across the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. His assistant, Ethan, entered carrying a tablet.

"You sent the invitation?"

Damien nodded.

"Yes."

"And you're certain she'll come?"

A faint smile crossed Damien's lips.

"No."

Ethan looked surprised.

"Then why offer her the position?"

"Because she deserves the opportunity."

Ethan had worked beside Damien for nearly eight years.

He knew his employer better than anyone.

Damien never chased employees.

If someone declined an offer, he moved on.

This was different.

"What makes her so special?" Ethan asked carefully.

Damien remained silent for several seconds.

"She challenged me."

Ethan blinked.

"Most people are too busy trying to impress me," Damien continued. "She wasn't."

"And that impressed you."

Damien didn't answer.

He simply looked out over the city. Somewhere out there, Scarlett Hayes was deciding whether to walk into his world. For reasons he couldn't explain, he hoped she would.

...

The following morning arrived far too quickly.

Scarlett stood in front of her bedroom mirror, adjusting the sleeves of her only navy-blue blazer. It wasn't expensive, but it was clean, neatly pressed, and made her feel slightly more confident. She picked up the black access card.

"This is only a meeting," she reminded herself.

"It doesn't mean you're saying yes."

She locked her apartment and stepped into the cool morning air. An hour later, a taxi stopped outside Blackwood Corporation. Scarlett craned her neck to look at the towering glass building. It seemed even larger in daylight. Employees streamed through the revolving doors carrying briefcases and cups of coffee. Everyone looked like they belonged. She wasn't sure she did. Taking one final deep breath, she walked inside. The receptionist smiled politely.

"Good morning."

Scarlett placed the black access card on the desk.

"I...I'm here to see Mr. Blackwood."

The receptionist's expression changed immediately.

"Of course, Miss Hayes."

She picked up the phone.

"Mr. Blackwood's guest has arrived."

Within moments, another employee approached.

"If you'll follow me."

Scarlett's heartbeat quickened as the elevator climbed higher and higher. The numbers continued rising until they reached the executive floor. The doors slid open, and everything looked impossibly elegant. Polished marble floors, modern artwork, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Manhattan. The assistant stopped outside a pair of enormous wooden doors.

"Mr. Blackwood is expecting you."

Scarlett swallowed hard.

She knocked.

A familiar voice answered from inside.

"Come in."

She pushed open the door. Damien stood beside the window, hands in his pockets, watching the city below. Without turning around, he spoke calmly.

"I knew you'd read the envelope."

Scarlett closed the door behind her.

"I haven't accepted anything."

A small smile touched the corner of his mouth.

"No," he replied.

"But you came."

And somehow, that was exactly the answer he had been waiting for.