Beneath the Cold Contract (eBook)

A Single Triplet Mother's Marriage Contract

Becca Jiri Becca Jiri (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
223 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-097888-2 (ISBN)

Infos

'Congratulations,' the doctor said with a smile. 'You're pregnant.'
My breath hitched.
'But that's not all,' she added.
I frowned. 'What do you mean?'
She turned the monitor towards me and pointed.
'There are three heartbeats. You're having triplets.'
My whole world shattered.
I had a one-night stand with a stranger and unexpectedly got pregnant with triplets.
The man turned out to be Kane, The richest billionaire in Philadelphia.
Just as I was struggling with whether to raise the babies alone or tell Kane about them, he reached out to me first - inviting me to participate in an high-profile art exhibition.
As a struggling independent artist, I couldn't resist such an opportunity.
I signed the work contract with him.
Kane smiled slowly, staring at me intensively.
'Good,' he murmured. 'Welcome to my world, Caroline.'
Something about the way he said it made my stomach twist.
Had I just made a deal with the devil?

Book 1

Textauszug

Chapter 1

One Night Stand

Caroline’s POV

“No… no, no, no.”

I bolted upright, my head was spinning as I clutched the silky white sheets around me. My body ached, and the air smelled of expensive cologne and… sex.

What the hell happened? My eyes widened. 

My heart began to beat as I looked around the strange room…no, penthouse. From Floor-to-ceiling to windows. A skyline view. The black and gold furniture. This was not my apartment.

I swallowed hard. Think, Caro. Think.

Last night was supposed to be fun. Gina had convinced me to go out and sell my art, at the art gallery event.

And then… him.

Tall. Breathtaking. Eyes that saw right through me. Kane.

Oh God.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Tell me I didn’t.

I shifted under the covers and felt nothing but bare skin. My stomach dropped. I slowly peeked down…

Naked. I was completely and utterly naked.

A sharp breath escaped me.

What did I do?

My hands trembled as I yanked the sheet tighter around me. My clothes were everywhere, my heels were near the door, my dress was thrown over a chair, and my bra was on the damn lamp.

I pressed my fingers to my temples. “This is bad. This is so bad.” Gina had given me a chance to sell my craft and I failed her in this way? 

Where was he?

I turned to the other side of the bed. But it was Empty.

Of course.

I let out a bitter laugh, but it came out shaky. What did I expect? Breakfast in bed? A goodbye kiss?

Tears burned my eyes. I don’t even remember if we used protection.

Shame curled in my chest. I didn’t even know his last name.

How could I be this stupid?

I took a deep breath and wiped at my face. Crying won’t fix this.

I needed to get out of here.

I slowly slid out of bed, but my legs were weak as I stood. The cold floor sent a shiver up my spine as I tiptoed across the room, picking up my clothes one by one.

My hands were trembling as I buttoned my shirt, rushing to get dressed and get out of there.

My head was also whacking, and my body ached in places I didn’t even want to think about. I still couldn’t believe what had happened last night.

I bent down to grab my purse from the floor when my eyes caught something on the nightstand. A thick envelope. My heart stopped.

Slowly, I reached for it. The weight of it alone told me what was inside, just like I thought, it was a huge amount. 

And a folded note was attached to it. I grabbed it, breathing fast as I read the words.

“I’m sorry for what happened last night. It wasn’t my intention at all. Take the money. It covers your paintings and any inconvenience this may have caused you. Thank you.”

Tears filled my eyes.

I felt cheap and Used.

I held onto the paper and was also tearing it due to how tight I held it. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out. He was sorry? He wasn’t even here to say it to my face. Just a note and a pile of cash. I guess this was all I was worth. 

I wiped my tears, inhaled deeply, and grabbed the money, shoving it into my purse. If this was all I was worth to him, fine. I would take it.

Just as I was about to leave, the door suddenly swung open.

I jumped back, with my heart hammering in my chest.

A middle-aged woman in a maid’s uniform stood there, her expression was unreadable.

“Good morning, miss,” she greeted politely. “Master asked that I assist you in leaving. There’s a taxi waiting for you downstairs.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I didn’t say a word. Shame held my tongue hostage.

I just nodded and walked past her, feeling her judgmental gaze on my back as I stepped out of the room.

By the time I got home, Gina was already up, sitting on the couch with her legs crossed, enjoying her breakfast. It was her day off, so she looked relaxed.

“Hey, you’re back,” she greeted, taking a sip of her coffee. “So, how did it go? Did you sell all the paintings?”

