Seducing The Wrong Billionaire

Ever since the Bancroft family brought me back into their multi-billion-dollar fold, everyone in their circle knew about my affliction: a severe, psychosomatic aversion to high-maintenance hypebeasts. The first time I met my biological older brother, Chase, he was draped in neon designer streetwear, layered chains, and drenched in cloying cologne. Within thirty seconds, violent red hives erupted across my neck and chest. At the welcome gala they threw in Newport Beach, surrounded by an ocean of trust-fund playboys strutting in oversized Balenciaga and iced-out watches, my throat seized. I nearly passed out cold on the imported marble, turning the entire evening into a humiliating spectacle. After that, my parents walked on eggshells, desperately trying to keep me away from anyone who looked like an editorial spread from a men's fashion magazine. Then came the reckoning. The Bancroft conglomerate was bleeding dry, driven to the edge of bankruptcy after years of quiet rot engineered by their darling adoptive daughter, Lexi. Desperate for a lifeline, rumors began circulating that Gideon Hale—the reclusive, old-money titan whose Manhattan empire commanded hundreds of billions—might be looking west, considering an injection of capital into our family’s struggling ventures. Seeing an opening, Lexi took matters into her own hands. Behind everyone’s back, she began blowing up his private channels with provocative photos. "Mr. Hale, my sister suffers from an embarrassing little condition—she can’t even handle being seen in public. To show our family’s eternal gratitude, I’d gladly offer myself to you instead. I’ll fly to New York and marry into your dynasty." To make matters worse, she threatened the household, scheming to auction me off to some grotesque, aging billionaire to plug whatever financial leaks remained. When I caught wind of her little plot, I almost laughed out loud. Lexi hadn't bothered to run a single background check on me. Gideon Hale was the protective adoptive brother who raised me. And the only reason he was even looking at our family’s wreckage was because he had heard I was suffering. … The ink on my official recognition papers was barely dry when the Bancroft accounts froze. My parents, good-natured but entirely out of their depth, spent their days scrambling from one closed bank door to another, desperate to save what was left of their empire. I sighed, heading down the hallway toward my room, only to stop dead outside Lexi’s cracked door. She was posed in front of a ring light, wearing a sheer, fetishized schoolgirl uniform, pouting into her front-facing camera. "Mr. Hale, on behalf of the Bancrofts, I really can’t thank you enough for considering us," she cooed in a breathy, babyish voice that made my teeth ache. "The moment you land in California, I’ll be waiting at your hotel. Whatever you want, whenever you want. And if you like what you see, I’d be honored to step into the role of your wife." I leaned against the doorframe, knocking sharply on the wood. "Stop sending those." Lexi froze, snapping her head around. But instead of looking ashamed, she jutted her chin out, entirely comfortable in her state of undress. "What the hell are you doing in here? Get out! Who gave you permission to snoop?" I kept my hands at my sides, my voice level. "Your door was wide open. And I’m telling you, sending thirst traps won’t work on him." Gideon was born into true, impenetrable wealth. He sat at the apex of an old Manhattan dynasty, surrounded by sharks and social climbers his entire life. He despised cheap manipulation more than anything. My bond with him had always been effortless, partly because my strange condition had never been triggered by his understated, impeccably tailored minimalism. More than that, Gideon respected substance. He admired competent, self-possessed women; he was utterly repulsed by performative coquettes. My warning, however, only ignited Lexi's fury. "Shut up, Piper! What is wrong with you?" she hissed, stepping toward me. "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble this family is in? We are days away from total liquidation! We’ll be buried in debt!" Her voice pitched into a shrill tremor. "Gideon Hale is the only person on earth who can save us. I swallow my pride to charm him, and you criticize me? Are you actively trying to watch this family burn? Or are you just so sick in the head that you’re jealous I have a shot with an actual king?" Heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, and Chase rounded the corner. The moment he saw Lexi’s tear-stained face, his expression hardened. He had always been blind when it came to her. "What happened? Lexi, who made you cry?" Lexi squeezed out a fresh wave of tears and threw herself against Chase’s chest. "Chase… it’s Piper. She won’t let me save the company. I was just trying to reach out to Mr. Hale, to give him a reason to close the deal… but she barged in, telling me I’m disgusting and that he’d hate me. She wants us to go under. She wants us on the street!" The brazen fabrication was almost breathtaking. A cold knot formed in my stomach as Chase turned on me, his eyes blazing. "Piper, you’ve crossed the line," he snapped. "Lexi is tearing herself apart trying to fix our mess. If you can’t help, the least you can do is stay out of her way. Why do you constantly have to tear her down?" I forced myself to meet Chase’s eyes. But taking in the sight of him—the graphic, neon designer hoodie, the oversized silver medallion hanging over his chest, the intricately sculpted pompadour—set off an immediate, violent reaction. My chest caved in. The air in the hallway turned to lead. "Get… get away from me," I choked out, stumbling back until my shoulders hit the opposite wall. My knees buckled beneath me. Chase stepped back, unsettled