Helen’s POV

The soft warmth of the blanket pressed around me. For a moment, I forgot where I was. My body felt light, the bed too soft, the air smelling faintly of cedar and something expensive. Then, a deep, commanding voice cut through my half-sleep.

“Wake up.”

My eyes flew open. Troy Stones stood by the edge of the bed, tall, broad-shouldered, and very much out of place in the gentle morning light. He wore a dark shirt, sleeves rolled up, wristwatch gleaming. His gaze was cold, sharp enough to make my heart skip.

“Get up,” he said again, tone calm but firm. “The day is planned.”

I sat up quickly, clutching the blanket. “Planned?” My voice still rough from sleep. “What are you talking about?”

He moved closer, eyes trailing over me like I was something he owned. “We’re going shopping. Clothes. Shoes. Underwear.” His lips curved faintly, but not kindly. “You’ll dress the way I want you to. You’ll look the part.”

My mouth opened in shock. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” His voice stayed even, but there was something underneath ... control, arrogance, authority. “You’ll look like someone who belongs beside me. My status doesn’t allow for… ordinary.”

Heat rose to my cheeks. “I’m not your doll to dress up.”

He leaned down, his face so close that I could see the faint stubble on his jaw. “You agreed to my terms when you came here, Helen. I said I’d take care of you ... that means you follow my rules.”

His nearness made my pulse trip over itself. I hated that my body reacted before my mind caught up. I swallowed hard and looked away. “My things,” I whispered. “They were thrown out by my landlady. Everything I had…”

He straightened, brushing imaginary dust off his shirt. “I already handled that.”

I blinked. “Handled what?”

“The house. I bought it,” he said simply, like it meant nothing. “Your things are back inside. You don’t owe rent anymore.”

My heart stopped. “You… what?”

He looked at me with that same indifferent calm. “You don’t have to thank me. It’s practical. I don’t want my… property sitting on the street.”

My chest tightened. “I’m not your property, Troy.”

A small, humorless smile curved his lips. “You keep saying that, yet you’re still here.”

I glared at him. “I didn’t ask for your help. I can take care of myself.”

He stepped forward again, closing the space between us. His hand came up slowly, tracing a strand of my hair away from my face to my neck, his touch barely there .... warm, gentle, confusing. For a second, I forgot to breathe. His eyes softened, and something unspoken flickered in them ...something like desire, or maybe a battle he didn’t want to fight.

Then it vanished.

His tone turned cold again. “Get up, Helen. You have thirty minutes to be ready. If you make me wait...”

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.

I clenched my fists beneath the blanket. “You can’t just order me around.”

He smirked. “I can. And I just did.”

Then he turned and walked to the door, his voice deep and final. “Thirty minutes. Don’t test me.”

The door shut behind him.

For a long moment, I sat there, heart racing. I didn’t know if I wanted to scream or cry. The man was impossible ... cold, arrogant, frustratingly confident. And yet… something in his eyes earlier had almost looked human.

Almost.

I touched the spot where his fingers had brushed my cheek. Warm. My chest tightened, and I hated that I was beginning to feel something for a man like him.

---

Troy’s POV

I shouldn’t have touched her.

That thought ran through my mind as I stood outside her door, fists in my pockets. Helen wasn’t like the others. There was a softness about her that made me uneasy — and I didn’t like being uneasy.

I’d spent years controlling everything in my world. My business, my time, my reputation. But one look at her ... one single, defiant glance from those wide eyes ...and I found myself breaking my own rules.

I told myself it was practical to buy her apartment. She needed stability if she was going to stay under my terms. That was all. Nothing more.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t just practicality.

There was something about her innocence that challenged me ...like she didn’t care who I was or how powerful I could be. When she looked at me, she didn’t see “Troy Stones, the billionaire.” She saw a man she wanted to understand. And that scared me more than I’d admit.

I ran a hand through my hair and forced the thoughts away. Feelings complicated things. I didn’t do complicated.

Still… when I saw her sitting there earlier, wrapped in my sheets, hair messy from sleep ...something twisted in my chest.

I wanted to kiss her. I don't even kiss girls of my status. How?

I wanted to ruin that calm look in her eyes.

But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until she understood what it meant to stay in my world.

Thirty minutes. That’s all she had. And if she was smart, she’d learn quickly ... because I wasn’t a patient man.

---

Helen’s POV

The warm shower did little to calm my nerves. I kept replaying his words. “You’ll dress the way I want you to.”

What kind of man did that? He wasn’t kind, but there were moments ... brief flashes ...when I saw something beneath the armor he wore. Pain, maybe. Loneliness. I wasn’t sure.

I found myself wondering what kind of life a man like Troy lived. One surrounded by luxury but empty of warmth. Maybe that’s why he wanted control ... it made him feel safe.

When I stepped into the living room, Troy was already waiting by the door. His suit was black, his expression unreadable. His eyes swept over me once, slow and assessing.

“You’re late,” he said simply.

“It’s been twenty-seven minutes,” I shot back before I could stop myself.

His lips twitched, almost amused. “Blunt, aren’t you?”

“Always.”

He stared at me for a long moment, then turned toward the door. “Good. I like honesty ....when it doesn’t waste my time.”

The corner of my mouth lifted despite myself. Maybe, just maybe, there was more to him than the cold exterior.

As I followed him out, his voice lowered near my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

“You’ll learn, Helen,” he murmured. “In my world, resistance only makes things harder.”

I swallowed, looking away. “We’ll see about that.”

He chuckled ...a deep, smooth sound that somehow made my heart race. “You already are trouble,” he said softly. “And I haven’t even started yet.”

The door closed behind us.

And I knew ...my life would never be the same again.