The Billionaire's Proposal

grades. Work during the day and be able to move up to bigger positions, with better salaries. I spent every year of my course studying and working. I didn't even have time for parties, the only thing that made me take away my focus were women. Even if none of them could even keep my attention for more than one encounter, even if they were nothing more than a means to an end. And if I was proud of being able to support myself and even manage to save some money, when I started earning big, things finally started to happen. Stock market, that would be my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Literally. I studied everything I could, I took courses and more courses. Everything was secret, no one needed to know what I wanted for the rest of my life. I started investing what used to go to savings, in stable shares, monitored by me for a long period. Always increasing my portfolio. I always have a lot of income from my investments. My capital increased significantly and I reinvested everything. Until I felt ready. I finished college and realized that I could stay out of work with the capital I had already acquired. And if it didn't work out, I could be employed again. But I had confidence in myself. I thanked Antônio and only told him my real intentions. He said that maybe I was being reckless, for exchanging the right for the doubtful, but I would take the risk. Because I knew my potential. I knew it would work. And then I started day trading. Then I started to see things happen. My capital increased visibly. In a short time I had more money than I ever expected. But I always wanted more. Of course I didn't achieve it without effort, of course I also incurred losses along the way. Nothing significant, nothing that wasn't covered by the profits obtained through my effort, dedication and study on the stock market. Of course, this risk, this game, so to speak, is not for everyone, especially to be done by those who are not qualified, who have not studied this universe for years on end like me. And that's when I realized that, even with income greater than I ever expected, I could obtain much more. I could do this with other people's money and earn from my contractor's income. And from then on, Martins Investimentos emerged. My first clients were former course mates, who knew my capabilities and who saw my effort to be the best. And with the profit evident, the company was promoted by word of mouth and many customers emerged. Always having a profit for everyone as the final product and the company's name gaining more and more visibility. And my individual investments yielded more and more and with that the company's structure began to undergo changes. Chic building, lots of employees led by Midas from the Stock Exchange, which is what they started calling me. Filling my ego, making me always want to get more clients. To have among them the richest and trendiest. Millionaires, famous. The cream of Rio society, and why not say, national. I was concerned about ensuring the greatest profits, about increasingly increasing the wealth of those who one day thought they might have nowhere to go. Having the street as an option. But effort, study and willpower made me go far. In addition. They made me an investor, a businessman. They made me a legend, a reference. Synonymous with reliable, successful investments. Who lives in a penthouse, among Rio's elite. Among people with surnames with centuries of history. And there I am, an orphan. That I don't even have a relative, maybe a family. But it doesn't hurt me, not anymore. And it doesn't seem important to know where I came from, my full account prevents interrogations. What matters is that I keep winning, getting rich. And today I am the one giving the lectures. I am a reference in economics in this country. Well, I'm Lucius Martins. I am the youngest billionaire in Brazil. CHAPTER 02 Seeing Lucius Martins' photographs won't help me at all. It won't help me take it away from me. One look was enough to make all the butterflies flutter in my belly. Butterflies that have always been dormant. And it started with an enchantment for his physical appearance. Dark skinned. Beautiful. With a body that would make any gym rat jealous. Greenish eyes, stubble and a smile so beautiful that it could drive even a nun to perdition. Imagine me. Just 19 years old, inexperienced and always having too many social conventions to follow. The shot was accurate, from the day I saw him at the first social event he attended. Having a lot of money is the condition for being invited to participate in such events and having your beauty is what guarantees a legion of women in your bed. Yes, Lucius is a Greek god of lust. A depraved man, who doesn't hide what he's doing behind closed doors. Social networks are always eager for news about him. Its beauty and power guarantee that everything that surrounds it becomes news. And like a fool I feed on everything that comes out about him. I envy those who have the chance to be by your side, even if, apparently, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance. At the same time that I envy them, I'm jealous of knowing that they're in a place I'll never be. By your side. In your arms. On your bed. I'm a fool. Certainly the most unsuitable person to have this kind of illusion. Certainly