Chapter 4: A Billionaire's Bargain

Emily POV

I should have known there would be a catch. Men like Cade Callaghan never gave anything for free. He didn’t play fair — he played dirty, as long as it benefited him.

“What exactly do you want in exchange for giving us a second chance?” I asked, my voice cautious.

“You heard my conversation with my mother, didn’t you?”

“Not all of it,” I replied.

He didn’t look convinced, so I added, “Fine. I heard enough to understand you have someone you love and plan to marry.”

Cade smiled, clearly amused. “Just like I fooled my mother, I fooled you too?”

“So you don’t actually love anyone?”

“I don’t believe in love, Miss Wilburn. I never have, and I doubt I ever will.”

“Then why lie to your mother?”

He walked over to his desk and leaned against it, crossing his arms. “My mother divorced my father and married James Drake. He took me in and treated me like his own son. Years ago, he did me an enormous favor — one I can never fully repay. I never expected he would demand something in return.”

“What does he want?” I asked.

“He has a daughter, Isabel Drake. We grew up together. I’ve always seen her as the little sister I never had. But James wants me to marry her. While I was still living on the island, they pressured me into getting engaged. I agreed to the engagement to buy time, but now they’re pushing for marriage. That’s where I draw the line.”

Cade’s expression darkened. “A business emergency forced me back to the city three years ago. I haven’t returned to the island since. Today’s call was my mother demanding I come back and finally marry Isabel. I have no intention of doing that.”

“So you lied and told her you’re in love with someone else,” I said slowly.

“Not entirely a lie anymore,” he replied, his gaze locking onto mine with unsettling intensity. “I need someone to pretend to be my fiancée. Someone who will come with me to the island, live with me, and help me convince my family that I’m better off without Isabel.”

The silence stretched between us.

“And what does this have to do with me?” I asked, already dreading the answer.

“You,” he said simply. “You will do perfectly.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “What?”

“I’d rather have you as my pretend fiancée than anyone else. You need the contract. I need a convincing bride. It’s a win-win. Play along nicely, and I’ll not only give your agency this contract — I may throw more your way.” A smug, sheepish grin crossed his face.

I stared at him in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”

“Deadly serious.”

“No.” I stood up abruptly. “Not in your lifetime.”

“You would really turn this down?” His voice was dangerously calm.

“Absolutely. I won’t let myself get dragged into your crazy scheme. If you don’t want to marry Isabel, just tell your family the truth. Why lie and drag someone else into your mess?”

“You’re not here to lecture me, Emily. Just say yes or no.”

“No,” I snapped. “I’m not doing it. Go find one of those brunettes you probably have on speed dial. They’d jump at the chance.”

I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, but Cade moved faster. He pressed his back against it, blocking my exit.

“You’re really throwing away this opportunity?” he asked, his voice low.

“If it involves lying and being close to you, then yes.”

“What’s so bad about being close to me?” He tilted his head, studying me. “What do you really think of me, Miss Wilburn?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Try me.”

I met his gaze without flinching. “You’re arrogant, entitled, and manipulative. And that’s just from our first two meetings. I don’t need to know more.”

His jaw tightened. “You’ll regret walking away from this.”

“I won’t. Good luck finding a girl willing to play your dirty little game. And if you can’t find a willing bimbo, call me — I know a guy who deals in them.”

“Get out of my office!” he roared.

I smiled sweetly. “Gladly. Goodbye, Mr. Callaghan.”

I walked out without looking back.

By the time I returned to the agency, Rose was pacing her office like a caged animal.

“What happened?” she demanded. “You said you’d handle it!”

“I tried. I went to his office and everything. He still refused.”

“This can’t be happening,” Rose muttered, running her hands through her hair. “He was our only hope.”

“There are other companies—”

“No one wants a small, unproven agency like ours!” she shouted. “We need the Callaghan contract or we’re finished. I’ll have to declare bankruptcy.”

My stomach twisted. “Bankruptcy?”

“I borrowed a lot of money to keep us afloat. That contract was supposed to save us.” Her eyes hardened as she looked at me. “You owe me, Emily.”

“Rose…”

“Have you forgotten I paid your mother’s hospital bills when she was sick? You still haven’t paid me back. I want that money tomorrow.”

“But you said I could take my time—”

“Plans change,” she snapped. “Either get me the Callaghan contract or repay every cent by tomorrow. You know how I am about debts. Don’t test me.”

“You’re being cruel,” I whispered.

“Life is cruel. Now fix this.”

I left her office in a daze, anger and panic swirling inside me.

When I got home, my mom greeted me with a warm smile. “You’re back early, sweetheart.”

“We got off early,” I lied, forcing a smile as I removed my coat.

“You look worried. Is everything okay?”

“It’s nothing, Mom. Just tired.”

I escaped to my room before she could ask more questions.

Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling, heart heavy.

I couldn’t involve my mom — she was still recovering. And I didn’t have that kind of money sitting around.

So now I had two terrible choices: accept Cade’s insane fake fiancée deal… or watch my boss destroy me and my family financially.

What am I going to do?

Sleep eventually claimed me, but even in my dreams, Cade Callaghan’s smug face haunted me.