The Billionaires Contracted Affection

"Cordelia, did you hear?"

The voice of Leah, Cordelia Wood's best friend and pal, hollered enthusiastically over the phone.

Cordelia hadn't heard anything, as a matter of fact, she had no idea what Leah was talking about. She was on her way to deliver another painting to a very fastidious client, and all she could think about at that point was how she wanted to impress him.

"No, I didn't, Leah. What is it?" Cordelia muttered while trying to bustle her way through the busy streets of Florida. She avoided the skaters skillfully due to years of not-so-good experience with them, and pinched through multitudes of people, with her phone on her ear and her hand full of paintings.

The impatient drivers were honking their horns so loudly as she crossed the road that she wished she could smack them. She was in such a dilemma and the last thing on her mind was doing a guessing game with her best friend on the phone.

Cordelia Woods was a dark-haired, hazel-eyed, and light-skinned lady of average height, about 5'6" tall. She was a ravishing beauty and was dressed in faded denim jeans, coupled with an oversized shirt.

"Well......" Leah drawled in between giggles "My company is hosting an opening party for their newly launched project Mi Amore. A lot of affluent individuals and elites would be coming" Leah squealed happily.

Cordelia dragged her phone from her ear to muffle her scream. She couldn't help wondering why Leah would inform her about her company's welcome party.

Leah worked at the sales department of Watson's Co.operation and Co. Though a senior in college and just about 20 years old. Leah was already living her dreams. Cordelia wished her life was that simple, she never had a soft life like her best friend. No matter how she tried not to compare, she found herself envious of her.

"ok?" She questioned, confused.

"What do you mean by ok? There will be various affluent people to whom you can market your painting" Leah exclaimed.

Cordelia sighed heavily at Leah's suggestion. She wasn't interested in going to parties to market her paintings. It wasn't the right thing to do as an artist. And she also wasn't good at leading conversations and convincing people, that was Leah's area of expertise, not hers.

"I'm sorry Leah, I'm not interested" She bit her lips at her words, she wasn't sure how her friend would take it.

"Urg Common! Not this again" Leah whined.

"I don't just.....You won't understand. Thank you very much for the offer but i gotta go now.

She said as she opened the door to the office where she was making her delivery.

"OK bye" As she clicked the end button on her phone, she heard the sadness in Leah's voice. She hated being that person who would continuously disappoint her friend, but she wasn't going to accept something she didn't fancy.

She proceeded to meet her client for the day and watched as he frowned his face at her painting. Her heartbeat accelerated at the expression, she couldn't take another rejection from the man.

When he looked up and smiled so brightly at her, she let out a heavy breath she didn't know she had been holding. That was the third time she was repainting the picture for him in the same week, she had promised herself to throw the board in his face if he refused it again that day.

Cordelia counted her money as she made her way out of the office. Her lips slightly parted to form a smirk, she had made enough money for the day, it was time to pay off some of her debts and visit her brother in the hospital.

Just as she hailed a taxi, her phone shrilled to life in her pocket. She groaned at whoever the caller was, before picking it up.

"Miss Woods?" she heard the familiar voice of her brother's doctor fill her ears.

As soon as her head processed who it was, her hands grew sweaty in anxiousness. It was either bad news or good news. She hoped it was the latter.

"Yes," She mumbled, playing with the helm of her shirt nervously.

"This is concerning your brother's health, Mr Jaden Woods" The old man bellowed.

Her brother, Jaden had a chronic heart disease. It was a hole in his heart and had been in and out of hospital since his birth. Recently, she had rushed him to the hospital when he cried of chest pain late in the night. He was admitted on arrival.

She found it strange that his doctor would call her out of the blues. She didn't want to be negative but she couldn't help it. It had to be bad news. She wondered if her brother was ok.

"I'm listening," Cordelia said in reply. While getting into the cab that had parked in front of her.

"I am so sorry to tell you this over the phone, but your brother's condition seems to be worsening day by day. Although We can't say for sure how bad his condition is right now, all I can tell you is that there hasn't been any progress since he has been admitted" The doctor explained.

Cordelia's heart ached in pain at the news, her brother was the only family she had left. They had spent a lot on his health, she really couldn't lose him now. One thing Cordelia feared most was being alone in this world, the only thing keeping her sane was his presence. She loved her brother too much.

