The Ten-Million-Dollar Girlfriend

My billionaire boss, Julian, needed a human shield to fend off his obsessed childhood friends. I just gave him a nod. Consider it done.

The next morning, his gaze dropped to the obvious curve stretching the fabric of my dress. He stopped dead in his tracks. What the hell is that? It grew overnight?

I smoothed a hand over the fake bump, flashing a cool smile. "If we're putting on a show, boss, I need a believable prop."

From that day on, I strutted in my stilettos with my arm linked tightly through Julian's. I paraded right up to his two entitled heiress groupies, thrusting my bump forward like a queen claiming her territory.

"The heir is already right here." I met their stunned glares dead-on. "What exactly do you have to compete with that?"

Chapter 1

Julian, the heir to a massive financial empire, is my boss. Right now, he sat across from me, his dark eyes assessing me with razor-sharp focus.

Just an hour ago, Millie showed up again. She clutched a massive bouquet of roses, her shrill voice echoing down the hall. "Julian! Come out, I'm here to see you!"

Only an entitled heiress would dare pull a stunt like that. Millie and Arabella were his childhood friends. Their families were all tied together in a tangled web of old money and corporate alliances. Because of that, these four heiresses pursued Julian with an aggressive desperation that bordered on straight-up harassment.

At first, I treated it like a reality show. But eventually, it started tanking my productivity. I really wished they would take their desperate chasing outside the building.

But the second Millie waltzed in today, my intercom buzzed. I didn't have a choice. As the executive assistant responsible for gatekeeping who gets to breathe his air, it was my problem.

He snapped his expensive fountain pen shut, his jawline tight. "Don't let her set foot on this floor. Have security throw her out."

Makes sense. Millie stood five-foot-seven and pushed two hundred pounds. Even a man like Julian would find that much aggressive obsession suffocating.

When I stepped out to block her path, Millie sneered, jabbing a manicured finger in my direction. "I'm your future boss's wife. You actually dare to stand in my way?"

I maintained a flawless, plastic smile. "The boss isn't in the building. Please make an appointment before you visit next time."

She rolled her eyes, shoving my shoulder as she tried to force her way past me.

I sighed, expertly twisting her wrist in a swift grapple that pinned her flush against the cold glass wall.

I tilted my head toward the stunned security guards. "Drag her out."

Afterward, I called the head of security over, crossing my arms. "If you ever let someone without an appointment past the lobby again, clear out your desk."

If their frontline defense wasn't so pathetic, I wouldn't have to play the final boss and piss off these entitled heiresses.

The head of security kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, bowing repeatedly as he assured me it wouldn't happen again, before backing out of the room.

When I turned around, Julian was standing in his doorway, his dark eyes fixed on me with calculating intensity.

An hour later, he called me into his office. His gaze was unreadable, offering zero clues on whether he wanted to promote me or fire me. I was currently at the bottom of the secretarial food chain, having been transferred over from PR.

He rubbed his jaw slowly. "You have a certain talent for getting rid of women."

I flashed a modest smile. "Sharing the boss's burdens is my privilege."

He leaned forward. "Do you have a way to stop those women from bothering me entirely?"

I met his gaze dead-on. "Boss, I do have a way. But this falls way outside my corporate job description, and it's going to be messy. If you want it, I can draw up a custom private consulting plan for you."

His long fingers tapped twice on the mahogany desk. "As long as you can make those crazy women disappear from my sight, I'll write you a check for ten million dollars once it's done."

I didn't blink. "And if I only manage to eliminate one or two of them?"

"Then we prorate it. Two point five million per woman."

"Not a problem, boss. Though, this will require me to play the role of your girlfriend. I need a solid standing to go to war with them. You good with that?"

The corner of his mouth twitched up. "I'm good. Tell me what you need from me to make it work."

A beautiful partnership was born.

I used my lunch break to draft a watertight contract, sliding it across his desk for a signature.

He arched an eyebrow. "You're actually worried I'd stiff you on the bill?"

"Business before pleasure, boss. You taught us that yourself."

He slashed his signature across the bottom line and tossed the pen aside. "There's a gala tomorrow night. Millie will be there. Get ready."

I spent the next solid hour plotting my first strike.

Chapter 2

First thing the next morning, I walked into the office sporting a four-month baby bump.

Julian walked past my desk, threw a casual glance my way, and stopped dead in his tracks. "What the hell? How did your stomach get that big overnight? What is growing in there?"

I picked up his coffee and followed him into his office. "Boss, I've been thinking. I need a prop to increase our odds of winning."

I pulled the small pillow out from under my dress and held it up with a deadpan expression. "And this bump right here? This is our child."

He slammed back against his leather chair, raising a hand to massage his throbbing temples, and waved me out of the room.

I stuffed the bump back in and walked out.

That evening, I wore a conservative white evening gown paired with a simple pearl necklace to attend the gala with him. The second we arrived, we spotted Millie camping out by the entrance.

Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Julian, and she immediately rushed over. "Julian! I've been waiting for you forever. I tried to see you yesterday, but your secretary refused to let me in!"

I stepped right in front of him, blocking her path. "Julian is my boyfriend now. Millie, have some self-respect."

She finally dragged her gaze over to me. Her eyes widened, and tears immediately welled up in them. If the excess weight on her face hadn't squeezed her eyes into thin slits, I almost would have felt sorry for her.

But a few seconds later, she wiped her tears away. "So what if you're his girlfriend?" he ignored me and looked straight at Julian.

"Julian, I don't care how many women you have on the side. As long as you remember to come home after we get married, that's all that matters."

My jaw almost hit the floor. Wow, this money was not going to be easy to earn.

