BOUGHT BY THE DEVIL BILLIONAIRE

BOUGHT BY THE DEVIL BILLIONAIRE

Prologue

"The Girl He Was Never Supposed to Find"

The rain fell so hard it erased the world.

Lightning split the night as a black SUV sped through the empty mountain road.

Inside the back seat, a little girl no older than six clung to a worn teddy bear with trembling hands.

"Mama... where are we going?"

Her mother forced a smile through tears.

"Somewhere safe."

She was lying.

The little girl could hear the fear in her voice.

Behind them, headlights burst through the rain.

"They found us," the driver whispered.

The woman turned pale.

"No... no, not yet."

The SUV accelerated.

Another gunshot echoed.

The rear window exploded into thousands of glittering pieces.

The little girl screamed.

Her mother pulled her close, shielding her with her own body.

"Listen to me, Emma."

The woman held her daughter's face.

"If anything happens to me, you must never tell anyone your real name."

Emma's tiny lips quivered.

"But why?"

"Because there are people who will kill you for it."

A deafening crash.

The SUV rolled down the hillside.

Metal screamed.

Glass shattered.

Everything went black.

Twenty years later...

Emma Carter woke before sunrise, just like every other morning.

Her apartment was barely large enough for a single bed, a broken chair, and a tiny kitchen with peeling paint.

The roof leaked whenever it rained.

She smiled anyway.

Because today wasn't about her.

Today was her mother's surgery.

She just needed fifty thousand dollars she didn't have.

She checked her phone.

Hospital Balance Due: $50,000

Payment required before midnight.

Emma stared at the number.

Then laughed softly.

It wasn't funny.

It was the kind of laugh people made when crying no longer worked.

She grabbed her apron and headed for work.

She had no idea that before the day ended...

She would become the legal wife of the most feared billionaire in the country.

And somewhere in the shadows...

Someone smiled.

"She's alive."

Chapter One

Sold Dreams

The smell of fresh coffee usually made Emma happy.

Today it made her sick.

She forced herself to smile as another customer tossed a crumpled dollar onto the counter without even looking at her.

"Keep the change."

The coffee alone cost twelve dollars.

Emma thanked him anyway.

Pride didn't pay hospital bills.

By noon she had worked seven straight hours without eating.

Her manager approached.

"Emma."

She looked up hopefully.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

Her stomach tightened.

"We have to let you go."

The tray slipped from her hands.

Ceramic cups exploded across the floor.

"What?"

"The owner is cutting costs."

"I've worked here for three years."

"I know."

"My mother is in the hospital."

"I know."

"I need this job."

"I know."

Every answer sounded like another nail sealing her future shut.

By the time she stepped outside carrying a cardboard box filled with her belongings...

She had exactly forty-three dollars to her name.

Her phone rang.

The hospital.

She answered immediately.

"Miss Carter?"

"Yes."

"If we don't receive payment today, your mother's operation will be postponed."

Emma swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Please... give me another week."

"I'm sorry."

The line went dead.

For several seconds she simply stood there.

People brushed past her.

Cars honked.

Life continued.

As if hers wasn't falling apart.

She looked inside the cardboard box.

There was only one thing worth selling.

Her wedding dress.

She had bought it three years ago when she was engaged.

A week before the wedding...

Her fiancé disappeared with her savings and her best friend.

She never saw either of them again.

Emma laughed bitterly.

"At least one of you finally found a purpose."

The pawn shop owner unfolded the dress.

"It's beautiful."

"I know."

"I can give you four hundred dollars."

Emma nodded.

"Deal."

The man looked surprised.

"No negotiation?"

"No time."

He counted the money into her shaking hands.

She thanked him and turned to leave.

Outside...

A little girl tugged on her mother's sleeve.

"Mommy."

"Yes?"

"Why is that lady crying?"

Emma hadn't realized she was.

She quickly wiped away the tears.

"I'm okay," she whispered to herself.

No.

She wasn't.

Across the street...

A black Rolls-Royce Phantom came to a silent stop.

Every pedestrian slowed.

Some even pulled out their phones.

The rear door opened.

Italian leather shoes touched the pavement.

Then came long legs.

A tailored black suit.

Broad shoulders.

A face sculpted with impossible perfection.

Alexander Knight.

Thirty-one.

CEO of Knight Global Holdings.

Youngest billionaire in the country.

The man newspapers called...

The Devil Billionaire.

Not because he was cruel.

Because no one had ever beaten him.

In business.

In court.

Or in revenge.

His cold silver eyes scanned the busy street.

Then...

They landed on Emma.

Time seemed to freeze.

For the first time in years...

Alexander smiled.

Not a warm smile.

The smile of a man who had finally found something he had spent years searching for.

His assistant frowned.

"Sir?"

Alexander never looked away.

"Confirm it."

The assistant checked the file.

His face lost all color.

"The DNA results came back this morning."

"And?"

"It's her."

Alexander closed the folder.

"So..."

"She's alive after all."

Emma felt someone staring at her.

She looked across the street.

Their eyes met.

An unfamiliar chill ran through her body.

She had never seen this man before.

So why did it feel...

As if her entire life had been leading to this exact moment?

Alexander began walking toward her.

One slow step after another.

Each step carried the weight of certainty.

