Billionaire's Bargain

Adriana POV

I woke up to the sound of a loud crashing house which made me sit upright on my bed. Taking in deep breaths, I looked around and noticed that everything in my room was in place. I could feel the sweat trickling across my temple and I wiped it with the back of my hand. The house was silent and all I could hear now was the sound of my own heart beating.

Maybe it was just a nightmare. I tried reasoning as I concluded that it could have possibly been a dream. The neighborhood was silent apart from the sound of crickets and cats rummaging through trash bins that were outside the houses.

Convinced that it was just my dream that had brought me back to reality I lay back down and covered myself hopeful to get some sleep. The moment I lay my head down, I heard it again.

A loud crash that made me sit up again. This time I was sure that it was not a dream that had blended into reality. It was clear and it came from downstairs. It almost sounded like someone was downstairs staggering into things.

I got out of bed and sneakily went to the door. Twisting the knob gently, I opened the door hoping that it wouldn't creak and sell me out as it always did when I tried to sneak back home after partying with my friends in the past.

I tiptoed across the hall to my parent's room and was surprised to find the door open but they weren't there. Concerned, I went to the stairs that led downstairs and listened in if I could hear anything.

"Where is my money?" A deep voice asked demanding an answer.

I could tell that it wasn't my father and my thoughts went into overdrive as I started to panic. I couldn't find them anywhere and there was a stranger in our house in the middle of the night.

"Please, we will get you the money. We just need more time,"

I couldn't mistake my mother's voice. She was the one pleading and from the way she sounded, she had probably been crying and was still crying.

I walked down the stairs curious about what was happening all this while wondering where my father was. He was the one who could protect us from whoever was in our home. When made it to the bottom of the stairs I followed the sound and it led to the living room.

All the lights in the house were off except for this one. I walked briskly to the door that led to the living room and tried to peep in. With my heart in my hand and holding my breath, I poked out my head slightly hoping to see what was happening.

The sight I was met with was one that I couldn't have prepared for. In our own living room there sat a man flanked by two men behind him who were masked. Together with them there were two other men with their backs to me holding my father who was on his knees but looked like he barely had any strength to keep him up.

Across my father was my own mother on her knees bawling her eyes out pleading with the man.

"Please. Just one more month," my mother said as she cried her eyes out.

I couldn't believe the sight in front of me. Here I was looking at both my parents on their knees in front of this stranger who had a smug look on his face and had his goons doing his work. I tried to comprehend what my parents could have possibly gotten themselves involved with to the point where this was happening but nothing came to mind.

As questions flooded my mind, I also wondered why my father who had his back towards me was not doing anything. It hit me when I heard him let out a strained cough and I saw him spitting blood on the carpet at his feet.

Whoever these men were had been beating the shit out of him and my mum had to watch all of it unfolds. I was about to turn around and go into the kitchen to call for the police when the man who I assumed was their leader spoke again.

"I've extended my deadlines everytime you asked for and I'm tired of the games. I want my money now!" He commanded, his voice sending chills down my spine.

"You're the one who works to provide in this house, right?" He asked looking at my father who nodded weakly. Wondering where he was going with this, he reached out into his side of the coat and pulled out a gun. My mother's pleas immediately went silent and I could see my father start to struggle with the men holding him. He brandished the gun in front of his face and a devilish smile came across his face.

Whatever he was thinking about wasn't good and I could feel it. I was surprised that he hadn't seen me this entire time even though I was literally straight behind my father. I'm guessing the darkness behind camouflaged me well.

"You need a little motivation Mr Rogers. Don't worry, I won't kill you. Besides, if I kill you, how am I going to get my money?" the man asked with a chuckle. All this while I was wondering what money he was talking about.

For the better part of my life we've lived in what most would describe as poverty. I was barely able to go to school and got lucky to go to university courtesy of a scholarship that I was able to secure. Apart from that life was generally hard. My parents could barely pay the bills at home with my dad working three jobs and my mum at home due to some medical complications that they never told me in detail.

"Now, since you are the only one working, it wouldn't hurt if I give you some motivation on getting me my money," the man said pointing the gun directly at my mother and cocked the gun.

I didn't care who the man was but I wasn't going to stand there and watch my mother die in front of me. Quick to react, I turned around and picked up a glass bottle that was at the side of the stairs and walked into the living room coming into full view.

