My Fake Broke Billionaire

I offered Preston, the untouchable heir to the city's oldest fortune, a fivethousanddollar monthly allowance to be my kept man—because I mistook him for a broke college student.

Every single day, he just stood there and watched me act like a spoiled brat, his deepset eyes devoid of warmth. I wasn't having it.

I even snapped at him for daring to give his sugar mommy an attitude. Until my parents dragged me to an exclusive highsociety gala for a blind date. There he was.

Holding court in a bespoke tuxedo, the center of absolute gravity.

I watched, my stomach plummeting, as my own parents practically groveled at his feet just to get a nod of acknowledgment. My blood ran cold.

My shoes felt cemented to the polished marble floor. He closed the distance between us with slow, deliberate steps.

He leaned in, his dangerous cedarwood scent invading my space, his warm breath brushing the shell of my ear. "Aren't you greedy." His low voice vibrated right against my skin. "Trying to make me your sidepiece?" Chapter 1 I went to Cole's dorm to look for him.

He wasn't there. Instead, a guy carved like a literal Greek god opened the door. He had just stepped out of the shower.

Drops of water still clung to his broad shoulders, tracing a slow path down his chiseled eightpack before disappearing into the waistband of a pair of loose gray sweatpants, putting a dangerously aggressive Vline on full display.

He carelessly toweldried his hair with a white towel. My heart slammed against my ribs, heat rushing straight to my face. Love at first sight was real. I was completely smitten.

I recognized that towel and those sweatpants instantly—they belonged to my brother.

Cole had told me his dorm was technically a triple, but one of the roommates was the untouchable heir to some oldmoney empire who never even showed up.

In reality, it was just Cole and a broke scholarship kid living here. That broke kid's name was Caleb.

My thumb hovered over my phone, hitting the 'end call' button before Cole could pick up. "Who are you looking for?" His voice was a low, resonant rumble.

He was tall—easily sixfootthree—and just standing there, he radiated this overwhelming, suffocating presence.

God, it really paid off to be this ridiculously hot. "I'm looking for my brother, Cole," I said. Then I ducked right past him and slipped into the room.

He furrowed his brows, staying planted by the door. "He's not here." Cole had mentioned that despite being dead broke, Caleb's pride was fiercely intact.

His mom was sick recently, so he had been working ungodly hours bartending at some dive club, desperately scraping together money for her medical bills.

Cole had offered him a loan, but Caleb refused to take charity.

Knowing this, the way I looked at him softened with immediate pity. "I came here for my brother, but I think I'd rather talk to you." He shut the door.

Still drying his hair with one hand, he casually rifled through Cole's closet with the other and pulled on a printed shirt.

A flicker of confusion crossed my mind—if Caleb was so prideful, why was he borrowing Cole's clothes?

But as I stared at his long legs, the tight shift of his muscles, and the broad expanse of his back, I swallowed hard, my mind going blank.

His voice snapped me out of it. "What do you want with me?" I blurted it out: "You're short on cash, right? I'll give it to you." He turned around, giving me a deeply confused look.

My brain worked in overdrive, doing the mental math on my allowance.

Cole and I came from a comfortable background—uppermiddle class, definitely—but our parents didn't let us burn cash like other trust fund kids.

They strictly capped my allowance at about ten thousand a month, so my actual savings were a bit pitiful. But Caleb was just a broke college kid.

He probably hadn't seen much real money anyway. So I squared my shoulders and said, "I'll be your sugar mommy. Don't tell my brother. I'll give you five thousand a month.

I heard your mom is sick—how much do you need for this current batch of bills?

I'll front you the cash now and just deduct it from your future monthly allowance." The second the words left my mouth, embarrassment hit me like a truck.

I couldn't even look him in the eye. It was my first time doing something this outrageous. My fingers actually trembled, and I could feel a furious flush burning my cheeks.

A low, amused chuckle vibrated from his chest.

He hoisted himself onto the edge of the desk right next to me, his long legs dangling casually as he raked his eyes over me from head to toe.

