The Billionaire and the chef

s the smell of old money and even older secrets. Elara shifted the heavy silver tray, feeling the rhythmic throb of an ache

inless steel, hidden away from the glitterati. But a flu outbreak had decimated the hospitalit

ead butler had hissed. "Be a shadow

mask she'd bought at a craft store for a few pounds and coated in shimmering gold spray paint. Up close, it was tacky, the edges r

bon. Just three more hours, she told herself, her heart drumming a frantic

crowd, her tray of crystal flutes feeling like a shield. She felt the weight of

tte of raw power, his tailored tuxedo straining against broad, athletic shoulders. He wore a ma

red, her voice barely audibl

, ignoring the opulence behind him. When he finally spoke, his voice wa

while I'm worki

face flushing beneath the gold paint. S

asn't rough, but it was absolute-the hand of a man w

ai

k, his eyes burned-smoke-grey, piercing, and entirely too observant. He reached out, his gl

strange, dark curiosity. "A bold choice fo

" she breathed, h

her personal space until she was enveloped in his scent: cedarwood, expensive toba

ustry whose family name was etched into the very skyline of the city. But the way he looke

am," she whispered, the gold mas

ack. The heat of his palm through the thin fabric of her uniform was scorchi

g he could see. He didn't ask for her name, and she didn't ask for his. In that moonlit silence, there were no bank accounts, no social standin

ext M

cal. Elara woke up alone in a bed that felt like a desert of white silk. Her gold mask lay cracked on th

udy. The door was slightly ajar, letti

ssional voice said-Silas's assistant. "And

skin still felt sensitised from his touch, her heart s

ike a machine, efficient and unfeeling. "Double the standard discretion fee. Ensure she signs the

tries to c

nothing more. Make sure she's out

ysical blade. She looked at her cracked gold mask o

ng as she shoved the broken plastic into her bag. She didn't want his money. She didn't want hi

realised that the 'Gold Mask' night had changed her life forever. Silas Vane thought he had bought her

ered to her reflection, her voice