Sold to a billionaire

"I learned that your business is having a downtime," Alex said, his sharp eyes piercing through Mr. Green, while he swirled the glass of wine in his hand.

"Yes! President Alexander Edwards" Mr Green responded, feeling tensed under the fierce gaze of Mr Alexander.

"That means you lack management skills for your business," Alex said, his gaze not shifting from Mr Green.

"Is not what you think Mr. Alexander, I'm pretty good at what I do. I was only attacked by fraudsters." Mr Green replied, hanging his head down to avoid Alexander's piercing gaze.

Mr. Green's business went bankrupt, after a very serious cyberattack from one of his rivals, a few years back, Mr. Green was doing well in business, so much so that, his incredible level of success made him the envy of so many people.

Soon enough, some persons in the same line of business with him, began to attack his business, threatening him to back down. But he refused and was still winning effortlessly against all odds.

When one of his rivals saw that their efforts to pull him down were futile, he launched a cyberattack against him, stealing most of his financial assets, and freezing the ones he couldn't take away.

Mr Green got weary by all the losses he had accumulated and started putting a lot of money into tracking the culprits behind his losses, but his efforts were no match for those criminals.

Things were very bad to the point that he ran into debt. His debtors connived together and shot down his business activities because he wasn't able to clear those debts.

"Hmm! What are your plans? Or do you just want to fold your hands, and watch your business close permanently?" Mr Edwards asked again, with a stern face, his voice icy.

" have exhausted all the options I have, I'm now looking at other businesses I can start with a small capital" Mr Green explained, his eyes darkened, a pang of grief engulfing him.

His heart tinged with pain, as he reminisced over how hard he had been trying to save his business, but all his efforts were useless.

He has tried collaborating with some business partners but none of them were willing to work with him.

He also talked to some distressed debt investors, to acquire the business, while he became a partner, they agreed, but all of a sudden, everybody backed out, saying they were no longer interested.

"You're such a simp! what kind of a man gives up a widely recognized business without a fight?" Alex spat out those words, with a hint of irritation in his eyes.

Now I'm convinced that you lack effective leadership and management skills for business. People like you shouldn't be doing business. Alex fumed, flames of anger sparking in his eyes.

Mr Green shivered at the outburst of his anger, wasn't this man supposed to help him? Did he call him out here, to remind him of his failure?

"Errm... you see, Mr. Alexander, I might not be as ruthless as you are, but I gave my best to that business", Mr Green said, furrowing his brow, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

" Save that for yourself, I want to invest in the business," Alex said, dropping his glass of wine off the table, and re-adjusted himself on the chair.

"What? Mr Green screamed, his jaw-dropping, please tell me this is not a joke President Alex" He said, becoming more impatient, his ears itchy and his heart leaping in joy.

Alex remained calm, scanning his demeanor with a cold face, and a burning gaze.

"Do I look like a joke to you? Do you think I left all the important things I was supposed to attend to, and came here just to have fun with you?" Alex replied.

" I'm sorry Mr Alexander." Mr Green apologized, rubbing his temple.

.Mr Alex grabbed his briefcase, opened it, brought out a document, and slammed it on the table. " Here! I will invest one billion dollars into your business." He said, staring at Mr Green, his face expressionless.

Mr Green gasped, his eyes widening in shock, he wanted to say something, but the words weren't coming out. "Mr Alex! A whole 1 billion dollars? For me?" He finally managed to say, staring at Alex in disbelief.

"Are you also deaf?" Alex asked, furrowing his brow.

" N...No! Mr Green stammered, snapping back to reality.

Earlier that day, when Mr. Alexander Edwards called him, and told him he wanted to have a meeting with him, he was puzzled, not knowing why such a prominent figure would want to have a meeting with him.

While he was on his way to meet Alex, his heart was pounding in his chest, worried that he was coming to face trouble, but here he was being offered the rare opportunity in the world, just when all his hope was crushed.

"Are you trying to acquire the business or do you just want to partner with me?" Mr Green asked, still trying to process what he just heard.

