The Billionaire's secret love

de, leaving the two of them in a bubble of their own. The view from the bar's windows-stunning and vast-felt distant now, as though the outside

pushed aside in favor of more personal topics. Alexander wasn't sure how it had happened, but

ights, the feeling of always being on the outside looking in. How success, for him, had been the only form of validation. But when she had aske

er been in love?" she asked, an am

f she was pushing him-testing him to see how far he would go. He took anot

a dangerous game. One that's

ued. "Out of your reach?" she repeated,

stract him from the personal nature of the conversation. But he couldn't find anything. The space between

en you build something from the ground up, you start to view everything-and eve

never wavered. And despite his best efforts to maintain the emotional distance h

a said quietly. "I think you just haven't found

slicing through him in a way he wasn't prepared for. "And how would yo

y. "Because I think you'd kno

r. But he couldn't let himself go there. Not now, not ever. He had worked too hard to keep h

settling over him like a heavy cloak. "Maybe," he said after a beat, his to

omeone like you?" she repeated, as if the phrase it

most dangerous. He had spent years perfecting the image of the stoic billionaire, the man w

ly, his gaze drifting out the window once more. "I have obligations. I have... th

. Instead, she leaned back in her chair and took a slow sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving him

ieter than before. "I think you're more afraid of

and he wasn't sure how to respond to that. His mind raced, scrambling to justify his actions, but

he had spent his life convincing himself that control was everything, a part of him-just the smallest part-was s

e words coming out more forcefully than he in

l, almost imperceptible smile, she leaned forward again, her voice

fleeting second, he found himself wanting to answer it h

built my entire life around this empire. I can't afford to lose it. An

rds for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I understand," she said quietly, but there was

, she stood up, collecting her things. The moment between the

, her tone lighter now, almost as if she were closing a door between them. "Bu

He didn't want her to leave. He didn't want the conversation to

hy. "I'll be in touch," she said, and then, without another word, she walked awa

alls he had so carefully constructed were starting to crumble, piece by piece. And for the