Contracts of Desire: The Billionaire Romance Collection

Chapter 1: The Lottery.

Nova-

I sat in the hotel suite my parents had booked. It was the first time they had ever come to Delmore to visit me.

My fingers twisted together in my lap, tying themselves into knots. Something felt wrong. Deeply wrong.

“Um…not that I’m not happy to see you all, but why—”

“We need to talk, Nova.”

My mother’s voice sliced clean through my question. I glanced at her, then at my father.

“Is something wrong? Did something happen to grandmother?”

Her eyes widened, irritation flashing.

“What? No. This isn’t about your grandmother. This is about your sister.”

My brows furrowed.

Of course. Everything was always about her.

I leaned back in my chair.

“What about Tanya, Mother?”

My father cleared his throat, speaking next.

“Well…your sister…”

I sat up straight, panic rising in my chest.

“She’s alright, isn’t she?”

“Of course she is,” my mother replied sharply. “She’s fine. And she’ll stay fine—as long as you agree to what we need you to do.”

Confusion washed over me.

“What? What are you—”

“The Pierce family has been entered into the Lottery.”

My eyes widened, shock crashing over me.

What?!

The Lottery system. A program that randomly selected families with unmarried daughters and paired them with men from wealthy, elite families.

It sounded like a dream—on the surface.

But everyone knew the truth.

It was created for men who couldn’t marry into elite families. Men with reputations, with flaws families didn’t want to tie themselves to. Disabled, uncouth, disgraced—men no respectable father would willingly give his daughter to.

Rich throwaways.

And now…my family had been chosen.

My breath hitched.

“Are you saying Tanya is entering the lott—”

“No!”

My mother’s shout cut me off, sharp and immediate.

Now I was even more confused.

“I don’t understand. You said the family was entered. She’s single…doesn’t that mean Tanya—”

“That would only be the case if she were single,” my mother snapped. “Your sister…is getting married.”

“WHAT?!”

The word tore out of me.

Married? To who?

“I’m sorry—wait, what? When the hell did Tanya get enga—”

Before I could finish, the suite door opened.

My brother walked in first, a smug look plastered across his face.

“Hey, hey, little sister. Mom and Dad tell you the good news yet?”

My chest tightened.

What the hell is going on?

Tanya entered next. Her expression was perfectly crafted—fear, worry, guilt. All carefully arranged.

Fake.

“Tanya…” I stood, my voice tightening. “Mom and Dad just told me…what’s going on? Are you getting married?”

She looked at them first, then at me. Tears welled in her eyes.

“Oh, Nova, I’m so sorry! I didn’t have a choice! I swear I didn’t want to do this, but—”

What? Do what?

“Nova! You have to understand!”

My mother’s voice dragged me from my thoughts.

“Understand what?” I demanded. “If Tanya’s getting married, why was our family entered into the Lottery? It only applies to women who aren’t—”

The door opened again.

And my world tilted.

Ethan Adams—my fiancé—walked in.

Guilt was written all over his face.

“Please, Nova,” he said softly. “Please don’t hate me.”

My stomach churned. My knees felt weak.

“Tanya…what’s going on?” I asked, barely able to get the words out. “Who are you marrying?”

Her eyes flickered toward Ethan.

Slowly, my head turned to follow her gaze.

“Nova…this isn’t—”

I yanked my hands away from her and stumbled back until my shoulders hit the wall.

“What the hell is going on?!”

My father spoke, his tone cold and final.

“What has to be done. Your sister…is marrying Ethan.”

I stared at him.

At the man who had never once shown me an ounce of love.

“You’ll forgive my confusion, Father,” I said slowly, my voice dripping with disbelief, “but Ethan is my fiancé. So how exactly is he marrying my sister?”

I turned to Ethan. He couldn’t even meet my eyes.

My mother cut in sharply.

“Your sister cannot enter that lottery! She’s too sensitive, too weak! Those people—”

“So what the hell am I? Disposable?!”

“You’re the youngest!” she snapped. “This is your sister! It’s your responsibility to protect her! She’s too sickly to—”

“Oh my fucking God—enough!”

My voice cracked as I shouted, tears burning in my eyes.

“How long are you all going to use that excuse to justify being shitty parents?! How long am I supposed to live my life catering to the fact that Tanya is a fucking crybaby—”

SLAP!

My mother’s hand struck my face hard.

My head snapped to the side.

“How dare you speak about your sister like that!” she hissed. “Unlike you, Tanya is gentle, soft, caring! She won’t survive one of those brutes—”

“And you think I can?” I shot back. “Or do you just not care?”

For a moment, she hesitated. Guilt flickered in her eyes.

Then it was gone.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffed. “You’ve always been tougher than your sister. After all, you grew up with that woman—”

“You mean your mother.”

The words came out like venom.

My mother had always hated her parents for being poor. No matter how hard they worked to support her—put her through school—it was never enough.

I turned to Ethan, tears streaming freely now.

“How could you?” My voice trembled. “How long?”

He looked at me, shame flickering across his face.

“How long have you been fucking my sister?”

“It’s not like that! It’s just—”

“Just what?!”

“You moved away! You barely come home! Tanya—”

“I moved here for school and work!” I snapped. “Should I apologize for that?! Why the hell did you ask me to marry you if this was going on?! How could you—”

“Can you stop being so selfish?!” he shouted. “Stop trying to make this something dirty!”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Selfish?

“Look,” he continued, defensive now. “You graduated two years before me. It’s not my fault you had to upstage your sister and brother, proving how much smarter you are! Tanya and I…we were friends—”

I started laughing.

Really laughing.

Something in my chest tightened painfully.

So that’s what this is.

My sister and brother had always been my parents’ favorites—but intellectually, they couldn’t even match half of me. And Ethan…

When we were kids, he loved that about me.

“Super-brain,” he’d call me, bragging to everyone about his genius girlfriend.

But over time, admiration turned into resentment.

“You’re always in books!”

None of it mattered, no matter how much I reassured him. How much I loved him.

I just hadn’t realized how deep it had grown.

Ethan wasn’t stupid. He’d excelled in school, made it into a good college and law program. We were supposed to build our future together. He was supposed to move to Delmore with me.

Guess that plan’s over.

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“Well…good for you two,” I said flatly. “Don’t bother sending me an invitation. And as for the Lottery—I’m not entering.”

“You have to!” my father barked. “If you don’t, the family that selects you will see it as a sign of disrespect! They could ruin us!”

I scoffed, my eyes going cold.

“That sounds like a you problem, Father.”

I turned to leave.

“Wait—”

My mother’s voice stopped me.

“What did you say?” I whispered.

She lifted her chin, venom dripping from every word.

“If you don’t agree to this, I’ll pull your grandmother out of the nursing home. She’ll be out on the streets in no time.”

I stared at her.

At the woman who had given birth to me.

“She’s your mother,” I said quietly.

She scoffed.

“Oh, please. You think I care about that? Try me. I’ll do anything to protect my daughter.”

Her daughter.

There it was.

They had never seen me as one.

I was just the backup plan. The sacrifice. The shield for Tanya.

Wiping my tears away, I turned toward the door.

“Nova! I’m not bluffing! I’ll—”

“Oh, I’m sure you’re not, Julia,” I said coldly. “Make the arrangements.”

The room fell silent.

My father stepped forward, a pleased smile tugging at his lips.

“Very good. You’re finally earning your worth. I’ll transfer—”

“Keep your blood money, William.”

And with that, I walked out.

Leaving them behind.

My life—every plan I had, everything I hoped for—

Was over.