Emma's heart pounded for reasons she couldn't explain.

When he finally stopped in front of her, he spoke only six words.

"Emma Carter..."

"I've finally found my wife."

End of Chapter One.

Chapter Two

The Billionaire's Proposal

Emma blinked.

For a moment, she was convinced she'd heard him wrong.

"My... what?"

Alexander Knight stood before her with the composure of a man who owned not only the street beneath their feet, but the entire city around them. His charcoal-gray suit fit him perfectly, and the expensive watch on his wrist probably cost more than everything Emma had ever owned.

His silver eyes never left hers.

"I said," he repeated calmly, "I've finally found my wife."

Emma stared at him in disbelief before letting out a short, nervous laugh.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"It isn't."

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

Before she could respond, his assistant stepped forward and handed Alexander a sleek black folder.

Alexander opened it and withdrew a document.

"Read the first page."

Emma hesitated before taking it.

The title alone made her stomach tighten.

Marriage Registration Certificate

Her eyes widened.

She scanned the page.

Groom: Alexander Knight.

Bride: Emma Carter.

Every detail was correct.

Even her date of birth.

Her address.

Her signature...

Wait.

"There has to be some mistake!" she exclaimed. "That's not my signature!"

"There wasn't a mistake," Alexander replied.

"There had to be! I've never met you in my life!"

The assistant shifted uneasily.

Alexander remained expressionless.

"I know."

Emma shoved the papers back into his chest.

"This is insane."

She turned to leave.

"Your mother's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning."

She froze.

Slowly, she looked back over her shoulder.

"...How do you know about my mother?"

Alexander didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he walked toward her until only a step separated them.

"I know she needs fifty thousand dollars."

Emma's heart began pounding.

"I know you've lost your job."

Silence.

"I know you sold your wedding dress less than an hour ago."

Her breathing became uneven.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"I told you."

"I'm Alexander Knight."

"No." Her voice trembled. "I mean... who are you to me?"

For the first time, something unreadable flickered across his face.

"That," he said quietly, "is a much longer story."

A light drizzle began to fall.

People hurried past them, too busy with their own lives to notice the billionaire speaking to a heartbroken waitress.

Alexander removed his suit jacket and held it over Emma's head to shield her from the rain.

She instinctively stepped back.

"I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity."

"What is it?"

"It's practicality."

She frowned.

"If you get sick, the contract becomes inconvenient."

Emma almost laughed.

"So that's what I am?"

"A business inconvenience?"

His jaw tightened.

"You are the solution to a problem."

"And what's your problem?"

"My grandfather."

Emma blinked.

Alexander sighed, as though explaining himself was something he rarely did.

"My grandfather built Knight Global from nothing. Before he died, he left one condition in his will."

"And?"

"I must marry before my thirty-second birthday."

Emma folded her arms.

"So marry your girlfriend."

"I don't have one."

"What about your ex?"

"I don't recycle mistakes."

Despite everything, Emma almost smiled.

Almost.

"So you expect me to believe you searched the entire country and somehow picked me?"

"No."

"I've been looking for you."

Those words hit differently.

Not because of what he said...

But because of how he said it.

With certainty.

As if he'd spent years chasing a ghost.

Emma swallowed.

"Why?"

Alexander's eyes darkened.

"I can't answer that."

"Convenient."

"I'll answer when the time is right."

She shook her head.

"This conversation is over."

She started walking away again.

This time, Alexander didn't stop her.

Instead, he spoke loudly enough for her to hear.

"One year."

Emma kept walking.

"I'll pay for your mother's surgery."

Her footsteps slowed.

"I'll clear every debt in your name."

She stopped.

"I'll buy you a house."

She closed her eyes.

"And when the year is over..."

His voice softened.

"...you'll walk away with ten million dollars."

Emma turned around.

The rain clung to her hair and face.

"Why me?"

Alexander looked at her for a long moment before answering.

"Because despite everything you've lost..."

"...you're still kind."

Emma felt something shift inside her.

No one had noticed that about her in a very long time.

But she couldn't trust him.

Not yet.

"What if I say no?"

Alexander slipped both hands into his pockets.

"Then I'll respect your decision."

He nodded toward the hospital visible in the distance.

"But your mother only has until midnight."

The words struck her like a punch to the chest.

Midnight.

She looked at the hospital.

Then at the crumpled bills still clutched in her hand.

Then back at Alexander.

She hated that he was right.

She hated that she had no options.

Tears filled her eyes.

"You planned this," she whispered.

"No."

"But I knew you'd eventually run out of choices."

For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Emma took a shaky breath.

"I have one condition."

Alexander raised an eyebrow.

"I don't belong to you."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I wouldn't want someone who did."

She extended her hand.

"This is only a contract."

Alexander looked at her hand.

Then took it.

His grip was warm and surprisingly gentle.

"Welcome to the deal, Mrs. Knight."

The instant their hands touched, a black SUV parked across the street.

Inside, a man lowered a pair of binoculars.

He smiled coldly.

"So..."

"They've finally met."

He picked up his phone.

"Tell the boss."

"The girl survived."

"And she's with Alexander Knight."

A long silence followed.

Then came the chilling reply.

"Kill her... before she remembers who she really is."

End of Chapter Two.