The Billionaire's Secret Desires

Veronica

I glanced around my apartment and realized I had sold everything of value. I had even sold my favorite mat to raise money for my family.

The past few months had been hell for me. I was trying to raise two thousand dollars, stop my crumbling bookshop from closing down and keep my mental health in check.

My phone rang, and I rushed to pick up the call. I had applied for a bank loan and was only hoping they were calling to let me know they had approved it.

"Hello, Miss Veronica. I am informing you that the loan you applied for was unapproved. Your credit card score is too low for this loan. We apologize for any inconvenience."

I threw my phone on the sofa and screamed in frustration. I was back to the very beginning. I had no options left and nobody to turn to.

Without that loan, my family's home will be sold, and my parents would be kicked out to live on the streets. Without that loan, my bookstore, which was already mortgaged to the hilt, would be shut down. A lot of things depended on that very loan that was not approved.

I was twenty-two and probably should live in a stylish apartment with designer clothes and trips to different countries.

Instead, I was nearly homeless, took in stray dogs from the streets, and got my best outfits from thrift shops. I believed in following my heart, but it didn't seem like it would save my family's house.

I walked to the small kitchen in my apartment and grabbed my last bottle of wine.

As I tried to take a sip of my wine, the doorbell rang. My mouth fell open, and my eyes widened. My God, was it him?

I had been receiving frequent visits from the seller of my family's home. He was getting a little too impatient, and it was always a hard job trying to convince him to give me a few more weeks.

The last time he showed up, he didn't look pleased that he had to give me some extra weeks. My time was running out, and I knew it.

I didn't want him to believe I was ignoring him, so I sighed and moved toward the door.

"About time you answered the door."

I exhaled with relief. I stared at my best friend, Aria Matthew, and smiled. "You were supposed to be a man."

Aria snorted and walked past me. "Keep dreaming about finding a man when you look like that." She joked, and we both chuckled.

"What do you mean? I look gorgeous." I replied sarcastically.

Aria turned to me, her eyebrows raised. "What's going on here?" She asked, ignoring my failed attempt at a joke. "Why is your apartment so bare? Are you moving? When were you going to tell me you got a new place?"

I sighed and shook my head. At that moment, I wished I was moving out and not getting kicked out. Although I had a lot of debts hanging around my neck, I didn't tell my best friend about it.

I had always felt weird about depending on others, especially for huge favors. Aria was rich and could easily buy my parent's home. Her family owned successful companies in the city, and even though she wanted nothing to do with the business, she was still a millionaire.

I slammed the door and walked back to the kitchen. "I'm not moving out. I'm just clearing some of my old things, and you happened to arrive in time."

Aria grabbed the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. "Remind me again when your sofa became one of the old things in your apartment? You don't even have a piece of furniture in this place. Or are you getting them replaced?"

She always knew when I was lying to her. We had been childhood friends and grew up like sisters. Although we grew up quite differently, we still cared and stuck beside each other.

"Yeah. I am replacing them."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

I gave up and smiled. "Ok, you win. So why are you here on a Saturday night? By the way, you look good. Are you going on a date?"

"Thanks. But we're not talking about that. Why are you clearing up your things?"

I knew she wouldn't drop the issue until I came clean. And I had to.

I shook my head. "I'm losing my mind, Aria," I confessed, my voice breaking slightly. "In a week, my family will lose their home, and I'll lose my bookshop and my goddamn mind. Do you remember how I told you my mum was doing everything to make money? Well, it didn't work out, and they are about to sell the house. They have nowhere else to go. I'll do anything to help them."

"What?" She asked, her eyes wide with shock. "What is going on? Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"You know how I hate people dealing with my own shit. I thought I could handle it." I admitted. "I don't want to lose my bookshop."

"Then you should have told me earlier." She said, her voice slightly laced with anger. "You got all this shit going on, and you couldn't tell me? Why are we best friends?"

I knew she was right. I should have told her. "I know that was the wrong thing to do. Even my family doesn't want help from anybody. But hear me out; I'm desperate now."

"How much do you need, and how long do you have?" She asked.

I took a sip from my glass of wine. "I need about four hundred thousand dollars for the house, and my bookstore is about two hundred thousand dollars. I tried to take a loan, but—"

"No bank would loan you six hundred thousand dollars with your credit score." She said, cutting me off. "And I wished you had told me this earlier!!"

She whirled around, and I could see she was in deep thinking. "You don't have to go out of your way to do anything for me. I don't want you to get caught up in my own problems."

"That's the point, Veronica." She blurted out. "We're best friends. We should always get caught up in each other's shit. Unfortunately, I am helpless at this moment."

"What do you mean?"

"I officially gave up all my rights in the companies. I am not interested in the money, and I donated 90% of my earnings to charity. If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have done that." She said, coming up to hug me. As she wrapped her arms around me, tears began to run down my face.

I was finally able to accept that I would be homeless. If Aria couldn't get me out of my situation, I would lose my bookshop and family —

"Wait!" Aria exclaimed, pulling out. "Why didn't I think of this?"

"What?" I asked desperately.

"What do you think about getting married to a billionaire through a prenup and getting paid twice the amount you need?"

My eyes widened. "Getting married?"

"Look, he's just as desperate as you are. He has a week left to find a wife and claim the inheritance that was left to him. He has no intentions of falling in love ever, and the contract will last for a year."

"A year?" I exclaimed.

"50% of the money will be paid when you sign the contract. At the end of the year, you will receive full payment. Think about it, Veronica. It's worth it."

I was thinking about it already. Marriage? For a year? To a man, I didn't know? My family would never approve of it. But it was the only chance I had. Aria trusted him enough to tell me about the contract. If he had no intentions of an intimate relationship, I could do it. It was just for a year.

"I'll do it!" I said, nodding quickly. "Who's he?"

"That's the good part, Veronica. It's my brother." She said, smiling. "You can trust him. We were raised together, so this will be your best offer."

But the slight smile on my face had faded already. No way. Her brother?

There was no way I would get married to a man who crushed my heart years ago. That whispered sweet words into my ears and abandoned me later—a man whose heart was frozen by wealth and power.

I couldn't marry Bryn Matthew. It would be chaotic and unbearable. But did I have any options left?

"Why don't you look happy?" She asked. "I thought it was a good idea." It was a good idea if it wasn't the man that I once expressed my hatred to.

My best friend had no idea what had happened between her brother and me. She didn't know about our passion-filled nights and how he dumped me like I was nothing. And I couldn't bring myself to tell her a secret I had kept for so long.

"Ummmm." I paused, faking a big bright smile. "I will marry your brother," I said.

I will marry my tormentor, I silently added.