the last one to be worthy of a second look from him. A virgin who lives trapped in a gilded cage, who divides her time between college and romance books. Faculty of Arts to the despair of my father, who knows that I will never hold a position within the family bank. He knows that I will never get involved in Banco Lacerda's affairs, as I will never exchange my books for numbers. Even though they make me dreamy, romantic and are always stealing any and all time I have available. Even if they distract me to the point where I don't even see the fun in parties and nights out. Even though real-life men always seem awkward next to the good guys that the books portray. The exception is him. It's Lucius Martins. Which has in its appearance the perfect description of my literary crushes. After his first appearance, his image has been functioning as an avatar to bring fiction even closer to reality. Oh, I'm really screwed! Daydreaming about a man who won't even give me a second glance, idealizing castles and princes while he gets involved in all kinds of scandals. Nudity, orgies, drinks and women. In real life he is far from being a good guy, far from what a woman dreams of a prince. Maybe that's why I've been reading more and more. With each passing day I fantasize even more. - I'm so happy to see you excited to participate in this charity event! My mother says. Maybe the joy in knowing that I would probably be in the same environment as him was too much. Perhaps I showed more animation than is recommended among my people. Silence may be my only weapon right now. - Who knows, maybe you get invo

aptitude with the things around us? I love my family. My father, my mother and my sister are everything to me. Despite our latent incompatibility. Despite their fixation on power and money. Even more, always much more. - Who knows, Melissa and I might make a good match there? There are always so many handsome CEOs messing around at these events, but I never get anything other than boring jokes from guys who are far from my ideal of a man. Gisele says. I love my sister, but I know she is too similar to my parents. Always a party, never a companion.

You place expectations on someone based on their wallet, their bank account. I don't blame her entirely. Our society preaches this. Expect heiresses like us to look for a partner with the same economic power, always looking for an advantageous union. They always preach a marriage for love, but inevitably hope for divorce. The nuptial contract leaves no doubt about that. - I hope you remember that these parties have to like business, because I think that perhaps my sons-in-law could take my seat in the future, as I know that my daughters have no interest in occupying it. Joaquim Lacerda doesn't miss a chance to talk about this subject. He talks so much about retirement, when I know he doesn't even think about letting go. Dad loves what he does and has the council on his side. With competent and trustworthy executives who would replace him if that were the case. But he wants one of us. Or a future son-in-law. I resign myself to silence. It's certainly the best answer. Always the same faces, the same guests. But never the same clothes. No one would be able to repeat a dress, when the competition between the most expensive and the most beautiful takes place, not explicitly, but it is known to everyone that it happens. I don't like this type of behavior, much less the conversation and interaction with the people here. So, like every other event, I stay at my family table, even if it makes my parents angry by never trying to fit in or even flirt with some rich guy. I don't even bother, because I have more important things to worry about. Lucius. If you come, you will be alone. If my heart will pound in my chest just by looking at him. I stop my reflections to pay attention to reality. Well, better than dreaming about him is delighting in his image. There is a lot of talk about traffic-stopping beauty, but the scene before my eyes is more than that. It is not limited to beauty. It's more, much more! It's presence, it's power. It's being able to attract the attention of even elderly people. It's having all eyes on you. And the banquet is eye-popping. It shakes everything inside me. But when I look at it more closely, I realize that there is something different. It seems that he is looking for something and that he is far from wanting beauties by his side tonight. I know by the way he gets rid of them. How he seems to look for someone. I look at him so insistently that I can assimilate it all. Our eyes meet. And a shiver takes me over. Lucius seems to find what he is looking for. He seems to find his prey. A smile appears on his face, as if he was happy with my presence here. A chill comes over me, because as much as I always fix my gaze on him, I don't know if I'm ready to really have his attention on me. CHAPTER 03 - Damn, man! This time you went too far! Luciano speaks in a tone I don't remember ever using. Nobody uses it. Not with me. Power and money inhibit certain freedoms. But he doesn't hold back. For being my lawyer and especially my friend. And unfortunately I know that there are plenty of reasons to take him to this point, to get him out of it. - Caught in the middle of sex again! An orgy, with photographs showing every detail of