"I really don't know what to say, doctor.

I'm on my way to the hospital right now. I'm hoping to see you there so we will talk better" she responded to him and heard the beep that indicated the end of the call.

Her mind reeled with different thoughts, the loudest being how she could raise money for his health. As she racked her brain for any means necessary, then an idea popped into her head.

She shouldn't be compromising her belief for anything at all. Except this time was different, her brother's health was a priority compared to whatever rule she might have made for herself. This time, she was putting him first.

"Hey, Leah. Do you still have a space for me at your party?" She asked her friend as soon as she picked up the call.

"Of course! I really can't wait for you to come" Leah squealed on the other end of the phone, excited that Cordelia had changed her mind. She was beginning to sulk at her refusal, the party was the perfect opportunity for Cordelia to meet richer clients.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What about this?" Leah asked Cordelia, who was browsing through the selection of clothes at the store.

They were at the mall, shopping for clothes for Watson Co.operation and Co's party. Cordelia didn't think it was necessary to spend money on clothes for the party but Leah was adamant, she had offered to pay for the clothes due to Cordelia's financial crises.

Leah knew how important the party was for Cordelia. If she ever wanted to be taken seriously by opulent personalities, she needed to be well-dressed for it. She was aware of what Cordelia was going through with her brother, and the best way out of it was for her to land a very big contract at the party.

Cordelia scrunched up her face at the dress in Leah's hands, it was too revealing.

"No" She voiced her displeasure.

"Not again Cordelia, you've been rejecting all the clothes I've been showing you" Leah groaned, rolling her eyes at her friend's modesty.

"That's because we have two different tastes" Cordelia retorted as she deviated to another section of the store to scan through.

As she wondered absentmindedly to her destination, She suddenly bumped into a hard chest.

Cordelia looked up to see the person she had stumbled into. She rubbed her forehead in pain, ready to lash out at the stranger who couldn't watch where he was going.

His mean stare stopped the words in her mouth, and she found herself mumbling an apology.

"So sorry" She muttered as she watched him leave without saying a word. What a pig!

"What just happened?" Leah asked, coming towards where she stood, her hand still rubbing her head.

"I just stumbled into that guy and he couldn't even apologize" Cordelia glared at his back view as he entered another adjacent store in the mall.

"Ignore please, Cordelia. We have a more important matter at hand" Leah exclaimed, pulling her hands to check out another rail of clothes.

Cordelia sighed at her energetic friend, her anger at the guy slowly dwindling. It was going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was doing this. Those thoughts flashed through Cordelia's mind as soon as she stepped out of the Uber with Leah that evening.

She had eventually picked a dress at the store, one that was less revealing and very modest. She didn't find it comfortable when she exposed her body, which was why she had to decline most of the clothes Leah had chosen.

They both strolled to the door, the invitation on their phone. Leah had worked her magic to get her one, and she had also promised to introduce her to some influential people.

She heard the loud music immediately she entered, it was booming so loudly that she heard her earring. She wasn't a party person she hated it. But this particular party was for her brother, she had to do everything within her power to save him. Her parents would have wanted her to.

"Common! Let me introduce you to someone I know" Leah yelled over the music with the hope that Cordelia could hear her.

She held her hands and walked off to the VIP section where most of the elites would be.

Cordelia felt her hair rise on her neck, her hands getting clammy. This was it, she needed to get a big contract tonight or she wouldn't be able to save Jason, her brother.

Leah entered the room first, with Cordelia following closely behind. "You can get a drink at the bar while I speak to someone for you," Leah muttered.

The VIP section was more quiet and reserved, despite how loud the regular section was booming with music, one could only hear a sneak of it there.

Cordelia nodded her head, She stalked towards the bar to get herself a drink. "Vodka please" she informed the bartender.

She promised herself to just take a sip, she only needed the alcohol to calm her nerves and make her more confident when she met the clients.

"Why not a sex on the beach?" A deep voice rasped beside her and she lifted her gaze from the bar counter to the source of the sound.

The man looked dangerous. That was the first thing that would come to anybody's mind when they saw a man like that. He was dressed in a tuxedo just like every other man at the party, but his face had a scar, and his eyes had a tingle of challenge underneath his smirk.

Cordelia pulled up her upper eyelid, wrinkles forming between her eyebrows. The hair at the back of her neck grew erect in fear, but she hid it, mustering up the courage to tell him off.

