All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACT: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The hospital bill in my hands shook.$47,382. Past due.My little brother's surgery was scheduled for Friday. And if I didn’t pay by then, they’d cancel it.I pressed the paper to my forehead and closed my eyes. Mom was crying in the kitchen. Again. Dad lost his job 3 months ago. And I? I was a waitress making $12 an hour.There was no way.My phone buzzed. Unknown number."Miss Ali Carter?" A cold, deep voice. "This is Mr. Damian Cole’s assistant. He would like to meet you. Tonight. 8PM. The Cole Tower Penthouse."I frowned. "You have the wrong person.""We don’t make mistakes, Miss Carter. A car will pick you up at 7:30. Don’t be late."Click.Damian Cole. The name hit like ice. 32 years old. CEO of Cole Enterprises. Net worth $8.2 Billion. The most ruthless man in New York. And also... my ex-boss’s son. The man who fired me last week for being "5 minutes late" because my brother was in the ER.Why did he want me?I should have thrown the phone away. I should have blocked the num

Monday morning. 7AM.I woke up in silk sheets and panic.This wasn’t my bed. This wasn’t my life.My phone had 3 missed calls from the hospital. "Miss Carter, we received the payment. Your brother’s surgery is confirmed for Friday 9AM."I cried into my pillow. Happy tears. For the first time in months.Then my door opened. No knock.Damian stood there in a suit. Hair perfect. Face blank."Breakfast. 10 minutes. Don’t be late."He closed the door.---The dining room was bigger than my kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Damian was already eating. Reading something on a tablet."Good morning," I said quietly.He didn’t look up. "Sit."The housekeeper put eggs and coffee in front of me. I didn’t know her name."Thank you," I whispered to her.She smiled. Damian didn’t."Today," he said, still reading. "Charity gala. 8PM. Wear the red dress. Be there by 7:30.""Okay.""You’ll stand next to me. Smile. Answer questions as 'Mrs. Cole'. Then we leave.""Got it."Silence. Just the sound of h

9AM. St. Michael’s Hospital.I couldn’t breathe.Leo was in the OR. Lights on. "Surgery in Progress" sign.Mom was praying in the corner. Dad was holding her hand. And me? I was staring at the doors like if I blinked, something would go wrong.The elevator dinged.Damian walked in.In a suit. At a hospital. With coffee.He didn’t say anything. Just sat in the chair next to me."You didn’t have to come.""I know." He set the coffee in my lap. "Drink."We sat in silence for 3 hours.His phone buzzed 20 times. He ignored all of them."Are you scared?" he asked suddenly."Terrified.""Me too."I looked at him. "You? What are you scared of?""Losing control." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don’t do... this. Waiting. Hoping."The doors opened. The surgeon walked out.My heart stopped."Family of Leo Carter?"We all stood."Surgery was successful. He’s in recovery. He did great."I collapsed. Sobbing.Mom screamed. Dad cried.And Damian? His hand found mine. Squeezed. Hard.For real. N

The next morning I woke up alone.Damian’s side of the bed was cold.There was a note on the nightstand:[Meeting at 8AM. Don’t wait up. - D]My heart sank. Was last night just... a moment?My phone buzzed. Again.[Unknown]: Meet me at La Rose Cafe. 2PM. We need to talk.- SSophia.---2PM. La Rose Cafe.She was already there. Perfect blonde hair. Red dress. $10K bag.Sophia Cole. Damian’s ex-fiancée."Ali Carter," she said, sipping wine at 2PM. "The charity case."I sat down. "What do you want, Sophia?""To warn you." She leaned in. "Damian doesn’t do love. He does contracts. Deals. And you? You’re just his latest PR stunt."My hands shook under the table."He paid me $5 million for my brother’s surgery.""Exactly." She laughed. "See? Transaction. In 6 months he’ll get bored and pay you to leave.""Why do you care?""Because I was supposed to be Mrs. Cole." Her eyes were cold. "Not some broke waitress."Before I could answer, the cafe door opened.Damian.In a suit. Looking furious.

6:03 AM. My phone wouldn’t stop vibrating. I reached for it on Damian’s nightstand. 17 missed calls. Mom. My best friend. A number I didn’t know. Then I saw the notifications. **BREAKING: BILLIONAIRE DAMIAN COLE’S SECRET MARRIAGE EXPOSED** **EXCLUSIVE: $300,000 CONTRACT LEAKED ONLINE** **WHO IS ALI CARTER? GOLD DIGGER OR VICTIM?** Attached was a photo. Our contract. My shaky signature on page 4. Damian’s signature on page 5. The amount circled in red. My stomach dropped. "Damian?" My voice cracked. He wasn’t in bed. I found him in the living room. Suit on. Hair messy. Three phones on the coffee table, all ringing. "Find her," he said into one phone, voice like ice. "I don’t care what it takes. Find who leaked this." He hung up and saw me. "Don’t read the comments," he said. "It’s too late." I held up my phone. "Everyone has read them." He crossed the room in two steps and pulled me into his arms. "I’m sorry. This is my fault." "Whose fault is it really?" His jaw tigh