All Chapters of The Billionaire's Temptation: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

MELANIEI was in deep trouble. Glancing down at my wrist watch, I winced at how late it was. I was supposed to meet Trish at Starbucks about forty five minutes ago, but I'd been too engrossed in my writing to remember that we had agreed to meet up for lunch.Increasing my pace and stretching my legs as far as they could go, I tried to think of a good excuse. I could tell her that I'd forgotten but that would just leave her disappointed. In the end, I decided to go with the truth. Trish knew me too well for her to believe any of the stories that I would make up.She was my only friend.I wasn't even kidding. I could count the number of people interacted with in just one hand. See, I wasn't the social type. I wish I could say that it was because of one trauma that I'd passed through to at least excuse my behavior, but sadly it wasn't.I just didn't like people. End of story.Pausing for a few seconds to catch my breath, I pushed the door to the café open and tried to stealthily walk in.

MELANIEToday was one of the rare days that I choose to take a walk in the streets. Sometimes, especially when I'm faced with writer's block, I just lock up my apartment and breeze about, almost always ending up at the central park.The weather was cold, which was expected since rain had only been falling few minutes ago. I tried to walk as composedly as possible in my ankle boots, avoiding tiny pools of muddy water where I could.Tucking my hands in my coat pockets, I breathed in the fresh scent of rain. It was one of the things that I seemed to love.The smell of rain.Probably because my mother and I had a ritual of playing in the rain when I'd been growing up. At least until she was forcefully taken from me by a ghastly accident.I pushed down the lump in my throat, my eyes almost instantly stinging. I'd come home from school and she hadn't been in the house the way she always was just for my sake, even though she was fully employed.My dad had returned home hours later to inform m

MELANIEI narrowed my eyes, wondering why he was headed in my direction. Trish was saying something about how crowded the bar was even though we weren't exactly that late but I wasn't paying her any attention. My blood heated in my veins and I tried to remind myself that he was like any other person I'd come across. There was nothing special about him."Oh my gosh," Trish gushed beside me, gripping my arm like it was a lifeline. I turned my attention to her. Her eyes, smoky with make-up, were rounded and her lips were wide open with surprise. I already knew what had gotten her in such a state of glee. "Damon Trent is coming right this way," She reduced her voice to what I'm sure she thought was a whisper. "And he's staring right at you."I winced when Damon came to stand in front of me right after she had just finished speaking. I had no doubt that he must have heard caught onto her statement. I was going to kill Trish and then burn her dead body one of these days. There was nothing a

MelanieI was a bit reluctant to answer that final question and I wasn't exactly sure why. Shayla had already put me through every single thing that I was apparently supposed to do. I didn't think I was incapable of reason but she must have thought so with the way she had been behaving while trying to prep me.I already told myself that I was not going to take the contest seriously. Why should I? I had no interest in getting married to Damon Trent. And I didn't think that was ever going to change. Then again I've never been one to do something half-baked. If something was worth doing, then to me it was worth doing well.Especially since I could tell that Damon Trent didn't want me here."I guess I could just tell you the answer I'd been prepared to give earlier," I heard myself saying, deciding to be completely honest at the last minute. "But I know that's bull." And Damon would definitely know it too. I raised my shoulder, trying to be casual. My eyes cut to Damon and unsurprisingly,

*Melanie*I stared at my phone, not sure what it was that I was looking at. I had been sent an email about some readjustments in the contest rules. Something about not being in any entanglement or relationship while we were still part of the contest. I wondered if Damon instigated the new rule after what happened the other day at the gym.I had no doubt he probably thought that I was following him. Even I was confused as to how we had managed to live without so much as bumping into each other but now it seemed like it was all it could do. I decided that I was going to add some activity that was going to ensure I got out of the house and the best I had come up with was securing a gym membership.I figured that a gym was probably the most social place I could find where people didn't actually interact and chit chat. Not to mention the annoyingly huge amount that I'd paid was sure to get me out of the house thrice every week.I dropped my phone on my bed and continued with folding my clo