The Billion Dollar Contract

CHAPTER 1

Gabriel sat alone in his spacious office, his posture rigid but his thoughts anything but steady. The city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows blurred into the background as his mind drifted, uninvited, to the one person he tried so hard not to think about—his ex-girlfriend, Ashley.

No matter how much time passed, she still had a way of resurfacing when he least expected it.

******** FLASHBACK

**“**I’m sick and tired of this, Gabriel!” Ashley snapped angrily, her voice raised and sharp.

Gabriel froze where he stood, blinking in surprise. He had just returned home from work, exhausted and mentally drained, and he certainly hadn’t been expecting this kind of welcome. Her sudden outburst left him both confused and shocked.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, genuinely lost.

“Aargh!” Ashley exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air in frustration.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” she asked, clearly irritated by his cluelessness.

“If you make it a lot clearer,” Gabriel replied cautiously, “then I guess I’d understand what you’re talking about.”

“I HATE YOU, GABRIEL!” she spat.

Gabriel stiffened. The words caught him off guard. He took a step back, completely taken aback.

“I’ve been waiting for you for the past three hours, Gabriel,” Ashley continued bitterly. “Three hours—so we could go on the stupid date you promised. But once again, you didn’t show up. Or should I say, you were too busy to show up.”

The realization hit him like tons of bricks crashing down all at once. He had forgotten. Completely forgotten about the date he had promised Ashley. Guilt washed over him immediately, heavy and unavoidable. This time, he had no excuse other than the simple truth—he forgot.

“Babe, I’m sorry,” he said, his voice softer now. “I forgot about it because of an urgent meeting I had to attend.”

“Great. Just great!” Ashley scoffed sarcastically. “You always have something important to deal with. What about me, huh?! Is your company more important than me?!”

Gabriel didn’t like where the argument was heading. He loved Ashley—he truly did—but the company, the family legacy he was expected to uphold, was also important to him. It wasn’t something he could simply ignore.

“I’m sorry, okay?” he said quickly, hoping to stop things from escalating. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“I DON’T WANT THAT, OKAY?!” she yelled.

“You always say that, but you never keep your word,” she continued, her voice trembling with anger and hurt. “You always come up with new excuses. You’re just incredible, Gabriel!” she added, the sarcasm unmistakable.

“You suck at this, Gabe…”

“Ashley, can we not continue like this?” Gabriel pleaded. “I promise to make it up to you. If you like, we can have tomorrow to ourselves.”

He made the suggestion desperately hoping it would calm her down, even though he couldn’t deny the truth—he had been a terrible boyfriend.

“After tomorrow, then what?” she asked quietly.

Gabriel frowned, looking perplexed, not fully understanding what she meant.

Ashley closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, as though bracing herself for what she was about to say.

“I don’t think us having tomorrow to ourselves will be necessary,” she said calmly. “I already moved my things. I was only waiting for you to come home so I could tell you in person.”

“What do you mean you moved your things?” Gabriel asked, disbelief lacing his voice.

“I can’t continue like this, Gabriel,” she replied firmly. “You make me sick. So I think we should end this.”

Gabriel couldn’t hide the shock on his face. Ashley hadn’t only mentioned moving her things out of his house—she now wanted to end their relationship altogether.

“Are you trying to break up with me?” he asked, still struggling to process her words.

“I’m not trying, Gabe,” she replied coldly. “I’m breaking up with you.”

Devastation washed over him. He stood there helplessly as Ashley walked out the door without looking back. She didn’t give them a second chance. She didn’t hesitate. She just left him there—completely broken.

• END OF FLASHBACK *****

That incident had happened five years ago, yet Gabriel still couldn’t get it out of his head. The memory remained painfully fresh, as though it had happened just yesterday, and he doubted he would ever forget that day. That was the reason he became more dedicated to his work than ever before. The company—his family’s legacy—was the only thing that stayed constant, the only thing that seemed to love and understand him.

But his mother thought otherwise.

His parents worried about him constantly. They wanted him to move on, to find someone new—especially his mother. Every month, without fail, she called to ask if he had finally gotten a new girlfriend. She was desperate to become a grandmother, but Gabriel wasn’t buying any of it.

******** FLASHBACK ********

“Gabe, my son, you have to listen to me,” his mother pleaded. “You need to move on. Forget about Ashley. If she truly loved you, she wouldn’t have left you the way she did.”

“Mom, please,” Gabriel sighed. “Can we not talk about this?”

“We have to, honey,” she insisted. “You aren’t getting any younger. You’ll be forty in a couple of months, Gabe. Stop hurting yourself like this. She isn’t worth it.”

“I need to get back to work, Mom,” he said, trying to end the conversation. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Just what I was talking about,” she replied. “Stop drowning yourself in work. Go outside. Mingle. Make new friends. Baby, do it for your mom.”

“Hmm… I’ll think about it,” he muttered.

“There’s nothing to think about,” she said firmly. “I want to hear that you’ve got a new girlfriend the next time I call you.”

“But mo—”

“Bye, honey.”

And with that, his mother hung up.

***** END OF FLASHBACK *****

That was his last discussion with his mom.

He was under immense pressure—not just from her, but from the public and the press as well. People speculated endlessly about his personal life, throwing around assumptions and labeling him with different sexualities simply because he refused to settle down. The scrutiny was relentless.

Gabriel knew he had to think of something.

And he had to think fast.