All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Bargain: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I stare at Hailey for a few seconds before returning my focus to the dough I'm kneading. "Are you crazy?""No, I'm not. It's you who would be crazy to reject the chairwoman's offer.""What the hell are you even talking about, Hailey? I've never even met the woman's son.""What does it matter?""What doesn't it?"Before Hailey can respond, Alfredo, the head chef with a temper issue directs a string of Italian gibberish my way while flailing his hands. I know he's talking to me about hurrying up with the dough but I intentionally ignore him. Hailey walks to the sink to wash her hands and help me cut the dough into small sizes. Usually, there are three assistant chefs in the kitchen but Callum called in sick this morning and yet another employee who couldn't stand Alfredo's terrible temper quit yesterday. If Alfredo wasn't such a great chef, I'd probably hate him too but in truth, I am actually fond of him. As we cut the dough into pizza sizes, Hailey picks up the conversation."Natalie,

The first thing I see when I open my eyes is a huge pair of eyes staring closely into mine. Drawing air into my lungs, I let out a loud scream and flail my hands at my supposed attacker."Oh, just shut the hell up!" Brandon's exasperated command causes me to cease screaming. My breathing is ragged as I try to sit up on the feather-soft bed I lay on."What is wrong with you?" He asks."What?""First, you faint right after I kiss you. Now, you open your eyes to the sight of me and the first thing you do is scream. What exactly is wrong with you, tell me."He places a leg on the bedside chair as he waits for me to respond."Water""What?""I need water," I say with a raspy voice.With anger evident in his every movement, Brandon pulls a switch behind me and a maid scurries inside."Get the lady some water," he says and has the maid scurrying back out. She comes back in with a glass of water which I accept and smile kindly at her. Thank God I don't have to live like this, I think. All my

With my breath hitched in my throat, I slowly unwrap my arms from around Brandon's waist. His tone is icy enough to chill me to the marrow. My face takes on a look of genuine confusion when I see the utter disgust on his face.He takes a few steps back and crosses his arms over his chest. "I don't need you to be the sort of wife that I deserve, Natalie. I only need you to keep to your end of the bargain."My mouth hangs open. What is wrong with this man? Here I am feeling sad for him and his auto response is disrespect? Trying hard to shove down the embarrassment that I feel, I count to five in my head and head to the bathroom. Better to remember that Brandon went through a childhood that shaped him into a hard man.I turn on the shower and let the water flow. Now that I know how Brandon's childhood was, I can understand why he is so hard wrung. Of course, I can't let him know that I know. If he suspects that I pity him, he is bound to become defensive and push me further away.When I

With my hand still resting lightly on Robin's arm, I swallow before turning to face Brandon fully. What is he even doing here? I try to form words but I am unable to. It's not like I have anything to be scared of or to feel guilty for but I still find myself taking a step back from Brandon's menacing stare. "Come on, wife. Silence is no way to greet your husband. Especially in front of a stranger. I wonder, does he know that you are married?" My eyes dart frantically to where Hailey was but I can't find her. The realization of what this situation looks like suddenly hits me. But hey, Brandon is a rational man, isn't he? Surely he'll understand that I couldn't possibly be out here cheating on him less than a week after our wedding. "Hi, Brandon. What are you doing here?" I ask in a squeaky voice that I do not recognize as mine. He looks me up and down with a smirk plastered on his face. "I own the place, Natalie. Now, how about you introduce me to your friend here." His smirk ta

Brandon's plan worked perfectly. Like he said, we gave the press something to chew on. Our pictures are splashed all over magazines and people actually believe that there is love or at least between us. I mean, who wouldn't? I watched the video too, and what I saw left me embarrassed. Brandon and I looked like a couple head over heels in love, and me? The video showed my knees buckling after the kiss, and Brandon's arm steadying me. I was looking up at him like a lovesick puppy! Lovesick? I mean, I don't even like the man! For several days after, Brandon and I continue to avoid each other. Of course, I know why he's been keeping his distance. He thought that the kiss might have stirred up emotions in me that are best left unstirred. But I'm not a child. I don't need someone to make assumptions about what I feel and what I do not. Whatever reaction I had that day was an in the moment thing. I could never fall in love with Brandon. As the days go by, I feel my anger continue to build.