The Billionaire Contract

The Proposal

A lot of debts were on Bianca’s neck, as she was the only child of her parents. Her parents had taken a loan before they died, meant for their daughter’s tuition fees.

A private university, *Luminous*, had offered their daughter a scholarship to study whatever course suited her, but withdrew it at the last moment for unknown reasons.

They filed a complaint immediately and got a response from the university. They decided to proceed with one of the options given: they were to pay half of the total fees to cover the damage caused by the university's withdrawal.

The parents agreed because they couldn’t bear to see the disappointment written on their daughter’s face. Their daughter had finally craved something, and they couldn’t stand the thought of not giving it to her. God forbid.

They managed to borrow about four million dollars to keep their lives and dreams together. A family friend brought up an idea to start a business that was booming in the northern states.

Of course, they were swayed and gave the money to the family friend, hoping for a financial transformation. They were beyond convinced about the profits and returns they would get from the investment.

But they were wrong. Very wrong. The family friend ended up duping them and ran off with the money. Their jobs weren’t that great either. The mother was a talented tailor, while the father worked for the government.

Things were tight, but they were content as long as their daughter was in university. Then, the man had an accident and died, and the mother later passed away from cancer. Their deaths shattered Bianca. She was depressed for months.

But the real depression came when the loan sharks started knocking on her door. Every time they came, they damaged her property to their satisfaction. And every time, the interest went higher and higher.

In conclusion, she was truly screwed. She had no savings. She had no friends. She had no money and was just barely existing. The debt had risen to nearly a million despite her working hard for five years.

The two friends in the living room jerked out of their thoughts and looked at the phone that was ringing on the table.

“It’s your phone,” Marshai pointed at it.

Bianca dropped the brush in her hand and checked the caller ID. It was the doctor from her aunt’s hospital. She muttered something under her breath before answering.

“I’m sorry for calling so late, Miss Bianca, but it’s something urgent,” said the voice on the other end.

“It’s alright,” Bianca replied, gesturing at her friend to stop her silly antics.

“Your aunt needs to undergo surgery in a month’s time. I’m afraid she doesn’t have much time left,” the caretaker said.

“What do you mean?” Bianca’s eyes became clearer as she looked at Marshai, who had already gotten off the sofa.

“What I’m trying to say is, the chances of your aunt surviving without this surgery are very slim, given her current condition,” the caretaker explained.

“I don’t think my aunt would like this,” Bianca muttered.

“She doesn’t, and that’s why I’m calling you. We’re talking about life and death here. We just need approval from her guardian to proceed with the next steps,” the caretaker continued.

“Ugh,” Bianca ran her hand through her hair. She was obviously frustrated at this point. She didn’t even know what to do. “I’ll come over to talk to my aunt. I think the surgery will take place.”

“Oh, that’s great. Everybody deserves to live,” the caretaker added.

“Yeah,” Bianca replied, yawning.

“You seem to be sleepy. I’m sorry for taking your time. But I just need to pass along this final message before I hang up—the doctor said you’d need to provide around two hundred thousand dollars for the surgery,” the caretaker said.

The line went quiet for a few seconds.

“Did you hear me?” she asked.

“I heard you, Ms. Baker,” Bianca finally spoke. “It’s just... it’s just that—that amount is too high.”

“I thought so too, my dear,” Ms. Baker replied. “But the doctors said that’s the full cost—surgery, medications, physical therapy, chemotherapy, and everything else.”

“They always say that. I—I just don’t know what to say or feel right now, Ms. Baker,” Bianca sighed.

“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. And it’s okay to be speechless in a situation like this. You already pay a lot every month, Bianca,” Ms. Baker said kindly.

“I really think your aunt will be fine after the surgery. I’ve done my research. Your aunt will be operated on by specialized surgeons using advanced medical technologies and tools. Not to forget the care she’ll receive at the hospital throughout her stay. From her perspective, she just wants to live—to be there for her children. I know that,” Ms. Baker concluded.

“She would love to take care of her children,” Bianca said softly.

“I didn’t mean it in any offensive way. I’m sorry if I did,” Ms. Baker apologized. “Have a good night.”

They spoke for a while longer, and after Bianca wished her good night and hung up, she sank into the sofa beside her. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Marshai, already sobered by the atmosphere, finally came to her senses.

“What is it?” she asked and took a seat at the arm of the sofa.

