Sold To The Bad Billionaires: The Billionaire Rites Series, #1

By Chloe Kent

 

She's a sheltered virgin bought to have their baby.

They're the most powerful men in the world, willing to rewrite history for her.

 

All twenty-three-year-old Piper Peterson wants to do is give her sister a better life than she ever had, but after losing her job as a cleaner in the small town of Silverlight Spring, things just get bleaker… and scarier all on the same day.

 

Piper's sister goes from messing around on a dating app she set up for Piper to selling her to the mafia… to have their baby.

 

Now the money is in their account, and the three dark, dangerous mafia bosses themselves are there to collect what they paid for, her, no questions asked.

 

Publisher Warning: Please note that this book contains scenes of a graphic nature and is not intended for sensitive readers or readers with triggers.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chloe Kent
• Release date: Jul 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223292111

Book preview

Chapter One 

––––––––

Piper Peterson staunchly believed she was going to die if she had to clean another bathroom.

Except that tomorrow, she’d be cleaning another bathroom. And the day after that, and so forth, and so forth. Her entire future was one bleak, dark hole of nothingness. And she was tired. Working two jobs, as a cleaner by day and a waitress by night, was just about enough for them to get by, but somehow Piper found the strength to carry on.

It was okay. She planned to give her sister, Tara, everything she herself didn’t have; love and attention, balanced meals every single day, warm clothes, and as many stuffed animals as Tara wanted. She was fourteen years old, and Piper knew it was more of a security thing than a toy to play with.

Using a small utility room in the offices of Silverlight Spring Clean, named after the town, she removed her uniform and slipped into a pair of old jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. She looked up from tying her laces as her boss, and the owner of Silverlight Spring Clean popped her head around the door.

Piper, when you’re done, can you meet me in my office? Maureen Slate said, offering Piper a closed-mouthed smile.

Sure, Piper said, standing up and swinging her handbag over her shoulder before she followed Maureen to her office.

A funny feeling knotted her stomach. She closed her eyes for a second and braced herself. Was she going to have to take a pay cut?

I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors by now, Maureen said, leaning against her desk, her thick, wavy hair streaked with gray, and her lips heavily painted in crimson red. She was also the best boss Piper had ever had.

What rumors?

You haven’t, have you? I thought you would come to me as soon as you heard what was going on. The whole town knows already.

Piper frowned and shook her head. She mostly kept to herself. Well, not mostly. She kept to herself all the time.

Well, suffice it to say the rumors are true, Piper. SSC is just not making me money anymore. Everyone is cutting back and cleaning their own damn homes now, and... well, I’m forced to close down. I’m so sorry. I know this is short notice. I tried to secure a loan with the bank first as a way to salvage my business, but that fell through. And now I’m forced to take early retirement. I’m going to have to live with my daughter, and it’s going to be hard for me. Maureen bowed her head, and her mirthless laugh hung between them.

I’m so sorry, Maureen continued. So, so, sorry. Tears shimmered from her blue eyes, and Piper’s heart broke, but she was also trying to understand the implications of Maureen’s words. Did she no longer have a job at Silverlight Spring Clean?

Fuck.

I tried, the older woman said, wiping her tears before she shook her head and reached for an envelope on her desk. Your pay for the month will go through as normal. But this is just a little extra. It’s not much. I wish I could give you more. I know what you’re doing for your sister. I’m sorry. Think of this as an early Christmas bonus, she said as she handed the envelope to Piper.

Piper took it, numbed to the bones.

Thank you, she murmured before Maureen drew her in for a tight hug.

I’m going to miss you the most. I leave for Los Angeles tonight. It’s all happening so fast, my head is spinning. Good luck, my dear, and please give me a call every now and again. All right?

Piper nodded, then managed to smile despite her world crumbling right before her eyes. Silverlight Spring was such a small town, every job that could be filled was already filled.

She had no idea how she left Maureen’s office and got into her almost broken-down car, listening to the radio but not paying any attention as she headed home.

Huddled on the rural side of Silverlight Spring, Piper could never say their family farm was once a happy, thriving enterprise. The signs of neglect it showed now had been there for as long as she could remember.

