Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Everyone has a price, and he didn’t expect Tillie to give up her freedom to help others—but she does.
He never expected her to be a virgin.
Tillie is curious about her new husband. Yes, he appears cruel, cold, and calculating, but little by little, she sees someone who needs to be loved. Their marriage hasn’t exactly gotten off to a great start, but that doesn’t mean they can't have a great one they both try.
Could she have it all with her grumpy billionaire, or will someone with a grudge against Luca take it all away from her?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
Luca Winters stared down at the image playing out before him on his cell phone. It wasn’t some kind of top-rate television show, nor was it any kind of porn. The video playing was of his wife.
His wife.
Those two words were still quite impossible to roll off the tongue, but they did. He’d never intended to have a wife, but when he saw an opportunity in taking over the Goodwin Empire, he’d decided to throw Tillie Goodwin into the deal. The youngest daughter, who had completely taken him by surprise. The Goodwin empire had been in trouble for nearly five years. He’d watched the gradual fall, until they had almost declared bankruptcy. Luca had his eye on the company for much longer than it had been failing. He’d waited for the right opportunity to strike. For three months, he sat in meetings with his lawyers and their lawyers, trying to negotiate terms, on how best to finally make the company his.
He’d just been about to close the deal, after working through it with her father, brother, and even her uncle, and then he’d gotten a visit just before signing day. Tillie had arrived in his office. Over the years he’d seen pictures of the young woman, but most of them had been blurry. She’d tried to stay out of the public eye, and seeing as her brother considered himself a Lothario, the media lapped up his shenanigans like it was the bread that fed them.
As for Tillie, she lived a quiet life, and for the most part he didn’t have a clue what she did behind the scenes, but she had come to him, pleading. Not for herself, like he had expected, or asking for more money. No, she had asked him to consider what he did with the company he purchased.
At first, he was shocked to finally meet the Goodwin daughter. The fact she pleaded for the workers, not for herself or her family, told him she cared for the workers.
“I have researched what you do and I know you … like to tear up companies, dismantle what you don’t want, discard what is draining money, but I want to remind you that none of this comes without consequences. There are hardworking people who have done an amazing job for Goodwin and they deserve to be treated as such. All I ask, no, all I beg, is you consider their livelihoods first.”
It had been a long time since he’d seen anyone so considerate of others. Tillie wasn’t what he expected. He’d known plenty of heiresses and hadn’t been impressed with most of them. Tillie wasn’t selfish like them.
She’d asked him nicely and then fought the case, and he’d been so completely lost in her argument he’d simply not said anything.
Once she realized there was nothing more she could do, she got to her feet, about ready to leave, and then it got interesting.
“Tell me, Miss Goodwin, just how far are you willing to go for your workers?” he asked.
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“It’s simple, really. If you want me to consider keeping your father’s empire without making too many changes, then I’m going to need something in return.”
“What do you want?”
“How about you become mine?”
“What?”
“Marry me, obey me, serve me, and I will make sure there is not a single good worker who loses their job. I’m not going to keep bad workers or lazy workers, but decent, hardworking people can stay. The others, I’ll cut them loose, but in return I get you, one hundred percent.”
This meeting had taken place three months ago. They had married two weeks ago, and on their wedding night, Tillie had served him another surprise—she’d been a virgin. Her family had been thrilled, if not a little taken aback by the sudden announcement of their upcoming marriage.