Being looked down on like this wasn't exactly screaming "powerful sugar mommy," so I cleared my throat, forcing out a small voice. "My parents don't give me a huge allowance right now, but I'm already offering you half of it.

If they bump up my limit later, I'll raise your rate." I looked up at him with utter sincerity. "Deal?" I wanted to slap myself. I was the paying customer here!

Why the hell was I acting so desperately humble? But whatever, historical tyrants literally squandered entire empires just to make a beautiful woman smile.

Dropping my pride for this ridiculously gorgeous man was practically a given. Besides, if he ran into an actual wealthy older woman, she'd easily outbid me.

Since I couldn't compete financially, the least I could do was offer him some prime emotional support.

Suddenly, long, slightly rough fingers gripped my chin, tilting my face up and forcing me to meet his gaze.

He stared down at me, the suffocating shadow of his tall frame instantly swallowing me whole, and his deepset eyes held absolutely zero warmth.

I hit a nerve by bringing up his financial situation. I had trampled on his pride.

Chapter 2 I watched the dangerous storm gathering in his eyes, terrified he was going to reach out and snap my neck the very next second.

Without even thinking, my hands shot up and clamped down hard over his warm, large hand.

The exact moment our skin made contact, a jolt of electricity shot through both of us, making us flinch. Holy hell, the pure adrenaline of this chemistry!

My heart was practically hammering out of my chest. "Do you even know who I am?" His voice was low. "And you want to make me your sugar baby?" I nodded vigorously. "I know.

You're Cole's roommate, Caleb. I also know your mom is sick and you need cash. Cole wanted to loan it to you, but you refused to take charity.

Well, if you let me keep you, you just have to listen to me and provide a service. That makes it a transaction, not charity.

It's a total winwin." A dark, incredulous laugh slipped past his lips. After a long beat of suffocating silence, he finally let go of my chin. But I wasn't quite ready to let go.

My fingers remained stubbornly wrapped around his hand.

His skin felt incredible—long, elegant fingers radiating a steady, intoxicating heat that made me completely unwilling to pull away.

I had always pegged myself as the quintessential good girl, totally immune to the guys around me.

Turns out, I wasn't immune at all; the second a guy actually tripped my wires, my selfcontrol just evaporated into thin air. He firmly peeled my fingers off him.

Reaching for a pack on the desk, he slid out a cigarette and lit it with agonizingly slow, deliberate movements. He stared right through me through the rising haze of gray smoke.

A sharp prickle of warning crawled up the back of my neck. Clearly, Caleb was not a guy you messed with lightly.

I was just about to beg for mercy, ready to say that even if the deal fell through we were still technically roommateadjacent, pleading with him not to snitch to Cole so my parents wouldn't freeze my credit cards.

But before I could get a word out, he exhaled a drag of smoke. "Fine." Wait, what? We walked out the door together.

Actually, scratch that—he walked a few steps behind, and I led the way. My parents had explicitly banned me from dating. Yes, even though I was already in college.

They insisted on setting me up themselves, convinced that anyone I picked out would be a total disaster. Ugh. So, keeping this completely under the radar was nonnegotiable.

We headed to the campus gates to hail a ride. I didn't actually go to this university; my campus was right next door, just a quick fifteenminute walk away.

Our first stop was an upscale mall for dinner. Caleb was a guy with fierce pride.

Even though I was technically paying for his company now, he carried himself with way more commanding alpha energy than I did. It was honestly kind of bruising my ego.

Once we settled into a private dining booth, I pulled out my phone to swap numbers.

I caught a glimpse of his device across the table. "Oh, you're rocking the newest iPhone?" "It's a knockoff." Ah, no wonder he caved to my financial temptation so easily.

His profile picture was just a dog, with his own hand resting on its head. Even in a blurry photo, his hand looked ridiculously aesthetic.

I cut right to the chase. "How much do you need for your mom's bills?" His long fingers carelessly traced the rim of his glass, swirling the ice with a crisp clink.

He held it with the effortless grace of someone nursing a decadesold Macallan rather than cheap tap water. "How much do you think I'm worth?" I chewed on my thumb, agonizing over the math for a second. "How about I front you fifty grand right now?