"I do not need it for your business, it is only going to be baggage, I already have enough business to run" Alex replied, his hand clutching the documents, placed on the table.

"Wao! I don't even know what to say, I'm just overwhelmed by your kindness, thank you so much." Mr Green said, grinning widely, his gaze fixed on Alex.

"You're welcome Mr Green, but there's a price tag for this, I believe you know that, nothing goes for nothing., " Alex said, his lips curling into a cold smile.

"A price tag? Alright, what could that be? I'm willing to do anything it takes, for my business to bounce back." Mr Green replied, feeling nervous.

Mr Alexander sneered, biting his lips in satisfaction, he responded. "your daughter Mia is the price... I want her as compensation for my generosity towards you."

Mr Green's countenance failed immediately, his jaw dropping in shock, and his eyes flickered. "My daughter! How did you know about Mia?"

Alex crossed his hands on his chest, grinning widely, unwilling to reply to Mr Green's question.

"Please what has Mia got to do with this? What exactly do you want?" Mr Green asked, frowning his face.

" Good! That's exactly what I have expected you to ask all this while." Alex said, relaxing his back on the chair.

" I want Mia as my wife, if you can get her to be with me, then the one billion dollars is for you."

.

Mr Green furrowed his brow, staring blankly at Alex, his mind wandering far and near, trying to process what President Edwards was saying.

"Mr. Alex, you have indeed placed me in a tight corner, my daughter is very strong-willed, I'm not sure she would want to marry someone she doesn't have feelings for"

"Forget about feelings, just get her to be with me first." Alex declared in a commanding tone, his face darkening.

"Okay! I will give it my best, this is my only chance to save my business." Mr Green replied, with a shrug.

"Good! It is a deal then... you have between now and the next five days to get this done, or else I will change my mind." Alex said, pulling himself up from his seat to leave.

Mr Green shuddered, widening his eyes in confusion. "Five days? H... how am I supposed to convince Mia within five..... Okay Mr. Alex, Five days it is then." He responded, snapping back to reality.

"This man, such a jerk! How do I get someone who doesn't know you, to marry you within five days? Jerk!" Mr Green cursed, pulling himself from his seat.

Mr Alex stepped out of the hotel and entered his car "Take me to Nova Lux in Manhattan, I need to get something." Alex told his assistant, a pang of guilt hitting him.

"But you have a meeting in the next 30 mins boss, are you not going to be late?" Mateo Lucas asked him, with a concerned look in his eyes.

Mr Alexander frowned, double-tapping his phone to check the time. "I will cancel." He said, with a cold face.

Immediately, he made a few phone calls and rescheduled the meeting. One hour later, they arrived at Nova Lux, his SUV pulled up in front of the store.

"Oh my God! Mia! Is that not the young master of Edward's family?" A customer screamed when she saw Alex at the entrance of the store.

Mia was startled, she abruptly raised her head to look in the direction that her customer was pointing at, and saw Alex walking in, his profile exuding confidence and elegance.

"What do you mean by Young master? This man is a regular customer in this place." Mia said, rubbing her forehead.

"A regular customer? Mia what you are selling here is a women's outfit. What will a man be doing in your store? And I learned that he's not even married." Mia's customer replied, furrowing her brow in confusion.

Mia frowned, not knowing exactly how to answer her questions. "Mmm! Miss Aria, just maybe he has a sister or girlfriend, you never can tell."

"Hmm! You're quite impressive you know... for making clothes, that could get Mr. Alexander Edwards to patronize you." Aria said, casting her gaze on Alex, admiring his handsome physique, and biting her lower lips in satisfaction.

"Mr. Alexander Edwards! Is that his name?" Mia asked, raising her head to look at Aria.

"Yes! How can you not know your customer's name?" Aria replied, a hint of irritation in her voice.

Mia was cut off guard but quickly composed herself. "Oh! Well... you don't expect me to be asking everyone that comes here their name. Do you?" She said her lips curled into a smirk.

"Mia, if he is a regular customer like you said, it's only fair enough that you should know his name," Aria said defiantly, locking her eyes with Mia, her hands crossed over her chest.

