Chapter 2The Billionaire Wants My Blood

The moment she left, I called my CFO.

It was worse than she’d described. Not only were the lines frozen, but several massive short-term loans were being called in early. It was a coordinated strike. Someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.

It had to be Morgan. It was her signature move: create a fire, then show up with a glass of water and demand a kingdom in exchange. It was exactly what she’d done in my first life, and I had been too blinded by grief to see the matches in her hand.

Not this time.

I spent the next forty-eight hours listing my condo, selling my watch collection, and reaching out to old rivals to sell my shares at a loss. But every door was slammed in my face.

Word had gotten out. Diana Blackwood had made it known: anyone who helped me was an enemy of the Blackwood empire.

Brad called me, his voice thick with a fake, pitying concern. "Nico, just swallow your pride. Morgan is crazy about you. She went to Diana on her knees to get that funding approved for you. If you marry her, the company is saved, you’re taken care of, and everyone wins. Why are you being so difficult?"

I hung up and blocked him.

Three days later, the process server arrived with a summons. The walls were closing in. I was sitting in the middle of my half-empty apartment when the door opened. Morgan stood there, silhouetted against the hall light, holding a black umbrella.

"Stop fighting, Nico," she said, walking toward me like a victor surveying a battlefield. "One word from you, and this all goes away."

I looked up at her. "Does it make you feel powerful? Backing someone into a corner just so you can play the savior?"

She frowned. "I’m trying to help you."

"By cutting off every exit?" I stood up, closing the distance between us. "By telling Diana to blackball me? You don't want a husband, Morgan. You want a pet."

She reached out and gripped my jaw, her fingers digging in with surprising strength. "My patience is wearing thin, Nico. You’re going to marry me. You don't have another choice."

I felt a dark, twisted smile spread across my face. "Fine. You want a wedding? We’ll have a wedding."

She blinked, startled by the sudden compliance. She let go of my face, her expression softening into that practiced, "gentle" mask. "Good. I’ll handle the arrangements."

I didn't say a word. I remembered the first wedding—the way she looked at Cody over my shoulder while we danced. This time, I wasn't an oblivious lamb. I just needed the money to hit the accounts. Once the wire transfer cleared, I’d be gone before the ink on the license was dry.

On the day we signed the papers at City Hall, Morgan was radiant in a cream-colored suit. She took my hand as we walked down the stone steps. "We’re family now, Nico."

I pulled my hand away and checked my watch. "Whatever you say."

A charcoal-gray sports car pulled up to the curb. The window rolled down to reveal Cody. In my last life, Morgan would have moved mountains—or killed me—just to see him smile.

"Hey, Sis. Congrats," Cody said, his eyes flicking to me with a smirk. "So this is the new groom? Handsome. No wonder you skipped my birthday dinner to handle his 'paperwork'."

Morgan’s shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. She turned to Cody, her voice laced with a sudden, sharp anxiety. "Cody? What are you doing here?"

Cody climbed out of the car and draped an arm around her shoulders with a familiarity that was insulting. "Just wanted to see the man of the hour. Hey, Morgan, my stomach is killing me again. Can you take me to the clinic? I don't think I can drive."

He didn't even try to hide the provocation. He was marking his territory.

Morgan looked back at me. "Nico, Cody isn't feeling well. I need to get him to the doctor. I’ll have the driver take you home."

In my last life, this was exactly how it started. On our first day as a married couple, she left me at the curb for a "medical emergency" that turned out to be a party. I had spent my wedding night alone, thinking I was being a supportive husband.

I nodded. "Sure. Have a safe trip."

Morgan seemed unsettled by my lack of emotion. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Cody pulled her toward the car.

As they sped off, I pulled out my phone and called the company controller.

"Did the wire hit?"

"Yes, sir. Five million, cleared ten minutes ago."

I felt the first real spark of joy in weeks. "Transfer it immediately to the offshore holding account. Then call the authorities. We’re filing for Chapter 7 and reporting the company for suspected fraudulent investment. Freeze everything."