A DEAL WITH THE BOSSY BILLIONAIRE

SIA POV

Two days!

That's how long I have to wait before getting married to the love of my life, Nolan Reeds.

The air was thick with tension as I felt the darkness pull me under. The last thing I saw was Killian's eyes, wide with alarm, his voice fading into the void as he screamed my name. Then everything went black, and I was thrust into the recesses of my mind, where the past was waiting to devour me whole.

Eight years ago, I had been a different person, an ambitious patrol officer with dreams of making a difference. The world seemed simpler then, but that was before I crossed paths with Bado. The name itself was a ghost, whispered among those who dared to acknowledge it, yet there was no concrete evidence to pin it down. That all changed when I rescued a young boy-Sam-who wasn't just any child. He was a clone, a perfect replica of another human being, manufactured by a shadowy corporation known as Th3a. They didn't exist on any official records, but I knew they were real. I had seen their work with my own eyes.

I reported what I found, but instead of praise, I was met with silence. My superiors dismissed my claims, urging me to drop the case. But I couldn't. The boy's lifeless eyes haunted my dreams, and I knew I was onto something bigger than any of us could comprehend.

Months passed, and I was promoted to the DEA. It should have been a victory, but it felt more like a death sentence. Three detectives had died investigating the same case, and I was next in line. My first assignment was simple: gather evidence against Rowan Chandler, a suspected drug kingpin. But as I dug deeper, I realized Rowan was nothing more than a pawn in a much larger game. He was no king-just a sacrificial lamb.

I was supposed to pull out, to abandon the case when it became too dangerous. Orders came down from above, but I couldn't let it go. I was too deep, too close to uncovering the truth. The deeper I went, the more twisted the story became. I found old files, bizarre reports that seemed more like science fiction than reality. But I had seen the impossible-a clone that rotted away within seconds of death.

The name Bado kept resurfacing. It wasn't just a name; it was a specter that loomed over every aspect of my investigation. Eva Foluma Industries was a prime suspect, but two days before I could obtain a search warrant, the entire board was wiped out. It was a massacre, and the message was clear: I was playing a game I couldn't win.

I infiltrated one of their facilities, a massive underground compound hidden beneath the desert. What I found there was beyond comprehension-rows upon rows of human replicas, each more perfect than the last. They weren't just clones; they were an army, waiting for activation. Bado wasn't just a drug lord; he was a puppeteer, controlling an entire population with a drug derived from an alien species called Stnax from a planet known as Uptrian.

As I moved through the facility, I was ambushed. They erased all my evidence-videos, audio, everything. All that remained were my memories, fragmented and fragile, and no one would ever believe what I had seen. But I remembered, and that memory was my curse.

Back in the present, the flashback hit me like a freight train. My eyes fluttered open, and I was back in the room. Killian was on the ground, his body convulsing as Dr. Frank stood over him with a smug grin.

"Stop!" I screamed, my voice hoarse. "I'll go with you, just stop!"

Dr. Frank tilted his head, considering my plea. With a snap of his fingers, the electric currents stopped, and Killian collapsed in a heap. Two men grabbed me, roughly cuffing my wrists behind my back. I didn't struggle. What was the point? We were outmatched and outnumbered. I could only hope that going quietly would buy us some time.

They dragged us out of the house, shoving us into a van. I glanced at Killian, his eyes full of pain and confusion. This wasn't the end-not yet. I still had fight left in me, and as long as I was breathing, I would keep fighting.

Inside the van, they connected us to some kind of tubes. I tried to pull away, but the men held me down, forcing the cold metal into my veins. Within moments, everything started to fade again. My vision blurred, and I could feel the sedative working its way through my system.

As the darkness closed in, I caught a glimpse of Dr. Frank's face, his lips moving as he whispered something to one of his men. I couldn't hear the words, but I saw his expression-cold, calculated. My mind raced with possibilities, but before I could piece it together, the world slipped away.

In the fading moments of consciousness, one word echoed in my mind-*Bado.* What did it mean? What connection did it have to all of this? And why was it the last word I remembered before everything went black?

My voice trailed off as the implications of that last thought gripped me. I replayed the scene in my mind, trying to piece together what I had witnessed before I blacked out. The memory of Dr. Frank's lips moving, forming those unsettling words, gnawed at me.

"Recharge... they needed to recharge..."

My heart pounded as a terrifying possibility began to form in my mind. Could it be true? Could we-Killian and I-be clones too? The thought was absurd, and yet, everything I had seen, everything I had uncovered, pointed to something far more sinister than I had ever imagined

As we descended into the unknown, I realized that whatever was waiting for us on the other side wasn't going to be merciful. This was just the beginning of a nightmare from which we might never wake.

