Seducing The Billionaire Daddy

It all started when I walked into my shared dorm room with a girl named Lily Blackwell.

I was here on a full academic scholarship, one of five awarded nationwide. I earned my place with sleepless nights, top scores and a ruthless hunger to escape the life I was born into.

An orphan like me didn't have much, you either work so hard to earn every little thing, or regret not doing so.

"Room 413," I whispered, climbing the stairs of my dorm.

I knocked softly, but the door swung open before I could reach for the handle.

A blonde girl with oversized sunglasses and a tiny designer robe blinked at me, phone in hand, clearly mid-conversation. "Hold on, Ashley," she said into the phone, lowering her glasses. "You're my roommate?"

I gave a small nod. "Elena Reyes."

The girl gave me a slow, curious look, taking in my plain jeans and obviously thrifted cardigan. Her lips curled into a half smile.

"I'm Lily. Lily Blackwell."

I only nodded. The name sounded familiar. Where did I hear that name?

The girl looked surprised that I didn't react to hearing her name...

She stepped aside and motioned for me to come in. "Don't worry, I don't bite. Much."

The room was ridiculously big. Two queen-sized beds, and a flat screen mounted on the wall. Lily's space was beautifully decorated with all the girly stuff I could think of. I walked quietly to my corner and unpacked my bags while Lily resumed her phone call.

"Just my roommate...she looks weird...yeah. I don't think she knows much...I told her my name and she kept staring at me like a dummy," Lily laughed and made her way out of the room. "I know right, so strange..."

Did she just insult me knowing I can hear her?

What's the obsession with her name anyway?

I typed in Lily Blackwell on my phone and the search results loaded in seconds. My breath caught.

Daughter of billionaire mogul, Damian Blackwell.

I browsed the pictures, there were images of Lily stepping out of expensive cars, attending events with designer dresses.

There was one that caught my attention. Lily was standing beside a tall, dark haired man in sharp suits and an intense glare.

Damian Blackwell.

I remembered the name now. He was the founder and CEO of Blackwell industries.... constructions, oil, real estate, aviation and many more. A man so powerful that the entire city bowed to his name. He was also one of the sponsors of my scholarship program.

And Lily, my roommate...was his only daughter.

I closed the browser slowly and sat back, staring blankly at the ceiling.

I had never been so close to someone so rich and powerful.

The thought of it excited me, I had just walked into a whole new world.

Suddenly, Lily's condescending tone towards me made sense.

I glanced around the dorm room again. The daughter of a billionaire.

A family with the kind of influence I had only dreamed of touching.

My gaze traveled to Lily's untouched textbooks on the desk and the perfume bottles lined up like trophies.

"Elena Reyes," I whispered to myself, "you've just come across the kind of people you only saw in movies and reality tv shows."

The door creaked open and Lily returned. "Sorry about earlier," she said with a dramatic sigh, tossing her phone onto her bed. "My friends can be such snobs sometimes. And I kind of am too, I guess."

I looked up from her unpacking. "It's fine."

Lily's eyes studied me. "You're here on scholarship, right?"

I gave a short nod.

"I figured. You look like it." She plopped down on her bed. "That's cool though. You must be, like, really smart."

I shrugged. "I try."

Lily scoffed. "You're trying to be modest. I wish I was smart enough to get a scholarship."

I wondered why someone as rich as Lily would want a scholarship.

"If I was smart enough to win a scholarship, maybe dad would have made me a manager in one of his companies."

I sighed....that's why.

"Well," Lily grinned, tossing her shiny blonde hair. "Welcome to Prestwick university. Stick with me and I might just make your time here worth it."

I gave her a small smile.

"What are you doing later?"

I hesitated. "I have to go look for a part time job."

I might have gotten a scholarship, but I still had to feed myself amongst other things.

Lily looked at me like I had just spoken the strangest of words.

"Erm...okay. Good luck with...whatever that is."

In just two weeks, I had learned more about Lily Blackwell than I wanted to.

