Bound to the billionaire

The offer

Amira pov

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, but it did nothing to warm me. Instead, it reminded me that time was running out. Three days. Only three days until the deadline Dr. Miller gave me to pay mom’s medical bills. Every tick of the clock felt like a rope tightening around my chest.

Still, I forced myself to wear a smile. At the café, I greeted customers warmly, refilled cups, and carried trays like I wasn’t falling apart inside. I had learned to hide the panic. If people looked closely enough, they would see the truth in my eyes, but thankfully no one ever did.

When my break finally came, I slipped out, holding onto the little slip of paper where I’d scribbled the loan office address. My hands shook as I typed it into my phone, following the directions until I stood in front of an old office building, its paint chipped, the signboard barely hanging.

I climbed the stairs slowly, each creak of the wooden steps making me doubt my decision. But mom’s face was all I could think about. I had no choice.

At the top floor, I found the office door and knocked lightly before entering. A man in his forties sat behind a desk, his suit wrinkled, his tie hanging loose like he’d stopped caring years ago. His eyes roamed over me in a way that made my skin crawl.

I forced a polite smile and handed him my CV.

He flipped through it lazily, barely glancing at the words before setting it down.

“So, you’re here for the loan?” His voice was greasy, like oil coating every syllable.

“Yes, sir,” I said softly. “I need ten thousand dollars for my mother’s treatment. I promise I’ll pay it back.”

His lips curled into a smirk. “Ten thousand is a lot of money for… someone like you.” His gaze traveled from my shoes to my blouse, making me feel naked. “But I can help you. On one condition.”

My stomach tightened. “What condition?”

He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms like he was enjoying a game. “Spend the night with me, and the loan is yours.”

My throat went dry. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” He chuckled. “Girls like you should be grateful for offers like this. Ten thousand dollars for one night. That’s more than your whole life is worth.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks shame, anger, disgust all tangled together. I stood up immediately.

“I will never do that. I came here to apply for a loan, not to sell myself.”

His smile vanished, replaced with a sneer. “Do you think you have a choice? You’re broke, desperate, and worthless. You’ll never pay this money back otherwise. Look at you your shoes are falling apart. Who do you think you are to say no to me?”

The words stabbed deeper than I wanted to admit. But something inside me snapped. My hand flew before I could stop myself, and I slapped him hard across the face.

“You disgust me,” I hissed.

The man’s expression twisted with rage. He stood suddenly, grabbing my arm with a grip so tight it hurt. “You’ll regret that.” With one swift motion, he tore the collar of my blouse. His hot breath made bile rise in my throat as he pushed me toward the desk.

Panic exploded inside me. My eyes darted around the room, landing on a flower vase at the edge of his desk. Without thinking, I grabbed it and slammed it against his head.

The vase shattered. He crumpled to the ground, blood trickling down the side of his temple. My hands trembled violently, the sound of my heartbeat roaring in my ears.

I didn’t wait to see if he would get up. I ran. My torn blouse clung to me as tears blurred my vision. The hallway was a blur of doors, the stairs too steep, the world spinning. I burst outside into the open street, gasping for air, my sobs spilling out uncontrollably.

I didn’t even notice the man walking toward me until I crashed into him, spilling the coffee cup he held. The hot liquid splashed across his expensive suit.

“I…I’m so sorry!” I stammered, bowing quickly, not daring to look at his face. My eyes were too full of tears, my chest too tight to breathe. I apologized again and again before rushing past him, my legs carrying me as far as they could.

I didn’t care who he was. All I knew was that if I stopped, I would collapse.

Damien pov

I looked down at my ruined suit, the coffee dripping slowly from the fabric. Normally, something like this would have angered me instantly. But I wasn’t looking at the stain I was looking at her.

Her eyes. They were red, swollen from crying, her movements frantic like she was running from demons. She didn’t even see me, not really. She was too lost in her own storm.

And then it hit me.

Her. The girl from Bloom Café. The same one who had served me during that disastrous date with Nina.

I froze, replaying the brief seconds in my head. Her torn blouse. Her trembling hands. The way she had apologized without even meeting my eyes before bolting. Something terrible had happened. I knew it.

“Sir?” John, my assistant, stepped out from behind me, holding the file we’d just picked up from the restaurant meeting.

“Find out who she is,” I ordered sharply, my gaze still fixed on the direction she had run.

John frowned. “Her?”

“Yes.” My voice was lower now, clipped with the seriousness I couldn’t shake off. “I want her full name, where she came from, and what the hell just happened to her i know she works at bloom cafe”

John hesitated only a second before nodding. “Understood.”

As he walked away, I remained standing in the street, the smell of burnt coffee clinging to me.

For reasons I couldn’t explain, I couldn’t stop seeing her face. Broken. Desperate. Running.

And I knew one thing for certain: whoever she was, her story was about to collide with mine.