despite his anger. He remembered the last time my throat had closed up, landing me in the emergency room under an oxygen mask. Still, his sympathy was buried beneath thick layers of resentment. "Unbelievable," he muttered, pulling a black baseball cap from his pocket and snapping a mask over his face as he backed away down the corridor. "They should lock you in a ward until you get over this pathetic little drama. It’s exhausting. I can’t even walk around my own house without dressing down like a homeless person." It took several minutes for the suffocation to recede, the fiery prickle of hives across my collarbones slowly cooling. Just then, Lexi’s phone chimed on her vanity. She lunged for it, staring at the screen with wide, manic eyes before letting out a sharp shriek of triumph. "I knew it! You’re just a bitter, jealous freak, Piper! He doesn’t hate me at all!" She waved the phone in my face, her voice dripping with venomous glee. "He wants to talk to me! His team just sent me a direct message asking to verify my personal line!" I exhaled slowly, leaning back against the wall. Gideon was a wolf. Patient, calculating, and ruthless. If his office was reaching out, it wasn't an invitation—it was an investigation. Sure enough, when Lexi shoved the screen inches from my nose, the handle belonged to his executive chief of staff. Gideon was tracing the harassment back to its source. I didn't bother correcting her. There was no point; in their eyes, any word out of my mouth was born of malice. "See that? See?" Lexi laughed, a high, triumphant sound that echoed down the vaulted ceiling. "Gideon Hale wants me. How does that taste, Piper? What do you have to say now?" She spun around, burying her face back into Chase’s shoulder. "Look at her, Chase. She’s so broken she can’t stand seeing anyone else happy." Chase glared at me from beneath the brim of his cap, muttering soft reassurances into Lexi’s hair as they walked away. ... That evening, I had just stepped out of the shower when the floorboards beneath my feet began to vibrate. Loud, heavy bass pulsed through the estate. I walked out to the second-floor gallery and looked down into the grand foyer, my stomach dropping. The quiet, melancholic mansion had been transformed into a roaring, neon-lit nightclub. The ground floor was packed. Dozens of young men from the coast’s elite circles—every single one of them wearing the same curated uniform of oversized streetwear, designer logos, iced chains, and slick hair—crowded the room. The sight hit my nervous system like an electric shock. Lexi stood on the raised platform by the double staircase, clad in a ruffled mini-dress, raising a flute of vintage champagne to the crowd. "Listen up, everyone!" she shouted over the music. "It’s official! Hale Enterprises is stepping in to back the Bancrofts! From this moment on, our family is protected by New York old money. We’re coming back bigger than ever!" The crowd of young socialites erupted into cheers, eager to kiss the ring. "Are you serious, Lexi? You actually locked down Gideon Hale?" "Incredible! Only a true Bancroft could pull off a miracle like that!" "Don’t forget about us when you’re running Manhattan!" Lexi basked in the adulation, her smile radiant and predatory. "Of course. A real daughter does whatever it takes for her family. I’m ready to pack my bags and marry into the Hale family." Then, her gaze drifted upward, locking onto me where I stood frozen on the balcony. "A few weeks ago, my parents threw a little party to announce that Piper was back," Lexi said, her voice carrying cleanly through the microphone. "They told the world she was their long-lost child. But deep down, we all know she’s just an ornament—someone who was supposed to help us secure an alliance. Except she has a very tragic, very pathetic illness. She’s terrified of attractive, stylish men. She can’t even look at you without having a fit." A collective wave of snickering swept through the crowd. Dozens of faces turned upward, pinning me with mocking, predatory stares. Nausea rose in my throat. I tried to turn back toward my room, but my legs gave out. My hands gripped the mahogany banister so hard my knuckles turned white. Lexi tilted her head, feigning deep sorrow. "I just feel so awful for her. It breaks my heart to watch my sister suffer from such a ridiculous delusion. So tonight, I brought the best-looking guys in Southern California under one roof. I’m asking you all for a favor: help her with some immersion therapy!" She drained her champagne, her eyes gleaming with cruel ambition. "Here’s the deal: whoever cures her gets prime access to the Hale partnership contracts the second I take my place as Gideon’s wife!" The room went feral. An introduction to Hale Enterprises was the kind of golden ticket every trust-fund prince in this room dreamed of. "Say less! We’ll get her sorted out in no time!" "It’s just exposure therapy, right? A little hands-on attention and she’ll be cured by midnight!" A handful of them were already charging up the grand staircase. At that exact moment, the front doors pushed open. My parents walked in, their faces gray with exhaustion after another day of being humiliated by lenders. Seeing the chaos, my mother rushed over, grabbing Lexi’s arm. "Lexi, what are you doing? Tell them to stop! Piper has a real medical condition—she could get hurt!" My father, wiping sweat from his forehead, stammered, "This is too dangerous. Call them off!" Lexi wrenched her arm free, her face twisting in disgust. "Are you out of your minds? I am trying to save this family, and I’m trying to fix her! Do you want her hiding in the attic for the rest of her life? Do you think she gets a free pass while I sacrifice everything for us? I secured Gideon Hale, and you’re complaining about how I handle her?" Chase stepped forward, placing