My roommate was loud, spoiled, and completely unaware of her privilege. She dropped designer names like candy and threw tantrums when the cafeteria ran out of her favorite sparkling water. But she was also oddly charismatic, funny when she wanted to be, and most importantly, utterly obsessed with her own family.

Especially her father.

I knew everything there was to know about Damian Blackwell without even having met him.

"Daddy's in Dubai this week for a private summit," Lily had said while getting ready for class one morning. "He might buy another company. Or a skyscraper. I don't even know. Isn't that insane?"

I only smiled politely, as I always did when Lily bragged.

It was a rainy Thursday night when I got my first real glimpse of Damian Blackwell.

Lily was on a video call in her bed, twirling her hair when I walked in the room.

"Daddy, seriously, I'm not going to that stupid charity dinner unless you let me wear the Versace dress."

I didn't mean to eavesdrop. Not technically. But when I heard the deep, commanding voice come through the speaker, I couldn't help but pause in my tracks.

"No. You are not going to wear something with a slit up to your hip. You're attending, not auditioning." The voice was rough, deliberate, every word like a weight.

My eyes shot up...towards the iPad.

And there he was.

Damian Blackwell. On the screen. Sitting in what looked like a private study, with a glass of liquor in his hand. His hair was arranged neatly with a few curls hanging out and resting on his forehead, almost touching his eyes. In one surreal moment, his eyes shifted in the camera and he was looking straight at me.

I froze.

"Daddy, this is Elena. My roommate," Lily said suddenly, flipping the phone around toward me.

Caught off guard, I blinked.

Damian Blackwell looked at me. He didn't smile. He didn't nod. He simply observed.

"Elena Reyes," he repeated slowly, voice low. "Scholarship student?"

I cleared my throat and stood a little straighter. "Yes, sir."

His gaze remained fixed on me. "I remember your name, your score was quite a remarkable one.

I stopped myself from jumping on my feet. "Thank you sir, for the opportunity."

"It wasn't just me," Damian said, his voice lacking any emotions.

And then, just like that, he turned to Lily and they resumed their conversation about slit Versace dresses.

But my heart kept pounding long after the call ended.

I tried to sleep that night, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. His eyes. His voice. The sheer power he carried just through a screen.

And it terrified me how much I wanted to see more.

I started working part time at the coffee shop close to the school.

It was convenient for me and the pay wasn't so bad.

When I told Lily about it, her face showed disappointment and she told me she didn't know people could be paid such a meagre amount of money for work.

When she told me how much her gardener back home earned, my mouth dropped.

What I saw as enough money to go by was nothing to Lily.

She could spend times ten of it in a day if she wanted to.

But I had to survive, so I ignored her snide comments and focused on my work and studies which was important for someone without privileges like me.

I would return home sometimes and meet an empty room, and she wouldn't return until early the next morning. She tried countless times to take me to one of her all-night parties but I always refused. I was either very tired from working, or had an early class the next morning.

One day, while working, I sighted Lily sitting at one of the tables. Knowing she would never just come here, I walked up to her to ask what's up.

She waved when she saw me approach the table.

"Hi El!"

Only Lily cut my name short. I've asked countless times that she calls me by my full name but she constantly refuses.

"Why are you here, Lily?"

She frowned at my lack of enthusiasm.

"Brighten up El, you look like a sad puppy."

She pointed at the guy sitting opposite her. "This is my boyfriend, Jason."

I only nodded at the guy, I didn't smile at him because I was pretty sure he'd come here before with another girl.

"Can we talk in private?" I took her hands and dragged her to a corner.

"When did you start dating Jason?"

"He asked me out last night," she blushed hard as her memories traveled back. "We met at the party and our vibes just matched. Can you believe that?"

Of course I couldn't.

"What if he's with you because of your money?"

Lily only smiled. "What are you saying El? People come around me BECAUSE of my money. It's nothing new. They overlook my bitchy attitude because of what I have to offer."

