Heaven or Hell: Loving My Twisted Billionaire novel Chapter 56

Heaven or Hell: Loving My Twisted Billionaire

Chapter 56

Finn’s POV

I drummed my fingers against the polished mahogany of my desk, my attention split between the acquisition documents spread before me and the surveillance monitor positioned at the corner of my workspace. The Sterling Group headquarters offered a panoramic view of Manhattan through floor–to–ceiling windows, but my eyes kept drifting to that small screen showing the interior of my Hudson River

penthouse.

Three hours. For three goddamn hours, she hadn’t moved from that couch.

Hannah Lancaster sat perfectly still, perched on the edge of my living room sofa. Her posture was rigid, almost frozen, as if she were

afraid to disturb the air around her.

“Is she a statue?” I muttered, signing the last page of the merger agreement with unnecessary force. “Normal people get hungry. They explore. They don’t just sit in one position for hours on end.”

I checked my watch again. It was past noon. When I’d left this morning, I’d deliberately taken every precaution not to wake her. I’d left no note, no instructions, no food prepared. The security card that would allow her to leave was sitting in the refrigerator–a simple test to see if she would have the sense to look for a way out.

“All she has to do is search for food like any normal human being,” I said to the empty office, leaning back in my chair. “She’d find the card in the refrigerator. Is that so difficult to comprehend?”

I analyzed her behavior, turning possibilities over in my mind. Perhaps this was some kind of psychological game? A ploy to make me feel guilty or responsible for her wellbeing? If so, she’d chosen the wrong target for her manipulation.

Forcing my attention back to the Westbrook acquisition documents, I tried to focus on the complex legal language before me. The deal was worth over two billion dollars–a significant expansion into the tech sector that required my full concentration. Yet after signing three more pages, my eyes drifted back to the monitor.

She still hadn’t moved.

“What the hell is this woman doing?” I gripped my pen tighter, an unfamiliar irritation building beneath my skin. “Is she waiting for me to personally return and escort her out? Playing some pathetic victim role?”

The intensity of my reaction surprised me. Why should I care what this stranger did in my apartment? She was nothing to me–just a business arrangement orchestrated by Victoria, a surrogate carrying the next Sterling heir. Yet I couldn’t stop watching her, couldn’t stop wondering what game she was playing.

My fingers drummed faster against the desktop as my eyes toggled between the documents and the surveillance feed. Finally, I slammed my palm down and reached for the intercom.

“Get me the housekeeper at Sterling Estate,” I ordered. “I need a phone number for Hannah Lancaster.”

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Chapter 56

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The response came back promptly. “Sir, we don’t have a record of her number in the system. Would you like me to inquire with the staff?”

I exhaled sharply. “Clearly the standards at Sterling have fallen if you can’t maintain basic information about household residents. Find it

immediately.”

While waiting, I turned my attention back to the monitor.

Five minutes later, my phone buzzed.

“Sir, I’ve obtained the number from Amy Rodriguez. She had Ms. Lancaster’s contact information.”

“Of course she did,” I muttered. “That chatty maid seems to know everything about everyone.” I made a mental note of this connection. Amy and Hannah had clearly established some kind of rapport–information that might prove useful.

I entered the number into my phone, my thumb hovering over the call button for a moment. Something about this felt strangely intimate, almost invasive. I pushed the thought aside and pressed call.

On the monitor, I watched Hannah startle at the sound of her phone ringing. She fumbled to retrieve it from her pocket, her movements jerky and uncertain as she finally stood from the couch.

“Security card’s in the refrigerator,” I said the moment she answered, not bothering with pleasantries. “Take it and leave.”

I watched her face on the screen, catching the flash of surprise that crossed her features. Her lips parted as if to speak, but I ended the call before she could respond. On the monitor, she stared at her phone for several seconds before slowly making her way toward the kitchen.

Leaning back in my chair, I felt a strange emotion I couldn’t quite identify–something between annoyance and curiosity. This woman claimed to have feelings for me, yet behaved like a prisoner in my apartment. It didn’t make sense.

“Unless…” I tapped my finger against my lips, possibilities forming and reforming in my mind.

I pressed the intercom again. “Send Jack in.”

Moments later, Jack entered my office, his military posture perfect as always as he waited for instructions.

“I want a complete background check on Hannah Lancaster,” I said, my voice cold and hard. “Everything. Birth records, education, family history, financial transactions for the past five years. Everyone she’s ever been associated with. I want to know exactly who I’m dealing with.”

Jack nodded once, his expression unchanged. “How deep, sir?”

I turned toward the Manhattan skyline, watching the afternoon light play across the glass and steel towers. On the monitor, Hannah had found the security card and was gathering her things to leave.

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“All the way down to the bone, I answered. “This woman is either playing an elaborate game of innocence, or she’s genuinely naive to the

point of being dangerous. Either way, I need to know.”

As Jack left to carry out his assignment, I watched Hannah step into the elevator on the monitor screen. Something about her didn’t fit

the narrative I’d constructed–a gold–digger using pregnancy to secure her future.

There was something else, something I couldn’t quite grasp, and few things irritated me more than puzzles I couldn’t solve.

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