My Dutch Billionaire
Page 1
MY DUTCH BILLIONAIRE
(Willem & Serenity, Part 1)
About My Dutch Billionaire, Part 1
I was fourteen, he was twenty-eight.
I was a failure and the black sheep in my family.
He was the Dutch billionaire every girl wanted to marry.
I wanted him to be mine, but he was dating my older sister.
And so I tried to forget.
I tried to stop loving him.
I tried, but it just kept hurting until I realized that nothing would work.
Nothing…except learning how to live without Willem de Konigh.
This is Book 1 of Willem and Serenity’s love story.
Want More Hot Alpha Billionaire and Biker Romances from Marian Tee?
Enjoy exclusive excerpts about my newest and upcoming releases by signing up for my newsletter.
Standalone Novels
Captivated: 4-in-1 Friends Romance Boxed Set – Enjoy four standalone romances between passionate, domineering billionaires and the women who were their friends first before becoming their lovers.
All stories have either happy-ever-after or happy-for-now endings.
His Fair Lady – Prince Julian knows the blind fortune teller Cass is everything he wants in a woman, but she can never be his bride.
Greek Billionaire Romance Serials
24-year-old school teacher Mairi, a hopeless romantic, thinks all her dreams will come true with Greek billionaire Damen Leventis. Problem is, he only wants her as a mistress.
The Art of Catching a Greek Billionaire (FREE!)
The Art of Trusting a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Loving a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Forgiving a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Wedding a Greek Billionaire
The Art of Kissing a Greek Billionaire (FREE!)
Schoolteacher Velvet enters into a marriage of convenience but is too proud to tell her Greek billionaire husband it’s because she’s in love with him.
The Greek Billionaire and I
24-year-old Willow is an ill-mannered junior editor.
27-year-old Stavros Manolis is a conservative Greek billionaire. They have nothing in common except…that one night they had with each other.
The Greek Billionaire and His Secretary (FREE)
Dear Greek Billionaire
Love, Your Greek Billionaire
Forever and Ever, My Greek Billionaire
Mediterranean Affairs
(Greek Billionaire Romance Mini-Series)
A Fling with the Greek Billionaire – Furious over his lover’s deception, control freak billionaire Nik is determined to teach the free-spirited Daria a lesson on revenge.
Prequel
Standalone
The Greek Billionaire and the Nanny – Coming Soon!
Prequel
Standalone
The De Konighs (Dutch Billionaire Romances)
My Dutch Billionaire (A Trilogy) – Serenity was fourteen. Willem was twenty-eight. She was the black sheep in her family, while he was the Dutch billionaire every girl wanted to marry. She wanted him to be hers, but he was dating her older sister. And so she tried to forget.
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Eternally Seduced: Contemporary Romance (7-in-1) Boxed Set
How Not to be Seduced by Billionaires (4 parts) – 24-year-old Yanna has old-fashioned ideals about love, and all of it are put to the test when her CEO billionaire boss, Constantijin Kastein – also Netherlands’ #1 Playboy – sets out to seduce her.
(Chased: Part 1 can be downloaded for free).
How Not to be Seduced by Rockstars (2 parts) – All eccentric senator’s daughter Saffi wants is a taste of freedom when she attends a concert disguised as an experienced groupie. But she gets more than she bargains for when Staffan Aehrenthal – also Sweden’s #1 Sex God – picks her out from the crowd.
(Note: The Rockstar and His Fangirl is a short story on Saffi & Staffan, and sold separately.)
How Not to be Seduced by Dukes – Although Mary’s determined to resist the charms of the Duke of Wellesley – also England’s #1 Heartthrob – fate decides otherwise, and Mary suddenly finds herself an ordinary college student by day, and the duke’s mistress at night.
(Note: The sequel, The Ice Around My Heart, is sold separately.)
Warning: Love Moderately (BBW Billionaire New Adult College Romance)
Derek and Jaike have always hidden the truth about themselves. But when they meet – it’s not just explosive chemistry. One look, and it’s undeniable. Even if they’re too young, they know. He’s meant to be her Master, and she’s meant to be his Sub.
Unwillingly Yours (FREE!)
Meant to Be Yours
Heart Racer: BIKER Romance Series
Leandro & Bobby’s Story (2 parts) – A young billionaire biker chooses a snarky do-gooder to be his pretend girlfriend.
Heart Racer (FREE!)
Driven by Love
Helios & MJ’s Story (3 parts) - Even though he's commitment-phobic, the aloof president of a billion-dollar bike racing club finds himself jealous of the "secret crush" of a tomboyish camera-wielding first-year student.
Swish (FREE!)
Burn
Click
Kellion & Aria (Standalone) – Aria’s content living her life alone, shut off from the world, but when bad boy Kellion Argyros starts following her wherever she goes, it’s impossible not to start living…and impossible not to start falling for him.
