Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Looking at the mountain of designer boxes from Kayden on her right, and the glowing text message from Darius on her left, Celine felt like she was suffocating under a golden blanket.

For a girl who had spent the last few years counting every single cent and penny, hiding from ruthless debt collectors who demanded her late parents' unsettled debts, and skimping on meals just to pay off her massive medical school loans, this sudden extreme wealth felt less like a blessing and more like a beautifully wrapped trap.

Unable to handle the walls closing in on her, she grabbed her phone, walked out onto the massive glass balcony overlooking the city, and dialed the one person she trusted above all else.

The line rang twice before a vibrant, energetic voice picked up. "Celine! Oh my god, thank goodness you called. I saw the medical board's update online and I have been worried sick. Are you okay? Tell me Chief Thornton didn’t actually go through with that ridiculous termination!"

Hearing her friend’s familiar voice immediately broke Celine’s composure. A lone tear slipped down her cheek. "It is worse than that. Way worse. I don’t even know where to begin."

"Hey, take a deep breath. Talk to me. Did those awful debt collectors show up at your place again? Because if they did, I swear I will"

"No," Celine interrupted, her voice trembling. "The debt collectors are not the problem anymore. I am not even at my apartment. I am currently standing in a multi-million-dollar penthouse downtown because Darius Smith bought my entire building, evicted me, and moved all my things here against my will."

There was a sudden, dead silence on the other end of the line. Celine could hear the faint rustle of fabrics stopping completely.

"I am sorry, did you just say Darius Smith?" her friend asked, her voice dropping into utter bewilderment. "As in the reclusive, multi-billionaire heir to Smith Enterprises?"

"Yes," Celine sighed, rubbing her temples. "And that is only half of it. His mother, Mrs. Doris, was my emergency aortic patient yesterday. She survived, and now she is demanding I marry her eldest son, Kayden, to secure his place in the family empire. Kayden just sent a fleet of couriers to this penthouse with an entire boutique's worth of limited edition Chanel, Hermès, and Louboutin gowns, telling me to wear them to our engagement dinner."

A dramatic gasp echoed through the speaker. "Oh my god! Celine, you are living in a literal romance novel! Are you kidding me?! You went from the trenches of medical residency and debt collectors to having the two most powerful, drop-dead gorgeous bachelors in the country fighting over you like a prize?!"

"It is not a joke!" Celine cried out, her mind flaring with anxiety. "I am a surgeon, not a trophy! Kayden is offering to wipe my legal record clean and reinstate my license with one phone call if I marry him. Darius is offering to buy back my entire hospital, sack Chief Thornton, and make me the Chief of Surgery under a strict five month contract marriage. They are at total loggerheads, and I am caught right in the middle of a corporate feud. I don’t know who to choose. I don’t know who to trust."

Her friend went quiet for a moment quickly weighing the stakes. "Okay, let’s look at this clearly. You have been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders since your parents died, Celine. You deserve a break. But these men are apex predators. If you choose wrong, they will crush you."

"Exactly," Celine whispered. "So what do I do?"

"You don't choose. Not yet," her friend suggested, a sharp, clever edge entering her voice. "You need data. You need to see them outside of a hospital wing or an office building. Here is what you are going to do: you are going to set up a test."

Celine blinked. "A test?"

"Yes. Call Kayden and tell him you will accept a morning date, like breakfast or lunch. Then, text Darius and tell him you will meet him for dinner. A double date showdown across twenty four hours. Pay close attention to how they treat you, how they treat the staff, and what they actually value. Whomever is nicer, has more genuine ambition, and has the most substance to offer you beyond just throwing money at your problems... that is the brother you go for."

Celine looked back through the glass balcony doors at the glittering mountain of designer clothes. Her friend's advice resonated perfectly.

"A double date," Celine murmured, a small, dangerous spark of interest finally replacing the panic she felt within. "Breakfast with the elder brother, dinner with the younger."

"Exactly," her friend cheered. "Now, go through those boxes Kayden sent. Find something understated but absolutely stunning for the morning. Let him think he’s winning. And for Darius? Wear something that lets him know you are not a girl who can be bought by a penthouse."

"Thank you. I owe you my life," Celine said, a genuine smile touching her lips for the first time in days.

"Just promise me that when you become a billionaire's wife, I get to design your bridal gown!" her friend laughed before hanging up.

Celine lowered the phone, taking a deep, steadying breath. The fear was gone.

She walked back into the master bedroom, picked up her device, and began typing out the invitations.