Billionaire Daredevil In Love

NADINE.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Perhaps there was a light at the end of that tunnel, even if only a glimmer of hope. Clayton’s tone as he spoke was ambiguous, not rich with promises or buoyant; it was just vague. I watched him as he left the room, leaving me to wallow in the uncertainty of what was to come. I fell on the bed, twiddling my fingers, hoping he would come back soon with his lawyer or whoever, and we could get it over with. All I wanted was for Anna to be okay, nothing more. I collapsed on the bed, and before long, I fell asleep.

The sound of the door clicking woke me up the next morning. Thinking it was the butler, I slowly sat up. But instead, an unfamiliar man with severe demeanor walked in, trailed by Clayton. I felt my heart pound.

“This is it,” I said to myself.

“Good morning, Nadine,” Clayton said.

“Good morning,” I said, surprised by his sudden propriety.

“This is my lawyer,” he explained, pointing to the man who stood still nearby. “He already has the papers ready, and all you have to do is sign.”

“Just like that?” I asked, too shocked to believe it was true.

“Just like that,” he said, nodding. His voice was surprisingly gentle, nothing more than a few octaves above a whisper.

“And you’ll get the money for Anna?” I asked.

“Oh, please, Nadine,” he raised his voice. “Stop this shit. An agreement is a fucking agreement.”

“I need to know that I’m not signing anything without getting what I asked for,” I said. “I don’t exactly trust you, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be fucking stupid, bitch,” he said. “It’s all in the paperwork. Hand it to her.”

The lawyer walked to my side and handed me the papers. I read through it and saw that it was just as he had stated, just as he had agreed. If I signed, Anna would get sixty thousand dollars immediately. The marriage was supposed to last for a total of five years.

“How are you going to get it to her, though?” I asked one final question as I took the pen from the lawyer.

“Once you sign it, I’ll get some men to take the money over to the hospital or wherever she is and hand her the cash,” he said convincingly.

I nodded, then put my signature on the dotted lines.

“Done,” I said as I handed the papers to the lawyer.

“Good, your sister, Anna or whatever, will get the money,” he said and turned to leave.

I didn’t know whether to say “thank you,” or ignore him. I did not understand what was going to happen now. If I was to be released and made a part of his house, or just live as before until the six months elapsed, which would have been in a few weeks.

“And prepare yourself for your matrimonial duties,” he said as he shut the door.

I got a bottle of water from the refrigerator and sank into the chair. A part of me was relieved, but another part was turbulent with the possibility of what was to happen.

CLAYTON.

I called Trent and invited him over to the house.

“I have something for you to help me with, man,” I told him.

“What, you want another chick?” He said, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “You know, I saw this fine one yesterday, and she-”

“Trent, please,” I said, stopping him. “That’s not what I want. That’s not what I called you for.”

“Okay,” he said. “What, then?”

“I need you to go to the central hospital and give some cash to a girl there with cancer?” I said. “I would have sent a bunch of guys over there, but I trust you more. Besides, it’s a hospital, and I want someone that looks presentable.”

“Okay?” He said, puzzled. “And do you know this person?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” I told him. “It’s Nadine’s sister.”

“And since when did you start giving help to the likes of Nadine,” he said. “Don’t you still have her in the basement?”

“I still do,” I said. “But I hatched a new plan. I had her sign an agreement for a contract marriage.”

“What?!?!” He said. “What in the world of bad ideas is that? So, what? She’s your lawfully wedded wife now?”

“Kind of,” I said with a shrug.

“This is stupid, Clayton,” he said. “Why are you marrying someone you hate?”

“It’s not stupid, Trent,” I said. “Look, she hates me as much as I do her, so this is a form of punishment. If she hates me, what do you think is the last thing she’ll want?”

“Erm, I don’t know,” he said.

“Live with me,” I said. “Be my wife, and be constrained by wifely responsibilities to be around me at all times.”

“Jesus Christ,” he said. “You’re an evil genius!”

I nodded, laughing gently to myself.

“But it’s only a contract, right?” He said. “I mean, it’s just to make her miserable.”

“Of course,” I said.

He took the cash from me and went straight to the hospital. About an hour and a half later, he called me and told me he had dropped the cash with the patient’s guardian, and I smiled to myself.

NADINE.

The butler burst into the room.

“My phone has been ringing,” he said. “You have a call.”

“Oh, my God, Nadine, you won’t believe what just happened,” Naomi’s voice shot into my ear as soon I picked.

“What?” I asked excitedly, knowing what she was about to say.

“Some random guy came around and dropped a bundle of money,” she said. “Seventy thousand dollars, Nadine. Seventy! That’s ten thousand more dollars than we need.”

“Great,” I said. “The money has been delivered.”

“Ohh, you knew about it?” She asked.

“Yes, it’s from Clayton,” she said.

After we hung up, I descended into melancholy. I was happy my sister was going to get her treatment, but I was worried about the next five years.