Chapter 3

The bulletproof Maybach pulled to a smooth stop in front of a completely unmarked storefront on the Upper East Side.

A bodyguard opened the door. Kassie stepped out, her worn-out flats hitting the pristine pavement. She felt entirely out of place, clutching the strap of her canvas bag so tightly her knuckles turned white.

They walked into the private cafe. It was completely empty. Jarrod had clearly bought out the entire establishment for this conversation.

Jarrod walked over to a booth by the window. He sat down on the dark leather sofa, crossing his long legs at the knee. He looked entirely in his element.

Kassie slid into the seat across from him. Her stomach was tied in tight, painful knots.

A waiter appeared instantly, placed two cups of steaming black coffee on the table, and vanished, pulling the heavy oak doors shut behind him.

Jarrod picked up his cup. He took a slow sip, his dark eyes locked onto Kassie, dissecting her every movement.

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Kassie couldn't take the pressure anymore. "What do you want?" she blurted out, her voice shaking slightly.

Jarrod set the cup down. "I want you to marry me."

Kassie's movements froze completely, the water glass halting midway to her lips. She slowly lowered the glass, setting it down onto the table with a sharp, definitive clink. Her eyes narrowed into a razor-sharp glare, assessing the billionaire sitting across from her as if he were a completely unhinged psychiatric patient. "Are you insane?" Kassie demanded, her voice flat and laced with disbelief. "We met less than an hour ago. I just drugged your brother!"

Jarrod pulled a sleek silver pen from his pocket and laid it on the table. "This is a business transaction, Dr. Moody. Nothing more."

He leaned forward slightly. "I must be married before my thirtieth birthday to assume majority control of the family trust. I need a wife."

"There are a thousand socialites in New York who would kill for that ring," Kassie shot back, her heart pounding. "Why pick a broke clinic doctor from Brooklyn?"

Jarrod's eyes darkened. His gaze dropped to her face, tracing the curve of her jaw and the shape of her nose. For two full seconds, he stared at her, completely lost in thought, a strange, heavy emotion flashing in his eyes.

Then, he blinked, the cold mask slamming back into place. He looked away. "Because you saved my grandfather's life."

Kassie froze. Her blood ran cold.

She remembered the old man collapsing on the street three months ago. She remembered dropping to her knees, abandoning the standard protocols when they failed, and relying on instinct to execute a forbidden, highly classified technique she had only ever seen in the most hidden, underground medical archives to restart his heart.

"That emergency procedure you used," Jarrod said, his voice low and calculating. "That wasn't something a public clinic doctor learns. It was highly advanced. Reckless. But effective."

Panic gripped Kassie's throat. He knows. If he dug deeper, he would find out she was 'E', the underground surgeon the entire medical world was hunting for. Her hands grew clammy.

"It was a lucky guess," Kassie lied, forcing her voice to stay flat. "A desperate attempt. Nothing more."

Jarrod didn't push it. He reached into his briefcase and slid a thick stack of legal documents across the table.

"Sign this prenuptial agreement," Jarrod said. "We maintain the marriage for two years. In exchange, I will pay off every cent of your medical school debt."

Kassie stared at the paper.

"Furthermore," Jarrod continued, his tone turning lethal. "I will use the Holt family resources to ensure your parasite of an uncle never bothers you again."

Kassie's breath hitched. The mention of her uncle Mitch made her stomach churn with disgust and fear. The financial numbers on the page were astronomical. It was a lifeline. A terrifying, dangerous lifeline.

She bit down on her lower lip, tasting copper. The idea of tying herself to this ruthless billionaire terrified her. She was trading one cage for another.

She pushed the contract back toward him. "I need time to think about this."

Jarrod glanced at his platinum Rolex. "You have twenty-four hours."

Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted outside the thick glass windows of the cafe.

Kassie turned her head to look. The blood instantly drained from her face, leaving her as pale as a ghost. Her breath caught in her throat.