Suddenly I Became A Billionaire

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Madel Cerda

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch-a titan of industry and my best friend's father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

Romance CEO Billionaires Age Gap One-night Stand

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*Esdras Hawthorne*

Pregnant?

I observed the woman seated in front of me. There wasn't even a noticeable bump on her belly, which meant she was in the early stages of pregnancy.

"And who guarantees that she's telling the truth? Eros is no longer with us to confirm that," Sarah, my secretary, remarked.

Like me, she was also intrigued by the sudden appearance of this woman, who claimed to be pregnant with my brother's child.

"Do you think I would come here, waste my time, if it weren't true?" the green-eyed blonde retorted to my secretary.

"I do!" the redhead beside me crossed her arms, looking sternly at the young, still unknown woman. "If you don't know, or pretend not to know, many women would do anything to get their hands on the Hawthorne fortune. And you might be one of them!"

Sarah's words were sharp. I knew she cared about me and my family, but there was no need to speak in such a manner. However, despite Sarah's rudeness, the young woman in front of us didn't seem fazed by my secretary's words; instead, the blonde let out a small ironic laugh.

"Should I see you as my competitor then?" she replied sarcastically, earning a nearly lethal glare from Sarah.

Undoubtedly, if Sarah had enough authority, she would have expelled the young woman from my office right then.

But before the conversation took a different turn, I decided to speak up.

"I think you should know that my brother passed away less than two months ago."

The blonde's intense green eyes shifted to me.

"I know, Mr. Esdras Hawthorne, and accept my condolences. I know that your pain of losing a brother is a thousand times worse than the pain I feel for losing a friend and lover," her words made Sarah roll her eyes, but the blonde ignored her. "I came here not because of money. I came here because the baby forming in my womb deserves to know his father's family. I don't think it's fair for this child to grow up without knowing who his father was. Or who the man his mother loved the most was."

At that moment, I felt truth in her eyes, which were now moist with tears as she spoke about my brother.

"If you two were a couple, why didn't we know about you? He never mentioned any girlfriend," Sarah returned with her questioning.

Wiping away with the back of her right hand the only tear that slid down one of her cheeks, the blonde looked at Sarah.

"I didn't know what kind of relationship he had with the family. If they were close enough for him to confide his feelings. But I know he planned to introduce me to them. But... The accident took him before that."

Now her beautiful green eyes were flooded with tears, which she tried to contain.

She didn't seem to be lying. For some reason, her words had stirred something within me. However, the same couldn't be said for my secretary, who remained skeptical.

"Okay... So, let's suppose this is true... That you are really pregnant with Eros's child. Do you only want the family's knowledge about the pregnancy, or do you expect something in return?" Sarah said.

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