My Billion Dollar Marriage Proposal

Maria's POV

"Will you marry me, Miss Belucci?" The question has me eyeing the man before me as if he had grown two heads over the past half hour he had been in my office. If anyone had told me my perfectly boring morning would take the route it had now I would have called them insane.

I had woken up in a good mood, earlier than usual because I wanted to drop my son off at his kindergarten before heading to work for a meeting that would essentially change my company for good not expecting to be interrupted by the last person I had expected to see.

Sebastian Bolt.

Even his name sounded attractive.

He was the CEO of Bolt Industries who had hounded me with proposals to buy my company despite my continuous refusals. He had come to apparently convince me in person but soon changed his proposal.

"What happened to buying my company?" I asked stepping away from him.

I couldn't help but wonder if he remembered me from that night five years ago when I had asked him to help me forget the betrayal of finding my step sister and fiance in bed. I had never forgotten his face especially not after I'd found out I was pregnant shortly after.

It had been the one thing that sponsored my decision to leave London so I never bump into him again even though I didn't know whether or not he lived in London.

"Plans change."

"I would have rather you stuck to your original course so I know how to reject your offer." I answered, pouring myself some coffee to give my hands something to do.

"Does that mean marrying me is a better offer?" He asked grinning wolfishly.

"No. It just shows me that perhaps you're even more unhinged than I had imagined."

"I am not unhinged, Miss Belluci." He said softly, crowding me against the table. "I'm just a man who knows what I want and goes for it.

His cologne was a delicious fragrance that made my nose twitch, itching to breathe deeply but I stopped myself, remembering he wasn't just any man.

He was even more attractive than when I had seem him those years ago and my body remembered just how well he had handled it. Even now I could feel the stirrings of desire in my blood as I looked at him.

"I am not an object to be acquired." I told him stubbornly.

"I can see that." He smiled,his eyes seductively moving around my body like a lion about to feast on its meal.

"You do not even know me." I went on. "Surely you can't marry a stranger."

He grinned wider then, running a hand down the side of my face.

"That's where I'll stop you, Miss Belluci. I happen to recall we spent a very beautiful night together five years ago."

My eyes widened in shock.

"We aren't exactly strangers you see." He smiled proudly. "I believe we know each other quite intimately."

"It still doesn't count." I answered stubbornly. "We barely know anything about each other. A marriage should be more than a business proposal. There has to be something more to it. Love, attraction, anything but this... farce you're suggesting."

"I do not need you to love me." He rebuts coldly. "I want you to marry me. Besides going by that delectable flush on your skin I can say there certainly is attraction."

"I do not want to, Mr Bolt." I reiterated, flushing even deeper much to my dismay, in case the stubborn asshole hadn't understood my view on the subject. "There's nothing you can say to convince me otherwise."

"I believe you think you have a choice in the matter." He smiles wolfishly. "Marry me or I'll let those wolves have a field day with tearing your company from your hands. You do not have a lot of options. I'm offering you a deal you cannot afford to lose. Your company will be yours. I'll be a silent investor. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I would rather take my chances with them than you."

Yes my company needed investments to survive but that didn't mean I was just going to accept help at any cost. I still had my principles to live by. What would I teach my son then?

He smirked, stepping even closer so that I could feel every hard ridge of his body against me.

"Marriage to me wouldn't be so bad, Miss Belluci." He smirked running an eye up and down my body. "I'll keep your days busy with clients and your nights very warm."

"You will have to make a better proposal than that to get me to marry you, Mr Bolt." I spat. "I suggest you take your time."

"That sounds like you you want me to come back."

I pushed him off me, ignoring how warm and solid he felt beneath my hand.

"Good bye, Miss Belluci." He smiled. "I believe I will take your advice."

I sighed as soon as he stepped outside my office, falling into my seat.

"What was that about?" Helena, my best friend and business partner asked me. "You were here for a long time."

Helena and I had been best of friends since prom. She had a bit too much to drink on that and I couldn't help but suggest she pass the night at mine. As we spent more time together that night, I got to realize that we had so much in common. Little did we know that a night of drunkenness would lead to lifelong friendship.

"He said he wants to marry me. If I do, he'll invest and I'll retain ownership."

Her eyes went wide.

"What? Why?"

"Remember when I told you about that one night stand I had five years ago?" I asked.

She would definitely remember as I had called her crying when I finally returned home from his apartment.

"Yes why?" She asked. When I didn't answer, her eyes widened. "It can't be."

"It is." I sighed falled into my seat.

"And he remembers?"

I nodded, holding my head in my hands.

"What will you do?"

"I don't know." I answered truthfully.

She was silent for a long time but had a contemplative look on her face. As a lawyer, I knew she would be weighing the pros and cons of the deal.

"We do need help at this point." She started, undeterred by my glare. "And marriage to him would mean contracts."

"You seriously aren't suggesting I..."

"I'm not suggesting it, Maria." She answered folding her hands. "I'm all for it."

"Hel..."

