Married To The Ruthless Billionaire

CHAPTER 5: Don't Fall In Love With Me

It was 2:13 AM and Amara Adeyemi-Kane could not sleep.

She tossed and turned on the king-sized bed that was bigger than her entire bedroom back in Parkview Estate. The sheets were silk, imported from Turkey. The air conditioner was so cold it felt like she was sleeping inside a freezer. The room was too quiet. No generator noise, no street boys shouting, no church vigil loudspeaker at midnight. Just silence. Heavy, expensive silence.

She missed her small noisy room.

She sat up and looked around. This was her life now. For one year. A contract wife to Alexander Kane, the most feared billionaire in Lagos.

Her mind replayed the dinner scene again and again. Mrs. Victoria Kane trying to poison her own father-in-law and put the blame on Amara. Alexander hitting the spoon away. His hand around her waist. The way he said "I protect what is mine."

What is mine. Did he mean her? Was she his? Even if it was just for contract, hearing a man say he would protect her... no man had ever said that to her before. Daniel always said "manage it yourself, you are a strong woman." Her father always said "don't bring your problems to me."

She felt thirsty. She stood up, wearing the short pink silk nightgown that Boma the stylist forced on her. "Madam, you must sleep sexy! What if Oga enters your room in the night and sees you wearing wrapper like village woman? He will run away!" Boma had said.

Amara had argued, but Boma won. So now she was in a nightgown with thin straps that barely covered her thighs, her long legs exposed.

She walked to the small kitchenette in her room and poured water. As she was drinking, she heard the door handle turn.

She froze. Who enters a married woman's room by 2 AM without knocking? Mrs. Kane?

The door opened.

It was Alexander.

He was not in his suit. He was in grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips and a plain white t-shirt that showed his muscular chest and arms. His hair was messy, like he had been running his hands through it. He was barefoot. He looked younger, softer, less like the Ruthless Billionaire and more like a normal 32-year-old man who couldn't sleep.

"Amara, have you seen my black charger? I think I left it—"

He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes landed on her.

Amara standing in the dim kitchen light, in that tiny pink silk nightgown, her hair scattered, no makeup, lips wet from drinking water, looking innocent and sexy at the same time.

For five seconds, nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

Then Alexander quickly spun around, facing the wall, his hand covering his eyes.

"Oh s**t! Sorry! Sorry! I thought this was my room! The doors look the same from outside! I'm sorry!"

Amara's face turned as red as her gown. She quickly grabbed the white fluffy robe on the chair and wrapped it around herself, tying it tightly.

"It's... it's okay! It's my fault! I didn't lock the door!"

"Why didn't you lock your door? This is Lagos! Even in Banana Island you should lock your door!" Alexander said, still facing the wall, his ears now completely red.

Amara wanted to laugh. The great Alexander Kane, who fires CEOs without blinking, was embarrassed because he saw his contract wife in a nightgown.

"I forgot," she said softly. "I couldn't sleep."

Alexander slowly turned around, but he looked at the ceiling, not at her. "Me too. I couldn't sleep. I was looking for my charger. My phone died and I have an important email from London by 3 AM."

Amara looked around. "It's not here. I didn't see any charger."

Alexander sighed and ran his hand through his messy hair. "Okay. Sorry for disturbing you, Mrs. Kane."

He started walking to the door, fast, like he wanted to escape the awkwardness.

But Amara called him. "Alexander, wait."

He stopped at the door, his hand on the handle, but didn't turn.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked, still not turning.

"For tonight. For dinner. For hitting that spoon away. For defending me in front of your mother. No one has ever done that for me before. Not even my own father. My father would have let me carry the blame just to stay in your mother's good graces."

Alexander finally turned around. He looked at Amara, really looked at her. She was small in that big white robe, her eyes filled with tears but she was trying to be strong.

He walked back into the room and sat on the edge of her bed, keeping a respectable distance. He looked tired, like the weight of his 50-billion-naira empire was pressing on his shoulders.

"Don't thank me," he said quietly, his deep voice soft in the night. "I didn't do it just for you. I did it because my grandfather... he is the only person in this family who truly loved me. When my father died, everyone was fighting for his money. My mother was fighting to control me. My uncles were fighting to take the company. Only Grandpa protected me. He taught me business. He told me 'Alexander, money without character is nothing.' If my mother had succeeded in harming him tonight, and used you as the scapegoat... I would never forgive myself."

Amara sat beside him on the bed, but not too close. Two strangers sharing pain at 2 AM.

"Your mother... why is she like that?" Amara asked gently.

Alexander stared at his hands. His hands that sign billion-naira deals.

