Sign this or someone dies. Lena Brooks thought her biggest problem was choosing between groceries and rent until billionaire Damien Black appeared at her door with a marriage contract and an ultimatum that shattered her world. Now she's trapped in a glittering world, where every smile hides a threat and who to trust is a game on its own. Caught between terror and an attraction she can't deny, Lena will have to uncover the truth to protect the people she loves before it’s too late.
view moreThe cool night, silent and luxurious in the presidential suite.
Caitlin Lewis had a black blindfold over her eyes, her small hands tightly gripping the sheets, filled with tension and anxiety.
The mattress beside her suddenly sank under a heavy weight pressing down.
She could feel the man reaching out, and Caitlin quickly grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t look at my face!”
The man’s deep, magnetic voice spoke, “Don’t you want to know who you’re giving your first time to?”
Caitlin’s heart ached, warm tears spilling out as she shook her head. “I don’t care who you are. You’re my savior, thank you!”
She couldn’t let anyone know who she was!
If word got out that the eldest daughter of the Lewis family had fallen so low as to sell herself for $200,000, how much ridicule would she face?
Giving her most precious self to a stranger, she felt helpless and sorrowful.
But she had no choice. Her mother was lying in a hospital bed, waiting for money to save her life.
If it weren’t for her father’s coldness and her boyfriend’s betrayal—stealing her shares and kicking her out—she wouldn’t have to resort to this.
A faint, seductive scent filled the air.
The girl was clean, and she smelled good!
The man made another request, “I can give you two million, but I want you to have a baby for me. Would you agree?”
With two million, her mother could be saved!
“I agree…”
“Good girl.”
The man curved his lips into a charming smile, leaning in closer.
Eight months later, one night.
Caitlin was jolted awake by the pungent smell of smoke. She opened her eyes to see flames outside the window, long tongues of fire licking through the frame, igniting the curtains.
Fire!
Realizing the danger, Caitlin, with her large belly, struggled to get up and escape the room.
The living room on the first floor was already ablaze, thick smoke billowing. Caitlin covered her mouth and nose, struggling to move forward.
The worst part was, all the doors and windows in the villa were sealed shut. She managed to find the landline phone, but the line had already been cut.
Outside, she could faintly hear familiar voices. “Once her mother dies, my mom will marry into the Lewis family, and Caitlin will probably never know that I’m also a Lewis daughter.”
Her cousin Jasmine was actually her father’s biological daughter?
“Everything that belongs to her is already in your hands. She has nothing now!”
That was Scott Gilbert’s voice?
He stole her shares and conspired with Jasmine?
“Pour more gasoline. Make sure the fire burns brighter. It’s best if she and that bastard in her belly are burned to ashes.”
“She has to die, only then will we be truly safe.”
It was them. They wanted to silence her!
The chaotic footsteps finally faded, leaving only the roaring fire and suffocating smoke.
The flames licked at her skin, and fear consumed her.
Thinking of her mother still lying in the hospital, she couldn’t die…
Caitlin smashed the window glass, shouting desperately for help. “Help… Fire… Help!”
She didn’t know how much time had passed. Lying on the ground, Caitlin could barely breathe.
In that moment of crisis, the villa door was kicked open, and an elderly figure rushed into the inferno. “Miss! Miss!”
“Dominic, I’m here…”
Hearing the old butler’s voice in her despair, Caitlin was moved to tears.
Dominic kicked aside burning furniture, braving the danger to find the nearly suffocating Caitlin. “Miss, hurry, come with me…”
With Dominic’s help, Caitlin cradled her belly as they headed toward the door. Just as they were about to make it out, a beam fell toward Caitlin.
Seeing this, Dominic pushed Caitlin out of the door, taking the blow himself and becoming trapped under the beam.
Caitlin crawled up from the ground, turning to see Dominic engulfed in flames.
Tears overflowed from her eyes as she cried out in agony, “Dominic! Dominic…”
“Run, Miss… Go as far as you can… Never come back…”
“Dominic…”
Caitlin’s eyes were bloodshot, the flames devouring everything, leaving nothing but a burning inferno.
*
Half a month later, in the 59th-floor office of Vanderbilt Enterprises Group.
Sebastian Vanderbilt was dealing with work when his assistant, Xavi, rushed in to report, “Mr. Vanderbilt, our people found a premature newborn at the gate of the villa.”
“What?”
No one else knew the villa’s address, only that girl. Realizing what it meant, Sebastian stood up abruptly. “Where is the baby now?”
“The baby is very weak and sick. I’ve already sent him to the hospital for treatment.”
“To the hospital!”
In the hospital’s incubator, Sebastian saw a baby boy, tiny and delicate, so small and adorable. The moment he saw the baby’s face, his heart softened.
Though the baby was small, his features bore a slight resemblance to Sebastian’s. There was no doubt this was his son.
