Owned by the Billionaire devil

THE PITCH THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

AVA

The elevator doors slid opened with a sharp hiss and I stepped out."Ma’am, you can’t go in there!" a secretary shouted from behind her desk but I kept walking.The heels of my shoes slammed the marble floor hard, each steps was loud and sharp. I didn’t look back, I didn’t answer her and I didn't slow down.This place,Blackwood Enterprises was glass, metal, and ice. The building smelt like money and it smelt like power.But right now, it smelt like war.I passed a row of glass-walled offices. Inside, assistants and analysts stared at computer screens. Some of them glanced up when I walked by and their eyes widened. They whispered to each other and I knew they recognize me.Ava Sinclair.The only daughter of Richard Sinclair. The man who built Sinclair Tech from nothing. The man who changed the game in biotech. The man whose company was now being eaten alive by this place.By Damien Blackwood.I walked faster and my heart rang bells in my chest, but I didn’t show it. My fingers were cold and my stomach rumpled, however my face was steady, my jaw was tight and I felt like I was walking into a storm.The boardroom doors were huge, heavy and black and then I threw them open.The room fell silent.Twelve men sitted around a polished table. Most of them were older. All of them were dressed in expensive suits. All of them turned to look at me like I had just broken every rule in the world.I felt the shock hit them like a wave.Someone gasped, someone muttered my name.I walked inside and I didn't wait for permission. I walked straight to the end of the table and I kept my back straight.At the head of the table sat Damien Blackwood.He didn't rise and he didn't’t frown. He didn’t even ask what I was doing here. He just sat and look at me.His eyes were the color of winter, it was pale gray, sharp, and cold.“Miss Sinclair,” he said, like he has been expecting me all along.“We need to talk,” I said “Alone.”A man to his right shifted in his seat. He looked annoyed. “This is a private shareholders’ meeting…”“I said alone.”My voice echoed through the room, it was strong and clear.Damien lifted a hand. “Gentlemen, give us the room.”There was a pause.One man huffed under his breath and another rolled his eyes, however they stood, slowly and reluctantly. They filed out, they murmured to each other as they passed and a few of them glanced back at me.Some of them knew my father and some of them helped bury him.The doors closed behind them with a soft thud.The silence that followed was heavy, I took a breath.“You are trying to destroy my father’s company,” I said.Damien leaned back in his chair. He didn't look angry and he didn’t t look defensive. He just looked bored.“I’m acquiring an undervalued asset,” he replied.“Call it what you want. You are still gutting it, you have fired half the research team, you have frozen the next round of product testing, you are selling the patents.”“Restructuring,” he said simply. “Your father had vision, but vision didn’t pay off debt, emotion doesn’t increase profit. Business is not about holding hands and dreaming big, it is about survival.”“You know nothing about what he built.”“I know the company is drowning, I know the board begged me to step in and I know your father’s death left a hole in leadership that no one has filled.”I felt a sharp ache in my chest.He was right! My father’s death changed everything, but he didn’t get to erase what my father created.I stepped closer. “Give me thirty days. Let me prove to you that Sinclair Tech is worth more than your buyout.”Damien’s eyebrow lifted slightly. “You?”“Yes.”He stood now. He was tall, taller than I expected, his shoulders were broad, his suit was black, it was tailored perfectly and his presence filled the room like thunderclouds.“What exactly do you have, Miss Sinclair?”“I have been developing a new product line, a biotech wearable and it monitors real-time health data. It is smart, efficient, and scalable and I just need time to get it in front of the right people.”“Do you have funding?” “No.”“Partners?”. “No.”“Do you own shares?” “No.”“Do you have any legal authority to stop the acquisition?”“No. But I…”“Then why are you here?” he asked again, in a more quiet tone this time.His voice was soft and dangerous.Like he already knew the answer, like he wanted to hear me say it anyway.“Because this company is my father’s legacy,” I said. “And I won’t let you rip it apart for scraps.”“You are passionate,” he said. “But passion doesn’t stop a takeover.”“I am not asking you to stop. I am asking you to wait. To wait for thirty days, I can bring in investors. I can show proof of concept. I can…”“You are asking for a miracle.”“I am asking for a chance.”He walked around the table slowly, hands in his pockets and his eyes never left mine.“You think the world owes you something,” he said“No,” I snapped. “I think you do! You have made billions off companies like mine, you have crushed families, you have destroyed people and you hide behind numbers like that makes it okay.”He stopped in front of me. We were just inches apart now.“You don’t scare me,” I said.He leaned down slightly. “You should be scared, Ava.”His voice was a whisper now. “You are standing in the middle of a battlefield with no weapons, no allies, no plan and you are e still trying to win.”“I don’t need weapons,” I said. “I am the plan.”His eyes narrowed and then he smiled.It was not a kind smile and It was not warm.It was sharp, dangerous and amused.“You want thirty days?”“Yes.”He turned away. “Too risky.”“No,” I said quickly. “Please. Just listen…”“There is another way.”I blinked. “What?”He walked to the cabinet at the back of the room and pulled out a folder. It was black and thick. He tossed it onto the table in front of me.“Open it.” I hesitated and then I did and I froze.My name was at the top of the contract.Below it, in bold letters: Temporary Marital Agreement.My mouth went dry. “What is this?”He stepped closer again. “Marry me. One year. In public, we are husband and wife. In private, we go our separate ways. No strings, no intimacy and just headlines.”I looked at him like he had lost his mind. “You are joking.”“I’m not.”“This is insane.”“My board wants stability. The media wants something to talk about. You give me both. I give you full control of Sinclair Tech for a year.”“And after that?”“You walk away, wealthy and free and your father’s company stays intact.”I slammed the folder shut. “You are serious.”He leaned forward and his face was inches from mine.“I’m always serious.”Silence stretched between us and my thoughts spinned.This couldn’t be real.But the folder was in my hand and the papers were real. The deal was real and the clock was already ticking.“You have twenty-four hours,” he said “Say yes, or your father’s legacy becomes mine.”