"When my father died 10 years ago in a plane crash, my mother changed," he began, his voice low. "She was 45, beautiful, rich, but alone. She thought everyone wanted to take her money. She became obsessed with controlling everything - my life, my decisions, my company, even who I marry. She thinks every girl who comes near me wants my money. And honestly... most of them do. They see Kane Group, they see Banana Island mansion, they see Rolls Royce. They don't see me."

"And your ex... Sophia?" Amara remembered hearing about his engagement that broke.

Alexander's jaw tightened. "Sophia was with me for two years. I thought she loved me. Last month, I caught her in my own bed... with my best friend and business partner, Tunde. They were... they were planning to forge my signature and sell 10% of my company shares. My own best friend since primary school."

Amara gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh my God! Alexander, I'm so sorry!"

Alexander laughed bitterly. "My mother said 'I told you so. All women are gold diggers, all friends are traitors.' She was actually happy Sophia left, because now she could choose a wife for me. Someone she can control. Like Bianca. Someone who will worship her and let her run my house and my company from behind."

"Like a puppet?" Amara said.

"Exactly. A puppet wife. But I don't want a puppet. I want..."

He stopped and looked at Amara.

"You want what?" Amara whispered, her heart beating fast.

"I want peace," he said, looking into her eyes. "Just one year of peace, Amara. Before my grandfather dies. He has stage 4 cancer. Doctor said he has maximum 6 months. He wants to see me happy and married before he dies. That's all. I don't need love. Love betrayed me. I just need someone who will not betray me, who will not try to steal my company, who will just... be real. Be honest. Like you were tonight at dinner when you talked back to my mother. No one has ever done that."

Amara felt tears roll down her cheeks. She understood him. She also just wanted peace. Peace from her father's insults, peace from debt, peace from heartbreak.

"I can give you peace," Amara said, wiping her tears. "For one year, I will be the best contract wife you ever had. I will not betray you. I will not steal anything. I will help you make your grandfather happy. I promise, Mr. Kane."

Alexander looked at her small hand beside his big one on the bed. He wanted to hold it, to comfort her, but he remembered his own rule. Rule 3: No touching without permission.

"And I promise," he said, his voice firm now, returning to the billionaire voice, "I will protect you from my mother. No matter what evil plan she brings. In this house, I protect what is mine. And for the next 365 days, Mrs. Kane, you are mine. Contract or not, no one will hurt you while you are under my roof."

Amara's heart did a strange thump-thump that had nothing to do with fear. It was something else. Something dangerous.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, two broken souls finding small comfort at 2 AM.

Then Alexander stood up quickly, like he remembered he shouldn't be in her room.

"I should go. Goodnight, Mrs. Kane. And lock your door next time."

"Goodnight, Mr. Kane."

He walked to the door, opened it, then stopped and looked back.

"Amara?"

"Yes?"

"That pink nightgown... it looks good on you. You should wear it more often. But maybe... not when my mother is around. She will say you are trying to seduce me to break the contract and fall in love."

Amara grabbed the pillow and threw it at him, laughing through tears. "Alexander! Get out!"

He laughed, a real, deep, boyish laugh that echoed in the hallway, and ran out, closing the door gently.

Amara fell back on her bed, hugging the pillow he had touched, smiling like a foolish girl in love.

What was happening to her? Rule 2 of the contract was bold and clear: NO FALLING IN LOVE. This is business.

But her heart was beating too fast, too loud.

In the room opposite, Alexander lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his hand on his chest where his heart was beating fast too.

"This is not love," he told himself firmly. "This is just... gratitude. She is grateful because I paid her mother's hospital bill. And I am grateful because she defended me. That's all. Just gratitude."

But he couldn't sleep. He kept seeing her in that pink nightgown, drinking water, looking so innocent, so real.

Downstairs in the security room, Mrs. Victoria Kane was not sleeping either. She was sitting in front of the CCTV monitors, watching the footage of Alexander entering Amara's room at 2:13 AM and staying for 18 minutes.

She smiled wickedly and picked up her phone. She sent the video to Bianca, with a voice note.

"See? I told you they are already sleeping together. My son is falling for that small girl. We need to act fast. Tomorrow, I will invite Daniel Martins to this house for dinner as my guest. Let's see how Amara will act when she sees her ex-fiance who left her at the altar two days ago. Let's see if Alexander will still want her after seeing her cry over another man."

Bianca replied instantly with a voice note, laughing: _Yes, Aunty! Let's destroy her tomorrow! I can't wait to see her face when she sees Daniel!_

Tomorrow was going to be bloody. But tonight, for a few minutes at 2 AM, there was peace in the Kane mansion.