TO LOVE OR TO NOT: THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACTED HEIR

“Oh God!”

Cassandra's hands trembled as she gaped at the double lines staring back at her from the display of the PT strip she was clutching. Her breathing hitched as flashes of that night—the blurred lights of the bar, the scent of expensive cologne, and the weight of a man she didn't even know—played on a loop in her mind.

“No, no, no...” She shook her head, her vision blurring as she staggered toward the small sofa in the center of her studio apartment.

The space was cozy. Pothos vines trailed down from the top of the refrigerator, and a collection of succulents crowded the windowsill, soaking up the afternoon sun. The sofa was a soft, sage green, covered in floral throw pillows that usually brought her peace. Now, not so much... Between her small bed tucked into the far corner and the cramped kitchen ahead, the apartment suddenly felt like it was closing in on her.

The heavy thud of the main door swinging open made Cassandra jump. A redhead dashed in, her chest heaving as if she’d run a marathon.

“Hey girl! I came as soon as I got your text…” her voice trailed, her steps halting as she neared Cassandra and her gaze locked onto the plastic strip in Cassandra’s hand.

“Wait a minute? What the hell is that… Is that not a PT strip in your hand, Cassie? Those are double thick lines on it or am I not seeing things right all of a sudden?”

Cassandra could only nod, her eyes glistening with tears.

The redhead blinked. “Whose is it? Is that… yours? It's not… It can't be. I mean, you are like the virgin Mary of our century…?”

“It's mine…” Cassandra's voice was barely above a whisper and the redhead let out a scoff of disbelief. 

“Oh my! I feel so betrayed right now… I am supposed to be your best friend but you lost your v-card and didn't tell me? And you even got pregnant. Wait… when did this even happen?”

Cassandra drew a sharp breath, biting her lower lip. “Nikki, it just kind of happened, okay? It umm, happened a month ago, that night when…”

Her voice trailed, her gaze lowering to the floor as a soft sigh escaped her lips. Nikki's gaze on her softened slightly, a sigh escaping her lips too.

“Oh God! That's right, you did mention going to some bar that night.” A groan escaped Nicole's lips. “Oh my, Cassie, you are a light weight and you know that. When we talked, you promised you were only going to have one drink and then you will head home.”

She crossed her arms, her eyes flashing with an accusatory glint. “You lied to me the next morning. You said you only had one drink and went home like we discussed.” 

“I am sorry, okay?” Cassie slowly raised her head, meeting Nikki's gaze. “I didn't mean to lie to you. I was embarrassed. I got drunk and ended up in bed with some random stranger… How could I tell you that I lost my virginity to some stranger after holding onto it all these years like it was everything…”

Nicole’s anger deflated into a shaky sigh. “Damn it! I shouldn't have been out of the country that day. I couldn't even be there for you…”

“No Nikki, don't be like that.” Cassandra muttered.

A sigh escaped Nikki's lips, and then her gaze on Cassandra became sharper. “But seriously girl, what are you, twelve? I get it, you are not experienced in this area but girl, you at least have the knowledge of how these things work. How couldn't you take preventive measures after?”

Cassandra bit her lower lip again, drawing a sharp shaky breath. “I don't know why it totally escaped my mind… I guess, I just assumed he would have used a condom…”

“Really girl?” Nicole's voice cut through Cassandra's. “You assumed? Well, congratulations to you, your assumption just earned you a front-row seat to a life-ruining disaster!”

“Really? Cassandra eyed her friend. “Nicole Montez, you think a lecture is what I need right now?” she bolted upright from the sofa, her pulse drumming in her ears. “I am freaking out, Nikki! I have no idea what to do!”

“What’s there to think about, Cassie?” Nicole passed Cassandra a look of disbelief. “There’s only one logical way out of this. You get rid of it.”

“No!” Cassandra’s voice cracked. “I can't. That just… it feels wrong.”

“Wrong?” Nicole raised an eyebrow, a dry, humorless chuckle escaping her lips. “What the hell are you even thinking, Cassie?”

She crossed her arms against her chest. “You are just in your second year in college, girl… You have your whole life ahead of you! You think you can afford to give birth to a child and raise it, that's no joke. You of all people should know what it's like to raise a child alone… You were raised by a single parent.”

“Still,” Cassandra argued. “It's a life…”

“I don't know what you want me to say, girl… How are you going to raise the child? You are barely keeping up working multiple jobs to take care of your mother's hospital bills? You think you can handle this, on top of it all?”

Cassandra sighed, rather heavily this time. Her friend Nicole was right… The timing wasn't right. What good was it to bring a child into this world to suffer? 

Every child deserved a complete family… She had grown up without one and she knew how hard it had been. She couldn't pass that onto her child. She just couldn't. 

“Okay,” her voice was barely above a whisper as she turned to Nicole again. “How do I go about this?”

Nicole smiled lightly, reaching a hand out to pat Cassandra's shoulders lightly. “Don't worry your little head about that, my dear friend. We can go right now to my gynaecologist so you can consult with her and book a date to do it… What do you say?”

Cassandra drew a sharp shaky breath, and then nodded slowly. “Fine, I will go change.”

Ten minutes later, the two women stepped out onto the curb. The city air was humid, and the sound of distant traffic hummed in the air. As Cassandra raised a hand to flag a taxi, the screech of tires sliced through the noise.

A sleek, black SUV veered across the lane, slamming to a halt inches from their toes. Before Cassandra could even scream, four men in razor-sharp charcoal suits erupted from the vehicle.

One man shoved Nicole back with a brutal force that sent her sprawling onto the pavement. The others swarmed Cassandra.

“Hey! Let me go!” she shrieked as a pair of iron-strong arms wrapped around her waist, hoisting her off the ground. She kicked and clawed, but it was like fighting a brick wall. They threw her into the back of the van, the door sliding shut with a heavy, final thud.

“Who are you? Where are you taking me?” Cassandra gasped, her heart hammering against her ribs.

No one answered. One of the men simply nodded to another beside her. “It’s a long drive to the estate. Put her under.”

A large hand clamped over her mouth, and a white cloth—sweet and chemical—was pressed hard against her nose.

Cassandra’s eyes went wide as the world began to tilt. 

The green plants in her window were the last thing she thought of before the world tilted and then blurred, and then it all suddenly went dark.