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The Female CEO's Obsession

The Female CEO's Obsession

Rhiannon
Romance | Completed
5.0
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14.3K
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145
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At twenty-four, Annelise de Valois has the world at her feet. She's the CEO of a rapidly expanding empire. Old money flows through her veins-the kind that makes new money look like spare change. She lives in a heavily guarded château that no one can breach-no rivals, no suitors, not even paparazzi with drones. Her grandfather, a business legend, backs her. Other titans of industry admire her. Her enemies? They either grovel or disappear. Whatever she wants, she gets. A company? Snapped up. A competitor? Obliterated. A scandal? Buried before it even sees the light of day. She has everything. Except him. Leander Grimaldi. He's too young, too trusting, too fucking pure for someone like her. A five-year age gap isn't much, and the decades-old alliance between their families shouldn't even matter. The real problem is him. Leander has never known betrayal, never played the cutthroat games of high society, never learned to second-guess every word or every smile. Meanwhile, Annelise lives and breathes that world. She doesn't just play the game-she is the game. While he wanders through life unguarded, she calculates every move ten steps ahead. While he sees the best in people, she sees their weaknesses and exploits them. She should stay away. She should let him think of her as nothing more than a family friend-a big sister who looks out for him, protects him. But she doesn't. She lets herself get too close. She wants him too much. And she always gets what she wants. Even if, this time, taking it means destroying the one thing she can never buy back-his trust.

Modern CEO Scheming Attractive Friends to love Age gap Romance
Chapter 145 Make a Wish
04-16 17:09

The Female CEO's Obsession Chapter 1 The Boy

I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, scowling as I twisted the signet ring on my thumb.

Forty-nine seconds left on this godforsaken red light.

I swore under my breath, resisting the urge to grab the gun in my bag and blast the traffic signal into oblivion.

Uncle Willy-full name Wilhelm Keller, majordomo of Château Valois-sur-Loire-had called me while I was at work. The message? He had arrived at the château. He was there. Right now.

I didn't even hesitate. Dropped an important meeting like it was a hot potato and bolted out of the office. Twenty minutes-that was all it should've taken to get back.

Yet today, it felt like twenty years.

And now, just to spite me, this stupid red light refused to change. Not that I could've run it anyway-traffic was so jam-packed that even an ant couldn't squeeze through.

I glared at the light as if I could intimidate it into submission.

He's still at the château, right? He's waiting for me, isn't he?

...Waiting for me? Ha. Wishful thinking. Why the hell would he wait for me?

What did I even mean to him? An older sister? A friend? Just someone he happened to know? Or worse-an irrelevant someone?

My chest tightened.

It had been a year. Had he grown taller? Probably. Better looking? Definitely.

I'd never seen a boy as beautiful as him. No clue how someone like that even happened.

I still remembered the first time we met. I was fifteen, he was ten.

Grandpa Renan was laughing with his old friend, Caspar Grimaldi. The two of them were practically royalty in Crystalholm-business titans, legends, best buds who somehow never ran out of things to talk about.

I approached, greeted them politely, and then Caspar gestured behind him.

And out stepped him.

A tiny boy, small frame, small face-but huge eyes. The kind of big, luminous eyes you only saw in oil paintings, framed by lashes that probably made angels weep.

Caspar had nudged him forward. 'Go on, say hello to Annelise.'

And he had. His voice had been soft, careful, with that childlike lilt that somehow managed to be both hesitant and endearing. There had been a hint of a plea in it, an unspoken like me?

I'd melted on the spot.

I had never been one for kids, never wanted a little brother, but in that moment, I wanted to keep him.

I had, quite literally, never spent a full day entertaining anyone before. That day, I did. I let him drag me around, let him talk in his slow, careful English, his German accent making each word sound like he was unwrapping a delicate gift. I had even found myself watching his lips move as he spoke, completely fascinated.

He had been so polite, so gentle. Like a porcelain doll that had somehow come to life.

After dinner, he left with his grandfather.

And I had felt an emptiness I hadn't expected.

A blaring horn yanked me back to reality.

Green light.

I slammed my foot on the gas and sped towards the estate.

The road was lined with trees turning gold, the early autumn wind teasing the leaves into little, lazy spirals. It was poetic, in a melancholic kind of way-the whole leaves unwillingly parting from their branches thing. If I were in a better mood, I might've thought it was beautiful. But right now, all I cared about was getting to Château Valois-sur-Loire.

At the crest of the hill, the estate loomed-a sprawling, half-hidden manor that looked like something straight out of a European countryside postcard. From the outside, it was all ivy-covered stone walls and old-world charm. Step inside, though, and between the armed guards and state-of-the-art security, you'd think you had stumbled into a billionaire mafia headquarters.

The gates opened automatically as my car approached. A few guards stood at attention, nodding as I passed.

I barely acknowledged them.

By the time I reached the main entrance, I was practically vibrating with impatience. The second I parked, I was out of the car, storming inside-only to find the grand hall completely devoid of him.

'Miss Anne, welcome back.'

I turned to find Uncle Willy standing there, ever the picture of composed efficiency.

'Where is he?' I demanded.