I dropped my purse on the table and sank into the chair across from her.

She frowned. “Why do you look like someone just sucked the life out of you?”

I exhaled slowly. “Gina… something happened.”

She set her cup down immediately, giving me her full attention. “What do you mean? What happened?”

I hesitated, and gripped the hem of my dress. “I… I spent the night with him.”

Gina’s eyes widened slightly, but to my surprise, she didn’t react the way I expected. No shock, no judgment…just silence as she processed what I had just told her.

However, I felt ashamed, because Gina had begged her boss for an extra invite for me. 

“And?” she prompted, bringing me out of my thought.

“And… when I woke up, he was gone.” My voice cracked slightly. “He left money. A lot of money. With a note.”

Gina leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “What did the note say?”

I swallowed hard. “That he’s sorry. That it wasn’t his intention. That the money is for the paintings and… any inconvenience.”

Gina exhaled, rubbing her face.

“Did you at least get his name?” she asked, looking me dead in the eyes.

I hesitated before shaking my head. “Just his first name. Kane.”

Gina groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “Caroline… you slept with a man you don’t even know his full name?”

“I thought I knew him! He was interested in my art! He… ” I stopped myself. None of that mattered now. I didn't have any excuse. I messed up. 

Gina sighed. Then, to my shock, she pulled me into a hug.

I stiffened. “You’re not mad?”

She pulled back, shaking her head. “No. I’m not mad, Caro. I just… I want to make sure you’re okay. It's just a mistake and I'm sure you never planned any of it.”

I blinked back fresh tears and nodded.

“Listen,” she continued, trying to make me feel good. “We’re going to find out who this guy is. I’ll help you.”

Weeks passed, and I tried my best to move on. I focused on my art, on selling more pieces, on anything but him.

But then, the nausea started. The dizziness. The sudden fatigue.

And then I missed my period.

I knew. I knew.

Still, I went to the hospital just to be sure. But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw on the ultrasound screen.

“Congratulations,” the doctor said with a smile. “You’re pregnant.”

 

Chapter 2

My breath hitched. 

“But that’s not all,” she added.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

She turned the monitor towards me and pointed.

“There are three heartbeats. You’re having triplets.”

My whole world shattered.

How do I explain this to the world? I went to an art gallery event after years of struggling to sell one piece without success, met a stranger, followed him back home, and had unprotected sex with him and now I'm pregnant with him. 

What would people say? What would I tell Gina? For real she would be disappointed. How could I be this careless? 

*****************

I stumbled into the apartment in a daze.

Gina looked up from her phone. “Hey, you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I dropped onto the couch, my whole body was literally shaking. “Gina… I’m pregnant.”

She blinked. “What….What?”

I swallowed. “And… it’s triplets.”

Gina’s mouth fell open. She stared at me for a full five seconds before speaking. “Triplets?”

I nodded weakly.

She sat back, exhaling sharply. “Damn.”

Silence settled between us for a moment before she straightened up. “Okay. That’s it. We need to find this guy.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “How? All I have is his first name.”

“We’ll start with the gallery event,” Gina said firmly. “They keep a guest list. We just need to see it.”

Two days later, we were at the gallery, sitting across from Gina’s manager.

“This is a bit unusual,” he said, adjusting his glasses as he scanned the list.

“Please,” Gina pressed. “It’s important.”

He sighed before sliding the list across the table.

Gina and I leaned in, going through every name on that list carefully.

And then…

“Kane Brown,” Gina read aloud.

The name sent a jolt through my spine.

She turned to me, widened her eyes. “Caroline… Do you know who this is?”

I shook my head slowly.

She pulled out her phone, typed something, and turned the screen towards me.

There he was. Kane Brown. Billionaire. Mysterious. Elusive and also untouchable.

The air left my lungs.

Gina leaned in, in a low but urgent tone.

“You have a billionaire as the father of your unborn kids, what are you going to do about it?”

I kept staring at the screen, with my heart beating so loudly I could barely hear myself think.

Kane Brown.

Not just any billionaire. The richest billionaire in Philadelphia. 

I couldn't believe that I had a one-night stand with a billionaire. No wonder he bought all my paintings and left such huge amount for me. 

My fingers felt numb as I scrolled through the endless articles about him. CEO of a major investment firm. A powerful, and elusive businessman with a net worth I couldn’t even wrap my head around.

This can’t be real. How did I get here? What would be my fate? 

“Caro?”

I...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 29.7.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-097888-4 / 0000978884
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-097888-2 / 9780000978882