"No, I'm not interested" She hissed.

The guy raised his hands to rub his lips like he was deep in thought, twitching his teeth as he stalked to her side of the counter where the bartender had placed her drink.

"You wouldn't say that next time" He leaned to her ear to whisper the words and Cordelia shivered in fear at his threat.

"Fuck off" She spat while scowling angrily at him. Though she was afraid, she knew better than anyone not to show it.

The stranger's lips curled into a challenging smirk before moving away from her. Cordelia breathed out in relief as she stared at his receding form.She sipped her drink in peace, waiting anxiously for Leah to call on her.

All of a sudden, she started feeling dizzy. Unsure of what was going on, she stood up from her seat. Her inability to stand up properly had her heart beating rapidly. She had only taken a glass of Vodka, that was surely not enough to get her drunk right?

The room appeared to be spinning before her eyes, as she wobbled on her feet to find the restroom. With each step she took, the ground quivered. She wasn't sure what was going on.

"Tsk Tsk Tsk" The twitching of teeth drew her attention to the person before her, even at that, she couldn't focus on his face.

"I warned you, didn't I? That you wouldn't have an opportunity to say no" It took a while for her to understand what was going on, the scary stranger from earlier had spiked her drink.

She leaned on the nearest wall, trying to find out where she was. She had staggered away from the bar absentmindedly and had walked right into a trap.

She saw his signature smirk from her blurred vision, his hands in his pocket like he was waiting for her to come to him herself. Oh! He had thought wrong.

Cordelia forced herself to turn away, panting as a result of the energy she used, she tried to run back to the room she had stepped out from, and then she saw them. Two more men, the man had come prepared.

Her limbs started becoming weak and feeble. The drug had seeped into her system, it was only a matter of time before she wouldn't be able to move them. She shouldn't have underestimated him.

Suddenly, the ground moved beneath her feet, and with her gaze now facing the floor, she was on someone's shoulder, this was it. She was going to be sexually assaulted.

She wanted to scream and cry out for help. Except her lips weren't listening to her orders anymore, the drug was making her lose her ability to take voluntary actions.

How stupid she was, she really shouldn't have come to the party. But then, her brother. Oh her poor brother! Why was her life so full of bad luck?

She heard the opening of a door, before feeling the soft material of a bed on her back. Her eyes pooled with tears, trailing steadily down her cheek. She watched them unzip her dress, and slowly take off her shoes.

Their smirk and eyes were filled with evil, it would haunt her dream for months.

She heard their mocking laughter and watched as one of them fumbled with her breast. She felt disgusted and wanted to throw up.

This was going to be her first time, She was a virgin, and this was definitely not how she pictured her first time to be like.

She coerced herself to gather all her anger and pain, channelling it into her strength until it built up to cause damage to her assaulters. She reached for the bedside lamp, her grip still a little weak, before hitting it on one of the men's heads.

She couldn't point out who she hit, her view was still blurred, but his scream of pain had her very satisfied, she was happy she caused him pain.

A hard slap on her face had her reeling backwards. Reality began to sink in, she had only hit one of them. They were fucking three!!

She felt another slap on her other cheek, then another, followed by a kick in the guts. She sputtered and coughed, pain drowning out her thoughts.

They seemed to be angry at her previous action because their rough touch became aggressive. The ripping of her expensive gown made her know that no one was coming to save her, it was the end.

"Get the fuck away from her" A mean voice thundered from the door, bringing alive a renewed Hope for her.

Nathaniel Watson entered the venue of his company's party with conviction; he was going to be signing off on a big deal that night for his newly completed project Mi Amore. It was a perfume brand, and due to its simplicity and elegance, it attracted the attention of other international businesses.

He rarely attended his company's party, he was hardly ever around. But the importance of this party made it compulsory for him to be present.

He passed by the guards at the door, his security details surrounding him, he made his way to his private elevator that would take him to the room of the meeting.

He didn't need to practice his speech, nor flash anyone a bewitching smile like he did in his early days in the business. He had grown to understand how unnecessary it was, signing a contract depended on what he had to offer.

He hardened his face to prevent a smile and walked into the room to meet his other business associates from all over the world. It was a multi-billion dollar deal, and he had made up his mind to negotiate the terms.

