The Billionaire's Secret Bargain

PENNY

The driveway is long and ridiculous. Trees darken the path to the house that rises like a green cloud in the evening sunlight. I prefer my little apartment with the view of the sprawling city but I make the trip to the countryside every other weekend.

My car slows to a stop next to Maria's and I step out into the warm air and make my way into the house.

"Penelope!" I hear the excited squeal of a woman in bed, pale and thin but with a bright smile that can light an entire room.

"Hey, Mom." I return her smile, drop my bag, and give her a quick forehead kiss.

"So how are you doing? Tell me everything." She pats the space beside her happily.

I laugh and sit down. "Where's Maria?"

My mother waves a dismissive hand. "She's off somewhere trying to prepare another atrocious food for me to eat. Honestly, if the cancer doesn't kill me her food will."

I laugh again. "I'm sure once you stop joking like that, not even cancer can kill you."

"Remains to be seen," she says wistfully and I search her face for any sign of distress. Apart from her fading auburn hair and watery blue eyes, she seems much better than the last time I visited.

"What did the doctors say?" my worry starts to climb regardless but she squeezes my arm and gives me a fearless smile.

"Don't worry about that, Penny. I didn't conquer half of Europe and most of the dickheads in this city to create a conglomerate just to allow a little cancer to take me down."

"Ovarian cancer is not little, Mom," I chided her softly.

"Don't worry, I'm using money to aggressively fight it and I've lost a lot of hair there's no way I'm dying now."

Somehow being closer to death has made my mom morbid and more insufferable. That doesn't mean I'll love her any less. I scoot closer and gently put her head on my shoulder.

"So any progress on getting the place for your bakery?" she asks, her gaze flying all over my face.

"No, the price is too high," I say sadly.

Her smile fades. "You don't have to keep doing this, honey. I don't care about this thing you're trying to do. Join the company, take your place and you never have to worry about stupid things like price."

I sigh already getting exasperated with the direction of the conversation. "Mom, please, not this again."

"What? I get what you're doing but it's a waste of time, Penny. You can be a baker and still lead my life's work."

"I don't want to, Mom! Baking is more than a hobby to me, it's a passion and I love you but you have to let me do this."

She sighs and throws her hands in surrender. "Why?"

"We've talked about this and-"

"It doesn't stop me from not understanding it. I built a conglomerate from nothing. I fought tooth and nail-" she gestures around the lavish room "-for all this and my daughter doesn't want any of it! Can't you see how hard it is for me to understand?" Her voice breaks and tears fill her eyes.

"Mom please..."

"I don't want to die without being sure the Castillo legacy will live on. That I fought for something."

My lower lip quivers but I bite it down to stop my tears from forming. "Well, you're not dying anytime soon. I need to try, Mom."

I hug her tight and wipe the tears from her face. "If the baking doesn't work, I'll call Lucas and take my place, I promise."

"Okay. I love you so much, Penny."

"I love you too Mom. We'll get through this and you can kick ass from here to the Seine River."

She laughs heartily and relaxes further in my arms.

"But call Lucas either way. He keeps asking for you and I'm thinking of inviting him for dinner tomorrow so you guys can catch up."

I roll my eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. He's a good boy and he still has a thing for you and I know you said you don't like him like that but how long has it been? Two? Three years?"

"I'm fine. You and Jess need to stop."

"You're twenty-five and I get more action than you. Before you reach my age, you'll have cobwebs down there."

"Mom!" I snort and dissolve into laughter.

The door opens and Maria strolls in, smiling. "Hey, beautiful Castillo women."

"Hey Maria," we sing simultaneously and giggle like little kids.

"Everything good, Estela?"

"Yes," Mom replies with a fond smile.

Maria drops the tray in her hands and heads over to the bed. After more than four months of being my mom's caregiver, she's easily family. She has a round face, a soft smile, and close-cut hair, with the sweetest attitude.

Terrible cooking though.

My mom points to the tray. "I guess that slop is for me."

Maria chuckles, not taking offense. "Yes. But your meds are up first."

I slide off the bed to give her space to insert the drugs into the IV line in my mom's arm. It takes a minute and mom only winces for a bit.

I look at her worriedly but she gives me an all-clear smile. "I'm fine," she mouths.

Maria nods. "You're all set. Now eat." She brings the tray over to the bed and turns to me. "Once she finishes everything, let her rest."

"No. I want Penny to stay with me." She takes my hand.

"I'm here for the whole weekend. You'll see me first thing in the morning." I smile reassuringly as I pat her hand.

I catch a tear slip from Maria's eye before she turns away. "I just love seeing you two," she says and hastily wipes her face. "See you in the morning."