Yuri & Kalli (Standalone) – He’s the angel amongst Greek devils. She’s the heiress who isn’t quite okay, isn’t quite…normal. Even so, Kalli hopes that when they meet again, Yuri would take one look at her and love her, like he had promised.
Play With Me: A Sports Romance Series
All Lace Wyndham wants is to be an NBA coach.
All bad boy billionaire Silver March wants is HER.
It’s not a match made in heaven, but since he already had his heart stolen, Silver is willing to do whatever it takes – bribe, deceive, manipulate – to make Lace realize the inevitable: It’s his name she’ll be crying out…every night.
Play With Me
This Round I’m Yours
The Art of Claiming an Alpha: My Werewolf Bodyguard (Paranormal Romance)
Human-slash-pack-princess Calys is a toughie, but she still needs the help of the powerful, dominant, and gorgeous werewolf Alejandro Moretti to be an ‘alpha’. Unfortunately, he wants her body in exchange for her help.
Wolf Fight (FREE!)
Wolf Games
Wolf Kisses
The Master and His Soul Seer Pet: New Adult College Vampire Romance
Life isn’t easy for 18-year-old Zari. As a soul seer, she sees visions of dead people as well as those who are about to die. As a human pet, she struggles to control her feelings for her Master, the powerful, gorgeous, and mysterious vampire Alexandru, who’s in love with someone else.
Ensnared (FREE!)
Beholden
Reviled
Unclaimed
My Werewolf Professor
What I know about Alessandro Moretti: he’s the most beautiful professor alive, and I’m his plainest student. I need to let him know I want him, even if he’s likely to dump me. What I don’t know about Alessandro Moretti: he’s a werewolf…and he may just want me, too.
My Werewolf Professor 1
My Werewolf Professor: 4-in-1 Boxed Set
Thank you to everyone who sent me messages about wanting to read more of Willem and Serenity.
You were my inspiration.
MY DUTCH BILLIONAIRE
(Willem & Serenity, Part 1)
by Marian Tee
Copyright 2015 b
y Streak Digital Publishing
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
PROLOGUE
When She Was Twelve
“In position, girls.”
Our pianist hit the first keys, a sexy ballad made softer and slower for our performance.
My feet moved into fifth position with perfect ease. Left toes in line with my right heel, right toes in line with my left heel. Behind me, I heard some of the girls hissing as they struggled to keep their feet parallel.
I raised my arms, and the silk of my sleeves fell gracefully as I moved. Today was our last practice before the big night, and all of us had come in costume.
Mademoiselle Alberta nodded at the pianist, who then struck the chords that served as our cue.
A fraction of a second to spot, and then we were spinning.
Spin, spin, spin.
One of the girls in front of me stumbled, and our instructor cried out.
“You idiot!”
In the corner of my eye, I saw my father, Daniel Raleigh, nod in approval from the opposite side of the room.
I struggled to keep my face blank as I kept spinning. There was no point offering to help. Mademoiselle Alberta didn’t take kindly to failures. It is the way of our world, she liked to say. And today, girls who accidentally strained their muscles while doing their pirouettes were exactly that.
A failure.
Sometimes, I wished I had the courage to be one as well.
I heard the same girl sobbing as she was made to leave the dance hall. She would no longer be a part of tomorrow’s performance.
It was the way of our world.
“Faster now,” Mademoiselle Alberta commanded.
Spin, spin, spin.
The pressure inside me started to build. The white walls started to merge with the mirrors. The domed ceiling started to cave in. And my father began to multiply in my eyes.
So many Daniel Raleighs, and all of them were grim-faced.
Spin, spin, spin.
I tried counting the number of times I completed a perfect pirouette, desperate to distract myself.
But the pressure kept building.
I strained to listen to the lilting keys coming from the piano.
How many beats were left before I could stop?
How many seconds?
The pressure had reached my heart, and now I could barely hear the music over the chaotic rhythm of my heartbeat.
Spin, spin, spin.
I began to lose sight of my spot.
Noooooo—
Spin.
I started to falter.
Spiiiin.
I started to sway.
Spi—
I lost my balance.
I heard my father roar, the sound mingling with Mademoiselle Alberta’s cry. They were not worried. They were not terrified. They were furious.
The sound killed me, and I panicked.
I stretched my arms out and tried to break my fall.
****
“What do you mean she can’t perform?”
Dr. Fergus was taken aback by the anger underlining the voice of his patient’s father. Thinking it might be shock, he tried to elaborate, saying, “She’s broken her wrists, Mr. Raleigh. If I understand correctly, the practice your child undergoes for tomorrow’s performance is rigorous and it might cause damage—”
“Nothing’s too rigorous for my daughter,” the other man interrupted. He was a tall, slim man in his late forties, and according to the doctor’s secretary, a rather famous male ballet dancer during his prime.
