A Deal With The Billionaire

CHAPTER 2ROSE'S POVWhen I woke up, my body jolted like I’d been struck by lightning. My head pounded, and I shot up, glancing around the unfamiliar room."Where am I?" I demanded, my voice hoarse. Damien Sterling’s voice was infuriatingly calm. “You’re awake. Good. Now, calm down.”"Don’t tell me to calm down!" I shot back, glaring at him. He sat across from me, annoyingly composed, like he hadn’t just knocked me out minutes ago. “ Let’s start with this: who is the girl in the picture to you?”I hesitated, weighing my options. But what was the point of lying? He’d already caught me red-handed. “She’s my sister,” I said through clenched teeth.Damien’s brows lifted slightly, the first sign of genuine surprise I’d seen from him. “Your sister?”“Yes. Now answer my question—where is she?” My hands balled into fists.He leaned back, studying me like I was some sort of puzzle. “Interesting. I didn’t know she had a sister.”“You’re dodging the question!” I snapped.“And you’re too loud,”

CHAPTER 4Rose’s POV"You did well today. Although, I'll advise you to take a quick course in theater arts. You have an untapped talent right there."My chest burned with rage, fury rattled my bones, and my temper whistled like a boiling kettle. "You can't be serious. You just took me out to that battlefield without my consent."He began to take off his wristwatch and wrist cuffs. "But you did consent."I raised a brow. "In ten seconds? And now, you're acting like...I'm not sleeping in the same room with you!"If he thinks I would keep doing this with him after tonight, he must be extremely delusional. How could I forget my life back out there just to play trophy wife for some brooding billionaire? I'm sure he wouldn't look at me twice on a random Tuesday. I'm just some toy to be played with by him because he has money."Listen up, Rose," he said, saying my name like he was chanting a spell. "There are forces out there controlling everything that you don't know about. People in higher

CHAPTER 6Rose’s POVOne of the women, in her mid-fifties with all-grey hair styled in an elegant chignon, answered, her voice even lower. "Her name is Seraphina. She is a part of the Duval family, an heiress, that is. Their family is so powerful they have the vice president in their pocket.""I even heard," another woman, a bit younger with grey streaks in her full, long brown hair, began, "the Duval family once rivaled the Sterling. But with Damien now in charge, they lost. Since then, they had been looking for ways to merge the family by getting her married to him."They seemed to enjoy the interaction, but I didn't. The more I heard, the more I realized I was in a bigger problem than I thought I was.Damien was right. There were bigger forces at play. I grabbed a flute of a drink I didn't know and took a sip. It burned, but that was exactly what I needed. As I was still disconnected, staring into nothing, I heard someone talk through the microphone.When I looked up, it was Damien

CHAPTER 8Rose’s POVNow, that was a slap to the face. I was so furious I felt like I would explode. Yet, no words came out of my mouth. I just stood there like an idiot, too embarrassed to even move. She just called me a harlot. Have they not seen the news?For the first time, I was tempted to gloat."I'm going to give you one last chance..." I checked the golden inscription on her chest: "...Sophia. Apologize right now, or I'll report you to Damien."The girls laughed and began to call the attention of everyone in the lobby. Sophia grabbed a mic and spoke into it."Everyone, take a look at this slut who is trying to stick to Mr. Sterling for his money. The only woman who could ever try and succeed is Miss Seraphina, and even she failed to get him to put a ring on it." She tutted. "I'd stop trying if I were you."The entire lobby cracked up, laughing at me like I was a joke. My ankles wobbled, and my confidence dropped. Coming here was a mistake. Tears laced my eyes, threatening to fa

CHAPTER 10Rose’s POVThis time, it was a picture of me and Damien in the elevator. His hand was on my waist, his lips brushing mine, and the shock on my face was so visible I realized the angle was too close and personal. Whoever took this had to be inside the building. Maybe even on the same floor.Beneath the image, the message read:"Go to the company’s store. It's two doors down. Now."I swallowed hard, staring at the text until the letters blurred. This was different and more dangerous. Whoever this was, wasn’t just watching me. They were close.My feet moved before my brain could stop them. In no time, I was out of the bathroom, down the corridor, and into the storeroom tucked at the corner of the floor.The place smelled of dust and chemicals. Rows of shelves lined the walls, stacked with files that had collected dust and cobwebs over time, broken equipment, and abandoned projects. A single table sat in the middle, and on it lay an old book, leather-bound and faded, its edges e