"Bye Maria." She leaves quietly and I take my seat and stir whatever concoction Maria has made.

"She says it's healthy," my mom wears a similar disgusted expression and we both share a laugh.

It takes ten minutes to spoon-feed her and two more for her to drift into sleep with a content smile.

I kiss her head lightly and switch off the lights. As I shut the door, my phone rings.

"We got it!" Jess screams immediately I put the phone to my ear. "We got the space Pen! We can open our bakery!"

PENNY

I roll over, force my eyes open, and slap off my alarm. The initial excitement from the news Jess broke last night has worn off after we spent the better part of the night planning and brainstorming. As it turns out, getting the space is the easy part.

We need funding and my savings have been stretched thin to secure the space and Jess can't get any more loans. I rub my neck and slip out of bed to wash my face.

I know Mom would love to help but I want to show her I can do this.

But how?

My shoulders deflate with a yawn as I push all things business out of my mind. This weekend is about spending it with Mom. I pad out of my room and stroll to hers. I promised I would be there when she woke up and Maria should be waking her up now.

"Good morning," Maria's chirpy voice sounds in the hall outside my Mom's room.

"Hey, Maria." She pushes open the door and we walk in.

"What's on the list today?" I ask, moving for the curtains as she goes to the bed.

"Estela wants to go outside today and she hopes to get a little work done with Lucas," answers Maria. I roll my eyes knowing why she called Lucas.

"Good morning Estela," Maria whispers, gently touching her hand.

The minute I turn from pulling the curtains I know something is wrong. My chest tightens in a bad way as I observe how stiff my Mom looks.

"Estela?" Maria's voice rises a notch and I know she's trying not to panic. She checks the IV line and feels for a pulse and my heart begins to pound with fear.

"Maria?" I can feel the blood drain from my face. "What's wrong?"

Mom looks too white...too lifeless. I rush forward the second Maria curses and throws the blanket aside.

"Estela!" She starts frantically, pushing her hands on her chest. "Estela! Call an ambulance!"

The thought of anything happening to my mother makes a cold terror grip me and root me to the spot.

"Mom?"

"Estela please!" Maria screams. "Penelope call an ambulance!" Her voice jolts me and I dash out of the room madly to get my phone. With trembling hands, I dial and run back into the room.

Minutes pass and nausea knots in my stomach. From the doorway, I watch Maria urgently beating my mother's chest and puffing air into her mouth. Her expression has changed from fear to frenzied panic.

Her cries and pleas echo and fade away in my head. Not even the arrival of the ambulance pulls me from my terrified numbness.

Unable to breathe, powerless to do anything, I watch them try and save my mother.

Try and try as the morning sun cast long shadows on the floor.

Minutes feel like hours. My body trembles, my heart aches and the labored breathing of Maria beside me crashes around my mind. Beneath it all there's a silence, a terrible loaded silence.

One that stretches and morphs as the paramedics slow and finally stop.

I want to scream and beg them to bring her back but the truth strangles out my fire.

My feet move to the bed, my eyes blur with tears, and my mind spins in and out of a daze.

Someone is speaking but I don't hear the words, Maria is behind me, nodding with her hands holding her chest like her heart is bleeding out.

My gaze trains on the delicate face of my mom, the lifeless whiteness, the rigid stillness.

My knees buckle and I sink to the floor with a weak sob. I take her hand and it's cold as ice. Something inside me snaps and a tortured scream rips from my throat.

Estela Castillo is dead.

Lucas has been trying to get me to talk since yesterday. Jess has been trying to feed me. Maria has been staring into space, all her warmth lost.

I'm shattered into several lost pieces unable to bring myself to do anything but cry. My mind is haunted with one thought.

They couldn't save her and I never said goodbye.

"The autopsy results show no foul play." Lucas's voice cuts through the haze and reaches me. "Her heart had an underlying defect and it stopped."

Something so simple has ripped my mother from me. Tears fill my eyes.

Jess wipes her face and laces her fingers through mine as if she could give me her strength when she looks just as drained as me. Her shiny blonde hair hangs in a pitiful ponytail, her beautiful face red and puffy from crying.

My mother was hers too.

"It's rare but not uncommon. Nobody could've known, Pen. I'm sorry," he finishes, clears his throat, and clenches his fists at his sides.

Maria lifts her gaze from the scarf she's cradling and it takes me a moment to remember it belonged to my mom. I hadn't seen her wear it but she always had it with her and never told me who the scarf was from. Whoever gave it to her must've been someone special. I'd like to think it was my father but he died long before I was born and I never knew him or felt any connection when mom talked about him.