Mia felt a pang of guilt, indeed she should have known the names of her regular customers at least, after all recognizing your customers makes them feel special.

"Well, it is no big deal, provided I treat them well," Mia said, staring in the direction of Alex.

"Hello Mr Alexander, you're welcome to Nova Lux. Hope you were able to find what you like in our store today?" Mia greeted, grinning brightly and staring at Mr Alex.

Mr Alex felt a chill run down his spine, his body tensed up and his heart stuttered, as Mia called his name. Mia has never addressed him by his name ever since he's been patronizing her store. And hearing his name from her, for the very first time, sent a spiraling through him.

"Mmm! What did you just call me?" Alex asked, his eyes burning with passion casting a fierce look at Mia.

Mia shuddered, her eyes locking with Alex. "Sir... I just called you Mr. Alexander Edwards. Is that not your name?" She asked, rubbing her chin.

Alex sneered, his gaze dragged over every inch of her, drinking the sharp lines, the soft curves, the way her lips parted just slightly as if teasing him with the thought of what she'd feel like against his, heat coiled down in his stomach, dark and insatiable.

"You should address me by my name very often," he replied.

"But why sir?" Mia asked, narrowing her eyes.

Alex smirked "Because name is my favorite sound." he replied, handing over his card and the clothes he had picked to Mia.

Mia took them with a shy smile and lowered her head. "Alright Mr Alexander" she replied, packing the clothes.

" Here... Mr Alexander, thanks for your patronage." Mia said, holding the packed clothes with her two hands, straightening out to hand it over to Alex.

Alex chuckled, his gaze not shifting from her. "You should keep the clothes."

Mia furrowed her brow, her eyes widening in confusion. "But why Mr Alexander? Didn't you buy them yourself?"

Alexander's heart softened, and the way his name rolled off her lips, was soft and deliberate almost like a secret.

"Do you want to know why I want you to keep the clothes?"

"Yes!" Mia replied, her heart tightened and her ears itching.

"It's a reward for making my name sound so unique for the very first time," Alex replied, his demeanor calm and intimidating as he headed to the exit door.

Mia froze, her jaw dropping in shock, she tried to say something but nothing was coming out of her mouth, she stared blankly at the retreating figure of Mr Alexander. "Oh! Sir no need for....." she snapped back to reality and realized he was already gone. "Damn! That was too fast." She said and slammed the cloth on the table.

"You're welcome, honey." Mrs Layla greeted her husband by biting into an apple in her hand.

"Thanks, sweetie..." Mr Green replied, leaning in to peck his wife's chin."Where's Mila?" He demanded, sitting next to his wife.

"I'm here Dad," Mila replied, coming out of the kitchen with a cup of juice in her hand.

"I finally met with President Alexander Edwards, he said he wants to invest in my business, but he gave me a condition" Mr Green explained to his wife, his eyes darkening as he rubbed his temple.

"Mmm! Mr Edwards offered to invest in your business. That's good news! What was his condition?" Mrs Layla replied, her voice laced with excitement.

Mr Green let out a slow breath, and clasped his hands together, narrowing his eyes "Mia Green, he said he wants to marry Mia in return, and he needs it done within 5 days from now." He explained.

"Ah! Nothing has gone wrong then, how much are we talking about here?" Mrs Layla asked, giggling.

" One billion dollars,"Mr Green replied.

" What? And you're still thinking about it? Don't worry, I know that Mia is very stubborn, but leave her to me, I will personally deal with her." Mrs Layla said, picking up her phone to call Mia.

Mr Green looked at the phone in her hand, stretched out his left hand, and collected the phone from her, tossing it aside. "I will her by myself, you both do not get along, you might just end up making things escalate." He explained, squeezing her hand gently.

"But she's not the right fit for such an opportunity, do you know who Mr Edward is? Dad, why didn't you tell him about me? I'm more qualified to be Mrs . Edward, why doesn't it always have to be Mia all the time?" Mila mumbled, pouting her mouth in annoyance.