ROWAN'S POV

"I was doubting my heart if getting married to a stranger was worth it. But seeing that if anything happens to Nana and I am not married by then, not to speak of losing my inheritance. I will never forgive myself"

Killian drove me back to the hospital, it was midnight. Although I have a meeting by dawn, but postponed the meeting for two reasons, which were one as bad as it is to say, my fake marriage, and second spending time with Nana before work took away any precious time I might have left with her.

"Sir, we have arrived," Killian said adjusting his tie. He coughed. " Don't think you should give more thought to your contract marriage. I mean what do we know about her, Sasha was one missile, and Sia might be an Atomic bomb. If anything my four years in the army have taught me, never to play around with explosives.

"Oh! Killian dear, will you marry then? because if Sia is an Atomic Bomb. You my friend are one of the most deadly chemical explosives in my life. So why don't we forget this and you tell my lawyer we will meet at 03:00 am"

"What!"

"Just do it so and get Sia prepared. I can't afford any mistake, please don't forget to get the rings"

Killian mouth was wide open, as to have fast I was rushed into marrying Sia. It wasn't like I had any choice, not any will of mine to secure my inheritance as I am the only male heir of our family. Which is the comfort that delights the family as well as the fast saddle of responsibility before Nana lives on earth.

Killian opened the back door of my BMW and escorted me to the hospital entrance before he departed away, leaving me with two security guards and Nana who was sleeping like a baby.

Over the years, Nana never rested due to her search for a male heir. Nana has two daughters, my mom and her elder sister, who both had two daughters each until I came along sparking joy in the heart of Nana.

" Ro...." A muttered voice spoke softly.

I knelt in tears and lay my face beside Nana's rip as her wrinkled left hand stroked my hair, bringing back old memories of her showered love for me.

"Rowan," She said with a peak on my forehead and a gentle simile from her wrinkled face. "Have you found the one that wins, your heart?"

Unsure of how to respond, as I have never lied to Nana before, as well as I am a very terrible liar. So without thinking or becoming hesitant, I replied "Yes"

Nana sat up and pulled me up to sit beside her. " I know you better than you know yourself. I know you are in a rush to find a lady who is your ticket to gaining your inheritance as the sole heir of my company. But I also want you to find true love, my father never gave me the chance, and neither did your mother or her sister."

Nana placed both wrinkled hands on my hands as tears dripped from her eyes and said "Wealth is just a mirage, as it makes a man lonely but love sustains all pain"

I had never seen this side of Nana, at first I reasoned it to be a sign of old age but I felt the tears that rolled out of her as real pain. Making the tough kid inside me melt.

"I need you to promise me, that the lady you will choose is the one your heart beats for"

I was still in tears, even though I knew would not keep my promise since I would be in a contract marriage with Sia in one hour, and seeking true love seemed to be a tale for writers, soap operas, K drama, and novel fantasy.

A call came in on my phone, and I swiped to answer only to realize it was 02:30 am and the caller was Sasha, with fury in my heart cut her call and blocked her new line for the eighteen time. I did not Nana to be curious as to who called me so I called Killian.

"Sir"

"How is the preparation going forward?"

"What preparation sir?"

"The Sia Project? you have no Sia project on your schedule s,ir,"

I wanted to react it anger towards Killian, as he failed to understand my coded message. " I meant the L -A -D- Y from the hospital"

"Oh! that that. whisper...Nana with you?"

"Yes, I will be expecting the project by 03:00 am failing"

"Yes sir, have fun with Nana O'clock" Killian ended the call.

Nana turned and looked at me after sipping from her bottle. "Was that Sasha or your new heart?"

"No, Nana. it was just Killian who wanted to report an information out work to me"

"But.... I saw Sasha as your caller ID"

"Nana, I assure you it is not Sasha. And will never be. It is a call related to business"

"Someday, I will personalize your phone and get you a phone where you speak only to your lover." Paused. " Is Killian your.... your...."

"My what Nana?"

"I mean it is not that, I am not current with the world love today. So you two are .... as in gay..gay..gay"

"Nana, what are you talking about?"

"I mean, I understand why it is business for you all the time. I mean Killian is hot, every man and woman spec. So itit'skay. No wonder you refused to marry and broke up with Sasha. He has been the only one there for you every day of your life from childhood and your crush. It is okay. I want you to know I understand and am willing to let you continue in it, just marry Sasha for the public show to gain your inheritance"

My face was swollen shocked, with my lip locked with only one thing to do before Nana generalized anything. I must get married immediately to avoid such a scan

Sia's POV

The silence between us stretched on for what felt like forever. The cold iron table between us seemed to widen the distance, though it was barely an arm's length. My wrists were bound, the cuffs biting into my skin, but I barely noticed the discomfort. The weight of all that had passed between us-everything left unsaid, unresolved-hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.