Does that work?" He crossed his arms over his chest, shooting me a glacial, assessing glare. "Fifty grand?

Are you tossing spare change at a beggar?" I scrunched up my nose. "Watch your tone.

I'm literally your sugar mommy right now!" Talk about a homeless guy complaining about the mustard on a free hotdog!

He just stared at me, a dangerous, mocking smirk playing on his lips.

Feeling the physical pain of my bank account draining, I gritted my teeth and wired him two hundred grand. "You belong to me now," I declared. "You have to do exactly what I say.

I paid for this!" That money was supposed to fund my summer trip to Europe with my roommates. Now I was going to have to go home and scam Cole out of his savings to cover it.

Only after the transfer cleared did his expression finally thaw into a lazy smile. "First time buying a guy?" I sucked hard on the straw of my passion fruit tea and nodded. "Seriously, do not breathe a word of this to Cole, or he will actually murder me." He gave a slow nod. "Of course.

If you end up dead, who's going to fund my lifestyle?" Riding a sudden wave of liquid courage, I reached across the table and blatantly stroked the back of his hand.

He didn't even flinch. He just sat perfectly still, watching my timid, borderlinecreepy groping with absolute deadpan composure.

I felt exactly like one of those creepy, beerbellied old men aggressively throwing cash at dancers in a seedy strip club.

Chapter 3 Since he didn’t pull away, a spark of pure triumph flared in my chest. The money was definitely well spent.

I managed two more shameless strokes of his knuckles before the server pushed the food cart into our booth, making me snatch my hand back like I’d been burned.

After dinner, I dragged him out to a movie. This time, I blatantly laced my fingers through his, walking out in the open. The power of cold, hard cash was honestly intoxicating.

If I had fallen for Caleb and tried to pursue him the normal way, it would inevitably turn into one of those cliché Hollywood teen movies—the cheerleader chasing the boy from the wrong side of the tracks.

The poor guy would reject her at first, then eventually get won over, only for her snobby parents or his struggling mom to tear them apart.

I’d have to suffer through months of agonizing teenage angst before I even got to touch his hand. But not this time. I literally just bought a shortcut.

First meeting, and I had already unlocked dinner, handholding, and a movie date. We walked out of the mall. I had to head back to campus.

I didn’t have any afternoon lectures, but freshmen were forced into mandatory evening study halls.

I looked up at Caleb, a sudden wave of reluctance hitting me. "Stop working at that club," I told him. "It's sketchy, and it's ruining your grades.

You should just focus on studying and gunning for a fullride scholarship." He just stared down at me from his ridiculous height, completely ignoring the advice.

I pinched his arm. "Stop playing deaf. I'm talking to you." "Yeah. Heard you." He practically drawled it out, dripping with lazy indifference.

We reached the intersection where our paths back to campus split. "I'm heading back," I said. He gave a low hum of acknowledgment.

I instantly frowned, completely dissatisfied. "You're supposed to walk me back. I literally just spent a fortune on you.

It's your job to keep me happy." He patted his pockets. "Buy me a pack of cigarettes.

I forgot mine." I seriously wanted to smack him. "You're flat broke, and you're still blowing cash on cigarettes? No.

If I catch you smoking again, I'm docking your pay!" If he wasn't towering over me, I would have grabbed his ear and dragged him to the curb for a harsh reality check.

He smirked. "Fine, sugar mommy. I'll walk you back." My kept man is freezing me out. What should I do?

I typed that exact question into Google, TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit, frantically scrolling through threads. I couldn't find a single useful piece of advice.

I had been keeping Caleb for two weeks. I asked him out to dinner ten separate times, and he only bothered to show up for three of them.

And every single time we finished eating, he immediately bolted, claiming he was slammed with work. I felt like I was being actively scammed. The worst part?

I couldn't complain to my parents, Cole, or my friends without exposing myself, so I just had to swallow the massive financial loss and suffer in silence.

Right when I was convinced I had lost both the guy and my money, my parents bought Cole and me our own separate apartments offcampus.