There was nothing, however, of Daniel Raleigh’s reputed grace with the way he none too gently grasped his daughter’s chin and forced her to look at him as he asked, “Right, sweetie?”
Even though the words were pleasantly spoken, they were still a threat, and the doctor opened his mouth to protest when his patient said quietly, “Yes, Father.” She was a stunningly beautiful child, with long blonde locks and sapphire blue eyes. But her expression, the doctor thought worriedly, was too…blank. It was as if her every thought and emotion was hinged on her father’s orders.
Daniel ruffled his daughter’s hair. “I knew you’d say that.” He turned to the doctor with a proud smile. “She takes after me, this kid. She’s going to continue my legacy.”
“I see.” And indeed, Dr. Fergus was beginning to see. “In that case, I won’t keep you two here any longer.” He turned to his nurse, who had just finished bandaging the girl’s left wrist. “I’ll take over and do the other hand, Nurse Simmons. If you could escort Mr. Raleigh to your office so he can sign the discharge papers?”
Daniel eagerly came to his feet. “Yes, yes, that’s a good idea.” He shook the doctor’s hand, saying, “Thanks for being understanding.” Without looking back at his daughter, he left to follow the nurse out of Dr. Fergus’ exam room.
The doctor took the child’s hand, and when he was sure they were out of Daniel’s earshot, he asked gently, “Does it still hurt?”
There was no answer, only an unblinking gaze.
Feeling he needed to tread carefully, he lowered his gaze and as he started wrapping the bandage around the child’s right wrist, he murmured, “If you feel any kind of pain, you must let me know. I only have to write a letter and you wouldn’t have to dance tomorrow.”
But the silence only continued, and just when he thought the child would no longer speak, he heard his patient whisper, “Father will get mad.”
The doctor stilled. Father. Not Dad, but Father. It didn’t feel right, but for now he decided to keep his reservations to himself and said instead, “I think you’re wrong, child. You can’t disappoint someone who loves you. Your father loves you, and because of that, he would never want you to do something that would cause you pain.”
The child didn’t speak, and the doctor didn’t press her to. He only hoped his words would take root.
And it had, but not in the way Dr. Fergus had imagined.
****
SNAP.
I was alone, my room dark and silent, but I heard the sound so clearly it was as if the bones were breaking again.
SNAP.
I loved the sound.
SNAP.
I closed my eyes, remembered how my dreams came true in the matter of seconds. I saw myself dancing in front of the crowded concert hall. Everyone’s mouths were open in admiration, but all I could think about was how they felt like sharks about to eat me alive.
SNAP.
I remembered spinning when it occurred to me, the freedom that could be mine if I just—
SNAP.
One second was all it would take, I had thought feverishly.
Over and over, since I was small, Daniel had drummed into me the things I must never do to protect my limbs from permanent injury.
And as I spun and spun under the limelight, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking that it would take just one second.
One second to pretend I had lost my balance.
One second to deliberately break my bones.
One second and I would never have to dance again.
SNAP.
I was free.
SNAP.
I started to smile at the memory.
But then the door opened, and my father walked in.
The memory vanished, together with the freedom that came with it.
Coming to stand next to my bed, Daniel said in a strange, slurred voice, “You’re awake.”
I wasn’t able to answer right away. Guilt burned me from within, and I could feel it sucking the blood out of my face and causing cold sweat to bathe me from head to toe. “Y-yes, Father.” I couldn’t make myself look at him. I was terrified that if I did, he would k
now the truth.
I heard something scrape against the floor, and in the corner of my eye I saw my father dragging a chair close. He sat down without his usual grace, and that was when I realized he smelled…weird.
I mustered the courage to look at him, and confusion seeped into me when I saw he hadn’t changed. Daniel was still wearing the same suit he had on during last night’s performance.
“A-are you alright, Father?” I had to ask.
“Of course.”
It was the same pleasant voice I had heard all my life, but there was also something different about it.
Something bad.
And my terror increased when my father asked very gently, “Why wouldn’t I be alright, Serenity? You tell me.”
I found myself gripping the edge of my covers.
“Come on, child, tell your father. Why should you ask if I’m okay when you’re the one in the hospital?”
My heart tried to tear a hole out of my chest while my brain suddenly started revolving around my worst fears.
Please, please, it couldn’t be, please—
I swallowed. “F-Father—”
But Daniel cut me off. “After all, there’s nothing for me to be angry about. Nothing to be disappointed about.”
I remembered Dr. Fergus’ words.
You can’t disappoint someone who loves you.
I paled.
Dr. Fergus was wrong.
But even worse than that, my father knew.
Father knew.
Our eyes met again.