"Go to hell!!!" I cursed, managing to get his attention.

Without hesitation, I swung it with all my might aiming for the man who was seated. I could see my mum's eyes widen with shock from my peripheral view as I let go of the bottle. It flew just over my dad's head and was going straight at the man.

In the flash of a second, one of the men who was by his side was in front of him and put his body between him and the bottle. It crashed into his spine shattering into pieces on impact. He fell to a knee and I could see the stare that the man who wielded the gun gave me from over the shoulder of his goon who groaned in pain.

Saying that I was looking into the devil's eyes is an understatement. This man gave me the chills from the cold gaze that he gave me. I gasped slightly as he pushed the goon who had practically saved his life aside. The second guy who was behind him quickly checked up on the first one who seemed hurt could still stand up.

It was like I had struck at a hornet's nest without any kind of plan on what to do afterwards. In front of me was the leader of the group and he was fuming. His nostrils were flaring and I could see him tightening his grip on the gun in his hand. My mother was still kneeling on the floor looking distraught while the men who were holding up my father kept changing glances from me to their leader as if they were expecting him to say something. The one that I had hit was clearly irate as he was nursing the injury to his back.

The room was dead silent for a moment before my mother screamed at the top of her lungs ,

"Run Adriana! Runnnn!" Her piercing voice bringing me back to reality, I could see the alarmed look on everyone's faces.

Without wasting time, I turned around and scampered across the hall heading towards the back door.

"What are you waiting for? Get her you bastards!" I heard the man shout from behind me followed by loud footsteps approaching me.

My heart raced as the door came to view. I had my hopes up as I got closer to it with every step but they were crushed when I could see the reflection on the glass door. I saw myself and behind me on my tail was one of the men hot on my heels.

Reaching the door, I turned the knob trying to open the door but to no avail. Damn, it was locked and the keys were all the way across the house in the living room where my parents and that monster were in. I was cornered.

Turning around, I was met by the sight of one of the goons who stretched out his hand pinning me to the door with so much force that I thought the glass would break. I could smell his stinky breath as he got closer to me and I could see the malicious intent that he harboured. He was the same goon that I had struck with the bottle and from the look that he gave me, it was clear that he was angry about that.

Relying on my quick thinking, I looked around for something that would help me in this situation.

"You little bitc--" I cut him off as he was just about to spit on my face with a well placed kick to his shin that made him squeal in agony as he fell to his knees. I followed it up with a knee right to the jaw that sent him crashing to the ground as he clutched at it writhing in pain.

I quickly jumped over him thinking of running back upstairs so that I could escape through my bedroom window but as I was about to take a step away from him, I felt something wrap around my ankle making me fall over and nearly hitting my head on the steps.

I turned around and found the same goon firmly grabbing at my leg and he wasn't going to let go. I tried to scramble away from him but he wasn't having any of it. With one hand on my leg and the other on his jaw, I could see he was pissed. This wasn't going to stop me from causing much more damage unless he let me go.

I pulled back my other leg ready to kick him square in the face repeatedly when a shadow came over me and before I could look behind me I felt a tight grip on my hair which was held up in a messy bun.

I howled in agony as the grip got tighter when the perpetrator wrapped my hair around his hand and started to drag me by the hair away from the first guy.

"That's enough!" The man roared as he was dragging me across the hall to the living room. I kicked and tried to punch away his hands so that he could let go of the grip but the more I tried the tighter his grip became. It felt like someone was pouring lava on my head and I couldn't stand it.

I shrieked in pain as he walked with me into the living room and shoved me sending me sliding across the hall into the arms of my mother who held on to me tightly like a newborn baby. At this point, tears were streaming down my face and I could taste some blood on my lips which I assumed was a cut I had sustained when I was tripped over.

Turns out, it was the second goon from their boss's side who had dragged me. Looking at the hallway, I could see the first one limping his way into the living room with a piercing gaze that was hiding his simmering rage. I sneered at him before their bossed sighed deeply making me turn my attention to him.

Xavier's POV

I couldn't believe my bloody goons couldn't manage to get the situation under control as fast as I expected them. As I looked at the petite young woman who was lain on the floor on her mother's lap, I wondered how she had managed to cause such a ruckus and even injure one of my bodyguards.

