A Virgin For His Scandalous Proposal

Chapter One

BELLA

She was definitely late.

I, Bella Peterson knew the moment I saw the long line of cars in the traffic, that I was going to be extremely late for her appointment with the new client for my father’s company. There was no way the traffic was going to free up, even in the next fifteen minutes. I sighed in regret as I remembered what it was that made me leave the house late in the first place.

Carol.

My roommate definitely had the worst taste in men, and it didn’t help that I had warned her severally to end it with her cheating boyfriend. The one she had not even bothered to introduce to me. The worst part of it all was, I didn’t even know him, so I could go give him a piece of her mind. Carol had bawled her eyes out, complaining about how her boyfriend had continued seeing the other woman, while promising to marry her. It had angered me so much, to see how blind my friend was, but there wasn’t much I could do for a grown-up woman who chose to be stubborn! So I had left her at home, rushing to my appointment.

Someone honked, tearing me out of my troubled thoughts. I frowned as I looked at the unmoving cars in front of me, wondering why anyone was honking, knowing fully well that the line hadn’t even moved.

My phone rang, and I picked it up, looking at the screen to see who it was.

Chloe. My father’s secretary.

With my heart in my mouth, and my mind already racing, I answered, already thinking of excuses for my lateness. “ Hello, Chloe. I’m so sorry for being late. I’m stuck in this horrible traffic_” I tried to explain, looking frantically at the road ahead, as if some magic was going to happen and the road was going to clear up, but Chloe interrupted me.

“I know about the traffic, Bella. It was for that reason I called.” She said, chuckling. “Mr. Hilton was called in for an emergency, so he called to apologize, and asked for the meeting to be moved.” As she spoke, I let out a very long sigh of relief, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my chest.

“ Thanks so much, Chloe.” I said, looking around as I looked for a detour. One that would take me back. “And my dad?” I asked. Normally, Michael Peterson would rather he had called himself, only using Chloe, if he was indisposed.

And I was right.

“Your dad is in an emergency meeting, Bella.” The sigh that came from Chloe was so deep, and carried a lot of weight behind it. “Theo Zverev is here.”

I didn’t want to hear anymore as I hung up the call immediately his name was mentioned. My heart slammed widely against my chest at the thought of what was happening in the company while I was stuck in stupid traffic.

Theo Zverev.

Ruthless billionaire that he was. Always waiting to pounce on smaller businesses at their lowest so he could buy them off the minute he could. The last thing I wanted was to let my father’s business fall into his hands. But he had set his eyes on the company, which was hanging by a thread at the moment. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, we were going bankrupt, and were having only a handful of clients interested in doing business with them. Which made me suspect that Mr. Hilton, my appointment, may have just changed his mind, and had come up with the excuse of having an emergency.

We had about two months to do something about our sales, or go bankrupt. And I had been very sure I could come up with a solution, until a few days ago, when we had received an email from Theo himself, requesting an appointment. Everything had gone down from there, as media outlets had quickly picked up on the news and published it everywhere. Investors had pulled out; banks had refused loans. Everyone was waiting for the ruthless businessman to strike. And he was very well about to.

THEO

I sat across from the tired-looking middle-aged man, waiting patiently as he swallowed the crazy-looking tablets, all in one gulp. Michael Peterson had to be one of the kindest, but stupid people I knew on planet earth.

“When are you going to tell her, and stop this nonsense, Michael?” I asked, allowing my annoyance to show in my voice. The man was definitely not thinking things straight. “ You can’t continue like this,” I continued, frowning. Michael just waved me off and leaned back on his chair, trying to catch his breath from the many tablets he had swallowed. From my seat, I could see that the sickness was taking a toll on the man, and wondered how his daughter couldn’t see it.

I had never met Isabella Peterson personally, but had seen pictures of her, and also heard stories from Michael himself. And from all he said, she sounded like a smart woman. A woman whom Michael shouldn’t be keeping secrets from.

And she was freaking beautiful.

I immediately shut my mind to that thought. It was one thing being the secret friend to her father, and quite another, setting my eyes on his daughter.

“ You know I can’t tell her. Heck, the girl just lost her mother pretty recently, and with the business going bankrupt, she has a lot on her mind.” He said, holding his chest as he coughed a little. “the last thing she needs now is a father who is already dying from cancer. No, thanks.” His words made me uncomfortable as my mind flashed to my mother, who had had the same illness. She had been well gone, before anyone had discovered what was wrong with her. It had been hell all those years ago for me and my siblings as she was the only parent we had had, with our father running off with another woman. Michael had been my friend and confidant for years now, secretly, and the thought of losing him left a very deep hole in me.

“ And what do you hope to achieve, with all this, Michael?” I asked, placing my hand on the table and leaning forward. “ It will only hurt her more, if she loses you, without getting to spend your last moments with you. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.” Something flashed in Michael’s eyes, and I saw it, recognizing it for what it was.

Guilt.

But the man shook his head. “ No. I will not tell her. Stop trying to convince me.” He retorted, taking a swig from his almost empty bottle of water.

I leaned back and cursed. “ Then let me help you. Let me partner up with you, and help your business, instead of this idea of me buying it out.” There was no way I was going to buy out my friend’s business, like I usually did. Michael was my friend, and it was unfair to him and his daughter, even if I was going to pay a hefty sum.

Michael shook his head. “ Actually, I have a better idea. A favor. And that is why I called you here today.” I frowned at the intensity of Michael’s gaze as he spoke. Somehow, I felt like whatever the favor was, I wasn’t going to like it. But what could I do than listen?

“tell me.” Was my simple response as I waited for the older man to answer me.

I can say for a fact that nothing on planet earth or even the universe, could prepare me for what Micheal had to say. Nothing.

“I want you to marry her, Theo,” Michael said, looking me dead in the eyes. At that moment, it felt like I had been slammed in the head by something very big.

And what Micheal said was big.