Chapter Three: A Billionaire's Gamble
623 Words
The black car drove Amelia home in silence. The city lights flickered against the tinted glass windows, but her mind was far louder than the traffic.
What just happened?
One moment, she was being ignored by the man who brought her to a gala. The next, she was in the middle of a public scene grabbed, accused, and almost slapped by strangers she didn’t even know.
And Nathaniel?
He stepped in like some cold, mysterious knight and then vanished again. He didn’t even say a word to her as the driver opened the door and told her, “He said to take you home safely.”
That was it.
No statement like “Are you okay?” or “Sorry about what happened.”
Just silence. Elegant, expensive, and insulting.
She changed out of the dress and threw it across the room. It landed on the couch like a silk puddle. The heels followed. She didn’t want to look at them.
Why would someone invite me out and then treat me like an afterthought?
She curled up in bed, arms around her knees, and stared into the darkness.
Meanwhile, far above the city, in a penthouse Nathaniel rarely called home, he was pacing fast.
The Wealth System flickered in front of him.
His next Target: Amelia Carson
Available Tier Reward: $1 Million Wallet Boost + Charm Level 1 Upgrade
His Condition: Spend $100,000 on Amelia within 24 hours
He ran a hand through his dark hair.
“This girl…” he muttered.
Amelia wasn’t like the others. She didn’t chase him. She didn’t beg. She didn’t even smile unless she had a reason.
And that made her dangerous i.e emotionally dangerous.
But Nathaniel wasn’t emotional anymore. He was strategic. Calculated.
He tapped into the system’s gift menu.
Select Reward Channel: SURPRISE DELIVERY
Processing
By morning, Amelia heard a knock on her door. She opened it slowly, still in her pajamas.
On her doorstep sat three things:
1. A luxury breakfast tray packed with croissants, coffee, fruit, and Belgian chocolates
2. A box with a gold ribbon, holding a designer handbag she’d only seen in magazines
3. A plain white envelope with no name, only four words inside:
“You deserve nice things.”
Her heart skipped.
She looked up and down the street. No one in sight.
She bit her lip and stepped back inside, confused.
Later That Day
At the flower shop, Amelia couldn’t focus. Every customer’s voice sounded like noise. Her coworker asked what was wrong, but she just shook her head.
She had no answers.
Meanwhile, Nathaniel sat in a darkened boardroom during a meeting. His assistant was talking about stocks and quarterly projections, but his system flashed in his peripheral vision.
New Update: Amelia Carson – Affection: 21/100 (Intrigue Sparked)
> Tier 1 Reward Unlocked. New Funds Added: $1 Million
> Charm Level 1 Activated: Subtle aura of trust and attraction +10%
> New Task Generated: Spend Time With Amelia Within 48 Hours
Nathaniel’s jaw tightened.
Time. That was the one thing he didn’t like wasting.
And now this system was making him spend it on someone who barely mattered in the grand scheme of his empire?
But deep down, something itched inside him.
She was different.
And maybe… that made her worth the risk.
That Night at Amelia’s Apartment
Amelia sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the white envelope again. Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
>Tomorrow. 6PM. Dress nicely. I’m coming to pick you up.
She typed instantly:
> “Who is this?”
No reply.
Her heart thumped.
Why did part of her want it to be Nathaniel?
And if it was… was she willing to go through another night of cold stares and unreadable silence?
- Writer
