The Billionaire's Housewife

CHAPTER FOUR

"Marry me, Ava" Ryan said, immediately regretting his choice of words.

It wasn't a question, and it seemed like she had no options.

She immediately burst into laughter but stopped when she saw that she was the only one laughing.

"I doesn't have to be real" "it's purely business, no strings attached, just name your price" Ryan said.

Ava felt insulted, she wasn't some doll in a toy shop, she was human and even though she was a jobless college dropout with nothing to her name, she still had her life to live and getting married or becoming a stepmother at twenty-three wasn't part of her plans for it.

"You know you are being really weird right now" Ava asked looking at Ryan, but he wasn't smiling like he was the other day, he looked like a totally different person, his face meant business.

"My late wife, Clarissa wanted to have kids even when I thought I wasn't ready…"Ryan breathed hard, "Now she's gone, I'm still not ready, atleast to handle it alone" Ryan added

Ava sat there in silence biting her lips nervously.

"Don't overthink it, I'm not asking for a lifelong commitment, I want a co-parent not a romantic partner, You're not my type anyway but it seems that Lily liked you so" Ryan said rolling his eyes.

Her stomach churned, where was the guy she had met a week before?, it was either that Ryan was being rude or he just wasn't understanding the gravity of his insensitive words. She felt insulted, but what choice does the poor have, she was desperate.

She was shamelessly thrilled about the prospect of an open cheque, which could mean that Olivia's college tuition and Grandma's treatment wouldn't be a hassle any longer.

"Don't you think you're trusting me too much, I could be a serial killer" Ava asked wondering if a man who claimed to love his children so much would trust them in the care of a total stranger.

"Let's just say that you have a pretty solid recommendation, plus you don't have any criminal records" He said "Yes I ran a search on you" he added, his gaze turning icy.

Ava swallowed hard, this man was definitely not the person she met before, he was totally different and would be a lot to handle, she feared to be on his wrong side.

"How much are we talking of here" Ava asked curiously

"Anything from half a million annually" Ryan shrugged and Ava gasped, she hadn't dreamt of such an amount no matter how hard she worked, this offer made the deal harder to reject, Ryan had said it so casually as though it was nothing.

"Can I atleast think about it?" Ava asked coldly, thinking if she could really marry a stranger for money.

"You have a limited time for that," He replied.

"They'll be three in two weeks, and I should be getting your reply before then"

"What are the terms of Agreement" Ava asked softly, clearing her throat

"I like orderliness in my house, everyone should know their roles and not overstep their boundaries" Ryan started staring intently with cold eyes.

"You're expected to be a mother to the children and be there for every milestone in their development till they're sixteen at least. Backing out and thus staining the children's social image could mean anything from a hefty fine to a jail sentence" Ryan said.

Ava bowed her head in shame, how much lower can she stoop for money, she blamed it on poverty, it would take one person to break generational poverty, she thought to herself

"You'll be expected to move in and share the living space with the family, just like a normal family," Ryan said, crossing his arms across his chest.

What did Ava know about a normal family, her father was abusive and her mother had to flee with her when she was barely four years old, her mother had an odd job and died during the birth of her sister, her sarcastic, narcissistic grandmother raised them both with so much resentment she had for their mother.

Ava knew nothing of what a normal family was like but she couldn't tell that to this man, he probably was a perfect talented child born to rich loving parents, he would never understand that not everyone has normal families. She swallowed hard.

"What about my personal life"? She asked

"Well, the children are homeschooled so that leaves Eight free hours of school and nap time and after they're put to bed, you get free time, more of free time as they get older. The house is big enough, you can take an apartment at the far end and personalise it, you can have friends over but do nothing to disturb the peace of the children, especially no men allowed" Ryan reeled on.

Ava heaved a sigh. She thought hard about what this would mean for her life, she weighed the pros and cons, she could live rent free and with the pay, enrol back in college and take online classes, and still cover for her family's expenses. That sounded like a fair deal but it sounded too good to be true. She feared about breaking the terms of the contract.

The kids will be Three soon, that leaves thirteen compulsory years.

Could she keep up this facade for thirteen years, she would be at least thirty-six by the time she could be free.

Ryan had made it clear that he wasn't interested in her and she wasn't going to be having guys around but there was nothing said about him having women around.

He had the money, so he called the shots.

Could she keep away from romantic relationships till she was thirty-six?

What if she found someone else that she really loved?

How was she even sure that Leo would keep away from her and not sabotage this job,

She had always been self sacrificing, always putting her family first but this time, would she be able to put her life on hold and put Ryan and his family first?

All these questions and more kept turning endlessly in her mind.

"I'm not forcing you, feel free to walk away now, cos when you get in, there is no backing out … so, what is it going to be, Ava?" Ryan asked, looking into her eyes.

Ava's eyes darted around nervously, any answer she gives would determine if she was going to become a twenty-three year old Billionaire's Housewife