the naked bodies! He pauses, seeking some control. I also try to seek control so as not to laugh at this storm he is creating. - Do you know how much I had to pay so the images wouldn't leak? Do you know how much I had to negotiate so that the headlines would only talk about her depravity and not show her nudity? Actually laughing is out of the question. Truly once again he showed that he is worth every penny he receives. - Luciano, you are the best and you also know what is best for me! I realize I made the wrong choice of words when I see him explode. - Too bad you don't know what's best for you! That you can't keep your dick out of the media. - Luciano, I don't think it's that much, I don't think... He interrupts me, doesn't even let me finish. - That I'm exaggerating? That I'm making a big deal out of something? What if I told you that your clients asked for a meeting? Who are dissatisfied? That the big fish, those who really have the grade, are afraid to leave their money at Martins Investimentos? The humor, the fun, ends. Images of hunger and all deprivation come to mind. Even if I have money to burn, even if my account has digits that are difficult to even count. But of course this news shakes me. The strength of my company is the only thing that guarantees my sleep. It's recognition for my efforts, it's what brings the certainty that I won and that even though life hasn't been easy, I'm a survivor. - Luciano, they're exaggerating... I try, but I'm soon interrupted again. - Exaggerating? Lucius, the guys allow you to invest your billions, they choose Martins Investimentos among thousands of brokers that exist in the financial market, with years on the world stage and you think it's an exaggeration? When does the CEO of the company handling the assets become involved in one scandal after another? And that almost daily appears in orgies and drunken parties? Sorry my friend, but I think they are being too condescending, in my opinion! Be grateful for the Midas ability you have, because otherwise, I don't think we would even need to have this discussion, I think they would have changed brokers without even telling us. Fear. Absolute horror. That my potential alone wasn't enough. That, even knowing poverty and deprivation of any kind, I had the behavior, destructive enough, to take me back to where I came from. Make me invisible again, unworthy of being cared for, loved, forgotten like the orphan I never stopped being. - Luciano, this can't happen! I can manage it, I can guarantee that nothing of mine appears on gossip sites, I can guarantee confidentiality contracts. I can do whatever it takes. Damn, I have the money for this and I'm not going to cut corners when everything I've built seems to be under threat. - Lucius, you should have done this sooner. When I warned you. When I asked you to be more discreet with these, so to speak, peculiarities of yours. He refers to the fact that I am a lecher. A libertine. That doesn't repeat woman. That he usually has more women in his bed than is expected by this hypocritical society. - Luciano, so they have already condemned me, they want me to lead a life of celibacy! They want me to become a monk! Using sarcasm, this conversation is too much for me. - Dude, no one wants you to be frustrated, to not have sex. Phew, for a moment I thought I had to retire my dick! - What they want is for you to have sex with the same person, for you to have

time I feel more coerced, pruned. I'm hating every moment of this conversation, even though I know everything being said is for the good of my company. - Luciano, we could hire a hot girl, so that it wouldn't be so painful for me to be by your side, so that I would have some advantage in all of this. - I understood. You want to hire a luxury escort. To take the risk of her exposing our plot in the end. So that after you get used to the spotlight for being by your side, you always try to be in the spotlight.

Even if it's exposing your contract, even if it's taking the company's name to the trash can. The cold sweat again. The dread. - Luciano, I don't know what to think. Everything I say seems to bring Martins Investimentos closer to chaos. It seems to screw things up even more for my side. - Can I give my opinion? Can I tell you how things could actually work? I'm afraid that Luciano won't say it right away. By asking if you can mention your idea, I know that what you say will not be pleasant, quite the opposite. - Say, provide the advice you are paid for and, by the way, very well paid! I try to joke, I try to lighten the heavy atmosphere that has formed in my room. - You need to find a worthy girl, from a family. You need to make the thing seem real, even if it's just in her head. - First, where would I find a family girl? The girls I know would certainly never fit this profile. I tell the truth. I don't know anyone who could fit into what he's proposing to me. - Second, do you want me to deceive, to make an idiot of someone? He has the decency to seem bothered by my question, even if only for a split second. - As long as she doesn't know and you don't leave your affairs out in the open, I don't see any harm in that. Dating starts and ends every day and I already have the ending note: personality incompatibility. He seems to be right and I certainly don't have enough scruples to reject