I thought about it. It sounded kind of sad that if her father wasn't Damian Blackwell, she would be a loner.

But on another thought, she wouldn't be such a bitch if her father wasn't Damian Blackwell.

"What are you thinking about? Are you also my friend because of my money?"

My jaw tensed and I hesitated.

"We're not friends. We're just roommates."

I couldn't tell if she was satisfied or hurt by my answer because her face showed no reaction nor emotion.

"Before I forget why I came here," she started. "You have to stop this job," she gaze swept over the place disapprovingly. "I have something better for you."

I wanted to lash at her for thinking she could just come around and tell me what to do with my life. But I calmed myself to hear what better offer she had for me.

"Tell me why you came here. I have to go back to work."

"It's about my father."

My heart stopped at the mention of her father. I had tried so hard to stop thinking about the man, Damian Blackwell. And I was so grateful that Lily hadn't mentioned his name for days now.

"My father wants me to get a tutor."

"What has that got to do with me?" I asked, reminding myself to breathe.

"I want you to tutor me."

For the first time that day, I laughed. "Me?"

She blinked once, slowly, as if trying to remain patient. "Are you dumb? You're so smart, who else would I choose to tutor me?"

"Your sentence is contradictory."

"Stop showing off El, I don't have all day. Are you in or out?"

I sighed. At this rate, Lily would make me lose my job. "Why do you want a tutor?"

She flipped her hair. "Daddy and I were talking, and he said that if I got a very good score this semester, he'd let me live off campus."

"Our dorm is the nicest on campus."

Her chin lifted in a smug way. "I thought I'd love staying in a dorm to socialize but I don't like it anymore. There's too many rules and Lily Blackwell doesn't like rules."

Staying with Lily, I realized that rich people's problems were mostly always insignificant and often not real life problems.

Unfortunately for me, Lily and I studied the same course but for different purposes.

I studied business management to later become a corporate lawyer one day, Lily studied it to take over one of her father's numerous companies in the future.

"Are you doing it or not?" She looked like she was running out of patience with me.

"How much are you offering?"

"How much do you want?"

I hesitated, how much could I possibly charge a rich kid like Lily without it seeming like a rip-off.

"Uhm...eighty per hour?"

Lily's eyes widened in surprise.

"I meant hundred...hundred per hour."

"Okay," she smiled. "I can only spare three hours a day. I still have my social life to attend to."

I tried to hide the shock in my face.

A hundred per hour?

I knew I had hit the jackpot when I got Lily Blackwell for a roommate.

Who else would pay a hundred for tutoring? I wasn't even a certified tutor or a senior student.

"That concludes it then. Can I go back to Jason now?"

I nodded, still in shock. "Yeah. I'll submit my resignation here today."

She smirked. "Good."

"Oh...lest I forget. Get ready to talk to my dad tonight."

I grabbed her before she walked away, my hands trembling.

"What- what did you just say? I'm going to speak with your father?"

Lily brushed off my hand from hers. "You don't get a job without an interview. Do you? If my father is going to pay someone a hundred dollars per hour, he's going to want to know if that person is capable enough."

She walked over to Jason, gave him a kiss and walked out of the cafe.

Jason grabbed her bag and his, running after her like a dog following its owner.

And me, I remained still like a statue, my mouth agape.

My heart beat accelerated just by hearing his name.

I wasn't ready to talk to him!

Not in a million years!!

By the time my shift ended, I had already written my resignation letter and memorized my conversation with Damian Blackwell a dozen times.

Thankfully, it wouldn't be in person but that didn't make it any less nerve wracking.

The thought of facing Damian Blackwell, even through a screen, made my heart race. A man as powerful as him would be bothered to interview a first year university student like me.

He didn't even bother to interview honorary graduates that apply at his company everyday.

As I walked back to our dorm, I kept telling myself not to flop this. I needed the money for my survival so there was no way I was going to fail at this.

I pushed open the door to our dorm room, expecting Lily to already be there, casually lounging on her bed. But the room was empty.