Uncle Willy didn't even blink. 'The two masters are in the garden. Miss Linnea and the young Grimaldis are there as well.'

Translation: Yes, he's still here, but he's not alone.

Uncle Willy was the only person who knew how I felt about him. He'd been concerned at first, back when he'd figured it out. Worried about what it meant, about where it would lead. But over time, he had become my ally, my informant-the one who always let me know when Leander Grimaldi was back in town.

Which, tragically, was only once a year.

'Thanks, Uncle Willy.' I took off, practically flying towards the garden.

Behind me, I heard him sigh. 'Miss Anne...' His voice was soft, almost resigned. 'Are you sure about this?'

I didn't answer.

I didn't want to.

Because, deep down, I knew exactly what he was asking.

Is this really a good idea? Will this end well?

We both knew the answer.

This road wasn't easy. It probably led nowhere.

But knowing that had never stopped me before.

At the entrance of the garden, I came to a halt, forcing myself to take a deep breath.

Laughter rang through the air-deep, warm, unmistakable. My grandfather and Caspar, caught up in some conversation, clearly enjoying themselves.

I steadied myself, unwilling to let them see how rattled I was.

Especially him.

I stepped into the garden, my heartbeat slightly erratic-not that I'd ever admit it. It had been a year. A year could change a lot. Had it changed him?

No.

Not him.

From the moment I met Leander Grimaldi at ten years old, through every encounter until now-nineteen and still unnervingly, almost infuriatingly untouched by the world-he had remained the same. Unspoiled. Serene.

Impossibly clean in a way that had nothing to do with soap and everything to do with whatever strange magic made him him.

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The Female CEO's Obsession The Female CEO's Obsession Rhiannon Romance
“At twenty-four, Annelise de Valois has the world at her feet. She's the CEO of a rapidly expanding empire. Old money flows through her veins-the kind that makes new money look like spare change. She lives in a heavily guarded château that no one can breach-no rivals, no suitors, not even paparazzi with drones. Her grandfather, a business legend, backs her. Other titans of industry admire her. Her enemies? They either grovel or disappear. Whatever she wants, she gets. A company? Snapped up. A competitor? Obliterated. A scandal? Buried before it even sees the light of day. She has everything. Except him. Leander Grimaldi. He's too young, too trusting, too fucking pure for someone like her. A five-year age gap isn't much, and the decades-old alliance between their families shouldn't even matter. The real problem is him. Leander has never known betrayal, never played the cutthroat games of high society, never learned to second-guess every word or every smile. Meanwhile, Annelise lives and breathes that world. She doesn't just play the game-she is the game. While he wanders through life unguarded, she calculates every move ten steps ahead. While he sees the best in people, she sees their weaknesses and exploits them. She should stay away. She should let him think of her as nothing more than a family friend-a big sister who looks out for him, protects him. But she doesn't. She lets herself get too close. She wants him too much. And she always gets what she wants. Even if, this time, taking it means destroying the one thing she can never buy back-his trust.”
1

Chapter 1 The Boy

27/02/2025

2

Chapter 2 Ice and Fire

27/02/2025

3

Chapter 3 Unhinged

28/02/2025

4

Chapter 4 Scent

28/02/2025

5

Chapter 5 Close Call

01/03/2025

6

Chapter 6 Photo

01/03/2025

7

Chapter 7 Coming Back

02/03/2025

8

Chapter 8 Gossip

02/03/2025

9

Chapter 9 Substitute

03/03/2025

10

Chapter 10 Cornered

03/03/2025

11

Chapter 11 Alley Fight

04/03/2025

12

Chapter 12 Adonis in Distress

04/03/2025

13

Chapter 13 The Good Doctor

05/03/2025

14

Chapter 14 My Place

05/03/2025

15

Chapter 15 For Him

06/03/2025

16

Chapter 16 Runaway

06/03/2025

17

Chapter 17 Rebellion

07/03/2025

18

Chapter 18 Moving in

07/03/2025

19

Chapter 19 Persuasion

08/03/2025

20

Chapter 20 Temptation

08/03/2025

21

Chapter 21 Dinner

09/03/2025

22

Chapter 22 Domestic Bliss

09/03/2025

23

Chapter 23 Butler

10/03/2025

24

Chapter 24 Dream

10/03/2025

25

Chapter 25 Morning Kiss

11/03/2025

26

Chapter 26 Oblivious

12/03/2025

27

Chapter 27 Over the Top

13/03/2025

28

Chapter 28 Temptation

13/03/2025

29

Chapter 29 Never Been Better

14/03/2025

30

Chapter 30 Ideas

14/03/2025

31

Chapter 31 (Almost) Date

15/03/2025

32

Chapter 32 Threat

15/03/2025

33

Chapter 33 Movie

16/03/2025

34

Chapter 34 Enabler

16/03/2025

35

Chapter 35 Movie Marathon

17/03/2025

36

Chapter 36 Night Together

17/03/2025

37

Chapter 37 His Dream

18/03/2025

38

Chapter 38 Morning After

18/03/2025

39

Chapter 39 Secret

18/03/2025

40

Chapter 40 Girlfriend

19/03/2025