Chapter 1 — The Girl Who Shouldn't Be Here
The chandelier above my head was worth more than my entire street.
Its crystals rained light down on silk gowns, diamond necklaces, and smiles so polished they could cut glass.
And then there was me.
Dianne Cole.
Eighteen. From the ghetto. Wearing a borrowed dress that hung awkwardly on my frame and shoes one size too big.
I didn't belong here — and everyone in the room knew it.
The whispers had started the moment I stepped into the grand hall of St. Claire's Academy. I could feel their eyes brushing over me like cold wind. A girl from the wrong side of London's tracks, standing among the city's wealthiest families.
My palms were damp as I clutched the crumpled notecard with my speech. This event was supposed to be my big moment — a scholarship presentation, a chance to prove I was more than the postcode on my birth certificate.
Then I saw him.
Adrian Wolfes.
Tall. Immaculate. Ice-blue eyes that didn't just look at you — they measured you. The kind of man who probably never lifted a finger unless it was to sign billion-dollar deals.
And for some reason, he was watching me.
I tried to focus on the podium, but my pulse refused to obey. My voice trembled on the first word, but I forced it steady. I wasn't going to let a room full of silk and gold silence me.
Little did I know… this was the night everything in
my life would change.
Chapter 2 — The Billionaire's Gaze
The applause came like distant thunder — polite, shallow, already moving on to the next thing.
But he didn't move.
Adrian Wolfes was still watching me.
I stepped off the podium, my legs unsteady, and blended into the crowd like a shadow. People swirled past with champagne flutes and sparkling laughter, but his presence was like a current pulling me under. Every time I glanced up, those cold blue eyes were fixed on me — unwavering, unreadable.
Why me?
I ducked behind a group of women gossiping near the buffet, pretending to study the trays of canapés I couldn't pronounce. I told myself to ignore him, to slip out quietly before I embarrassed myself any further. But my feet wouldn't move.
When I finally looked again… he was gone.
Relief washed over me — until a voice spoke at my shoulder.
> "You have an interesting way of stealing a room without trying."
I spun around. And there he was.
Up close, Adrian was sharper, more dangerous. Every inch of him spoke of control — from the perfectly tailored suit to the way he tilted his head as if calculating my worth in real time.
"I'm not stealing anything," I said, my voice smaller than I wanted.
A faint curve touched his lips, though it wasn't quite a smile. "Then why can't I look away?"
The air between us felt… wrong. Like a storm building in the distance.
Before I could answer, a man in a black suit slipped up beside him and murmured something I couldn't catch. Adrian's gaze flicked briefly toward the entrance — and for a heartbeat, I saw something flicker in his expression. Surprise. Maybe even recognition.
Then his attention snapped back to me. "Stay out of trouble tonight, Miss Cole."
He walked away before I could ask how he knew my name.
Trouble? I was here for a scholarship speech. What trouble could I possibly—
A crash echoed from the far side of the hall. Glass shattered. Guests gasped.
And then I saw him again — not Adrian this time, but a man I hadn't seen in years. A man who should've been in prison
And he was staring right at me.