Page 4 of Neptune

The culprit is sitting behind his desk, but I can't see him because he's facing the window, staring at the magnificent view of LA.

I clench my fists tight at my sides, expecting him to turn around soon as he must have heard us coming in.

"She's here," Ashton announces our arrival to his boss.

"What a pleasant surprise," the person speaks, and that makes me frown.

His voice is low but much younger than I expected. Isn't he supposed to be an old man? The perverted one, probably with a belly as big as a pregnant woman's.

Instead of whirling his chair around to face us, Lucas Klein stands up and approaches us with long strides.

And my eyes widen in shock at the sight before me.

Instead of looking at a perverted old businessman who would greet me with disgusting laughter, I'm looking at a young man—probably only a couple of years older than me.

Trust me, I've been in Hollywood for years, and I've seen a lot of gorgeous men. Like, a lot. But, hell, this man here right in front of me, Lucas fucking Klein, can sit on one of the thrones there and declare himself as one of the gods.

He's unbelievably handsome, tall and perfectly built. His hair is dark chocolate, his eyes hazel and piercing, his jaw sharp.

The fact that he's wearing a suit and a playful smirk now creeps on his lips doesn't help. He's a man who would probably make women feel like getting angel wings if he ever kissed them.

What the hell? Why would someone fit enough to be the world's most wanted bachelor send me such a stupid letter?

Maybe he has knocked his head really hard and suffers brain damage.

"Luke Klein." He extends his hand to shake hands with me, but I'm still so starstruck that I can barely register what's going on.

Well, even if I weren't starstruck, I still wouldn't shake his hand. No, that will never happen.

Noticing my jaw drop, Luke lets out a deep chuckle, shoving his hand into his pocket as he tilts his head, staring at me with amusement. "I see. You haven't googled me. I did tell you to do that first. It might have saved you from the shock."

I've never seen a man so narcissistic—I suddenly want to pull my hair out. "You're crazy. You're insane. You're a luna—"

"We're not going to have this conversation," he cuts me off. "At least not when we're not alone. I believe that I require some privacy when talking to my future wife."

Mike growls. "You can't just kick me out—" Before he can finish his sentence, two of Luke's bodyguards lock his arms, pinning him to the ground and handcuffing him.

I scream, my eyes wide. Since when did those two bodyguards enter the room? And did they just overpower Mike, who is clearly bigger than them?

There's nothing I can do when they drag Mike out of the room, the sound of him cursing fading out. My eyes feel like burning when I snap my head back toward Luke.

"You can go, Ashton," Luke commands his secretary, and Ashton nods before walking out of the room .

That leaves the two of us alone.

"You can’t just do that," I hiss.

"Technically, you're in my building," he says nonchalantly. "I can get rid of any intruder."

"He's my bodyguard."

"I didn't invite him," he says.

"Just stop this madness," I shout. "What the fuck do you want from me? Why the hell did you write that letter? And worse, brainwashing my whole team?"

He stares at me for a while, amusement still in his eyes. A scoff leaves his mouth. "So your team agrees with me, don't they? I guess they are smart."

The more this person speaks, the more his words boil my blood.

"You see, Miss Celebrity," he speaks in a low voice, eyeing me with his intense dark eyes. "You might have thought ill of my generosity."

"Generosity?" I feel like I want to scream. "What kind of generosity is this? You could have retracted the news without marrying me."

A small smile forms on the corner of his lips.

"Then what will I get?" he asks. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a businessman. Every decision I make must benefit me."

I grit my teeth. "My record label can give you enough money to make you rethink that."

Surprisingly, he laughs, and I notice that there's a dimple on his cheek as he does.

What annoys me is that he looks even more handsome when he laughs. Not only looks handsome, but also sounds sexy.

He now shoves both of his hands into his pockets.

"Do you really think that it's money that I need?" he asks in humor. "Do you actually think that I need money?" He cocks his head, now suddenly sounding serious.

Judging by what I see right now—our surroundings, and himself—I can guarantee that he is in no way in shortage of money. Like, money already falls onto him with every second we spend talking.

"So what do you want?" I repeat my question, losing my patience.

He scrutinizes me before stepping closer to me. Locking his eyes with mine, he whispers, "Isn't it clear?" A sly smile touches his lips. "I want you, Cassie ."

Hearing him say my name with such intensity sends shivers down my spine. I'm almost hypnotized by his beautiful eyes, but my sanity snaps me out from my daze.

I distance myself from him as far as I can. "Liar," I snap.