himself between Lexi and our parents. "Mom, Dad, Lexi is right. Piper’s baggage is dragging us down. The sooner she learns to function around normal men, the better it is for all of us." On the landing, the first wave of boys reached me. My knees hit the runner rug. The world swam. The air smelled of burnt tobacco, designer cologne, and stale alcohol. A hand reached out, resting heavily on my shoulder. "Don’t be scared, Piper. We’ll be gentle with you." The heat of his palm through my cotton shirt made my stomach violently heave. My vision splintered into static. Hives burned across my skin like fire ants. "Don’t… don’t touch me…" I gasped, choking on my own breath. To them, it looked like coy resistance. Below, Lexi raised her glass again. "See? She’s just shy! Touch her a little more, she’ll get used to it! Keep going—the contracts are waiting!" More hands reached down. The last thing I remembered was the ceiling spinning violently before a wave of darkness swept over me, my throat seizing entirely as I convulsed onto the floor. ... When I opened my eyes, the smell of bleach and antiseptic filled my lungs. An IV line was taped to the back of my bruised hand. I didn't even have the strength to lift my arm. Before my mind could clear, Lexi’s soft, venomous voice drifted in from the corner of the room. "Well, it looks like your embarrassing little defect is completely incurable." I turned my head slowly, dread tightening in my chest. "Since you can’t stomach young, fashionable men," Lexi continued, inspecting her manicure, "we’ve found an alternative. You’re going to marry Howard Snider." My blood ran cold. "Don’t look down on Mr. Snider," she said with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "He controls several publicly traded logistics firms. He has more than enough liquidity to bail the Bancrofts out. And best of all? He’s pushing sixty, completely bald, and hideous. He won’t trigger your delicate little sensitivities at all." Shame and fury boiled behind my ribs. "I will never… marry him." Lexi let out a dry, incredulous bark of laughter. "You think you have a choice, Piper? The Bancrofts are on the brink of ruin! I’m giving up my youth to tie myself to Gideon Hale, and all you do is hold us back with your circus act of an illness. I found you an old, rich creep who won't give you hives, and you have the nerve to be picky?" I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. I was about to tell her the truth—that Gideon wasn’t hers to conquer, that he was coming here solely because he was my family—when a voice from the doorway cut me off. "Piper. Your father and I agree with Lexi." My mother stepped into the room, her eyes cast downward. My father followed, looking hollow and defeated. "Lexi isn't our blood, Piper. She could have walked away from this sinking ship. Instead, she’s putting herself on the line with the Hales to protect our legacy. You are our biological child. You have an obligation to this family. Mr. Snider isn't ideal, but he has the money to save us, and he won’t provoke your… condition." I stared at the two people who shared my DNA, the sheer absurdity of it stealing the breath from my lungs. When the Bancrofts were thriving, I had never tasted a single drop of their wealth. Now that the bill had come due, they expected me to pay it with my life. Lexi smirked, leaning in. "See? Ungrateful to the bone. Before you came here, a man like Howard Snider wouldn’t have looked at you twice. You should be thanking us." Rage eclipsed my weakness. With a violent jerk, I ripped the IV from my vein, grabbed the ceramic water glass from the bedside table, and hurled it straight at Lexi’s head. It shattered against the wall behind her. Lexi shrieked, ducking behind Chase, who had just stepped in. My father’s face went rigid. "That’s enough, Piper. This isn't up for debate. Rest up. The engagement is already finalized." They filed out one by one, shutting the heavy wooden door behind them. Trembling, I tried to search the room for my phone, desperate to call Gideon. But the nightstand was bare. They had stripped me of everything. Trapped, I could only sink back onto the mattress, staring at the sterile ceiling tiles, counting the beats of my racing heart. Time slipped away in the quiet. Then, the floorboards outside creaked. The door unlatched with a faint click, swinging open just wide enough to let a thick, heavy silhouette slip through. A man barely five-foot-four stepped into the dim light. His frame was dominated by an enormous beer gut that strained the buttons of his stained dress shirt. Thin, greasy strands of hair were combed across a spotted scalp. Howard Snider. "Miss Bancroft," he murmured, his breath wheezing as his bloodshot, yellowing eyes raked over my hospital gown. "You have exceptional taste. Those flashy boys don’t know how to treat a real woman." He took a slow, deliberate step toward the bed, rubbing his damp, fleshy palms together. "I, on the other hand… I’m mature. I know how to take care of what’s mine." Panic flared white-hot behind my eyes. I scrambled backward against the headboard. "Get out! Don't come near me!" Snider only chuckled, a wet, rattling sound, as he reached for the edge of the blanket. "Now, now, Piper. We’re practically family. Your father already handed you over. We’re going to be together sooner or later—why wait for the ceremony to seal the deal?" The stench of stale whiskey and unwashed skin closed around me. My stomach convulsed violently. "Don't touch me! Get off!" I kicked out, but he caught my ankle in a bruising grip. Tears of sheer helplessness spilled over my cheeks. Was this really where it ended? Before his weight could settle, the heavy wooden door was kicked off its frame with a thunderous crash that shook the walls. "Who the hell gave you permission to touch my sister?"