This was uncalled for. I had to assert my dominance and make sure that such never happens again.

"I hired you to protect me and you're telling me that this little girl gave you a challenge?" I asked visibly mad

The bodyguard who was injured looked at the floor in defeat and shame.

"I'm sor--sorry sir. It won't happen again," he mumbled as he clenched on his jaw which I could tell was broken. Despite this, I couldn't show remorse, especially not in front of these people.

"Get out of my sight!" I spat as he hurriedly walked out of the door without looking back. Immediately, another one of my men walked in from outside and replaced his position.

I turned my attention back to this family of parasites. I call them this because all they know is to take and take and take without giving back. I had had enough of their lies and fake promises.

My finger traced on the metal of the gun that I had in hand. Looking at it I remembered where I was. I ordered the men holding Rodgers to let him go. He fell with a thud to the ground from the beating that he had endured from my men.

When his wife was about to crawl to him and tend to his wounds, I pointed the gun to her and dared her,

"No no no darling. I didn't say you can have a family reunion just yet. How are you getting together and I'm not getting my money?" I asked with a smirk.

You might call me heartless or cruel or anything else you want to call me. Honestly I don't care. At the end of the day, they knew what they were getting into when they came to my door asking me for money. These were the consequences of not paying me back my money and they were well aware of them.

"What do you want?" Their daughter asked me without any sense of fear in her voice. To be fair, she kind of surprised me. Her dad was beaten up pretty badly, her mum was still sobbing and I had a gun in my hand and yet, she still was defiant.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" I asked her mom as I realized that she knew nothing of what was happening.

"Well then, allow me. You see, you parents came to me and borrowed a lump sum of money, around five million dollars," I started narrating to her and watched as her eyes grew wide with shock at the amount, " and I've been looking for for them for a long time. So I'm finally back to collect what I'm owed"

Their daughter looked at me on disbelief as I stopped pointing the gun from her mother to her. I admit, she did look good. With long black curly hair, puffy lips, green eyes and some curves, she was one to steal a spotlight.

"Leave us alone! I'll look for the money and pay you" she huffed confidently.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought and when her eyebrows furrowed in frustration as wonder, I spoke out my mind.

"Darling, from the looks of things I didn't think you have a job. So tell me, where are you going to get five million dollars?"

With my question I could see her thought process go off. She was thinking hard about how to answer me and possibly try to give me a deal that I'd accept. Just then, one of my close guards walked into the house and came to whisper something to me.

"Your grandfather just called, he says he's going to be in town next week and wants to see you,"

After saying this he left without a word. Of all the things that I wanted was that. For the past few months my grandfather had been pestering me to get someone who could give me an heir so that he could sign over the family company to me.

As I tried to push that thought to the back of my head an idea slowly crept into my mind. A devilish smile started to dance on my face and I could tell everyone could see it and were instantly worried.

"Adriana, right?" I asked as I stared daggers into those green eyes. I could see a fire burn inside them and I couldn't help but smirk as I said the next words.

"Mr Rogers," I called out to him, I could see him trying to look at me with his bruised eyes, turning my attention back to the girl I said, "I had mentioned something about a motivation to keep you going and speed up the repayment process. I think I just found the right kind of motivation"

As I finished my statement I gestured for my men to get a hold of Adriana and they did so quickly fearing to disappoint me like the first time. They held her by the hands and brought her to my side.

Her mother crawled pleading with me to my feet but as she got close she stopped when her temple came to contact with the cold hard barrel of the gun. I could see fear in her eyes as Rodgers just watched in the background.

"Please, anything but not my daughter" she pleaded hoping to appeal to my remorseful side but I wasn't having any of that.

Looking at my side I could see Adriana and I could tell that she wanted to spit right across my face. Before she could, I dropped the bombshell which I knew no one was ready for.

"So here is how this is going to play out, I'm taking Adriana here and you are not going to see her. For every week that passes I expect you to deposit one million dollars and I'll be so generous not to even charge you any interest. This means you have exactly five weeks to repay my loan. Failure to this,you will never see her again" I instructed as I gave the signal for my men to leave leaving no room for argument.

Adriana tried to fight my men as she was being taken to the car and as we walked out of the front door, I grabbed her by the neck and whispered into her ear,

"Keep fighting and you'll walk back into your house and find your dear parents nailed to the wall."