Maria meets my eyes for a moment before returning to the scarf.

"I'm here for you, Pen. Just let me know what you need," Lucas says.

There's no need to lie and say I'm fine-I'll never be fine. The hole in my heart will never be filled but that won't make me need anything from him.

From my seat on the couch, I stare up at Lucas and can't tell if he's been crying.

His fine-pressed suit, slicked-back brown hair and dry eyes clash with the heavy somber atmosphere. No matter how hard I try to picture the handsome stoic lawyer he'd become, I've not been able to forget the little sad orphan boy and the sibling-like bond we shared.

"So what's the next step?" I pull my gaze away from him to look at Jess asking.

She tries for a smile of encouragement but it ends up a grimace. My face has forgotten how to smile so my expression is empty and unsettling.

"The will," Lucas states flatly and goes for his briefcase. He drops it on the coffee table and pulls out a thin document.

"I should go," Maria says quietly. She drops the scarf on my lap, and gives me a parting kiss on my head and I'm almost telling her to stay. She's part of the family and hurting just as much but I can't bring myself to say the words.

Her footsteps recede down the hall. The front door opens and closes and a distant noise of a car announces her departure.

I didn't even say goodbye.

"Are you ready?" Lucas asks with a grim expression, then opens the document without getting a response and begins to read. "I, Estela Dominique Castillo, of sound mind and body in the event of my death will my estate, companies, assets, various collections, and all my accumulated wealth to my only daughter, Penelope Lorena Castillo under one non-negotiable condition... That she marries Christian Hilton."

Wait, what?

My mind sharpens into focus as Lucas continues, "Failure to comply with my demand in the next six months will lead to Penelope forfeiting her rights to the inheritance which will be liquidated and distributed among charities and orphanages around the world."

"Marriage? I don't understand," Jess takes the words right out of my mouth.

We both stare at Lucas who speaks slowly and patiently.

"You either marry Christian Hilton or lose your inheritance."

I blink in confusion, feeling something come alive in me once more. "Who is Christian Hilton?"

PENNY

Wickedly smart. Insanely intelligent. Sexy and terrifying. Son of a senator. CEO of Hilton Tech and the most eligible bachelor under thirty. Christian Hilton is apparently a huge deal and now a giant wall standing between me, my inheritance, and opening my bakery.

"The city's leading man," Jess reads off her phone beside me, then snorts. "I've never heard of him."

Which is the truth. He's a stranger. An unknown and I'm expected to just marry him.

I'm tempted to wonder if my mom lost her mind.

Tiny rain droplets run down the car windows as I pull into a large parking lot. His office is at the top of the largest skyscraper in the city and I hope to find answers in there as to why my mom thought it was a great idea to demand such a thing from me.

"But damn, he's built like a sexy god," Jess murmurs more to herself than me.

"It doesn't make any sense," I say, my voice full of wariness. "Mom has never mentioned him and they did no business together."

I've spent the better part of the past five months grieving and attempting to understand my mom's will. That meant spending sleepless nights poring through her ledgers of business associates and clients trying and failing to find a connection.

No loophole either. I have to marry a man I've never met or lose everything.

A car pulls up next to ours and Lucas waves from the driver's side, his expression stony. It isn't hard to see he wasn't onboard with the idea but knowing who my mom was he wouldn't have changed her mind even if he tried.

'I don't want to die without being sure the Castillo legacy will live on. That I fought for something.' My mom's words run through my head as I step out of my car.

Will her legacy live on if all her life's work is liquidated and given to charity?

Jess hurries out the other side and grabs my hand pulling me from my thoughts.

"We got this," she whispers as Lucas joins us.

We enter the building briskly and the receptionist waves us through to the elevator with a curt smile.

My expression tightens the higher the elevator climbs and I break out into a cold sweat.

I don't know these people. I don't know what will happen in the next few minutes. I don't want to marry a stranger.

"You okay?" Lucas reaches for my hand, a concerned look on his face. Before he can touch me I step away and fold my arms.

"I'm fine thanks."

He tucks his hand into his pocket with a nod. "Okay."

The brief interaction has Jess watching us intensely, her keen brown eyes bouncing between us as if expecting something to happen.

There isn't a single romantic bone in my body for Lucas and ever since he told me how he felt I no longer see him like a brother. I had let him down easily which still gives him hope that something can happen between us.

There's a slight pang in my chest as I remember how my mom had tried to get us together. Before the memory can stir my emotions and make me cry, the elevator doors slide open and I'm stepping into a hallway.

