I'd been running for so long that I couldn't even remember what it felt like to have a place where I could stay in peace. I was so happy when I finally got that job at the diner, and I didn't hesitate to save every penny so I'd have enough money to rent a place of my own.

But there I was, being chased by him once again. I didn't know how he'd found me so quickly this time. I didn't know what else to do, where to run, or where to hide from him.

That's why, when that stranger-who had just saved my life-extended his hand and assured me that no one would bother me again, I accepted.

People might call me crazy for trusting a man I didn't know, but to be honest, the people I'd known my whole life were the ones responsible for putting me where I am today.

I looked at the man beside me: impeccable clothes, perfectly straight posture. He was rich, and I didn't even need to glance at the fancy car or the designer watch on his wrist.

"Why did you help me? Why did you chase after me and pull me back from there? You could have just let me fall, and everything would be over."

He clenched his jaw even tighter when he heard my last words, making the muscles stand out.

"You could have let go and fallen before I reached you," he said, turning to face me. "That's because you didn't want to kill yourself. No one who truly wants to die would hold onto the edge that hard to support their own weight."

"I..."

"And about helping you-I saw you last night, sleeping on the bench in the park. As much as I wanted to help you then, something made me follow you today, watching your routine. So when I saw you about to jump, I had to intervene." He confessed it as if stalking me wasn't a big deal.

"I think I'm getting out now," I murmured, turning to the door, afraid of what he might do to me. After all, who follows someone all day for no reason?

"You don't need to be afraid. I won't hurt you..."

"And you expect me to believe the word of someone I just met?" I questioned the obvious while still trying to open the car door.

"You're right not to trust a stranger, but again, I could have let you fall from that rooftop..."

"Which only proves you have some ulterior motive behind your help!" I yelled, interrupting him and lowering the window, ready to jump if necessary. "Let me out-let me out now! You saw me on the street yesterday, alone, and followed me, waiting for the perfect opportunity to approach. And you got it..."

"I'm dying!" he exclaimed, cutting off my words and leaving me in shock. "That's why I was walking in the park that late at night. When I saw you there with so little, it moved me. Of course, I could have given you some money and gone on with my life for the next year I have left, but I think I can do more for you. Actually, we can do more for each other."

I swallowed hard, sitting back properly in the seat and looking at the man again. He didn't look sick, nor was he old-maybe around forty-but he didn't seem at all like someone with a death sentence.

"Help each other? How? How could I help a man who has everything?"

"I don't have everything. More money than I can spend, properties around the world, successful companies-yes, I have all that. But I don't have the most important thing: time!" he said sincerely, not in a boastful way; he was just stating facts.

I could suspect the story wasn't true, and I'd definitely keep an eye on it if I accepted whatever he was offering. But the sadness reflected on his face, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he said he had no time-it seemed genuine.

"And how can I give you time?" I asked, still not understanding where he was going with this.

My eyes were drawn outside as we left the poor part of the city and entered the area with grand properties, designer stores, and most of the country's wealth.

"You can't give me time, but you can give me a way to preserve my legacy." My furrowed brows must have given away my confusion because he continued. "My great-grandfather fought to lift my family out of poverty, and my grandfather continued the work after him, passing it to my father and then to me. Their hard work paid off-we made our name in the market, and now it's all about to end with me in a year."

"You're saying you want..."

"A child! An heir for the entire fortune and to carry on my family's name..." I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.

"I knew it! I knew you wanted something sexual!" I yelled, pulling at the door lock again, trying to open it. "You men are all the same. All you think about is taking whatever you want without caring about anything! You thought it'd be easy with the poor, lonely, stupid girl. You found me pretty and already imagined getting me into your bed."

"For God's sake, girl-shut up for a second!" he roared, speaking over me instantly. "You're beautiful, but at no point did I say I wanted to take you to bed. I didn't even think about it, to be honest!"

"But you..."

"A child-that's what I want. And for that, I don't even need to touch you. The whole procedure can be done through fertilization. I would want to closely follow the pregnancy, so you'd have to live with me, but I would never touch you. In exchange, you'd have everything that belongs to me. You'd take my last name."