Rowan sat across from me, his face pale and drawn, eyes glassy with exhaustion. He didn't look at me, just stared at the floor, his hands resting limply on the table as if he didn't know what to do with them. The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only sound, punctuating the suffocating tension between us.

My heart hammered in my chest, a battle raging within me-anger, betrayal, sadness, and something else I wasn't ready to admit. The emotions collided inside me, and I fought to keep them under control. But as much as I wanted to keep my composure, the silence was too much.

Suddenly, Rowan let out a quiet, almost bitter laugh, catching me completely off guard. I turned to him, blinking, unsure of what was happening. He was laughing-laughing while tears pooled in his eyes. It was a sound I hadn't heard from him in years, but it wasn't joyful. It was hollow.

I couldn't help it. My own tears welled up, and before I knew it, I was laughing too-tears streaming down my face as my shoulders shook with the absurdity of it all. There we were, broken, accused, and torn apart, and yet we were laughing.

"What are we even doing here?" I whispered, wiping at my face, though the tears kept falling. My words were barely audible between the laughter.

Rowan looked at me, still chuckling through his tears. "I have no idea," he admitted, shaking his head.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I slapped him. Hard. The sound cracked through the room like a gunshot. Rowan recoiled, his hand flying to his cheek, his eyes wide in shock.

"Okay," he said, wincing as he rubbed his reddening face. "I deserved that."

"You think?" I snapped, standing up abruptly, kicking my chair back. It toppled over, the metal clanging loudly against the floor. I stood over him, my hands clenched into fists, trembling with anger. "You son of a bitch, what the hell do you want from me? Did you think acting all guilty and sad would make me feel sorry for you?"

"Sia, listen-"

"No!" I shouted, cutting him off. "You don't get to speak! You let them take me! You let these FBI bastards arrest me and drag my name through the mud. You knew I was innocent, and you didn't do a damn thing to stop it!" My voice cracked, and the rage that had been simmering boiled over. I leaned across the table, my eyes burning with fury. "You let them break me."

Rowan tried to speak again, his voice soft, broken. "I know, and I-"

"I'm not finished!" I slammed my hand down on the table, making him flinch. "If I'm such a dangerous murderer, as they say, what's stopping me from killing you right now?" In a surge of anger, my hands shot toward his neck, wrapping around his throat. I squeezed, my breathing heavy, my heart racing.

Rowan didn't resist. He didn't fight back. "Nothing," he whispered, his voice barely a rasp.

I froze. His words hung in the air, and for a moment, I saw the pain in his eyes-the same pain that mirrored my own. Slowly, my grip on his neck loosened, and I stepped back, breathing hard, my hands shaking as I let him go.

He rubbed his neck, wincing. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice strained, raw. "I should have believed you. I let my pride and fear get in the way."

"You're damn right you should've," I muttered, running a hand through my hair, pacing back and forth. My fury was still there, but it was mingling with something else now-a deep, suffocating sadness. "I trusted you, Rowan. I trusted you, and you let me down."

Rowan stood slowly, his eyes pleading. "I know. I've failed you over and over again. But please, I need you to hear me out."

I hesitated, my chest heaving, my mind screaming at me to walk away, but something held me there. "Fine. Speak."

"I don't have much time," Rowan began, his voice thick with emotion. "They're going to take you away soon, and I don't know when I'll be able to see you again. But I need to know the truth, Sia. The FBI claims you're responsible for Rachel's kidnapping and murder, but I don't believe that. I know you didn't do it, but... how did the murder and the kidnapping happen at the same time?"

I stared at him, my mind spinning. He didn't know the full story-hell, no one did. Not even the FBI. I hadn't told them everything, couldn't trust them. But maybe Rowan deserved the truth.

I glanced around, scanning the room for any hidden cameras, anything that might be recording us. Satisfied, I leaned in, lowering my voice. "There's something I didn't tell the FBI," I whispered, my eyes darting toward the door. "I saw something-a logo. It was on the equipment they used, the uniforms. It said BPO."

"BPO?" Rowan repeated, frowning. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," I admitted, shaking my head. "But it's connected to Rachel's disappearance, I'm sure of it. There's more going on here than we realize."

Before Rowan could respond, the door creaked open, and Agent Smith stepped inside, his eyes cold and calculating. "Time's up," he said, nodding to the agents behind him.

They moved toward me, taking hold of my arms to lead me away. Rowan stood, panic flashing in his eyes. "I'll get you out of this, Sia. I promise."

I didn't respond. I couldn't. As they dragged me away, I glanced back one last time, my eyes meeting Rowan's. There was so much left unsaid, so much left undone, but for now, all I had was the cold iron cuffs cutting into my wrists and the creak of the door as it slammed shut behind me.