FORBIDDEN DESIRE: FALLING FOR MY BILLIONAIRE STEPSON

“How could you do that?” Sabrina Winters yelled with tears of frustration streaming down her face. “Why do I have to marry a man I don’t know? A man who is older than my own father?” She asked, unable to believe what he was saying. Her father looked at her with tear-filled eyes, his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry for being such a pathetic father, Sabrina. It’s all my fault. I should have listened to you and stayed away from gambling.” Sabrina swiped at her tears angrily and turned away from him. She couldn’t stand the sight of him in tears, no matter how angry and disappointed she was. “Admitting your fault doesn’t help the situation. I can’t marry Mr. Bank. I can do anything but marry him.” “It’s okay if you don’t want to. I understand. I’m the one who put us in this situation. I will figure out a way to get us out of it,” her father said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Sabrina turned to look at him again. Although she should have felt relieved that he wasn’t forcing her to go through with it, guilt crept into her heart for turning him down. “You can’t let him have the house either. This is all we have left. Mom will need to return to the home she knows when she recovers. Maybe I should talk with him. I’m sure he will understand if I explain things to him.” Her father shook his head. “He won’t listen to you or anyone else. I already asked his brother and best friend to talk to him, but he wouldn’t budge. He’s hellbent on having you or the house.” “But why me? Why would a man like Richard Bank want to marry me? There are so many women throwing themselves at him. He’s rich enough to marry anyone. Why does it have to be me?” Sabrina asked, feeling both confused and frustrated. Her father sighed deeply. “Don’t let it bother you. I will let him have the house. Your mother…” “You know how much this house means to Mom. She will die of a broken heart if she finds out you lost the house because you went neck-deep into gambling to get money for her hospital bills,” Sabrina cut in, feeling overwhelmed with frustration. “So, what do we do then?” her father asked, looking both sad and confused. “You mean a lot to her, too, and I’m sure she would prefer we lose the house than give you away like this. I really thought I had a shot this time. I kept winning, and I thought it was my lucky night.” “Dad, can you stop? I need to think.” Sabrina massaged her temples as she paced around the living room, trying to think. She couldn’t see any other way out of it. They couldn’t afford to lose the house to Mr. Bank. “I need to step out for a bit. Get some fresh air,” she said, picking up her phone and purse from the table and heading for the door. “Sabrina,” her father called softly. She paused and turned to look at him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Sabrina gave him a nod, and without another word, she walked out of the house. As she walked down the street, all she could think about was how pathetic her life was and how unfortunate her family had become. Her family had been in debt for as long as she could remember. First, they got into debt trying to take care of her younger brother, who was a sickle cell carrier until he died. Now it was her mom, who had just gotten a kidney transplant after years of battling renal disease. Sabrina had stayed away from relationships all these years mainly because she was too proud and embarrassed to let anyone come close enough to see her family’s dire financial situation. But this time, the situation was a lot more crazier than anything they had experienced. Deep down, despite her initial resistance, Sabrina felt tempted to marry Mr. Bank. Apart from not wanting them to lose their home, a small, pragmatic part of her brain—the part responsible for survival—considered the benefits. Maybe it wasn’t such a terrible thing. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Maybe this was a way for her family to finally escape poverty. No. She shook her head firmly. That was the poverty-infested golddigger in her speaking. She needed someone to talk her back to her senses. Without wasting another moment, Sabrina dialed her best friend’s number to check if he was at home before hailing a cab to his place. She hoped Leo would talk some sense into her since he knew Mr. Bank better. SHE paused whe it occurred to her that Leo was actually Mr Bank`s assistant and could help her plight. The moment she arrived at Leo`s condo, he unlocked the door before she could ring the bell. “What’s wrong? You sounded upset,” he asked as she walked past him into the living room. “My dad screwed up big this time,” she announced. “He went gambling again?” Leo asked knowingly. “This time, he succeeded in gambling me away,” she said dramatically, dropping onto the nearest couch. Leo grinned. “Now that sounds like something out of a w*******l or a mafia romance movie.” “Unless it’s my reality, and there is nothing romantic about being married away in a gamble to a man older than my father.” “Ooh! You know I love my men older. As long as he’s not some stinking poor old man, you can pass him to me,” Leo said with a wink, making Sabrina laugh despite herself. “What was I thinking coming to you with my problem?” she asked, and Leo laughed. “This is a problem? I didn’t realize it was. I’ll get us something to drink while you tell me who the old man is,” Leo said, heading to the bar to pour them both a drink. Sabrina turned in her seat to look at him. “Richard Bank.” Leo froze mid-step and turned to her. “Richard Bank?” She nodded. “Your boss.” “My boss? Color me surprised!” “Did you know he gambles?” she asked, and Leo shrugged. “Yeah, but nothing serious. It’s just for fun,” he replied, stopping at the bar. “What else do you know?” Sabrina asked curiously. “Why don’t you ask me this after you run me through the details?” Leo suggested as he returned to join her with two glasses of wine, handing one to her. “I don’t know how the whole gambling thing works, but the short and long of it is that my father got greedy after making some impressive wins. When he lost all he had won, he wanted to win it back but had nothing to bet on, so he took a loan from your boss using our house as collateral, and then he lost. He doesn’t want to part with the house for my mom’s sake, and your boss says it’s either the house or me. There you have it,” Sabrina said, raising the glass to her lips as she finished. Leo sighed deeply but said nothing as he took a sip from his glass. “So? What do you think?” Sabrina asked impatiently. “About?” Leo replied slowly. She rolled her eyes. “About the color of my eyes,” she said dryly, and he chuckled. "Oh, you know how i love them," he said and she giggled. "C`mon, Leo. I`m serious. Do you think his mind can be changed? Is there something I can say or do to change his mind?” “He won’t change his mind. Your dad should give the house to him,” Leo said finally. “But that’s my mom’s inheritance. That’s all she has left…” “I’m sure you’re more important to her than the house,” Leo cut in, and before she could say anything, he raised a finger. “You’re too softhearted, Sabrina. You let your life revolve around your family too much. This has nothing to do with you. It’s your father’s mistake; let him fix it. Your mom should live with it.” “But I’m all they’ve got,” Sabrina reminded him, tears brimming in her gray eyes. “Your father keeps making all these mistakes because he knows he has you to fix his mess and it pisses me off so damned much,” Leo said with annoyance. Sabrina said nothing as she brushed off her tears, since this was an argument they had had countless times. Leo sighed deeply and shook his head. “So, what’s your plan? Do you want to marry him?” “You sound like you think it’s a bad idea,” she said, and he shrugged but didn’t confirm or deny it. “If you can’t give up the house, then marrying him is the only other option. You should meet with him and find out for yourself what you’re getting into,” Leo suggested.