"Would it be so bad?" She asked. "The man is hot as hell, dynamite in bed from what you said and stupidly rich and he obviously is interested in you. You're single so there's nothing stopping you."

"I don't want to sell myself for money."

"I can't appear so desperate Helena," I said sadly.

"We all have to at some point." Helena sighed. "If you're going to do it, you might as well make sure its worth it."

Will she accept his proposal?

What did she truly want for herself?

Maria's POV

"You sneaky little bitch!" A feminine voice screeched and I turned barely in time to see a flash of blonde hair launch herself at me.

Thankfully, Hilda, one of the members of my team, had been quick enough to pull me out of the way before a set of red painted claws dug into my face.

I nodded my thanks to her and turned to see the blonde glaring at me with hate in her eyes.

"It's been a long time, sister." I told her, brushing a hand over my suit. "What brings you to Amsterdam?"

I feigned a cold expression even though deep down I burned with curiosity. I hadn't seen my half-sister since I had left London five year's prior after my family had taken her side when I had caught her in bed with my fiancé so it was a marvel she would show up now in Amsterdam glaring daggers at me.

"Don't play coy, Maria." She spat. "It doesn't suit you."

Knowing whatever she had to say couldn't be any good, I turned to look at my staff who were watching us with bated breath.

"If you could be so kind, my sister and I need privacy to talk." I smiled. "Helena you can continue the meeting in the other board room. I will be with you shortly."

Cassandra scoffed, folding her arms.

"Why send them off?" she asked smiling wolfishly. "Do you not want them to know you are a whore who steals someone else's fiancé?"

I raised my brow at her.

"I believe that title applies to you, darling sister." I rebutted, sliding into my seat alluding to what had happened five years ago.

She bared her teeth at me and stalked closer. I didn't give her the pleasure of flinching as I once would have considering she had been prone to violent tantrums since childhood. Her brows raised and she took a step back visibly regrouping her thoughts.

"You really think you can disregard me so easily?" She spat. "I didn't think you the sort to seek revenge but it seems I was wrong."

"You've been speaking in parables Cassandra." I frowned, taking a sip of my coffee. "What do you mean?"

"Sebastian Bolt." She sneered.

I raised my brow in question.

Had she really flown all this way because of the announcement of my engagement to the billionaire CEO?

"My fiancé?" I asked.

"You mean my fiancé."

"I'm confused."

"He is mine or was mine before you somehow stole him from me." She cried. "He broke off the engagement just before the announcement of your engagement to him."

My eyes widened unable to contain my surprise. I had only recently agreed to the man's proposal considering I didn't have much of a choice in the matter seeing as I would have lost my company without his investment.

It hadn't been an easy decision but I finally decided because I was desperate. He had not mentioned anything about an ex fiancé.

Of all people it just had to be Cassandra.

I sighed pinching my brow.

Why did this have to happen again?

"He mentioned nothing of it." I told her. "Had he..."

"Would you really not have pursued him if you had known?" she scoffed.

"I didn't pursue..." I stopped remembering the NDA I had signed to ensure no one but the two of us and our lawyers knew the nature of our arrangement. "I wouldn't have Cassandra."

"You would forgive me if I find it hard to believe you wouldn't have, Maria. After all, you have every reason to seek to hurt me." She smiled. "I stole your father, your birth rite and then your fiancé. It is understandable your thirst for revenge but..."

"Is there a reason you're here now bringing up the past?" I asked impatiently.

I had a meeting to get to and I didn't feel like remembering the hurt and betrayal I had felt five years ago when my own father had disowned me simply because I asked him to pick my side for once when the news of Cassandra's betrayal leaked.

"I came to ask you to end the engagement."

I couldn't believe Cassandra could say this to my face after the hurt and betrayal she had me go through. I knew she could go wild to hurt me but little did I know she was this desperate to see me suffer. Her thirst for revenge knew no bond.

"I can't." I told her honestly.

"Why not?" she screeched.

"Because Sebastian is my fiancé and I intend to live a long and happy life with him." I answered rising from my seat.

"You really think you can make him happy?" she laughed. "I am every man's dream woman. I'm sexy but you... you're nothing more than a fat whore playing a game she doesn't understand."

I glared hard at her as she tried to use my weight as a barb. It had been the one thing that had hurt each time people compared us when we had been younger.

Since my mother passed and my father had married Cassandra's mother, they had used my weight just because I had taken the curves of my mother's side of the family than the waif thin stature of my father's side.

Now I was unaffected but needed to put her in her place.

"Yet he left you easily for me." I laughed, "And I didn't have to spread my legs."

She raised her hands to slap me but I caught her hands pushing her away from me.

"Gone are the days when I would simply let you steal my things just because I pitied you." I sneered.

"You're an adult now yet you still entertain your childish delusions that things must always go your way. It's honestly pitiful to see nothing much has changed in five years. I'll advise you to leave before I have security escort you out."

"You think you've won, don't you Maria?"

"I do not think there was ever a competition, Cassandra." I answered casting a disgusted look at her. "If you will excuse me, I have a multi-million dollar company to run."

