Wager of the Heart: The Rejected Mate

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ent and groaned, my body aching from another night curled up on the lumpy couch in our two-bedroom Brooklyn apartment. At twenty-five, I shouldn't be living like

iling up faster than the eviction notices taped to our door. Dad would've fixed this. He always did, with his booming laugh and endless shifts at the restaurant. But cancer didn't care abo

croaked from behind the thi

dn't see. "Interview, Mam

strong, and set it by her bed before kissing her forehead. Her skin felt to

died last year. "Sis, you look like crap," he said, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Mom while I'm gone.

ily. "Aye, aye

bikes, the subway rumble vibrating through my sneakers. But under the buzz, desperation clawed at me. Three temp jobs this month: filing for a lawyer who pinched my ass, waitressing at a dive

Personal Assistant to CEO. Hamptons estate. $5,000/week + room/board. Discretion required. Five grand a week? That was insane. Enough to clear Mom's meds, Marco's tuition, and maybe

arrived early, practicing my pitch in the bathroom mirror: Elena Vasquez, twenty-five, bilingua

Kane Innovations. AI security software that guarded Fortune 500 secrets. Face like a sculpture: sharp jaw, dark tousled hair, piercing blue e

ke aged whiskey. He extended a hand, his gri

sing to shrink. Nerves? Sure. But I'd face

. "Let's skip the formalities. Your resume intrigues

taught me: keep the books tight, the staff tighter, a

sfer. I need someone to tame my chaos. Schedules, travel, confidential corresp

pulse raced. "Why me?

d. And..." He leaned in, voice dropping.

al. "Damn right. I c

ion? Nah, just the power imbalance playing tricks. "G

It was a life

y knuckle a beat too long. Heat flus

table. "Black car waits outside. Pack

n Brooklyn to billionaire's mansion in

mansion was a glass-and-steel palace on a cliff, infinity pool shimmering like liq

," he said. "Mr. Kane

ramed the ocean. Alexander stood by a fireplace, sleeves rolled

me a tablet. "Sort this mess. D

hat paycheck

the screen. Emails, flights, mergers. Chaos, indeed. But I th

er, miss." The

oney: crystal chandelier, ocean view. Alexa

calendar was

ring wine. "Impr

essional boundary

to mogul after his parents' car crash (suspicious, he said cryptically), my abuela

someone," he mur

you organized f

e: king bed, balcony, closet stocked wit

." His voice wrapp

ed. But as I unpacked, my phone buzzed: a creditor'

f. This job? My ticket out.

now, I was alr