"Mila this is not supposed to upset you at all, this marriage is more like selling Mia off, we're going to force her to give up her life for the sake of our business, which is more like abuse." Mr Green explained, with a worried look on his face.

" It's an absolute abuse my dear, but who cares, we're talking about a lot of money, and you should count yourself lucky that Mr Alexander didn't choose you. Do you know what it means to marry someone you don't bond with? That's the most terrible thing in marriage." Mrs Layla chimed in, pressing her hands together.

"Speaking of the devil, here she comes," Mila said, gritting her teeth, flames of anger sparkling in her eyes.

Mr Green's gaze landed on the entrance door, and a wicked smile played on his lips, as he watched Mia entering the sitting room. "It's good you're back on time today Mia." He said, his gaze not shifting from her.

Mia rolled her eyes, casting a cold glance on them, and nonchalantly walked towards the staircase, without saying a word.

"This girl has some nerves, who does she even think she is?" Mrs Layla said, clenching her fist.

Mr Green stood up and went to his room, ignoring his wife and Mila, he had a lot to deal with and was thinking of the best ways to handle it.

"Mum, why do you support Mia's marriage with Mr Alexander? Don't you know that, if I become Mrs. Edward, we're going to have so many benefits, aside from the money he wants to give to Dad?" Mila said, frowning her face.

Mrs Layla was taken aback, then she took Mila's hand and placed it on her lap, squeezing it gently. "My darling, you and I know you don't like Alex, and even if you do, for him to have mentioned Mia by himself, it means he doesn't even want you.

Getting yourself in his way will not be a good thing for you,moreover, having Mia leave this house is only going to be a relief for us." Mrs Layla explained, with a concerned look in her eyes.

"No Mum, I'm not complaining, I love Alex, I used to see him on screen, his breathtaking, and I can do anything to be by his side," Mila said firmly, with a serious face and her voice icy.

"Mmm... So what are you going to do?" Mrs Layla asked, tightening her grip on Mila's hand, a pang of jealousy creeping into her heart.

Mila smirked, her expression softening. " I want to take her place, mum... promise me that I have your support on this?" Mila inquired, her gaze fixed on her mom's face, scanning her expression.

"You have my support darling." She replied, gritting her teeth.

The following morning, Mia was lying on her bed when her door swung open with a loud bang, she jumped out of her bed startled, clutching her duvet, she looked terrified and her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

Her gaze finally landed on the door. "Why are you so uncivilized, you old man? You should learn how to knock before entering someone's room. You almost scared me to death." Mia said, frowning her face, her burning gaze piercing through Mr Green.

Mr Green chuckled, ignoring her, walked to her bed and sat down. "I'm your father you know... you should learn how to talk to me with some respect." She said, narrowing his eyes.

" Mia Green, since you don't want to get married, I have found someone for you myself, and this person I got you is gonna take good care of you, you know I have a taste for the best." He said, shrugging his shoulders, his gaze fixed on Mia.

Mia was stunned, her breath cutting for a moment, she cleaned her ear with her index finger, as if trying to remove something that had blocked her hearing.

Then she burst into laughter. "Can you find someone for me? Did I ever tell you that I want to get married? And even if I want to, I will get one for myself." Mia said, still feeling amused.

" Whatever! You're going to be marrying into Edward's family, and you only have four days from now to get yourself ready." Mr Green said with a cold face.

"No way Dad! Edward's family? Seriously? Are you doing this? Selling me off to a family where you and I know that I will end up being a housewife.

How can you be this mean? Knowing that I have a career that I have been working so hard to build." Mia said, fighting back the tears that were threatening to escape from her eyes.

She knew that if her father meant what he just said, she was done for, he would stop at nothing to get her, to marry out of her will, she was no match for this man's viciousness.

"Mia I'm sorry if this hurts you, but you don't have a choice." Mr Green spat out those words with a cold voice, sending chills down his spine. He didn't know why he felt this way, but his mind was made up.

"I have a choice dad, I can't just give up on my life at this point," Mia said, feeling a sharp pain piercing her heart like a knife.

Mr Green crocked his brow and clenched his fist. "What choice do you think you have?"