The possessive billionaire ** LĂ©na Moreau ** is the only daughter of ** Victor Moreau **, one of the most influential and respected billionaires in the country. She has always lived protected in luxury and security, surrounded by a world where money and power reign supreme. However, her life rocks the day she meets ** Gabriel Beaumont **, a mysterious and dreaded billionaire which is accidentally found on the lands of her father. At the start, Lena sees it as a simple intruder, but she ignores that their meeting is not the fruit of chance. Gabriel, attracted by the strength of character and the beauty of LĂ©na, begins to approach her, awakening in her feelings mixed with fascination and distrust. Throughout their exchanges, LĂ©na discovers a world hidden from rivalries, family secrets, and powerful games much darker than she would have imagined. Torn between her nascent love for Gabriel and her loyalty to her family, LĂ©na will have to sail in a dangerous universe where each decision can have dramatic consequences. In this struggle for power and love, she will have to choose between the security of her past life and the irrepressible attraction for a man who embodies all that she has always feared and desired.
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
Chapter 1
The sun was high in the sky that afternoon, bathing the Moreaus' vast gardens in a soft, golden light. LĂ©na walked with a nonchalant step, savoring the tranquility of these familiar places where she felt safe. She loved getting lost in the paths lined with hundred-year-old trees, smelling the scent of carefully tended flowers and feeling the freshness of the wind caressing her skin. But as he approached the old stone pavilion at the back of the estate, something caught his attention.
A man stood there, looking towards the horizon. A tall, slender figure, he seemed perfectly in his place, despite the obvious intrusion. His black suit contrasted with the wild nature that surrounded him, but he exuded a confidence that made LĂ©na shudder, as if this property, her secret garden, no longer belonged to her. A mixture of curiosity and distrust pushed her forward, although a small voice inside her whispered to turn back.
When she reached him, she observed him for a moment. He seemed impervious to her presence, his attention totally captivated by the lines of the hills and the nuances of the fields that stretched into the distance. He was a man of around thirty, with marked features and dark eyes, charged with a rare intensity.
She finally broke the silence. "Are you aware that you are on private property? »
The man slowly turned his head towards her, as if he had only just realized she was there. An enigmatic, almost mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"I know it. But, I must say that the view here is magnificent. » His voice was serious, calm, each word as if weighed with care.
Lena narrowed her eyes. "You didn't answer my question. Who are you and why are you here? »
He took a breath, remaining calm. "Gabriel Beaumont. Enchanted, Miss Moreau. »
Lena stiffened. He knew her name, of course, but she didn't, and this mystery annoyed her as much as it intrigued her.
"Nice to meet you, I suppose." But you still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here? »
Gabriel gave a deeper smile, a smile that looked like an invitation, but also a challenge. "Let's just say I wanted to know a little more about the Moreau lands. Your father and I have... some business to discuss. »
She didn't like his way of speaking in riddles, of deliberately keeping his intentions vague. But she felt that insisting would be useless. He seemed determined to keep the exact reasons for his presence here to himself.
"You know, it would probably be easier to go through the main entrance to talk business with him," she replied with a touch of sarcasm.
Gabriel doesn't react right away. He simply looked at her, his gaze piercing and deep, as if trying to read her. "Sometimes the circuitous paths are more instructive. »
This simple exchange awakened something unpleasant in her, a dull tension that she could not dissipate. This man, with his confidence and his mysteries, seemed to take pleasure in destabilizing her. But she refused to show him that he had succeeded.
"Well, I hope you learned what you came for, because you don't belong here. » His words were firm, but she sensed that he would not be impressed so easily.
Gabriel tilted his head slightly, an almost amused look on his face. "I think I have found what I was looking for. »
Then, without saying another word, he quietly walked away, leaving her there, with a host of questions racing through her head. She stood there for a moment, watching his retreating figure, unable to comprehend what she had just experienced.
When she finally came to her senses, she rushed to the mansion, eager to find her father and get an explanation. Gabriel Beaumont... she had never heard that name before today, but it didn't bode well.
She found her father in his office, poring over files. As she entered, he looked up, visibly surprised by her agitation.
"Lena? Is something wrong? »
She took a deep breath, trying to contain her frustration. "Dad, who is Gabriel Beaumont? »
His father's face instantly closed. She had never seen this shadow in his eyes, this mixture of distrust and concern. Her father, the strong and steadfast man she had always known, suddenly seemed troubled.
"Why are you telling me about him? Have you met him? » he asked in a deeper voice than usual.
Lena nodded. "Yes, in the garden. He walked around like it all belonged to him. He said he was here to discuss business with you. »
Victor Moreau heaved a long sigh, turning his gaze towards the window, as if he were weighing the words he was going to say. "Gabriel Beaumont is... a complicated man. We have ongoing business, indeed, but he's not the kind of person I enjoy associating with. »
LĂ©na felt a hint of worry arise within her. This Gabriel, with his intense gaze and his enigmatic smile, was therefore hiding much more than what he had let appear.
"Why deal with him, then, if you don't trust him?" » she asked softly.
Her father sighed again, as if weighing the burden of secrets he could not tell her. "Sometimes in business we don't always have a choice. Alliances are formed out of necessity. »
He ran a hand over his face, visibly disturbed. "But you, Lena, stay away from him. He is not a man like the others. »
This warning only piqued his curiosity. Gabriel Beaumont did not seem to be an ordinary man. His dark charisma, his way of speaking in enigmas, all of this disturbed and fascinated her at the same time. But she knew that her father would not give her any more explanations.
She placed a hand on her father's shoulder, trying to ease his worry. "Okay, Dad. I will avoid it. »
He gave her a tired smile. "Thank you, Lena. »
But as she left her father's office, she knew that this exchange had only sowed more doubts within her. Gabriel Beaumont... She couldn't help but think back to that look, that smile, and that strange feeling of being observed, of having been just a pawn in a game much bigger than she was. could have imagined it.
Once in her room, she found herself wondering what a man like him could be looking for on the Moreau lands. She wished she could talk to someone about it, get answers that would quell her curiosity. But she knew her father would not approve, and she had no one else to share this strange experience.
Deep down, she knew she shouldn't have cared so much. She knew she should have let Gabriel Beaumont disappear from her thoughts, from her concerns. But something inside her prevented her from turning the page so easily.
The mystery of this man and the shadow he seemed to cast over her world deeply disturbed her. For the first time in her life, she felt that her security, the comfort of her privileged existence, was being called into question.
And, despite her father's warnings, she felt that she was not going to be able to just obey without understanding. Gabriel Beaumont had entered her life, and he was not about to leave, even if she did not yet understand all the consequences.
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