THE BILLIONAIRE'S COLD DEAL

Chapter 2: Meet Me, Your Nightmare

Samantha's POV...

"Are you okay?" he asked, extending his hand toward me.

I hesitated before placing my palm in his. "I'm... fine," I lied, my legs trembling as I stood.

Up close, he was breathtaking. Perfect features. Piercing blue eyes. The kind of man women ruined themselves for without thinking twice.

"You should be careful in places like this," he said calmly, a faint smile curving his lips. "Not everyone here has good intentions."

I smiled weakly, unsure why my heart was suddenly racing.

"I can't believe he's talking to her," a woman whispered nearby. "He never does this."

Her words stung. What did she mean by that? Was I not worth talking to? Or was it because I looked exactly like my misfortune, cheap dress, tired eyes, broken spirit?

Before I could dwell on it, two large men hurried toward us. His bodyguards, obvious even at first glance.

They were dressed in perfectly pressed suits, polished shoes gleaming under the club lights. Nose masks covered their faces, their hair cut low and neat.

"Sir, are you alright?" one asked urgently, rushing toward my savior. "We heard there was trouble."

"I'm fine," Adrian replied.

His tone changed instantly. The calm warmth vanished, replaced by something cold and distant.

"Handle it," he said, turning to the man still lying helplessly on the floor. "And treat him accordingly."

His eyes flickered with an unreadable signal.

I watched as the guards dragged the bleeding man away. Horror, pain, and panic were etched across his face. His eyes begged for mercy, but his lips were too heavy to speak.

What were they going to do to him?

"That's his real personality," someone muttered behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

His real personality? The words lodged themselves deep in my mind.

I turned back to Adrian. He was already watching me, his eyes sent deep shivers down my spine.

"I'll be leaving now," he said suddenly, as if I needed to know.

"I'll wait for you in my car. I need to talk to you." His lips curved slightly. "It won't take long."

I glanced around, half-expecting him to be speaking to someone else, despite the fact that his gaze never left mine.

"Sorry... are you talking to me?" I asked in awe.

He didn't answer. He treated my question like a passing breeze, turning away instead. Confidence rolled off him like armor as he walked off.

One of his guards stopped beside me and gestured politely.

"He asked me to escort you, ma'am."

I stood still for a while, unsure of what to do next.

"He's only nice when he wants something" The woman who had warned me earlier was gone, swallowed by the crowd as the music slowly resumed.

I stared after Adrian's retreating figure.

I had nothing to lose anyway. I was a poor, hopeless girl, one bad step away from ending it all, the moment I walked out of this place.

I exhaled slowly and turned to the guard.

"Take me to your boss."

I wasn't sure what I was doing anymore. But I cared less.

The night air felt colder as I followed the bodyguard out of the club. Each step felt like I was walking deeper into something I might never escape.

The crowd behind me blurred into noise, laughter, music, life moving on as if nothing had happened.

The bodyguard stopped in front of a sleek black car.

A black Rolls-Royce Phantom gleamed under the city lights, its silk interior glowing like a midnight sky. The 21-inch wheels looked as though they barely touched the ground, the luxury beast humming with a whisper-quiet V12 engine. It was elegance in motion, the kind that didn't need attention to command it.

"We're here, ma'am," he said, pulling the door open.

My heart skipped as the door swung wide.

Inside the car, Adrian Wolfe sat comfortably, one hand resting on his knee, the other scrolling through his phone. The dim interior light traced his sharp jawline, making him look every bit as powerful as he felt.

He looked up, as though he had been expecting me to follow, and smiled.

But this wasn't the gentle smile from the club. This one was slow, calculated, and dangerous one

"Get in," he said calmly.

My mind screamed you're walking into trouble, but something stronger pulled me forward.

"Relax," he added, as if he could read my thoughts. "If I wanted to hurt you, Samantha, I would've done it already."

My breath hitched. Samantha?

My eyes snapped to his face. "How do you-" He didn't let me finish.

In one swift motion, he pulled me into the car and slammed the door shut. The sound echoed loudly, sealing me inside.

My pulse raced as the car pulled away from the curb.

He leaned closer, studying me like something he already owned.

"Riley," he murmured again, closing the distance until I could feel his breath on my face.

Panic surged through me immediately.

"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound strong. "What do you want? You know my name, have you been stalking me?"

"I brought you here because I need something from you," he said calmly, calling my name like it belonged to him.

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"Be my wife for six months... and I'll give you everything you've ever wanted."

I stiffened and my eyes widened in shock.

What exactly was he driving at?