Large panes of glass overlook the cloudy city skyline on one side, potted plants, and two doors lin the other side.

"Look at that view," Jess whistles appreciatively. It's nauseating to me and I grip her hand tighter.

Lucas walks stiffly ahead of us as if itching to leave and opens the first door.

A thought spins around my mind as I walk through the doorway. The city's leading man and a baker?

Two men are seated on a carved, round table and another stands on the far side of the office facing the floor-to-ceiling window like a black shadow.

One man in a blue suit mirroring Lucas's stony demeanor looks up at my entrance, adjusts his glasses, and frowns. The other much older man in a dark suit to match his greying hair and a glittering Rolex on his wrist, glances at us and breaks into a practiced smile like we're members of his campaign.

The third doesn't look up from his phone or move from the window and keeps his back to us.

Lucas breaks the silence. "Hello, Mr. Hilton," he says dryly, not offering his hand for a handshake.

"Hello, Mr. Sawyer. I'm glad you're all here," Edward Hilton smiles at me in a friendly manner that rubs me the wrong way. "Have a seat."

"I prefer to stand if that's okay." I tighten my arms around myself, wanting this to be over as quickly as possible.

Edward laughs deeply and almost cheerfully. "I insist Miss Penelope."

At the sound of my name, the third man turns in my direction, and my heart... jolts.

Dark tousled hair, piercing dark green eyes, and a broad muscled body that ripples in his impeccable coal black suit with the slight motion of him putting his phone away.

There's some resemblance to his father, Edward, but his features are more defined and sharp in a way that's both terrifying and elegant. A perfect balance.

Pictures don't do him justice and neither does the gloomy cast of light from the window.

Christian Hilton. The man I'm to marry.

His gaze snaps sharply to mine and my heart hammers for reasons I can't understand. A silver chain curves around his neck, highlighting the black ink tattoo crawling on the left side of his neck and disappearing beneath the suit he wears without a tie.

When he moves, it's with a certain poised grace that has all eyes following him across the room. Calm, calculated deadly grace.

My mouth goes dry.

Jess mutters something and his eyes narrow slightly as he advances to me. It feels like everyone is collectively holding their breath or is it just me?

"Penelope Castillo?" He reaches me, crowds me as I look up...and up. My five foot eight inches feeling so small in his presence.

"This is the reason you canceled my trip, Father?" His voice runs deep and smooth like silk but is spiked with arrogance and...disgust?

I find my voice, hoping it doesn't betray how shaken I am. "I don't believe we've met." Before I can stretch out my hand, the shimmering green of his eyes fills with cold hatred and he turns away from me and glowers at his father.

"I don't have to be present for this"

Lucas jumps in, his voice tight. "The two of you need to meet so-"

"Don't speak directly to me." He silences Lucas with a hand and fixes his glaring gaze on me like he's absorbing every detail and trying to decide how much he hates what he sees.

Heat prickles on the back of my neck from his hard eyes. I hadn't put any thought into my appearance. Faded jeans, my mom's shirt and scarf, and my hair in a messy bun.

After all the rollercoaster of grief and emotions I've been through, looking good for a man I don't plan on marrying is the least of my concerns.

Christian inhales sharply and his jaw flexes. "I already agreed to marry her, demanding my presence for a meeting is pushing it."

...Wait. Marry me?

Jess gasps, "What?"

Confusion races through me as I blurt out. "You agreed to marry me?" I tear my gaze away from his to stare at Lucas whose expression hasn't faltered.

"You wouldn't have come if I told you."

My heart thunders for a whole new reason. "So you lied to me? What happened to finding a solution not involving marriage?"

"It doesn't exist," Edward replies calmly. "You need to sit down Penelope."

"I'm sorry but I'm not marrying this man!"

Christian scoffs, his eyes darkening and not leaving my face when I look back at him. "I'm done here. Let's go, Liam," he says to the quiet man still frowning behind his glasses.

"Just wait, son." Edward rises, arms outstretched. Lucas rubs his temple impatiently.

"Mr. Christian you have to-" Liam gets to his feet, putting out a hand to stop Lucas in his tracks with a silent warning.

A devilish smirk flashes on Christian's face as he drops his head and leans in, momentarily engulfing me with spicy cologne. "I hate you, Penelope," he says softly in my ear like he's whispering sweet nothings to a lover and my blood turns to ice in my veins. "The very sight of you makes me wish I had a gun in my hand. But that'll be too easy. No... I'll marry you like your mother wanted and I'll break you till there's nothing left behind those fucking eyes but regret and pain." He pulls back so his beautifully cruel gaze can lock on mine. "And I'll enjoy every second of it."