"You haven't heard the last of me, Maria!"

She snarled, ready to destroy everything she laid her hands on.

I ignored her, stepping out of the room.

"What was that about?" Helena, my best friend and attorney asked me.

"I need to have a talk with my fiancé."

Will this revelation ruin her chances of getting married?

Sebastian's POV

"Is there a reason you didn't inform me you were engaged?" Maria asked.

I smiled as I could hear the anger in her voice even through the phone. I had hoped to tell her eventually even though I didn't see that bit of information as important.

"Good day to you too, fiancée." I greeted knowing it would irk her. "Who told you?"

She scoffed.

"Your ex fiancée just visited me." She answered. "Cassandra Kidman."

I hadn't bothered telling her about the engagement because it had been a match planned by my father and it wasn't important because nothing had been done, at least on my part.

If the Kidman's had thought I would agree to the match they had truly overestimated their worth because while they did have an impressive reach with their shipping company, in the last few years they had secured such terrible losses under Cassandra's leadership that they had become a laughing stock in the financial world.

I was watching them closely, bidding my time till I could buy them out of the company as were most other investors. There was no way I could bring someone that unprofitable into my family.

Even worse, the few times I had had to interact with Cassandra Kidman, I had seen her as nothing more than a whiny brat with an irritating clinginess.

It had been all too easy to scorn her and propose a marriage deal to Maria considering her company, Syntech, was currently in public eye and looked like it would be a good investment with impressive returns. Then there was the fact I had spent the better part of two years looking for her since our first meeting five years ago.

She had been that unforgettable that I was constantly haunted by the memories of our first encounter. She had been beautiful. Drunk and upset over something she didn't want to talk about and I had listened to every other thing she had talked about, even though I had been celebrating just being voted as CEO. The conversation was easy but it was her appeal that had kept me there.

She had danced without a care, moving her hips seductively on the dance floor and I had been entranced by her, staring until she caught me. She had walked up to me brazenly and asked what I had been staring at.

"You." I had answered honestly. "You're beautiful."

She snorted and tripped over her own feet and I caught her, relishing how soft she felt in my hands. Usually I dated tall waif thin women with long legs but something about her curvy frame had me moving my hands up her body boldly, savouring how she shivered at my touch.

I had nearly wept with joy when she had indirectly begged me to take her to my bed and I did.

"Help me forget." I remember her say.

I had been all too willing.

"I will handle it." I told her.

"See that you do." She told me. I could almost see her glaring. "I do not appreciate scorned lovers interrupting my business meetings."

I smirked.

"Always the business woman." I teased, unable to bury my smile even when my best friend Keith walked into my office.

"I thought it was part of my charm?" she asked.

Did she just flirt back?

It seemed I was making progress thawing my fiancée's ice cold personality.

Good.

She might have been thinking she would be able to divorce me after two years but I would do all I could to make her fall for me before then.

Since I had seen her son, who had interrupted our first meeting three weeks ago, I had known deep in my bones he was my son. He looked too much like I had at that age and I intended to find out the truth but I would only be able to do so if he was close enough.

"Indeed it is." I answered. "I would like you to have dinner with me tonight, Maria."

"Why?" she asked.

"My father wants to meet you." I answered. "But it isn't entirely uncommon for couples to have dinner together."

She scoffed.

"I will come for your father's sake but if I suspect foul play..."

"You know I'm not one for games, Maria."

"Where are we going?" She asked with a sigh.

"I'll text you the address." I answered. "Wear something beautiful."

She ended the call and I laughed shaking my head.

"What happened?" Keith asked as soon as I ended the call.

"Cassandra Kidman paid Maria a visit." I answered.

"And?"

"Nothing happened." I told him. "She only tried to scare Maria off but the woman knows how to handle herself."

"Your father really overstepped announcing the engagement too early." He laughed shaking his head. "Now every one of your scorned lovers know her office and will most definitely be paying her a visit to know how she successfully trapped the billionaire bad boy Sebastian Bolt."

"I doubt anyone would apart from the one I literally didn't date." I said rolling my eyes.

"Still you're pushing things, Seb. Dinner?" Keith warned. "You might end up revealing your hand too early."

I waved away his concerns.

"I know how to play my games.

"You should be careful. You barely know her."

"I know enough." I defended.

"You could simply just ask if the boy is yours and be done with it."

"She didn't say anything even though I stood there with an exact replica of me." I said angrily. "I doubt she would be willing to answer that question honestly."

"That says a lot about her character or that you could be wrong."

"Please stop."

"You know I am only concerned."

"I do know that but I assure you, if I see anything untoward I will pull the plug on this."

He nodded and didn't push the subject.

"What are you going to do about the Kidman's?" he asked leaning back in his seat.

I picked up the office phone from the receiver and dialed my private secretary.

"Yes, Mister Bolt." She answered at the first ring.

"Get me Mister Kidman's office."

"Right away sir."

"What are you going to do?" Keith asked with a naughty smile.

"Something you and I will enjoy rather dearly."

Is Sebastian really aware of how well to play his games?