I looked around as the car entered an enormous property, passing through golden gates. The place was so vast that I got lost gazing at the garden and the perfectly manicured lawn stretching as far as the eye could see. The house rising in the background was an imposing structure-an old mansion that looked like it was taken straight from a period film.

The car stopped right in front of the main door, and a security guard came down the entrance steps, opening the car door and waiting for the man beside me to get out.

"But you could have anyone. You could hire a surrogate and be done with it."

"I don't want a surrogate. I want my child to have a mother-someone who will care for him, be present." He got out of the car but stayed by the door. "And from all your yelling and refusal, despite knowing I have money, I know you'll take very good care of it until my child can take over everything."

"Men have never been trustworthy. Actually, no one in my life has been. So forgive me if I don't believe your words."

And yet, he had saved my life, even though he didn't know me. But in my experience, nothing comes without a price.

"The choice is yours." He extended his hand into the car as an invitation. "You can stay and have a good life, make a man happy in his final days, and continue my family's legacy-or you can go."

I might regret it deeply later. I might just be being lured into a trap. But for the second time that day, I took his hand and let him help me out of the car.

"By the way, my name is Sophia," I murmured as we climbed the steps into the house.

"William. My name is William," he replied, flashing a wide smile that, surprisingly, gave me a sense of trust.

I couldn't even believe I'd actually done it-I'd picked up a stranger off the street and brought her into my home.

I could tell from Brian's look-my driver and bodyguard-that he thought I was losing my mind. I couldn't blame him. I'd never done anything like this before, never dared to step out of line or do something that strayed from what was expected of an oil magnate.

At least I could blame the illness. I could say the news had shaken me up and led me to make a crazy decision.

But the truth was, I didn't know what I'd seen in her, but something had stirred in me and driven me to want to take care of her, to give her a different life.

That's why, when I saw her on that rooftop about to jump, I didn't think twice before running to save her.

The idea of having a child had been somewhat random-I admitted I'd said it more as an excuse to get her to come with me. But now, watching Sophia enchanted by every corner of the house as I showed her around, the idea was starting to settle in my mind.

"I need to go back," she said, snapping my attention back to the present.

"I thought we'd moved past the part where you want to keep running and that you'd finally let me help."

"Of course we've moved past that. I don't want to go back, but I need to get my backpack-my documents, my clothes. Everything I own is still there."

Oh, so that's what it was. I breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the other door for her to enter. This would definitely be her room-of course, she could choose any of the others scattered throughout the house, but this one, besides being next to mine, also had a magnificent view.

"As for clothes, we'll buy new ones. But Brian picked up your backpack-it's in the car." She tore her gaze from the light pink walls and looked at me in surprise.

"How did he get it? There's no way you could have known I'd come with you!"

"No, but a prepared man is worth two. Now come see this view." I strode across the room and opened the doors leading to the balcony. But Sophia stood frozen in the middle of the room, eyeing me suspiciously. "I didn't know if you'd come with me or not, but I wasn't going to leave you there knowing you were being pursued."

I didn't know what had happened in her life, but I knew it couldn't have been easy, given how wary she was of everything. I hoped to find out soon. I'd already put some men on digging into her family background-even though I'd prefer she tell me herself, opening up to me-but I couldn't afford that luxury. I needed to know who Sophia was and what she was running from.

"I need my backpack," she murmured without taking a single step toward me.

"I'll have it brought to your room. You just have to pick one." I extended my hand toward her, realizing I'd have to treat her like a frightened little animal that had just been rescued. "Come see the view-I'm sure it'll convince you."

She glanced at the open door, then back at my hand, before taking a step in my direction. Sophia didn't take my hand, but she came out onto the balcony, and in her eyes, I saw pure wonder as she took in the expanse.

The view encompassed the entire property-she could see the tennis court, the field, the greenhouse, and the whole garden.

"Oh my God, this is... beautiful." Her eyes darted everywhere, trying to take it all in. "Is all this yours?"

