Chapter 1 Chapter one

♣︎Catalina pov♣︎

"So? What do you think?"

Sofia’s voice is thick with desperation. She leans forward, her green eyes wide with a hope that makes my stomach turn.

"No." I don't even have to think about it. I stand up and walk toward the window, the familiar, dusty scent of the cornfields filling my lungs.

The golden stalks sway in the breeze, a reminder of the quiet, simple life I’m supposed to want.

"Come on, Cat... help me out here." Sofia groans.

"Sofia, none of this makes sense.." I say, turning back to face her. I massage my temples, feeling a headache brewing behind my eyes.

"How do you expect me to help you spy on someone? You’re the reporter. That’s your job, isn't it?"

"That's the point! I can't get near him.." She stands up, meeting my gaze.

"Let me say this back to you so you can hear how insane it sounds.." I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You want me to get information from a man who is essentially a ghost in the States. A cold, aloof, private man. You want me to find his weakness so your company can sell a headline and get people 'invested'?"

Sofia nods, unashamed.

"Is he even a person to you?" I ask, my voice dropping. "If he’s that private, he has a reason. Why dig up filth? How would you feel if someone published your deepest secrets for the world to see?"

I swear, her logic is a maze I’m not fast enough to run.

"Ugh... calm down, okay?" She sighs. "You’re looking at the dark side. Look at the reward. My editor placed a five-million-dollar bounty on this project. Whoever brings the secret home gets the check."

She stops, staring at me with a smile.

"If you help me, Cat... I’ll give you fifty percent."

My heart stops.. Five million dollars. Who is this man? What kind of monster has a price tag that high on his head?

"I’m sorry, Sof. I still can’t do it.." I say, my voice steadier than my heart. "Besides, if this is such a 'jackpot,' why can’t you do it yourself? You’re the one with the press pass."

She sighs, a weary sound that deflates her shoulders.

"Because, Cat... he knows exactly who I am."

I raise a brow, waiting for her to continue.

"He knows we’re all over him. I’m serious, the man has literally memorized the face of every journalist and Reporter in the tri-state area. And not just from my company. He has insiders everywhere. He’s paranoid, he’s calculated, and he’s dangerous. But you?" She steps closer, her eyes searching mine. "He doesn't know you. To him, you’re just another face in the crowd. A nobody. It makes you invisible. It makes you perfect."

I still don’t like the taste of it.. "I still don’t hear a valid reason to help you, Sofia. I’m a farm girl, not a reporter."

Sofia closes her eyes, her face tight with frustration. When she opens them again, the hope is gone, replaced by a cold grit.

"This man destroys lives, Cat.." she spits the words out. "He doesn't just play the market, he levels it. He takes properties from families who have owned them for generations just because he has the capital to bury them in court. He once ruined a senior employee and his entire family...blacklisted them from the industry, over one tiny mistake. He’s heartless. He’s a monster in a suit."

She reaches out, grabbing my hands. Her palms are sweating.

"Getting his weakness isn't just a job anymore. It’s justice. Please, Cat."

I turn back to the window. Beyond the glass, the sun is setting over the soil that has fed my family for decades.

I think of the debt, the failing equipment, and the way my parents' backs have started to bow under the weight of it all. Then I think of Javier, my boyfriend, and the small, suffocating life he has planned for us here.

I sigh, the sound heavy with defeat. "Okay. Fine. I’ll help. But–"

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you!" Sofia throws her arms around me, squeezing so hard I can’t breathe. I manage a small, tight smile against her shoulder.

We’ve been best friends since high school. After college, she headed for the States to chase the neon lights and the big headlines. I stayed behind here in Spain, tethered to the dust and the family farm.

I thought I was safe here. I thought the world couldn't reach me, never wanted the city life. Well, I guess i was wrong.

Sofia pulls away, her face split by a massive, triumphant grin. It’s been five long years since I last saw her in the flesh, and honestly, despite the insanity of her request, I’m glad to see her again.

"Great! It’s settled then. I’ll book our flights tonight... we need to head back to the States tomorrow morning!" She starts ranting, her hands flying as she mentally checks off a list.

I blink, my brain stalling. "Whoa... slow down. Tomorrow? Sofia, I need to talk to my mom and dad first. Telling them I’m leaving for America tomorrow sounds like a fever dream. Plus, I can’t just walk away. I need to find someone to help them work the farm while I’m gone."

"Nah, don't worry about any of that. I've got it handled.." she says with a wink. Before I can even ask what that means, she’s already rushing out of my room, her heels loudly against the old wooden floor.

I stand there in the silence, frowning.

Five million dollars.

I look down at my hands, rough, calloused, and stained with the soil of a farm that is slowly dying under our feet.

That money wouldn’t just help my parents, it would save them. It would buy the new tractor Dad needs, pay off the crushing loans, and maybe, just maybe, buy me the freedom I’ve been too afraid to dream of.

For five million dollars, I can survive a cold billionaire for a few weeks or month. I have to.