The billionaire's contract marriage

Chapter Two

Noah Harper, the enigmatic CEO of Blackwood Towers, the most formidable company in the nation, sat in the VIP section of the upscale Rossvette restaurant. Known not only for his immense power but also as the city's most sought-after bachelor, Noah exuded an aura of cold detachment that could be felt even from afar. His jet color hair, to pair with a focalized, severe-looking face and severe forehead into a fiendish-genre look, lent him an aspect of dictatorialness, although his coldness of heart kept him at a distance, unreachable by others. Nevertheless, as he consumed, his fine fingertips danced to the exquisite rhythm of the cutlery thinness with a nice symmetry that did not wash with his icy cold hollowness.

Suddenly, Noah paused, his hand hovering over his fork. A strange sensation washed over him, unsettling his usual composure. Why am I feeling this way? He thought, his mind racing. He suddenly swerved, the brightness of his sharp gaze scanning the room, and lit upon one of his subordinates. "Frank," he called, his voice low but commanding.

Just as, an imposing figure, his stance, stood tall with reverence, approached directly. "Yes, sir?" Frank responded, his tone steady.

"Did you notice anything unusual tonight?" Noah inquired, his [neurotic] eyes bright and searching Frank for a sign of untruths.

"Not at all, sir. Everything seems normal," Frank replied, his expression unreadable.

Noah's eyes narrowed. Notably, before the food and beverages were served? Think carefully," he pressed his voice like steel.

"No, sir. Everything was perfect, as always. No, but it did 'Frank remarked, although only a fuzz across his visage," the like or the guilt also sailed over it.

Noah leaned back, his jaw tightening. "I feel... strange. If I discover that you've been negligent there will be retribution," he declared, his voice cold.

Frank bowed his head, his voice apologetic. "Punish me if you must, master. I’ll be more vigilant next time. Should I call your doctor?"

"No," Noah snapped, cutting him off. He couldn’t sit still any longer. His body felt hot, restless, and unnervingly aroused. He stood abruptly, his movements sharp and deliberate. I'm in my room, I'm going to get out of there," he said, then marched off without another word.

As soon as N. Noah was about to enter his suite room, his eyes met a small figure lying comfortably on the bed. She was a kind, very young, slim, very beautiful woman, and yet, surely, her innocence is recognizable even in wakefulness. The aphrodisiac coursing in his blood fueled his lust and turned his thinking to mush. His body also reacted quite spontaneously, governed by a deeply seated, no longer controllable force.

He got up on the bed with its weight resting on her. She stirred weakly, a soft groan escaping her lips as she tried to resist, but her strength was no match for his. His hand gently stroked the emerging shape of her and hugged her while his lips tightly pressed against hers in a tight, encircling kiss. She wanted to fight, to speak up, say no, to push him away, but her body betrayed her in failing to be strong enough to fight off his seduction.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Frank stood with a faint smile tugging at his lips. He finished the task precisely that way, according to his real commander, Joshua Harper, Noah's father. Joshua had grown increasingly concerned about his son’s reputation. Rumors and gossip were running rampant, claiming that Noah was a homosexual. Although Noah refused to accept criticism, Joshua was highly uncomfortable. He had tried to assist Noah in engaging with a large number of women in the past, but all were unsuccessful. Just a brush of a woman's hand seemed to have a repellent effect, for which Joshua felt apprehensive.

The Father that day had a plan, a daring, calculated action to secure his son's place in history. He instructed Frank to place a woman in Noah's room and to add a large amount of an aphrodisiac to his drink. It was a wicked, controlling plan, but in Joshua's mind, it was too late for his son, who needed to be "saved.

Frank's phone shattered the silence. The caller ID sent a cold sweat down his back. It was the girl he'd scheduled Noah. With trembling hands, he answered.

Sorry for the wait," a cheerful female voice remarked. "I'm downstairs now. Could you escort me up?"

Frank's world tilted on its axis. If the person on the schedule was still in the basement, then who? Cold horror was horrified in his gut as the fallout returned to him.

The next morning...

Sunlight streamed in the windows in the great room, robbing Noah of his dream-state sleep. Consciousness returned in stages until the weight against his chest snapped him fully awake. His arms were around a slim girl and the harsh truth of what had happened washed over him. Fury flooded his body as the remnants of the memory came back. He made quite a discreet exit and found shelter in the bathroom, where he cranked as high as the shower could go on the temperature dial as if it could wash away the loss of his ability to make a decision.

Emily awakened to a body that felt foreign to her. Pain buzzed through her and the image of her nude body washed back over her the traumatic events of the previous night in painful relief. "No, no, no," she whispered, memories flickering like a broken film reel hand in the darkness, a face she couldn't quite see, sensations she hadn't been able to fight through her drugged haze. It was to be only tomorrow that she was to marry, but she was reduced now to being trapped and running away with strangled sentences as she dashed to collect all her jumbled belongings on the flight.

Every time she entered the house, Rose's taunting voice welcomed her. "Welcome home, sister dear. Enjoyable evening?"

The pieces clicked into place. "You..." Emily's voice shook with fury. "How could you?"

Rose's laugh was cruel and cold. "You should be thanking me, you ungrateful little fool. I've secured your future. You'll soon be Mrs. Mason, so get ready for tomorrow's wedding. ".

Emily stood there, anger and despair battling with one another as she realized what a deep level the sister's betrayal cut to.

Emily's hand snapped across Rose's cheek before she could blink, anger overriding the usual docility.

"How DARE you!" Rose's shriek echoed through the house. "Mother!"

Olivia met Rose’s angry blow mid-flight. “No, darling,” she said, her tone overly concerned. “We can’t risk that face getting marked - not when we have five million dollars on the line.”

Olivia’s phone ringing interrupted the moment. Unknown number. She answered in a saccharine tone that felt far too sweet.

“Your daughter’s whereabouts last night, where was she?” Jayden’s voice brought an earth-shattering intensity to the call. It was clear from the hostile tone of his voice that Olivia’s smile was about to vanish.

“Oh, but she was…” There was a deafening silence after she spoke.

Ten seconds felt like forever as Rose hastily reached for her phone. “Tell me you completed the task. Did you bring her to his room?”

“Ma’am. In-room 303 as you instructed.”

Color washed from Rose’s face. “Three-oh… Two-oh-three is what I told you.”

As the implication hit Emily, her entire world spun. If she hadn’t been in Jayden’s room… Looking into her sister’s eyes, they both realized how monumental what they had just done was. One single digit cost them everything.

"If not Jayden..." Emily's voice trailed off into the horrified silence. "Then who?”