"Good evening everyone" He announced as he extended his hand for a shake. They all took turns shaking their hands, each person muttering a greeting in reply. He took his seat after the round of camaraderie, and the meeting started.

In the middle of the meeting, he started hearing noises from the opposite room, he clenched his fist to stop himself from growling. He had instructed the guards not to let anyone into this particular floor. So what the hell was going on?

"I'm sorry everyone. Please excuse me" He apologized to his bewildered guest and excused himself from the room.

He was going to give his men a piece of his mind, and if provoked further, maybe a piece of his fist. Anger surged in his veins, his nostrils flared as he thought of what to do to his interrupters.

Nathaniel clenched his jaw, furrowing his eyebrow, before barging into the room, ready to lash out at his disruptors. What he saw stopped him in his tracks, three men were molesting a lady in the room.

He couldn't see her face clearly because they were sprawled all over her. Her clothes had been ripped to expose her bra. With how weak she was, he could guess she had been drugged.

To say he was angry was an understatement, Nathaniel became livid. "Get the fuck away from her" He growled.

He despised weak men with much passion, especially the ones who were cowards. They usually choose the easy way out of their problems, like spiking a lady's drink instead of speaking to her like a gentleman.

He saw the men turn to look at him, and he unbuttoned his cuffs to roll up his sleeves, prepared for a fight.

One of the men who looked like the leader of the group, approached him with angry eyes. Probably angry that Nathaniel had disrupted his vile action.

Nathaniel took a fighting stance, dodging the man's punch seamlessly. He threw him a punch in retaliation and was satisfied to see him fall backwards. He proceeded towards him, having the upper hand, Nathaniel continued to punch until blood sputtered out of his mouth.

When he was done, he let out a breath, then faced the remaining two who now looked frightened. He took a step towards them and they scurried away, dragging their boss along with them.

Cordelia watched weakly as her saviour beat up her assaulters, she wondered how a person would be involved in a fight and not a single scratch could be seen on his body.

He was a light-skinned, dark-haired figure. He towered above everyone in the room, she guessed he should be about 6'3" tall. He looked mysterious, and also very cold. Nevertheless, he had saved her life.

She felt the soft material of clothing on her face, then she realized he was the one who had thrown it to her. "Cover-up" She heard him grunt curtly.

She couldn't lift her arm, and she didn't know how to tell him that. Shy and a little bit ashamed of herself, she mustered the courage to talk.

"I can't feel my hands" She finally managed to whisper, the cloth he threw at her was still there on her face.

Nathaniel sighed in despair, making up his mind to send one of his most trusted men to attend to her, and most importantly, get her a new dress.

"I'll send someone here to help you. I have to go" he gritted out and left the room. He still had a business proposal to deal with.

Cordelia watched him leave. She was curious about who he was, he looked so enigmatic and fascinating at the same time, he piqued her interest to find out more about him.

He had saved her effortlessly from being molested, even though he didn't cast her a second glance after. She still felt compelled to appreciate his help.

Someone else came into the room some minutes after he left. She was then treated to wash away the drugs from her system, and given a new cloth to wear. Overall, she was grateful to her helper, she made a note to find out about who he was so she could thank him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cordelia was at her studio, working on another painting for a client. She still couldn't put the baffling night behind her. Anytime she thought of it, the pictures of those men ripping off her dress kept flashing into her head. It was as if it had become attached to her memory, and no amount of encouragement could shake the image away.

She had tried to look for her saviour after he left that night, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She made a note to herself to thank him whenever she saw him. He had saved her life and also prevented her from being scarred for life.

Cordelia dipped her brush into the acrylic placed on the table beside her canvas, rubbing enough oil on it, she continued working on her painting.

She was so concentrated on completing her task that she didn't hear her phone ring. The incessant noise finally dragged her attention away from the canvas.

She reached out to pick up her phone from the easel. Looking at the screen she discerned that the caller was unknown. Confused about who it was, she answered the call.

"Hello! Am I speaking with Cordelia Woods?"

Naturally, Cordelia wouldn't have answered. But the voice sounded so official that she was prompted to reply.

"Yes please" She responded.

"Good! This is from Watson's empire. We saw a copy of your painting at the party the other night, and we would like to place an order for 10 pieces of one of it, called 'midnight bloom'." She heard the voice say.