I stepped forward and shoved her shoulder. "Stop throwing yourself at him. You might not mind, but Julian and I do. He already said I'm the only woman for him for the rest of his life!"

I locked eyes with her, my voice turning icy. "He doesn't want you. Stop being a stage-five clinger."

Julian chimed in right on cue. "She's right. I really have no interest in you."

As he spoke, his large hand possessively gripped the small of my back. He pulled me flush against his chest, wrapping me in the scent of cedarwood, staking his claim.

"I'm not giving up. Where there's a will, there's a way. As long as I keep loving you, you'll eventually be moved by me," Millie insisted stubbornly.

I glanced at Julian. His jaw was clenched, a muscle ticking along his cheek. Jesus Christ, did this woman not speak English?

"I'm already carrying his heir. What exactly are you competing with?" I finally pulled out my trump card.

Her eyes darted to my stomach, flashing with sheer agony. But she didn't back down. "You can give birth to it. I'll raise it as my own flesh and blood.

You could never marry into his world, but I can. I can even write you a check for a hundred million as compensation. If you think that's not enough, we can negotiate the price."

My fingers slowly loosened their grip on Julian's hand. Honestly? I'd accept a boss's wife like this.

But Julian cleared his throat, his grip on my waist tightening slightly as a warning.

I immediately snapped back into character, letting out a scoff. "Never seen someone so shameless. Julian, let's go."

Throughout the entire gala, Millie's eyes burned holes into our backs.

To keep up the charade, I had to flirt aggressively with Julian. I fed him bites of cake from my fork. I even complained in a sugary-sweet voice that my ankles were killing me in these heels, making him massage them.

He played right along with every demand.

But Millie still shadowed his every move. I couldn't help but admire Julian's tolerance. I had no idea how he endured such a relentless stalker for this long.

The gala finally ended. The second we slid into the backseat of his car, the driver was yanked out of the front seat.

I bolted forward to look. It was Millie. She turned around to face us from the driver's seat. "I'll drive you!"

Chapter 3

A chill traced the line of my spine as she leaned forward. But before I could react, the heavy locks clicked into place, sealing us in.

Julian's jawline tightened into a sharp line. He pulled out his phone, dialing his driver, his voice devoid of warmth. "You're fired."

I pressed my spine hard against the leather seat. That was the price of failing a billionaire.

Millie's driving skills were surprisingly aggressive. I shrank into the back corner, keeping my mouth shut. Julian kept shooting me looks, signaling me to do something. But I ignored him, pulling out my compact to focus on my lipstick.

Was he kidding? I wasn't about to trigger the unhinged woman behind the wheel.

Suddenly, Julian gripped my wrist and yanked me straight onto his lap!

My eyes snapped wide open as I stared at him. Left with no choice, I played along.

"You're terrible. You couldn't even hold it in for a five-minute drive? Watch the baby, or I'm going to kill you."

He lowered his voice, his breath brushing my ear. "Baby, you just smell too damn good. I don't want to be away from you for a single second."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a simultaneous shudder of cringe swept through both of us.

A suffocating, dangerous tension filled the cabin. Julian tugged his tie loose, revealing the sharp, hard lines of his collarbone. The Maybach merged onto the highway. Rain started to lash against the windows.

I instantly lost all desire to keep up the act.

But Millie's voice cracked, dripping with tears from the front seat. "I love you so much! Why don't you love me back?!

You were the one who said we would be friends! You said you wouldn't let anyone laugh at me or bully me!"

Julian finally released his grip on my waist, and I immediately scrambled to the far side of the seat. He stated flatly, "That's because we're friends. Friends don't have to turn into lovers."

"We can still be friends after we get married! The best marriages are built on friendship!"

"I only marry women I actually want," Julian replied, his tone ruthless. "And I want Maeve. She's carrying my heir right now, so she's the only one I'm marrying."

"You're lying! You're just like everyone elseyou think I'm too fat!" Millie's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, pushing the gas pedal to the floor.

"I've loved you for so long, I have nothing left! And now you're throwing me away! Do I have to die for you to finally remember how good I am to you?!"

Julian went rigidly silent for a second, a muscle ticking at his jaw. But he didn't back down. "I fail to see what you've actually lost. No matter what you say, you can't force this."

"Then we're all dying together today!" Millie's wild eyes met mine through the rearview mirror. "And you're coming with us!"

Dead silence. The next few seconds stretched into a suffocating eternity.

The adrenaline spiked. I didn't hesitate. I started slapping my own cheeks right there in the backseat. "Millie, please don't be mad!

It's all my fault! It's all my fault! I seduced the boss! Please don't hold it against him!

How about you just let me out first? Otherwise, I'm really going to ruin the vibe of your murder-suicide!"

I didn't hold back, the sharp sounds of my slaps echoing loudly inside the confined cabin. The car finally slammed on the brakes, the tires shrieking against the wet asphalt as it swerved to a dead stop by the shoulder of the road.

Millie's voice pitched up in sudden, twisted delight. "Really?" She turned to glare at Julian. "Look at her.

She's so terrified of dying. She doesn't even deserve to stand by your side."

The locks clicked open. I practically scrambled out of the door, my heels hitting the wet pavement. Holy shit. I doubled over, dry-heaving twice into the rain before my breathing finally leveled out.

Julian stepped out beside me. He shot me an icy, sidelong glance before turning back to Millie. "I know she has a lot of flaws, and she doesn't fit my usual standards.

But standards are only for people you don't actually love. Her flaws just make her more real. More lovable."

Chapter 4

I immediately threw myself against his chest. "I was just trying to protect our baby!"

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper right by my ear. "You're crushing your fake bump."

I quickly loosened my grip on him just a fraction