The breaking point was Cole storming home, complaining that Caleb came back way too late every night and ruined his sleep.

Apparently, the tension got so bad they actually threw fists over it. My grip tightened on my chopsticks. "Is he okay?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Cole shot me a fiercely offended glare. "Who's your brother here? Him or me?" No wonder Caleb had been so cold to me. He was definitely still pulling those exhausting club shifts.

The two hundred grand I gave him probably barely covered his mom's latest medical bills. And since he got into a brawl with Cole, he was obviously taking out his resentment on me.

I silently resolved to soothe his bruised ego.

After all, he was completely alone in this city, with zero family support, forced to carry the crushing weight of reality on his shoulders. He had to be struggling.

So, the second my parents handed over the keys to the new apartments, I called Caleb and demanded he meet me at my new place. I unlocked the door.

The place was fully furnished—turnkey ready, with gorgeous, barelyused furniture left behind by the previous owners who had quickly sold the place to move out of the country.

Thank God Cole's apartment was in a completely different complex. Chapter 4 I pressed a spare key into Caleb's palm with extreme, dramatic solemnity.

He swept his gaze over the sprawling, empty living room, his jaw tight, his eyes flashing with the kind of arrogant defiance that absolutely refused to bow to money.

He just quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? You buying me a condo now?" My racing heart completely stalled. "I… I have to buy it for you?" I definitely wasn't that generous yet.

I just wanted him to live here so he wouldn't have to suffer through the dorms anymore. "Then what is this?

Why give me a key?" I rubbed my nose awkwardly. "Cole mentioned you come back late, wake him up, and that you guys got into a fistfight over it.

If you stay here, you won't have to deal with my brother's attitude." Plus, who knew if he was secretly seeing other sugar mommies behind my back?

I needed to keep a close eye on my investment. I dropped my voice to a mutter. "Besides, we've been doing this for a while now, and you only let me look, never touch.

That's a massive ripoff for me." He slammed me against the cold wall before I could even blink, his heavy arms completely caging me into his territory.

An aggressive rush of cedarwood engulfed me. He stared down at me with the absolute focus of an apex predator finally deciding to devour its prey.

Refusing to look like a coward, I just glared right back at him. Then his soft lips crashed against mine.

Thank God I brushed my teeth before coming over, was my first dizzying, ecstatic thought. Then he pulled back slightly, his eyes snapping open as he frowned. "Close your eyes.

Do you seriously not even know how to kiss?" I instantly felt horribly patronized, so I surged forward and kissed him back with reckless aggression.

When we finally broke apart, he wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Blair, are you… part rabid dog?" My face was burning violently, but I gave a haughty scoff. "That's what you get for underestimating me." He let out a sharp, dark laugh.

The tension was suddenly insanely awkward. Then, he raised a hand and gently ruffled the top of my head. Just like that, all my bristling defenses melted away, completely pacified.

I immediately started planning our "future life together." "You're done working those shifts," I declared. "You're just going to stay here and date me.

I'll squeeze another two grand out of my allowance for you." I finally experienced the sheer power trip of a reality dating show bachelor handing out a rose to his favorite contestant.

He leaned back onto the couch, radiating lazy entitlement, as I continued dictating the rules. "From now on, outside of classes, you come straight back here and wait for me.

Got it?" "And what about you?" "Me?" Even though I was desperate to cling to him 24/7, I couldn't let that show. If I did, he would absolutely use it to manipulate me and run wild.

Plus, I was down to three grand a month for myself now—I practically had nothing left to bribe him with. He couldn't afford to get demanding.

This transactional relationship was hanging by a terrifyingly fragile financial thread. "Obviously, I'll come back and keep you company when I have free time.

But sometimes I have to go home to deal with my parents.

They're pretty strict." I’d have to go home on the weekends, but during the week, I could use my dorm as a cover to sneak out and mess around with him.

I felt like an absolute genius.

Desperate to fasttrack this blissful domestic fantasy, I lightly kicked his shin. "Go make me dinner." "I don't know how." "You are not allowed to say 'I don't know.' If you don't know, you learn!