“It’s Aunt Rhoda,” Bianca whispered before breaking down in tears.

“What did you hear?” Marshai asked with a shaky voice. She was scared, too.

“She needs surgery. I don’t... I don’t know, Marshai,” Bianca said, covering her face with her palm.

“Okay. You need to breathe. Should we go on a walk?” Marshai suggested.

“I need to clear my head. You can stay here. I’ll use the chance to do some grocery shopping,” Bianca replied, forcing a smile as she stood up.

“Will you be okay?” Marshai asked.

“Yeah. You look pretty bad too, so go ahead and sleep,” Bianca said as she rose from the sofa.

“Well, call me if you need anything. You know I’m just a phone call away,” Marshai shouted after her.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bianca replied as she walked out.

---

**Meanwhile...**

Alexander tightened his grip on the steering wheel and parked his car by the roadside. He was just done. He hadn’t realized things had gotten this bad. Now, he had no choice but to get married.

Just something to shut everyone up.

He had just jumped from the frying pan into the fire thanks to a ridiculous caption posted by his incompetent employees. He had so much to thank them for—for ruining his life and reputation.

He turned off the ignition and pressed his head to the steering wheel. He was exhausted, and the headache he had now was courtesy of his parents’ insane plan for him.

Suddenly, his window shattered. He jumped in his seat, completely startled.

Shocked, he looked to his left and saw a woman standing at a distance, her expression horrified.

His anger flared. She had better have his money, or she was going to pay. One way or another.

He stepped out of the car, face hardened with fury. His long legs closed the distance between them in seconds. He paused when he got a good look at her. She looked just as stunned as he was—like she had swallowed something sour.

“You just broke my window, miss,” he said directly. No time for games.

“I didn’t mean to. Someone was stalking me, so I threw it because I thought—”

“You broke my window, miss,” Alex repeated coldly, cutting her off. He wasn’t here for excuses. She broke it, so she had to pay. And speaking of payment—she still owed him.

“You’re the wristwatch girl,” he said, scoffing. Of course. Trouble.

“No, I’m not,” the woman quickly denied, eyes wide. Her lie was obvious and poorly delivered.

“Do you know who I am?” Alex asked with authority.

“No?” she said uncertainly.

“What’s your name?” he asked, already frustrated. He was going to make her pay tonight—and he already had a plan.

“My name?” she hesitated. “Bianca Larson.”

“Hmm,” he muttered. “Back then, the watch you poured coffee on and ruined cost about three hundred thousand dollars. And now, you’ve broken my window with a rock. That’s another few thousand.”

“It wasn’t intentional. I don’t have any money on me,” Bianca said quietly, realizing she was in deep trouble.

“So, you can’t pay me back, huh?” he said, a smile stretching across his face.

“Yes,” Bianca answered flatly.

“That’s good to hear,” he said, lips twitching with satisfaction.

Bianca stared at him, trying to read his mind. Was he going to arrest her? Sue her? What the hell was he thinking?

“Marry me,” he said, after what felt like an eternity.

Bianca stared at him, then burst into laughter. Did she just hear him say *marry*? There was no way he fell for her beauty that quickly.

“I need this marriage to fix my public image. Don’t worry. I won’t touch you or develop feelings. Don’t overthink it,” Alex said coldly.

“I’m not marrying you,” Bianca snapped. His arrogance was already pissing her off.

“Fine. Then get ready to pay for the damage you caused,” Alex said with a smirk

.

Bianca shot him a dirty look. She remembered him. She’d spilled coffee on him years ago while working at a café. He let her go, but her boss fired her for the incident. Later, she looked him up—everyone had treated him like a god that day, and she hadn’t understood why.

She found out he was filthy rich. But she’d never heard of him until that day.

“What else can I do to make it up to you? I don’t have any money,” she said desperately.

“Your only option is to marry me. But since you’ve refused, you should get ready to spend the rest of your life in a cell. Your choice has been made. Good night,” Alex said and turned away, irritated.

He should’ve said it from the start, but somehow, she got him talking. What a woman.

Bianca panicked. He wasn’t bluffing—she could see it in his eyes. He was powerful and used to getting what he wanted. This time, he wouldn’t let her off easily.

What use would she be to her family if she were locked up in some cell?

“Wait!” she shouted.

Alex stopped in his tracks, a smirk creeping onto his lips.

“I’ll marry you.”