I sat on my bed, waiting for Lily to return. That was when I got a message from her, a link. Then another message saying, 'In five minutes, click on the link'.

What?

It's going to be just us?

I thought Lily would be with me, it would have helped a lot in controlling my nerves.

You can do this Elena!

I sat down at my desk, staring at my phone. The time on the clock ticked louder in my ears with every passing second.

Five minutes. It was time.

My fingers tapped on the screen, clicking the link Lily had sent. The screen loaded, and then there he was - Damian Blackwell.

His face was stern. Serious and all business. I smiled and when he didn't smile back, I went straight to the point.

"Good evening, Mr. Blackwell."

"Miss Elena Reyes."

I froze, heart hammering in my chest.

His voice cut through the silence, rich and authoritative. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything? You don't look ready to talk."

I swallowed hard. "No, Mr. Blackwell. I'm ready."

He gave a slight nod, and the cool, detached expression he wore made my nerves spike even more.

"Lily tells me you're quite capable," he began, his eyes scanning me as if I were a commodity he was appraising. "She speaks highly of your academic abilities. But before we proceed with any arrangements, I need to be certain you're the right fit."

I barely heard him. My mind was buzzing, stuck on his last name, and the reminder of who he was. But I wasn't about to back out now. Not when a hundred dollars an hour was staring me in the face.

"I'm confident I can help Lily with her studies," I said, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. "I'm very familiar with the curriculum and I have experience tutoring."

That was a lie? Why did I lie?!

He raised an eyebrow. "Experience, huh? You're not a certified tutor. What makes you think you can handle my daughter?"

His question hung in the air, sharp and pointed.

Did he know I was lying?

Is this like a test?

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my composure. "I'm a business management student, same as Lily. If she left seniors and teachers to come to me for tutoring, it must mean that I am pretty good."

I think I must have come off as proud.

Damian's gaze remained steady, unblinking, as if evaluating my every word.

"You're smart and you know it. That's good, but is it enough? What if you fail?"

He leaned in slightly, his eyes narrowing.

The tension in my chest tightened. I knew what was going on, he was trying to intimidate me and I wouldn't let him.

"I'm not going to fail, Mr. Blackwell," I said, my voice steady despite the rapid beating of my heart. "I scored the highest in my scholarship exam and you're fully aware of that. I read ahead of my peers and I can say that I am ahead in class. I am going to tutor Lily to the best of my abilities because you, Mr. Blackwell, you're going to be paying me well for that. Lily wants a house off campus and I just want the money that comes with her desires. We both have our motivations so I am certain we won't fail." I breathed deeply. "But then, if Lily fails, it'd be on her, not me."

Damian studied me for a long moment.

At that moment, I regretted submitting my resignation letter at the cafe when I wasn't sure of the job.

I would go back there, cry and beg until my job was given back to me.

I thought I saw his lips twitch for a small moment. He sat back in his chair, nodding slowly.

"Fair enough," he said, his tone softening slightly. "I'll leave you guys to it."

I nodded, trying to push past the unease that crawled up my spine. "Thank you for the opportunity."

I got no reply. The screen blinked, and just like that, the call ended.

I sat there, frozen, trying to process everything that had just happened.

I'd done it. I'd made it through the interview.

This was the beginning of something new for me. Slowly, I would learn more about Lily's rich lifestyle. It really fascinated me, maybe because I had never been around someone with so much money....as much as the Blackwell's.

Didn't Lily say she was used to people being around her for monetary gains?

What would I gain if I get closer to her?

What if I became more than a roommate, a tutor?

A friend?

A true friend....

In a matter of minutes, I had gone from being a broke university student to earning three hundred dollars everyday.

I was now part of the Blackwell world, even though it was only by association.

I glanced at Lily's bed. Maybe I could become her true friend.

Not for her money...I convinced myself.

I didn't want to use her.

I just didn't want to be left behind.

As I lay back on my bed, one thought circled in my mind: This is just the beginning.