Billion dollar adventure: Meeting Mr arrogant

Chapter 4 : Billion dollars offer

Lucy's hands stilled in the dough, the soft flour clinging to her fingers as she heard the door creak open. The familiar bell chimed, but this time, it wasn’t a regular customer looking for a warm croissant or a piece of her aunt’s famous apple pie. No, the moment the sharp clack of polished shoes echoed through the tiny shop, she knew.

Her heart sank. It was *him*. Richard Devereaux. Mr. Arrogant.

She hadn’t seen him in months, not since their last uncomfortable encounter at a charity gala she had been reluctantly dragged to. Even then, he’d towered over her, radiating confidence—no, arrogance—in a tailored suit that screamed money and power. She remembered the way he had looked at her then, like she was just another possession, something to be sized up, analyzed, and acquired if the price was right. His reputation had followed him like a shadow—ruthless in business, cold in personal affairs. A man who got whatever he wanted, and he wanted a lot.

Today was no different.

Richard’s eyes glinted as they swept over the bakery, lingering with distaste on the wooden tables scattered with flour, the rustic shelves holding the fruits of their hard labor. It was a small place, old-fashioned with its checkered curtains and flower pots on the windowsills, but it was home. And yet, when Richard’s gaze finally landed on Lucy, the coldest smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, as if he found it all amusing. Like he was standing in the middle of a quaint little joke.

Lucy swallowed hard, her pulse quickening as he approached the counter, that signature sly grin spreading across his face. He looked entirely out of place in his designer suit, his crisp white shirt spotless despite the chaos of flour and sugar that surrounded him. His presence felt like an intrusion, his aura all wrong for a place built on love, family, and hard work.

Richard stopped just shy of the counter, leaning forward ever so slightly as if to get a closer look at her. The move was predatory, like a lion sizing up its prey before making its strike.

“Lucy,” he began, his voice dripping with that condescending tone she had come to despise. “I’ve been thinking…”

She wiped her hands on her apron, trying to suppress the growing dread in her chest. “About what?”

“I need a wife,” he said simply, the arrogance in his voice like nails on a chalkboard.

For a moment, Lucy thought she had misheard him. She blinked, her hands freezing mid-wipe, staring at him in utter disbelief.

“A… what?” she finally managed to say, unable to mask the shock in her voice.

“A wife,” Richard repeated, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. “And I think you’d be perfect for the job.”

Lucy stared at him, her mind struggling to catch up with the absurdity of what he’d just said. She let out a laugh, though it came out more as a strangled breath, full of disbelief.

“You… You can’t be serious,” she said, shaking her head, the weight of his words settling like stones in her stomach.

Richard’s smile never wavered. He straightened up, pulling his shoulders back and adjusting the cufflinks on his expensive suit, as if this conversation were a mere formality, the first step in a transaction he had already decided would go his way.

“Oh, but I am,” he replied coolly, his blue eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and something far more dangerous. He reached into his jacket pocket and, to her horror, pulled out a sleek, black leather checkbook, holding it up like a weapon. “I’m willing to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

Lucy’s breath hitched in her throat as she watched him scribble something onto the check. When he finished, he turned it toward her, his grin widening as he watched her eyes fall on the number printed in neat, black ink.

*One billion dollars.*

Her heart raced, her mind reeling at the sheer absurdity of it. She had seen plenty of zeros in her life, but never that many in a row. It was unfathomable.

“I’ll give you a billion dollars to marry me,” he said, his voice calm, assured, as though he were offering her a simple business deal.

Lucy’s mouth opened, then closed, her mind blank. A billion dollars? The figure felt surreal, impossible, a joke. But Richard Devereaux did not joke.

“Money can’t buy me,” she finally said, her voice shaking with indignation. She tossed her flour-covered towel onto the counter, anger bubbling in her chest. “I’m not some object for you to buy.”

Richard raised an eyebrow, amused. “Oh, but it can. You see, Lucy, I’ve done my research.”

There was something chilling in the way he said it, like he had peeled back every layer of her life, like nothing about her was private or sacred anymore. She felt a shiver crawl down her spine as he leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing.

“I know all about your aunt’s little bakery here,” he continued, his voice lowering to a murmur, dripping with false sympathy. “I know how much it’s struggling. How close you are to shutting down.”

Lucy’s heart sank. Her worst fear, her deepest secret—laid bare in front of her. She had tried so hard to keep it hidden, to keep her aunt from worrying, to pretend that everything would be alright. But it was true. The bakery was on the brink of collapse, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The debts were mounting, the bills piling up. Every day was a battle to keep the doors open, and they were losing.

Richard’s grin widened as he saw the realization dawn on her face.

“If you don’t accept my offer,” he said slowly, his voice laced with a cruel kind of pleasure, “I’ll make sure it goes under.”

Lucy felt the world tilt beneath her feet, her stomach twisting into knots. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Could he?

She wanted to scream, to tell him to get out, to throw his check back in his face, but the weight of his words settled over her like a suffocating blanket. Her aunt had poured her heart and soul into this bakery. It was her life, their livelihood. She couldn’t let it all slip away. Not because of him.

Tears stung the corners of her eyes as anger and despair warred within her. She was trapped, caught in his web. And the worst part was, he knew it.

“Fine,” she spat, her voice trembling with barely restrained fury. “I’ll marry you.”

The words tasted like poison on her tongue, but she said them anyway. For her aunt. For the bakery. For everything she couldn’t afford to lose.

“But know this,” she added, her voice growing cold as she stared him down with as much defiance as she could muster. “I’ll never love you.”

Richard’s smile didn’t falter. If anything, it grew wider, more triumphant. He tucked the check back into his pocket, his eyes gleaming with victory.

“I don’t need your love, Lucy,” he said softly, the satisfaction thick in his voice. “I just need your name on a piece of paper.”

And with those chilling words, he turned on his heel and walked out of the bakery, leaving her standing there, broken and hollow.

The door closed behind him with a soft jingle, the sound somehow deafening in the oppressive silence that followed. Lucy stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest as the reality of what she had just agreed to settled over her like a heavy shroud.

Her fate was sealed.