I smiled at the shock in her voice as she asked if it was all mine. Sophia truly wasn't familiar with my world, and for some reason, that made me like having her around even more.

"Yes, everything here is mine. But this isn't my largest property-the biggest one is in Italy..."

"Italy? Like, the country Italy?" She interrupted me in surprise, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, Italy-the country. You'll see it. I'm sure you'll love the place." I stepped closer to her, grinning at her wide eyes. "I'll take you there myself. I'll show you the whole country."

The wind blew stronger, tousling her hair and sending the blonde strands across her face. On impulse, I raised my hand to her cheek and tucked the hair behind her ear.

Our gazes locked for a second. Sophia stared into my eyes almost as if they held all the answers she needed. The most intense blue irises I'd ever seen-like a damn natural pool inviting me to dive in.

Then she quickly turned her face away, brushing my hand aside and breaking our connection.

"But I don't have a passport. I've never traveled anywhere."

"That's not a problem. We can get one today if you want." I turned to face forward, taking a deep breath and staring at the landscape and the blue sky. "Now that you can travel wherever you want, you'll need a passport."

We stood there in silence for a while, just looking ahead without saying or doing anything. Even though I had a million questions for her, I didn't want to scare her off-after the craziness of today, she'd easily run away.

I don't know how much time had passed before Jenna came into the room and called me.

"Oh, sir. I didn't know you had company." She hurried to say when she saw Sophia.

"Come here, Jenna. This is Sophia, and she's going to live here from now on." I stated, catching a somewhat uncertain glance from the blonde. I knew she still had doubts-it would be strange if she didn't. "Sophia, this is Jenna, our housekeeper."

The woman I'd known for half my life gave one of her warm smiles and shook Sophia's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. I just came to let you know lunch will be served soon. If I'd known we had company, I'd have made something you'd like."

"Mine? Oh, no-don't trouble yourself over me. I eat absolutely everything. I'm not picky at all." Sophia responded quickly, and Jenna's eyes flew to me.

I could imagine what was going through her head-that Sophia wasn't like the spoiled, fussy rich girls I usually brought home.

"Okay then, dear. I hope you enjoy lunch." She smiled and turned to leave. "I'll leave you two alone."

I'd have to clarify to her that nothing was happening between Sophia and me, or Jenna and the rest of the household staff would assume she was just another one in my bed.

"So, what do you think of the room?" I asked, and once again, she looked around, taking it all in.

"It's beautiful. I think I'll stay in this one."

"You think?" I questioned, intrigued by her hesitation in choosing a place to sleep. "You can try a few rooms until you find your favorite."

"It's not about the room-it's about you being kind, generous, and all smiles." Okay, I hadn't realized that. "Why do you want to help me, be kind and friendly? None of that makes sense in my head. You have all this-" she pointed to the view in front of us. "Why would you want to help me, give me access to all of it?"

I didn't understand it either-I didn't know why she'd awakened this in me. But still, there we were.

"I have this too." I pulled my phone from my pocket and opened the photo showing the tumor in my brain. "And an expiration date. One year-that's all I have."

"I... I'm sorry." She murmured, looking at the phone and seeing the spot in my brain.

"I understand your insecurity and fear, but I promise I won't harm you. I don't know what made me want to help you when thousands of people out there need it too, but something about you did. I just want the time I have left to be used for something good-something that will last, something to be remembered. I want my family's name to have a future. That's all!"

Sophia sighed, her eyes roaming my face, lingering for a second on my lips before focusing back on my eyes.

"Are you telling me you won't do anything to me that I don't want?" The whispered question veered through my mind, and I couldn't help looking at her pink, slightly parted lips.

Was she really trying to tell me that?

It was strange being inside that enormous house, with that imposing man and his intense honey-colored eyes on me, as he continued talking about the craziest offer anyone could ever make.

"Are you telling me you won't do anything to me that I don't want?" I asked, needing to be sure he had no other intentions.

"I would never touch you without your consent," he replied, his voice as low as mine. "All I want is for us to be friends and for you to carry the future of the Donavans. Is that what you want too?"