From now on, in front of me, you say, 'I'll learn!' Got it?" His eyes locked onto mine, completely freezing over. I glared right back without shrinking an inch. "You don't know how?

What, are you expecting me to wait on you? I don't know how to cook either! Go make me dinner right now!

Are you actually trying to rebel against your sponsor?" For a long second, he just stared at me.

Then, he took a slow, heavy breath, grabbed his phone, and turned on his heel toward the kitchen. I sprawled out on the couch, flipped on the TV, and sighed happily.

Life was just so good. Chapter 5 I remembered my roommate who was also a sugar baby—she raked in insane amounts of cash every month and got showered with luxury gifts.

Compared to her sponsor, I was definitely on the stingy side with Caleb. So his rebellious streak was honestly kind of justified. But hey, I wasn't some greasy, balding old man.

I was a young, gorgeous college girl. As far as I was concerned, Caleb was definitely not getting the short end of the stick here.

Having successfully rationalized my cheapness, I sat back and waited for my personal chef to serve dinner. Turns out, Caleb actually had zero clue how to cook.

I literally bought preseasoned steaks that only needed a quick sear, and he still managed to scorch one side into charcoal.

I figured since he grew up dead broke, he probably hadn't even seen a real steak before. I decided to let it slide.

The second he dropped his fork, he headed straight for the couch, pulling out his phone.

I marched over and snatched it right out of his hand. "I've been meaning to talk to you about this. You're glued to that screen 24/7. Is your phone prettier than me?

No screen time for you. Go do the dishes." I went to snoop through his messages, but the screen went black. I shoved the phone back against his chest. "Unlock it.

I'm doing a spot check." He let out a dark, amused laugh. "You want to test me? Try it, and I'll call Cole right now." My pretense of authority evaporated.

I glared at him. "Are you a literal toddler? Going to tattle to the adults?" He smoothly plucked the phone out of my grip. "Are you a toddler?

Still terrified of your parents finding out?" He strolled into the kitchen, and I trailed right behind him, furiously backpedaling. "Who said I'm terrified?

I'm not scared of anything." He dropped the dirty plates into the sink. "I cooked. You clean.

Or I'm calling Cole." I widened my eyes at him. "Don't you forget who writes your paychecks!" He just arched a brow, unlocking his screen and hovering his thumb over the dial pad. "Ugh, fine!

You're infuriating!" I snatched the sponge. "And for the record, I'm only doing this because I feel sorry for you and don't want you getting too tired, not because I'm scared of my brother!" He stepped into my space, his long fingers reaching out to lightly pinch my cheek. "Baby," he murmured, a lazy smirk on his lips, "you are an absolute riot." By the time I finished wrestling with the greasy pans and walked out, he was back on his phone.

I couldn't hear the other side, but Caleb gave a lazy, drawling reply. "Can't right now. Entertaining a little kid.

Rain check." I lunged to grab his phone and see who he was talking to, but he pinned me down with a single, authoritative glare. It was pure, terrifying dadenergy.

It completely immobilized me. I huffed, spinning on my heel, and stomped into the bedroom. Who are you calling a little kid?!

Feeling like my skin was coated in a thin layer of kitchen grease, I immediately stripped down and hopped into the shower.

When I walked out, enveloped in a towel, he was leaning casually against the doorframe, radiating dangerous, lazy energy. "In a rush?

Already washed up and ready for me?" Heat rushed straight to my cheeks. Obviously, I brought him to this apartment for that.

If I dumped all that money on him just to stare and never touch, it would be the worst financial investment of my life.

Plus, I always had this romantic notion that a girl's first time should be with someone she genuinely liked. And I really, really liked Caleb.

Sure, he was broke, but he had this incredibly arrogant, untouchable pride about him. I let out a defiant scoff, striding over to rip the blackout curtains shut. "Sit down.

I'm going to show you exactly how much of a 'little kid' I am." Once we officially launched into our shameless, cohabitating lifestyle, every day felt dangerously intoxicating.

