The Billionaire's Ruthless Demand

Chapter 4

Emery’s hands trembled as she stood in front of Nicholas’ penthouse, her heart continuously beating against her ribs. The weight of what she had agreed to settled over her in a suffocating way, wrapping strongly around her chest and tightening with every breath. She had agreed to his terms with a handshake, the feeling still fresh and damning. She might as well have signed away her soul. For one whole year; three hundred and sixty-five days of her life belonged to him.

The mere thought of this made her stomach to burn. How had it come to this? She had been so careful, so sure of herself. Now, her life was tangled up in a deal with Nicholas Vale, a man whose name alone could freeze blood. His reputation preceded him as a ruthless businessman, a man who was known to never ttake no for an answer. And now she was caught in his web. Everyone he had dealt with, spoke of him in the same way. They spoke of his terror and authoritative attitude, which gave those who crossed him little or no chance at all and now she was going to be one of such people.

A part of her wanted to flee, to turn around and run off before the door opened. She would vanish into the night, leave the city, and disappear before Nicholas could tighten his hold on her completely. But she couldn’t. Her fate was already sealed, the damage irreversible. Running now would only make it worse as he wouldn’t let her go that easily and from the words on the street, he was capable of finding anyone anywhere. She had no choice. There was too much at stake.

Gathering herself, she took a deep breath and knocked.

The door swung open almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for her. And there he was. He filled the doorway, his presence dominating the space without effort. Every inch of him showed power and control, from the sharp cut of his jaw to the casual confidence in his stance. His black dress shirt hugged his frame, the top button undone, giving him an air of dishevelment. His sleeves were rolled up just enough to reveal the veins along his forearms, a clear reminder of his strength.

His eyes glinted with amusement, something dark and predatory lurking beneath the surface. He looked at her with a lazy smirk, as if he already knew how this would end, as if he had always known.

“Have you changed your mind already?” he asked, leaning casually against the door frame. His voice was smooth, almost mocking, as if he was daring her to say yes.

Emery straightened up, lifting her chin in defiance. “No, I haven’t.”

The smirk widened. “Good.” He stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter. “Come in.”

Her feet felt heavy as she crossed the door, the air between them thick with unspoken tension. Emery was too aware of Nicholas’s presence behind her, his gaze burning into her back. He was watching her, assessing her, waiting for her next move.

She turned to face him, trying to steady her nerves. “What now?” she asked, though her voice was more unstable than she would have liked.

Nicholas tilted his head, a spark of amusement dancing in his eyes. “Now?” He took a slow, deliberate step toward her, his movements unhurried, predatory. “Now, we begin.”

Her pulse jumped, the weight of those words settling heavily in the room. She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, refusing to let him intimidate her. “Except, I want boundaries.”

His response was a chuckle, low and rich, the sound vibrating through the air like a challenge. “Boundaries… What boundaries?” he repeated, as though the very idea amused him. He reached out, his hand brushing a stray strand of hair from her face with a touch that was too familiar, too possessive. “You’re cute when you think you have control.”

Emery’s jaw tightened, her fists clenching at her sides. “I do,” she said, forcing strength into her voice. She wasn’t going to let him dictate everything. Not this time. Not ever. “As a matter of fact, you will accept.”

His fingers trailed down her face, tracing the lines along her jaw, sending an unapproved shiver through her. She hated how easily he could unsettle her, how her body reacted to his touch despite her mind screaming at her to pull away. His control over her wasn’t just physical. It seeped into the very air she breathed, as well as the space they shared.

“You signed a contract, Emery. I proposed one and you signed it,” Nicholas said softly, his voice dripping with pride. “And I don’t recall agreeing to limitations.”

“I didn’t sign a contract.” She replied.

“Okay, you agreed to one.” He said calmly.

“With terms you didn’t give me a chance to debate.”

“You know, you always have the option to pay me back in cash. And in case you have forgotten, which I don’t expect of course, its two million.”

Her breath hung in her throat, frustration building inside her. “This isn’t just about you,” she snapped, though her words felt hollow in the face of his heavy presence.

“Oh, but it is.” His gaze darkened, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her blood turn cold. “The problem is that you just don’t know it yet.”

The silence that followed was thick, mixed with a dangerous energy that hung in the air between them. Emery’s heart raced, her instincts screaming at her to push him away, to stand her ground. But she couldn’t move. He was too close, too overwhelming, and her own body betrayed her as his scent wraapped around her like a trap she couldn’t escape.

Nicholas leaned in, his breath warm against her skin, sending another jolt of electricity through her. “Tell me the truth, Emery…” His fingers brushed against her throat, a silent reminder of how vulnerable she was in his presence. “Do I scare you?”

The answer was yes. Yes, he scared her in ways she couldn’t even fully comprehend. But that wasn’t all she felt. Fear wasn’t the only thing coursing through her veins. There was something else, something darker, something that made her chest tighten and her knees weak.

“I don’t scare easily,” she whispered, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her even though she tried her best to hide it. She wasn’t as strong as she wanted to be, not here, not with him so close.

Nicholas’ smirk returned, but this time it was sharper, more dangerous. “We’ll see,” he murmured, his voice low and full of promise.

And then, just as quickly as he had closed the distance between them, he stepped back. The tension snapped, leaving her in a mixed state, physically and mentally. It was obvious that he didn’t need to touch her fully to exert control. He didn’t need to push her or shout. He owned the space between and round them, the very air she breathed. And he knew it. He thrived on it.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the soft hum of the city outside, distant and irrelevant compared to the storm brewing inside the penthouse. Emery stood frozen, trying to regain her composure, trying to remind herself why she had come here in the first place. She couldn’t let Nicholas get inside her head, couldn’t let him strip away her defenses so easily. She should be relaxed, but she was far from it.

And the truth was that he already had her defenses down.