Chapter 4 A Desperate Deal

"P...police?" Bella stammered.

"Sir, please wait! I didn't steal the child," She explained, her voice trembling.

He didn't look at her as he continued, his voice calm, precise.

"There's a woman here with my daughter," he said.

The driver, realizing the man had called the police, immediately jumped into his taxi and sped off.

Bella picked up the crying child from the stroller.

"I came to return her... I found her in the park. It was dark, and I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry... please, don't call the police," she rushed out, her words tumbling over each other.

Lucian set down his phone and studied her. She looked drained, innocent, marked by poverty,her eyes tired, face pale...but there was a raw beauty in her features.

She handed the baby to him, but he didn't reach out, his gaze fixed on the child instead.

"I know you didn't steal her," he said finally. "My nanny left her in a park. I only wanted to scare that man away" He forced a tight smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Bella laughed nervously and pulled the baby back, settling her into the stroller as the child babbled happily in her own language.

She looked up at Lucian, waiting-expecting gratitude, money, something.

"Thank you," he said stiffly, the words sounding more like an obligation than appreciation.

She exhaled sharply, tired of pretending.

"At least give me money for it. I could've killed your child or sold her... but I didn't."

He raised a brow slowly.

"So doing the right thing now comes with a price?"

Bella glared at him inwardly. If she weren't so desperate for money, she wouldn't be demanding payment for doing a good deed-but right now, she didn't care. He was going to give her money, whether he liked it or not.

"Well, I took care of her," she fired.

Lucian's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that what a normal human being should do?"

The man was starting to get on her nerves. "You own a massive company. A little gratitude in the form of money wouldn't hurt," she snapped. "Or are rich people always this stingy? And how could you leave your daughter in a park with a nanny? That's... that's fucking irresponsible."

He blinked, caught off guard. She didn't know who he was? In all of New York, everyone knew Lucian Rodriguez. The thought shocked him more than he wanted to admit.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and tossed her a few dollar notes.

"Here. Now get out."

Bella stared at the money. "Fifty dollars?"

It was enough for gratitude, she reasoned, though a small, insistent part of her mind urged her to push further.

She softened her voice, striking a careful balance between boldness and pleading.

"To be honest, sir, I... I need more than this. I can't survive on so little. I'm an orphan, homeless, with nowhere to go. I... I can take care of your child, if her mother doesn't mind."

Lucian's dark eyes met hers. "Her mother is dead," he said flatly.

Bella dropped to her knees.

Lucian's eyes widened instantly. Anyone could see them...someone could misunderstand and spread rumors.

"I said get out," he ordered coldly.

"Please, sir," she sobbed. "I... I'll do anything you want. Anything at all, whatever pleases you. Just take me away from poverty forever. I don't want to keep living like this. I beg you."

Under normal circumstances, Lucian would have turned and walked away. But he didn't. He stayed, listening to her broken pleas.

His mind worked quickly. The nanny was gone. The old woman couldn't calm the baby. He glanced down at his daughter-quiet, unusually calm in Bella's presence. He couldn't handle the child alone, and there was no way to find a new nanny on such short notice.

"Hm," he said at last. "Anything?"

Bella nodded furiously, so fast it looked as though her head might fall off.

Lucian strode to his car and she interpreted the movement as an unspoken command to follow.

She stood, cradling the baby carefully, while he lifted the stroller into the trunk.

Once inside, he gestured toward the passenger seat.

Without hesitation, she climbed in.

The company's massive gates slid open automatically as Lucian drove in, the car coming to a smooth halt.

Bella followed quickly behind him, pushing the stroller as the little girl giggled happily, completely unaware of the world around her.

"Good morning, sir," a few employees greeted, bowing slightly out of habit.

"Who's that girl?" someone murmured.

"Probably a new nanny," another replied dismissively. "She won't last either."

Bella lowered her head, refusing to meet their eyes, feeling the sting of their judgment.

Lucian led her into his office. The doors closed behind them, shutting out the world.

He sank into his chair, his gaze fixed on her.

"Sir, I promise you won't regret picking me," Bella said quickly, her voice quivering, but firm. "You will have no reason to complain. I swear on my life."

Her desperation amused him, intrigued him. A dark curiosity glimmered in his eyes. He wanted to know how far she'd go.

He picked up the phone. "Bring me the contract."

Moments later, a man entered. Bella observed him quickly...tall, blonde, striking. Yet even he seemed ordinary compared to the man in front of her. There was something almost unreal about him: his dark hair, sharp eyes, muscular frame, and tanned skin made the newcomer pale in comparison.

Bella averted her gaze. She couldn't afford distractions, not now. Her focus had to be on securing the life she wanted, not admiring anyone, no matter how handsome.

Lucian focused on her.

"What is your name?"

"Bella," she said.

"Full name," he demanded.

"Rosabella Hale," she answered.

"Sign the contract," he said, sliding the papers toward her. "It states that you will do whatever I ask, without objection. Even if I asked you to act like a monkey, you would. No questions, no hesitation. I expect silence from the child at all times. And the non-disclosure clause is absolute-you may never speak of this arrangement to anyone, no matter who they are to you."

"I have nobody, sir," Bella said quickly. "I'm alone in this world. You don't have to worry. I'll sign it."

She grabbed the pen and signed without hesitation, letting it drop to the desk.

"But, sir," she said, "you have your part to fulfill. You will ensure I never go poor again. I want opportunities...to live like the rich do."

He looked at her briefly, then signed the contract with a sharp flick of the pen.

"Deal."