Bought By The Billionaire

Chapter 7: The Ghost at the Gate

A Friend in the Dark

Maria slowly walked down to the basement. Right now, she just wanted to be around someone who didn’t treat her like a problem.

She knew exactly where to go.

Julian’s gaming room.

But when she stepped inside, something felt different. All the big screens that were usually glowing were turned off. The room was quiet.

Julian was sitting on a beanbag with a laptop in front of him, staring at the screen.

“Hey,” he said when he noticed her. For once, he didn’t have his usual teasing smile. “Rough day?”

Maria sat down on the floor next to him, crossing her arms around her knees.

“My dad is heartbroken, Julian,” she said softly. “He thinks all of this is his fault. He thinks he failed me.”

She looked down at the floor.

“And honestly… I’m starting to think your mother is right. Maybe I really don’t belong here.”

Julian snorted quietly.

“My mother thinks anyone who didn’t go to some fancy school in Switzerland is basically a caveman,” he said.

He turned the laptop toward her.

“Look at this. I’ve been trying to figure out where the leak came from. It didn’t come from your neighborhood. And it didn’t come from the Thorne staff either.”

Maria leaned closer and looked at the screen. It showed a bunch of strange emails sent to the news station.

“Then who sent them?” she asked.

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” Julian said, his jaw tightening. “But whoever did it knew exactly when to do it. They picked the perfect moment.”

Maria frowned. “Why?”

“They wanted the company’s stock price to drop,” Julian said. “But more than that… they wanted to hurt you.”

Maria let out a small, bitter laugh.

“Why would anyone want to hurt me? I’m nobody.”

Julian looked at her seriously.

“Because you’re William’s weak spot.”

Maria shook her head immediately.

“No, I’m not,” she said. “I’m just something he’s managing. That’s what he called me… a ‘managed asset.’”

Julian studied her face for a moment before speaking.

“William doesn’t really know how to act like a normal person, Maria,” he said quietly. “He grew up with Arthur and Victoria as parents. In this house, showing feelings is dangerous. The moment you show one, someone uses it against you.”

He leaned back against the beanbag.

“So he spent his whole life building walls around himself.”

Julian paused, then added,

“But trust me… when that news came out today, I saw his face.”

Maria looked at him.

“He didn’t look like a guy worried about money or stock prices,” Julian said. “He looked like someone who wanted to burn the whole city down.”

Before Maria could ask what he meant, Julian’s phone suddenly buzzed in his hand.

He looked at the screen.

The color drained from his face.

Maria felt her stomach tighten.

“What happened?” she asked quickly.

Julian swallowed.

“It’s the security team,” he said quietly. “The car taking your family to the countryside…”

He hesitated.

“The press found them on the highway. There was a chase… and a small accident.”

The Breaking Point

Maria hurried down the hallway until she found William.

He was standing there, talking on two phones at the same time, giving quick instructions to someone on the other end.

“William!” Maria called out, her voice shaky. “Julian said there was an accident! My family… are they okay? Please tell me they’re okay!”

William ended both calls and slowly lowered the phones.

He looked at her.

For the first time since she had met him, Maria saw something different on his face. His calm, controlled expression slipped for a moment. There was a hint of guilt in his eyes.

“They’re okay,” he said. “It was just a small crash. Nothing serious. No one was hurt.”

Maria let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“But the reporters caught up with the car,” William continued. “They took photos. Sia was crying in the back seat. Those pictures will probably be on the evening news.”

Something inside Maria snapped.

“I’m done,” she said quietly, but her voice was full of anger. “I’m done with all of this.”

William frowned slightly.

“I’m done with the gala. I’m done with these fancy dresses. I’m done with your rules.” Her voice shook, but she kept talking. “I’m going to my family.”

“Maria, wait—”

“Or what?” she said sharply, stepping closer to him. “You’ll tear up the house papers? Go ahead! I’d rather live in a tent with people who actually love me than stay in this cold mansion with someone who thinks I’m just another business deal!”

She turned and started walking toward the door.

But suddenly William grabbed her arm.

It was the first time he had ever broken his own rule about not touching her.

His grip wasn’t rough, but it was firm.

“If you walk out that door right now, the person who leaked that story wins,” William said quietly.

Maria stopped.

“They want you to run,” he continued. “They want a bigger scandal. And if you leave now, I won’t be able to protect you anymore.”

She slowly turned to look at him.

“The board will push me out,” he said. “And my mother will take control of the Blackwell assets.”

His voice grew colder.

“And trust me… she won’t be as kind as I was.”

Maria looked down at his hand still holding her arm. Then she looked into his eyes.

“Is that all this is to you?” she asked softly. “Just another game… about winning and losing?”

William was quiet for a moment.

“It’s the only kind of game I know how to play,” he finally admitted.

His voice cracked just slightly.

“But I am trying to keep you safe, Maria. In my own way.”

They stood there in the hallway, facing each other. A billionaire and a girl who used to work in a flower shop, stuck in a situation that felt bigger than both of them.

Then suddenly—

The doorbell rang.

Not a polite little chime.

It was loud and repeated, like someone outside was pressing it again and again.

William let go of her arm and walked toward the front door.

When he opened it, Maria felt her stomach drop.

Standing outside in the rain was her father.

David Blackwell looked soaked from the sudden storm. He leaned heavily on his cane, but his eyes were burning with anger Maria had never seen before.

“I’m here for my daughter,” David said loudly. His voice echoed through the big marble hall. “And I’m not leaving until I take her home.”

Behind him, in the dark driveway, Maria saw something that made her heart sink even more.

A camera flash.

The reporters weren’t just outside the gates anymore.

Somehow, they had gotten inside the property.

And now the real scandal was only beginning.