Chapter 4

I had to lean against the wall to stay upright.

He was the one who destroyed my life and left me with nothing. And now he wanted to take even more from me.

This crushing sense of helplessness washed over me, and I couldn't fight it.

I didn't give him an answer by the third day.

So Edward made the first move.

The hospital called and told me there was a problem with my mom's kidney donor. The terminal patient who'd agreed to donate had changed their mind.

Mom and I had waited three years for a matching kidney.

When I hung up the phone, I felt like my entire world had just collapsed.

How was I supposed to tell her? How could I look her in the eye and watch her face fall?

Right then, an unknown number called.

I just knew it was Edward.

And I was right.

His voice sounded lazy and almost bored. "So? Have you thought about it?"

Rage boiled up inside me. "What the hell did you do?!"

"I paid 300 thousand dollars for her kidney."

Three hundred thousand dollars.

I hadn't seen this much money in forever.

I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice steady, but I could hear myself practically begging.

"Edward, you don't have to do this to me. We're from completely different worlds now. You're the famous Mr. Grant, and I'm nobody. Just let me go, and I promise I'll stay out of your life. I'll disappear, I swear."

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Too late for that."

"I already paid the money and signed the contract. Once she dies, I get the kidney." He paused, and his eyes went cold.

"Tiffany, you know I never make bad investments. So tell me, how exactly are you planning to pay me back 300 thousand dollars?"

I couldn't pay him back. He knew that. He had me cornered and he knew it.

"I could report you," I said desperately. "This is illegal organ trafficking!"

Edward didn't even blink. "Go ahead and try. We'll see who ends up in jail first. Me, or your mom in the morgue."

Mom's condition had gotten so much worse. She used to just need dialysis a few times a week, but now she was stuck in the hospital full-time.

That was why I'd been so desperate for money in the first place, desperate enough to agree to go to that gala with Jack as his plus-one.

"Don't even think about going down fighting," Edward said. "You'd just be a bug throwing itself at a windshield. I've got plenty of ways to make your life hell. Want to find out?"

Of course he did. He could get me fired with one phone call.

The longer this dragged on, the more screwed I'd be, and eventually I wouldn't even be able to afford Mom's surgery.

My voice came out raspy and broken. "What do you want from me?"

Edward let out this satisfied laugh, like he'd just won something. "Three hundred thousand dollars for three years of you. That's a pretty good deal, don't you think? You won't find anyone else willing to pay that much."

His voice was dripping with mockery.

I closed my eyes and all I could see was my mom's lifeless face.

"When I get better, we'll take Tiff to see the mountains and snow," Mom once said. "You work so hard, Tiff. You've been through so much."

The memory cut through me, but I heard myself say, "Okay."

Edward sounded pleased. "I want you here in 30 minutes."

He sent me an address. It was the closest five-star hotel.

He was so sure I'd say yes.

I rushed over to the hotel, and the door swung open before I could even knock. Someone pulled me into a familiar embrace.

The lights were off, but somehow, everything felt sharper in the dark.

Edward leaned against my shoulder, and his breath was hot on my skin. His fingers traced up my spine, cold as ice.

My breath came out shaky. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He laughed softly, "Because I can't stand seeing you happy."

"You're the happiest person I know. You've got millions in the bank, a gorgeous fiancée, and anything you want just falls into your lap." I let out a bitter laugh.

But he fixated on something weird. "Are you jealous of Lily?"

I didn't even hesitate. "No."

Edward's hand shot out and grabbed my jaw, his fingers digging in hard. "Let me teach you how to be a proper mistress."

His tone left no room for argument. "Say yes. Say you're jealous."

I closed my eyes and forced the words out through clenched teeth. "Yes."

"Don't act like I'm forcing you, Tiffany. This is a transaction, plain and simple. You agreed to it."

Who the hell was he trying to fool?

If he hadn't lost his mind, we wouldn't have anything to do with each other anymore!

"Look at me, Tiffany. Open your eyes and remember who's with you right now."

He was crazy!