an idea that could remove the imaginary noose that these unfortunates have placed around my neck. - Yes, it could work and I wouldn't feel like a total scoundrel, as there will be no exposure of betrayals and much less will we take things to the point of fact, like marriage and such. We will date for as long as it takes for them to forget about my behavior and focus on their profits. My friend smiles for the first time. He knows I bought into the idea. He knows the plan will be put into action as quickly as possible. - Now we just need to find someone to play the role of girlfriend. The smile widens on his face, as if he had a name ready, on the tip of his tongue. - From the look on your face it looks like you already have the victim for the sacrifice. I say jocularly. I know he's dying to confirm what he said. - Of course I have. I wouldn't be such a renowned lawyer if I hadn't already thought of everything, if I hadn't exhausted all my possibilities. I rest assured, what he says is the purest truth. I fully trust your perception, your discernment. -And what are you waiting for? Put the final nail in the coffin now! He can't seem to contain himself from anxiety. He seems dying to vomit the girl's name. -Melissa Lacerda. You will be the newest boyfriend of Joaquim Lacerda's heiress. CHAPTER 04 - Who? I try to act stupid, I try to understand the mess he wants to get me into. - Dude, don't act like a fool, it doesn't suit you! I scratch my head and try to imagine things from his point of view. - Do you want me to... I'm interrupted. - Ask the girl to be your girlfriend! - So out of nowhere, for me to make a proposal like this, without ever having spoken to her? I try to make fun, things only seem to get worse every moment. - Really Lucius, you only understand about fuck and money! If it was meant to be a criticism, it sounded like a compliment to me. - Dude, you're going to approach, court, flirt. As any gentleman would do. Impossible! This will never work. - Court? Who else still uses this expression today? Now you've pushed the envelope! He just laughs at my apparent despair. - Lucius, of course you're not going to arrive right away making the proposal. You have to sweeten the pill! He wants to seem easy, even though I know it's not possible. I decide to leave the subject of the approach aside for a moment and focus on something that left me wondering. - And why this girl? Someone I've never had contact with? Someone who certainly won't jump into my bed at the first opportunity? - His questions are rhetorical. Self-explanatory so to speak. I reflect and come to the conclusion that he is right. These are the reasons. A brilliant lawyer like him would never stop thinking about every detail. - And since when did you decide that I should propose to Melissa Lacerda? I ask, it doesn't hurt to focus a little on my own suffering. - Since when I had to negotiate the photographs of your last mistake through the eyes of your face, so to speak. Since when I was pressured by powerful clients. Since when did they show all their dissatisfaction with their behavior. He answered when, but I want to know something more. -But why her? Just her? When my life would be so much easier if I chose anything else! - Because she's a billionaire heiress! Because she is a modest girl and would certainly fall in love with the lions who want her blood! Because dating her would certainly ring true. Yes he has a point. -But it could even be her sister, who is more communicative, who would facilitate my endeavor. I say it and it's the truth. Melissa is quiet, doesn't get along. - The dating proposal could be made to someone more compatible, at least, with my personality. I say out loud what's going on in my head. - And lose the faithful justification for the end? This incompatibility will be more than visible. There will be no surprises when they separate. Luciano deserves every penny of his salary. The man is an eagle. Not even my cunning would be able to make me see all these points. - And there is one detail that certainly cannot be overlooked. He drops the cue. He waits for me to question him, he seems to take pleasure in blurting things out like that and seeing me fry my wits to keep up with his sadistic reasoning. - What detail would that be, Luciano? I swear I'm afraid of the answer. - None of them look at you like Melissa. None of them have as much devotion in their eyes as the youngest of the Lacerdas. Holy shit! Luciano noticed, of course he noticed. I wouldn't have hired him if he wasn't so cunning. - Don't say that you hadn't noticed that the lady in question was dragging a tram for you, my friend? He asks sarcastically. I can't avoid the answer. - Dude, I did see some looks. Youthful crush. She must be about eighteen years old and must be at this stage... - Nineteen. He cuts me off. Give the girl's exact age. - Whatever! I'm sure it's a flash in the pan, which she soon forgets. - You may be right, it may be temporary. Yet another reason for her to be chosen. For the enchantment that he seems to have for you, for the possibility that it will be temporary and that it will not cause any harm when the breakup happens. The more my idiot lawyer uses his arguments, the closer he gets to convincing me to embark on this madness. But there's something I need to ask. Something I need to hear from hi