Chapter 1

“Mr. Norwig will see you now,” the secretary said with another sneer, and Mia kissed Ellen's picture on her phone for courage. This was a do-or-die affair, and she was too young to die. 

She entered the office and was instantly met with a feeling of deja vu. Lucas Norwig, young entrepreneur and CEO of NK Enterprises, looked up at her with a small smile. The pictures really didn’t do him justice. 

On the internet, he was always this calm and collected gentle giant with dark eyes and brown curls. In reality, his hair looked disorganized, like has been scattering them for the entire day. His office table also looked unarranged as if a heavy wind had blown off some papers and files.

“How can I be of help to you?” Lucas uttered, but being reminded of why she was there, she walked closer to the table.

Two systems were active in front of him and he was obviously working on them. She swallowed again, glad his attention was not on her. 

She’d been waiting outside for the past five hours and her mission still felt so...

His chair dragged against the floor as he stood up suddenly, facing her curiously. “I was told you’ve been waiting for hours. It must be really important.”

Mia averted her gaze, sitting down when he motioned at a chair, and then standing up immediately. He leaned against his table as he watched her.

“I need your help,” she dragged out of her dry throat.

He stared back, not saying a word. After what seemed like ages, he nodded and motioned to the chair again. She sat down reluctantly and he came to sit opposite her, his sharp gaze not leaving her face.

“Why don’t we start at the beginning?” he asked seriously. “What’s your name?”

Mia was dumbfounded for a minute, not expecting that. She’d assumed that he wouldn’t give her the time of day, and yet here he was, asking for her name.

“Mia Roseford,” she said and he nodded. That gave her a pause and she stared at him again. He was acting as if they were familiar.

“Do you know me?” She blurted out and he chuckled, his voice like gravel.

“How can I help you, Ms. Roseford?” he asked instead. “You said you needed my help.”

Mia swallowed nervously. This was it. She needed to sell it. Ellen’s life depended on her, literally.

She took a deep breath, removing any iota of doubt or guilt. “My name is Mia Roseford, and I’m a journalist. I came upon a news item you'd like to have buried and I’d like to keep it buried, for a price.”

He stared at her without blinking for long seconds before he stood up all of a sudden. She flinched, slamming her hand to her chest and secretly turning on the camera on her shirt. But he didn’t move closer to her; instead, he walked back to his table and typed something on his computer.

Mia felt a sense of unease, so she followed him. Her voice started losing strength when she saw her picture appear on the monitor “What are you doing?” She asked. He turned and with narrowed eyes stared at her.

“Mia Roseford, age 24, born to Lacey and Eddie Roseford, both deceased, placed in foster homes from the age of 8, aged out of the system and disappeared from public view. Showed up again at the age of ...”

“Stop,” she cried. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“I’m trying to tell you, Ms. Roseford, that anything incriminating you found on me was placed there deliberately. I’m much too informed to have a secret out there that someone like you can gain access to.”

“Like seriously?” She asked while cleaning off the tears from her eyes. She did not even realize the reason for her tears. “So you don’t mind people knowing about the incident 9 years ago? The one that sent your father to jail and suddenly started the start of your rise in fame?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked quietly, but she flinched at her words.

Mia shrugged. “It’s fine. Since you don’t mind, I’ll just go ahead and release it to the media. I’m sure people would love to know their darling billionaire better.”

She walked out of the office in a rush, the door slamming behind her and effectively startling the secretary. 

She’d been pacing at her front for hours but hadn’t managed to get her name. That was her fault. No wonder she was mad.

Behind her, she heard the door open again before his voice growled, “Mia, come here, let’s talk.”

She stopped but remained with her back to him. “Ms. Roseford,” he called again and she heaved a sigh before turning back. His fists were clenched beside him, and if looks could kill, she’d be six feet under. His secretary stared at them curiously as Mia trudged back into the office, the door slamming shut behind her.

“Who are you?” he asked immediately.

“You’re not the only one that knows your way around security systems, Mr. Norwig,” she answered and his lips tightened as he went back to sit down. 

She remained by the door and waited for him. 

Eventually, the question she wanted came.

“What do you want?” he said in a low voice.

Mia went back to sit opposite him.

“10 million dollars,” she said immediately, feeling hope for the first time in years.

He scoffed, muttering “Typical” under his breath.

Mia breathed in, leaning forward even if she still wanted to be anywhere but there. She could no longer get rid of the guilt. She was on the verge of ruining someone’s peace just to ensure her own. 

She closed her eyes and remembered the way she’d left Ellen in the hospital, the pipes sticking out of her and the drones of the machines she could never get out of her ear. She couldn’t afford to feel emotions yet.

“It's only 10 million dollars that I need from you,” She responded. “I will not disturb you again and this is going to be the last time you will ever see my face again.”

His eyes were constantly focused on her face as she kept slapping her long fingers against her lap. If he didn’t answer her, there was little she could do. Because even if she exposed him, they’d both come out on the losing end, one of them worse than the other.

“Fine,” he growled and Mia breathed a sigh of relief. Too early it seemed,

because the next words that came out of his mouth were “On one condition.”