I had no idea how to answer that, but my eyes drifted down his flawless face, tracing the thin beard that framed his full lips, which seemed to always wear a slight smile.

William was a mix of power, money, and beauty-men like that were dangerous. But I didn't know why he gave me a sense of trust. Maybe it was because he'd stopped me from falling off the building, or simply because he'd quickly gotten me off the streets. The fact was, I didn't usually trust anyone-my instincts were sharp-but something inside me was pushing me toward him.

His body moved closer to mine, and his fingers rose to my face, tracing the contour of my cheek and sending shivers down my spine. Heat spread through my body, my heart raced in my chest, and my breathing grew uneven.

"I think I can do this," I whispered as his eyes focused on my lips.

I couldn't let something like that happen. He'd just said we'd be friends, and that's how we should act.

"You think?"

He was asking for a child, not my body. I could help him have an heir, get rid of that sick monster for good, and have far more than I needed. There was just one thing I had to make sure of.

"But I will never give up this baby. You have to put it in writing that under no circumstances will you take him from me!"

"I would never do that. My child will need a mother-especially after I'm gone. And as I said before, someone who's not just interested in money will be perfect to teach him everything he needs." He smiled, taking a step back without breaking eye contact. "I'll let you take a shower and change. Just don't take too long-lunch is already on the table."

It was strange to think that a man like him, who had everything, was dying. William seemed full of life, and he undoubtedly had more money than I'd ever see in my lifetime-a fortune he couldn't even spend, and a legacy with no one to pass it on to.

No matter how uncertain everything he'd told me was, I couldn't help feeling sad for him. The man had just saved the life of an unknown waitress who slept on a park bench. How could I think badly of him?

"Thinking about jumping from there?" The question made me jump before I even turned to see who had come in. The driver was staring at me with narrowed eyes, as if he didn't like my presence in the mansion. "William asked me to bring your backpack."

He held out the somewhat dirty blue bag, more patched up than I'd like. I didn't think twice before stepping forward and clutching everything I owned in this life. But the man didn't let go, keeping me close to him.

"What..."

"I don't know what you're up to or what you want from Mr. Donavan, but I won't let you take advantage of him in a vulnerable moment," he said lowly, staring at me up close. Before I could say anything, his hands released the bag, leaving me stumbling backward as he left the room.

What had just happened? How could I want to take advantage of his boss when it was William himself who had dragged me out of the diner and brought me to his house?

I shook my head, took a quick shower, and-feeling immense shame-put on the only dress I owned. It was either that or keep wearing the jeans he'd seen me in when I arrived.

"I was about to come look for you." William appeared at the bottom of the stairs as I reached the second-to-last step, his eyes scanning my body from head to toe.

He was surely regretting bringing a poor girl home now. The lilac summer dress covered in cupcakes-one I'd had since I was fifteen-was worn out. The straps were so thin they barely held up my breasts, and the skirt only reached mid-thigh.

"Is something wrong?" He didn't answer, and I felt even worse, wearing such old clothes while he was in an impeccable dress shirt, perfectly tailored pants, and polished shoes. "I can change if you want..."

I turned to go back up the stairs, but I tripped over my own feet and fell forward. It all happened in a split second-I closed my eyes, bracing to hit the floor. But strong, firm hands gripped my waist, holding me steadily facing him.

"I got you," William murmured as he lifted me, but instead of letting me go, he kept me pressed against his body. "I'm not letting you go, cupcake."

I swallowed hard, feeling his body against mine just like on that rooftop. I could feel his chest pressing into me while his strong arm stayed around my waist. I took a deep breath to compose myself, but his scent filled my lungs, causing the exact opposite-it made me want to slide my nose along his neck and feel every inch of his skin.

"Sir, Miss Megan is here to see you," his driver said, making us pull apart in the same instant.

"Thank you, Brian." William smoothed his shirt and took another step away from me. "Show her where lunch is served. I'll be right back."

He quickly left the room, leaving me behind with that brute who eyed me suspiciously, while I wondered who Megan could be and what the hell had just happened on those stairs.