I know that this guy is using me for something else. Just like he said, he wouldn't make any decision without thinking about how it would benefit him.

There's no way that one of the youngest billionaires like him would suddenly want to marry me, who is currently labeled as the nation's whore.

Easily, he can get any girl he wants, so why would he choose me?

"But I don't care what your reason is," I continue, my voice firm. "It's not going to happen, because there's no way that I'm going to marry you. Mark my words. No, thank you."

He's still watching me with interest. "Have you ever thought that marrying me would be good for you? It's about time that the world sees Cassie Castillo settling down."

Did he just remind me about how bad my reputation is?

"No," I bark. "I'm here to make this crystal clear to you, that I won't ever marry you. You can marry me over my dead body."

With that said, I stomp, heading toward the door, but his voice stops me.

" Cassandra ," he calls, menacingly.

And stupidly, I stop in my tracks. For the first time since we started speaking, there's emotion in his voice. There's anger in it .

I want to ignore it, but there's just too much implacable authority in the way he calls me that makes me afraid of what he would do to me if I didn't stop. Slowly, I turn around.

Luke is now leaning against his desk.

"One year contract," he states. "I will make the tables turn so the world will only hear your version of the story and not that fucked up news.

I can also help you make new arrangements with your record label.

They won't be able to go against me because I have a grip on you, their source of billions of dollars. But you will be my wife. For one year."

That's surprising. It's significant to go from forever to one year, and I thought that he was a man who wouldn't negotiate.

"And the reason for that is...?" I ask, eyeing him, my voice cold. "You said that it's a win-win, so why don't you explain how I can help you?" I smirk.

He takes a magazine from his desk and throws it to me. I catch it and wince as I see the cover. It's a picture of a sexy honey-brown-haired girl in a one-piece swimsuit posing on the beach.

Honestly, the girl is gorgeous, looking like a supermodel. But, what the hell? Why is he showing me this kind of Sports Illustrated cover?

My hand is shaking as I grip the magazine tightly. I snap my head back up toward him. "Listen, if you're looking for a woman to fuck—"

"She's my fiancée," he cuts me off, and my mouth drops open. "My parents are arranging our marriage to secure a business deal, but I will not marry her, and you will shove this fact in their faces."

I've never been this bewildered. Suddenly, all those images from Korean dramas attack me, my mind filled with the thought of an arranged marriage between two powerful conglomerates.

"You're delusional." I shake my head in disbelief. "Are you saying that you need me to cancel your marriage?"

To my surprise, he scoffs. "I don't need anybody to cancel my own marriage. But the thought of me having to marry the daughter of a conglomerate to secure a fucking business deal is an insult."

Now, it's my turn to scoff. "So you're going to use me to mess with your parents? You really want them to have a heart attack, huh?"

If the news of us getting married is ever announced to the world, they will have a heart attack indeed. Not only would their son be declining the arranged marriage, but he’d be marrying me instead, the nation's troublemaker.

Moreover, our pictures will be all over the world, considering how famous I am.

Damn . Maybe he really wants to kill his parents.

"Maybe," he answers simply.

Wow . He must hate them a lot. But I don't give a damn about his family issues.

"So, you're saying that we should marry for one year..." I falter.

"Until I secure the huge business deal," he says. "And there's no doubt that I will have done so within a year."

Then what if he fails? Maybe he will just divorce me and marry his real fiancée instead. That's sad. I will be the nation's joke once again.

This man is barbaric. He's ruthless.

"I believe that a divorce will not look good on my already ruined reputation, Mr. Klein," I say matter-of-factly.

"Well, I believe that you underestimate my power in controlling the dirty headlines, Ms. Castillo," he retorts.

"You wouldn't want to choose me, Mr. Klein," I hiss. "In fact, you will regret it. I'm someone whom you wouldn't want to mess with. It's not too late to decide to marry that fiancée of yours—"

"What can I say?" He shrugs. "You're hotter than her."

That catches me off guard. Did he just say that I look better than that gorgeous supermodel?

"Oh, she's blushing." Luke chuckles. "I like it."

My cheeks heat up even more, and I just want to choke this man to death. "My answer is still the same. It's a big no. In your dreams, Mr. Klein."

I'm starting to have a headache, so I turn on my heels. I need to leave this place in an instant. Just as I'm about to go through the door, his voice echoes again.

"Remember, Cassie," he says. "With me, you'll have leverage against Astalis Records, for once."

Wondering what he meant, I frown, but I need to get out of here to keep sane. And so I walk out, leaving him.