Even though my kept man was incredibly insubordinate—sometimes forcing me to do chores and totally failing at his submissive sugar baby duties—it was still the best money I'd ever spent.

In bed, he completely ignored my commands, showing a terrifying tendency to completely dominate the situation and stage a fullblown rebellion. But honestly?

The ROI was astronomical.

I walked around campus every day in an absolute daze, wishing I could just glue myself to him in that apartment forever—eating takeout, watching movies, and tumbling back into bed.

Until summer break rolled around. I knew Caleb's hometown was in the declining Detroit industrial area.

I was terrified he was going to pack up and head back to take care of his mom. "Where are you going for the summer?" I asked him. We were tangled up in the postcoital afterglow.

He was idly scrolling through his phone with one hand, while I was resting my head against his bare chest, playing a game on my phone and absentmindedly tracing the sharp ridges of his abs with my free hand.

Chapter 6 "…Where exactly am I supposed to go?" Wow, he actually bothered to ask me! "Obviously, you're staying right here with me," I declared. "I'll sneak out to see you." He shot me a look of pure disdain. "What exactly do you do at home all summer?" I sighed.

Before college, my summers were completely packed with ridiculously expensive Ivy League prep courses and equestrian lessons.

Otherwise, with my totally average brain, I never would have made it into a toptier university. But this summer, my mom announced she was dragging me to endless blind dates.

The goal was to find a guy from a matching tax bracket, date for a bit, and lock down an ironclad marriage before graduation.

Elite circle marriages always happened early, and all the toptier guys got snatched off the market fast anyway.

But I absolutely could not tell him any of that. "Nothing much," I mumbled, actively avoiding his eyes. "Just lounging around the house." A sharp twinge of guilt twisted in my stomach.

I felt like I was doing Caleb so dirty. Because tonight, my mom was dragging me to a highly exclusive gala.

Supposedly, it was going to be crawling with Alist elites and power players, and she had literally dropped hundreds of thousands on my outfit alone just for this exact occasion.

His gaze snapped away from his phone, pinning me down with a heavy, scrutinizing stare. "What guilty little secret are you hiding?" I was just about to remind him of his place and tell him to stay out of my business, when my phone started vibrating furiously.

It was my mom. Not daring to ignore it, I shushed him and answered. "Blair, where the hell are you? Get home right now.

The styling team is already here!" I scrambled to agree, throwing on my clothes in a frantic rush.

Right before I bolted out the door, I turned back to him. "Be a good boy and wait for me." It was past three in the afternoon by the time I made it back.

After agonizing hours in the styling chair, I finally stepped out with my parents and Cole.

I had to aggressively cake on foundation to cover up the very obvious, lingering marks Caleb had left all over my collarbone.

The entire ride there, my mom rattled off a list of eligible heirs who were currently single and open to matchmaking, ordering me to keep my eyes peeled.

I desperately wanted to shoot Caleb a text, but I didn't dare do it right under their noses.

I almost blew my cover once when Cole caught me grinning idiotically at my screen and interrogated me about whether I had a secret boyfriend.

Once my mom finally paused her lecture, my dad turned to Cole. "You need to network more with the Preston heir tonight.

If he hadn't dropped that tipoff, our family would have completely bled out on that last deal." "Yeah," Cole replied. "But he barely shows up to campus.

Besides running into him on the basketball court that one time, I haven't had much contact. I heard he's making an appearance tonight, though.

I'll make sure to go pay my respects." "Exactly, exactly," my mom agreed immediately. "Go get some face time with him." Cole suddenly fixed his gaze on me. "Blair, you're an absolute sucker for a pretty face, but don't go falling for just anyone.

The Preston heir might look like a god, but he is completely out of our league.

Don't go blinding yourself trying to fly too close to the sun." I shot him a vicious glare. "Who the hell do you think you're looking down on?" Stepping into the grand ballroom, I was instantly hit by a blinding wave of sheer opulence.

I even spotted a few Alist actresses I obsessed over, casually mingling in the crowd. My parents paraded Cole and me around, making polite small talk with various power brokers.

