The Billionaire's Bargain

~SHARONIt feels like ages since I skipped out of my family’s house, just so I could make my own rules and chase my dreams. It was good for a bit, you know? I didn’t just find my own strength in music and acting, but I also thought I’d found the real deal when it came to love. Sat in the living room of his massive house, I looked at James, the guy I was so into, who, lucky for me, was the top dog at the record company I was signed to. He’d asked me to come over, and I was dying to know what it was about. “Sharon, you can’t do music anymore,” he said, looking down like he was sad.“Come again?” I said, my smile fading. “You know that’s not on, right? James, I have fans now, loads of songs. All I need to do is keep making music, or I’ll just disappear. What are you even saying?” I was so confused.“Come on, babe, don’t you love me anymore? Look, I think it’s time we settled down and had kids. If you keep singing and going on tour, you won’t have time for us. Your songs are safe, trust m

~SHARONGoosebumps ran all over me. How could I give my body to the person who hurt me? “I’m not in the mood,” I mumbled, and he punched me right on the head.I fell on the bed, my skull filled with aches. I tried to get my strength back, but he was still trying to force himself on me. Suddenly, I felt like I was in some battle.Something inside me snapped, and without thinking, I pushed him hard to the floor and ran out of the room.He didn’t give up and chased after me. I knew I was done for if he caught me, so I had no choice but to run from the whole house. I didn’t stop until I was in the middle of nowhere.I stopped to catch my breath, knowing he wasn’t around, and tears ran down my face. “I really can’t do this anymore,” I cried, holding my head where he had punched me.“How could a man who once said he loved me try to hurt me like this?” I thought, when a massive headache hit me. I couldn’t think straight. That punch on my head seemed to be messing me up. I looked at the road

~SHARON“Where are you?” Xavier’s voice was laced with a concern that made my heart flutter. It was as if he genuinely needed me. I told him my location, and within what felt like a heartbeat, a Rolls Royce purred to a stop in front of me. The window glided down, revealing his face. “Come,” he simply said, and I practically dove into the car, hugging him tightly, tears streaming down my face.“Just take me in, Xavier! I wouldn’t even mind being your pet, or even your slave,” I blurted out, the words tumbling from my lips in a rush. Surprise flickered across his features. “What a serendipitous coincidence! I have until tomorrow to find a wife. Will you marry me, Miss Sharon Miles, and become my Mrs.?” He asked, and I sat there, utterly gobsmacked.“Yes, I will!” I replied without hesitation, hugging him even tighter.“Shall we head home now, Master?” A voice cut through the moment, and I realized, with a jolt, that someone else was in the car. I instantly straightened up, feeling a b

~SHARONI did not sleep well that night. Even after I lay down, my mind refused to settle. The room was quiet, the sheets were soft, and nobody came to pound on the door or pull me out of bed, yet sleep stayed far from me. Every small sound made me open my eyes again, and by morning, I felt more tired than rested.When I sat up, my eyes went straight to the folded marriage certificate on the table, and everything returned at once. I was in Xavier Combs’ house, and not just as a guest. I was in my husband’s house. That thought still felt too strange to hold for long.I washed up and stood before the mirror. My face looked better than it had days earlier, but it was not truly fine. The bruises had faded a little, yet they had not disappeared, and my eyes still carried the tiredness of everything I had lived through. I wondered what people would see when they looked at me now. Would they see Xavier Combs’ new wife, remember the singer I used to be, or notice what James had turned me into

~SHARONAfter reading James’s message, I remained standing in the middle of the room, holding my phone so tightly that my fingers began to ache.You think a rich man can hide you from me?The words would not leave my head. It did not matter that I was in a guarded mansion or that Xavier had promised nobody would lay a hand on me. Fear had lived inside me too long, and it would not leave just because the walls around me had changed.I placed the phone on the table and forced myself to breathe slowly. The room was quiet and beautiful, but my body still felt as though danger could rise from anywhere. I looked at the breakfast tray Xavier had asked me to finish and hated that my appetite had vanished. I wanted to eat, but once James’s words found me again, it felt as though my stomach had closed itself.I picked up an apple from the tray and, without thinking, walked to the bedside table and slipped it into the drawer.I froze and stared at the drawer. Some part of me still believed food