He had paid two million to have that woman, Camellia, bear him a child, and she had fulfilled her promise!
Thinking of this, Sebastian immediately instructed Xavi, “Go, I need to know where the baby’s mother is now. Bring her here.”
“Yes, sir!”
Xavi led a team to search, and three days later, he returned with a report. “Sir, we’ve searched all over New York, but we couldn’t find a woman named Camellia. We even checked every maternity ward, but there’s no record that matches.”
“Keep looking. I must find that woman!”
Sebastian’s brow furrowed deeply. Where had she gone after giving birth to his child?
I woke to voices drifting through the hallway. Sunlight streamed through the windows, and for a disorienting moment I forgot where I was. Then reality crashed back: the penthouse, the contract, the man who'd upended my life with a marriage document.I fumbled for my phone. 8:57 AM. Three missed calls from work and a text that made my stomach plummet.Lena, consider this your final notice. Don't bother coming in. We'll mail your final check. - RichardFired.I wasn't surprised. Of course. Not with everything that had happened. But still the text hit me harder than I'd expected.Even though I'd hated my job. I mean it had barely paid the bills, and my boss was an ass. Still, it was a part of my life. Another piece that was now gone.A soft knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts. "Mrs. Black?" The voice was crisp, professional, touched with a slight British accent. "I'm Mrs. Carrow. Mr. Black asked me to assist you this morning."I pulled on my robe, fingers fumbling with the belt, and o
My phone buzzed with another text from that same unknown number: Car downstairs. You have five minutes.That was it. No pleasantries, just another command delivered with the same cold efficiency that seemed to define everything about him.I looked around my apartment one last time, my fingers trailing along the chipped counter where I'd eaten countless meals alone. At the peeling paint I'd grown used to, the stack of unpaid bills that would no longer matter, the crossword puzzle still lying unfinished on my table.Twenty-six years of life, and it all fit into two suitcases and a cardboard box.I touched the locket at my throat. It was my mother's silver heart, now warm against my skin. Whatever came next, I'd carry this piece of her with me.The car waiting outside was sleek, black, expensive. The driver took my bags without a word, his movements precise and militant. I settled into leather seats that probably cost more than my entire salary, feeling like an imposter in someone else's
I'd barely slept.The package sat on my nightstand like a ticking bomb, wrapped in innocent brown paper that gave no hint of its contents or importance. Every time I'd closed my eyes, I saw Damien's face. Those cold, merciless eyes that had looked at me like I was already dead if I failed to comply.At 7:30 am, I stood in my tiny bathroom, staring at my reflection. Dark circles shadowed my eyes, and my hands still trembled slightly as I brushed my teeth. In twelve hours, my entire life had been upended by a man who spoke in commands and owned people like they belonged on chessboards.At 8:15, my phone buzzed. A text from my boss, Richard. Where are you? The Jameson files need to be processed by 10 AM!My stomach fell. I was usually at work by now, deep within the mundane world of insurance claims and deadlines. But now…I typed back: Family emergency. Will be in soon.It wasn't entirely a lie. My family, Alex and Mara, were in danger. That made this an emergency, even if Richard would
Damien Black stepped into my apartment and suddenly the cramped space felt even smaller. His dark eyes swept over the peeling walls and scattered bills with detached assessment before settling on me.I stumbled backward, my back hitting the kitchen counter. My pulse hammered so violently I was sure he could hear it. Up close, he was devastating in a way the magazines hadn't captured.Six-foot-five of controlled danger wrapped in a suit that probably cost more than I made in a year. Every line of his body radiated money and power and the kind of authority that had never been questioned.His gaze dropped to the contract scattered across my floor."You read it.""I—" The words barely made it past my constricted throat. "I — I — Don’t understand. ”“What don’t you understand?”“Why are you threatening me?”Those dark eyes held mine, studying me until I had to resist the urge to fidget under the weight of his attention. "Sign it.”"Sign it?" My voice cracked on the word. "You're threatenin
My apartment was barely standing.The paint was peeling, the kitchen faucet dripped constantly, and I had bills stacked like a paper fortress on my tiny counter. I shoved the last envelope onto the pile without opening it. Probably another rejection letter from the design firms that had been ignoring my portfolio for months.After the fifteenth, "thank you for your interest, but..." I'd learned to expect disappointment.Still, each letter felt like another door slamming shut on the life I'd dreamed of building.Interior design had been my passion since I was twelve. I was always sketching room layouts on napkins and trying to rearrange the furniture in our cramped childhood home, which annoyed my mother to no end.Now those dreams lived in sketch pads buried beneath student loan statements, gathering dust along with my hope of ever escaping the endless cycle of dead-end admin jobs.Beside the bills lay my half-finished crossword, clues scribbled in my messy handwriting.Ancient Roman
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