Suddenly, a palpable ripple of electric tension swept through the massive space. The low hum of conversation shifted. Whispers erupted all around us—He's here. Who is 'he'?

My mom had just cornered me into a conversation with Blake, the heir to the Zhao family's empire.

Hearing the commotion, they all instantly cut off their conversation and turned to look toward the massive double doors.

Blake leaned in, dropping his voice to a low murmur near my ear. "The Preston heir.

I heard he was making an appearance tonight." In this city, there was only one Preston family, and the very name held the absolute, terrifying weight of royalty.

I craned my neck, following the crowd's reverent gaze.

Through the parting sea of the city's most powerful elites, a ridiculously tall, breathtakingly handsome man walked in, holding court as the absolute center of gravity.

It was Caleb. The broke college student who was supposed to be waiting for me in my apartment. His deepset eyes swept over the crowd. Then, they locked dead onto me.

And onto the man standing intimately by my side. The chatter of the ballroom faded into a suffocating silence.

All the blood instantly drained from my face, turning my veins to pure ice. I couldn't move a single muscle. My heart hammered against my ribs.

Chapter 7 Moments later, he strolled over to us.

My parents, Cole, and Blake's family practically tripped over themselves to greet him, acting like they were lifelong blood brothers.

After some agonizingly polite small talk, his deepset eyes flicked to my parents. "Oh?

What's the occasion for the two families?" My mom gave a demure, highly flattering laugh. "Just letting the kids get to know each other." She immediately pushed me forward. "This is my daughter, Blair.

She's a freshman at an Ivy League." "So, a blind date, then," he concluded, his voice a smooth, lazy drawl.

How did I never realize that his tone always carried this terrifying, unreadable weight?

I used to think he was just putting on a rebellious act, and I would actually get annoyed, thinking I was the one footing the bills—what gave him the right to act so superior?

My stomach completely plummeted into the floor. I wanted the marble tiles to open up and swallow me alive. A large, elegant hand suddenly appeared in my field of vision. "Hello.

I'm Preston." His voice was that same intoxicating mix of crisp cedarwood and arrogant composure.

I remembered Cole mentioning that the untouchable Preston heir had a notoriously frail childhood, so his family gave him a surprisingly gentle first name, following some elite spiritual guru's advice to ward off the evil eye.

While my brain was still shortcircuiting, Cole violently nudged my arm, digging his fingers into my side.

I scrambled to reach out, my trembling fingers slipping into his warm palm. Who would have thought?

Just this afternoon, we were completely tangled up in my sheets, and now, we were exchanging polite handshakes like absolute strangers.

Right then, the ballroom lights dimmed to a sultry low. A slow waltz drifted through the speakers, drawing couples to the center floor. His grip on my hand suddenly tightened.

With an undeniable, aggressive pull, he dragged me straight toward the dance floor.

Right before pulling me away, he threw a flawless, polite smile at my parents. "If you don't mind, I'll borrow her for a moment." My body was completely rigid as I stumbled after him.

He locked a heavy arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him. "Haven't seen you all afternoon. Did you lose your voice?" My throat was bonedry.

Should I literally drop to my knees and beg for my life right now? "Blair, I haven't even asked you yet." His thumb drew slow, deliberate circles on my lower back. "You're out here on a blind date.

Where exactly does that leave me?" He leaned in, his warm breath ghosting over the shell of my ear.

His voice was devastatingly soft, but the words sent a violent shiver down my spine. "Aren't you greedy.

Trying to make me your sidepiece?" He took a highly aggressive step forward, closing the final inch of physical space between us.

The fabric of his bespoke suit brushed against mine with a dangerous rustle.

His long fingers lazily tugged at his silk tie to loosen it, before his slightly rough thumb trailed up to lightly scrape the back of my trembling neck, sending a violent, electric shiver straight down my spine.

I vividly remembered Cole warning us at home: anyone who crossed the Preston heir met a horrific end.

Bankruptcy was getting off easy; most of them had their entire lives utterly destroyed. My knees completely buckled