She hated that she still fantasized about making enough money to fix it up and restore it to some semblance of comeliness. It was never going to happen. The dire struggles of the Peterson farm were going to follow her to her grave. Whatever money she had would be spent on Tara so she could have a better chance at a good life. After she finished school, her sister had to leave Silverlight Spring for good. She was smart enough to get a college scholarship. Piper just had to take the best care of her until then. But there was nothing here for Tara in Silverlight Spring.

She ignored the faded paint, the two cracked windows boarded up with cardboard and tape, and the roof that leaked when it rained, and turned her attention onto the natural beauty that surrounded the eyesore she called home.

Lush, bountiful fields flourished free and unkempt with wildflowers, grass and sedges, bush, and shrubbery as far as her eye could see.

Instead of being reminded of the dilapidated state of the farmhouse, when she looked out onto the horizon, where the sun was just beginning to sink to the bottom of a purple sky, she chose rather to be reminded of the powerful force of Mother Nature. She was a weed, but she was still strong.

Tara? Where are you? Piper called as she entered the house through the kitchen door. She opened the fridge, took out the chicken she had left there to defrost that morning, and got around to seasoning it.

Tara? she shouted, sticking her head out of the kitchen and directing her voice to the attic, which was usually where her little sister would be found, listening to music, drawing, or fiddling on her second-hand laptop. She wanted to become an architect. She could be anything she wanted to be since she was a whiz at math and science and also had an interest in art and history. She was smart, creative, flexible, and had the adorable trait of seeing beauty in everything. Piper hoped she never saw the world any other way.

Coming, Tara called back.

After placing the chicken in the oven, Piper made herself a cup of tea, then busied herself peeling and cubing some vegetables to go with their protein. This was a far cry from what she had grown up with. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were her staple, usually because her mother was too lazy to cook, and when her dad brought home food, he only did so for himself and his wife.

Her mother, once a beauty queen and an aspiring actress, had warned Piper that if she ate a burger, she would end up as big as a house. That kind of thing stayed with a seven-year-old who was already considered chubby because all she ate was bread.

Piper had turned nine when Tara was born and had to step in as a surrogate mother to the newborn baby when her mother decided it was time to put all her energy into her acting career. She packed a bag and was not seen again for many years. Her acting career went nowhere either. The arrangement actually suited Piper. Her mother wasn’t around to yell obscenities at Piper for the way her life had gone wrong since Piper's birth, and her father spent his days working at a mill and his nights with his mistress.

Piper had learned quickly to fend for both her and her sister until both of her parents perished off the face of the earth the day she turned eighteen. They had crashed their car into a tree after a night of drinking. She did remember crying a little because they had both lived such unfulfilled, miserable lives. But that wasn’t going to happen to Tara.

She wasn’t going to tell her little sister that she had lost her job. SSC accounted for 75% of her wage. Her waitressing job only ensured that Tara got new clothes and new cuddle bunnies to fill her room. Sucking up a breath, she straightened her face and stretched her lips into a smile.

Hey, cuddles, Piper said, her face hurting from her false smile, which quickly faded when her gaze settled over Tara’s pretty features. What’s wrong? she said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel and then closing the distance between them.

Tara seemed to visibly swallow her apprehension as she wrung her hands together.

I did something, Tara said softly.

You don’t have to sound so ominous. She joked, genuinely grinning this time.

It’s bad, Piper, Tara whispered.

Whatever it is, I can fix it. Piper frowned as she reached out and took her hand. What is it? Just tell me, Tara.

I only wanted to help. I knew you were going to lose your job. It’s all over town that Maureen is closing her business and moving to Los Angeles.

How had Piper not heard a single thing about that? Oh right, maybe because all she did was put her head down and work. She had no friends and no social life.

That is not your problem. It’s totally fine. I’ll just get another job.

Where? Tara cried, panic lacing her voice.

Like I said, nothing that you need to worry about, okay? I’ve got this, kiddo. Piper turned to resume preparing the vegetables or risked showing her sister that no, she didn’t have it.

She was