The Billionaire's Forbidden Flame

The Billionaire's Forbidden Flame

Max Daniel

5.0
Comment(s)
31
View
24
Chapters

Elena Hayes never expected a single stolen night to shatter her carefully built walls. One glance across the glittering chaos of the Knights' Gala, and billionaire Adrian Knight unraveled her in ways no man ever had. Their connection was raw, undeniable and dangerous. But passion comes with a price. When Adrian's elegant wife, Cassandra, discovers his secret, she refuses to lose her husband without a fight. With the help of a charming manipulator, she sets a trap that could ruin Elena forever. Now, Adrian is torn between the loyalty to his family demands and the love that consumes him. Elena must decide whether to fight for a man who can never truly be hers or walk away with her heart in pieces. In a world of ruthless power, whispered betrayals, and forbidden desire, one truth remains: craving the billionaire's love might just destroy them all.

Chapter 1 The Gala That Changed Everything

The Knight estate glittered like a kingdom carved out of glass and gold. Tonight, its sweeping chandeliers and marble halls played host to the most coveted event of the season-the Knight Foundation Gala. Political leaders, society elites, and billionaires in tailored suits flowed into the ballroom as if it were their natural habitat. Money dripped from the very air, intoxicating in its power.

Elena Hayes didn't belong here.

She knew it the moment she stepped onto the marble floor in her rented evening gown-a silk emerald dress that hugged her slender figure but whispered of borrowed elegance. She had come on behalf of the art gallery where she worked, tasked with quietly ensuring the charity auction pieces were displayed to perfection. In truth, she had hoped to blend into the background, unnoticed.

But fate rarely gave Elena what she wanted.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, careful, watchful. She wasn't intimidated by luxury; she was irritated by it. People like these had everything handed to them, while she had clawed her way through life since childhood. She adjusted the strap of her dress and tucked a stray lock of chestnut hair behind her ear, trying not to look like an intruder.

Then she felt it.

A gaze-hot, sharp, piercing through the noise and laughter. She turned.

Across the ballroom, Adrian Knight was watching her.

The billionaire host stood like a man carved from marble, broad-shouldered in his tailored tuxedo, a commanding presence even among the city's most powerful. His black hair was swept neatly back, his jaw strong, his expression unreadable yet magnetic. Around him, people hovered-business partners, admirers, even his stunning wife Cassandra in her diamond-encrusted gown. Yet his eyes weren't on them. They were on Elena.

She froze, breath catching. The connection was instant, unsettling.

Elena dropped her gaze quickly, telling herself she was imagining things. Why would Adrian Knight-one of the richest, most desired men in New York-look at her like that? But the heat lingering on her skin said otherwise.

Don't be ridiculous, she scolded herself. He's married. Untouchable. Dangerous.

Still, curiosity gnawed at her. She tried to focus on adjusting a sculpture's placement for the auction, but when she glanced up again, he was closer. Crossing the room. Cutting through the crowd as if drawn by an invisible thread.

"Enjoying the gala?"

The voice was deep, smooth, with just enough roughness to make her shiver.

Elena looked up-and there he was. Adrian Knight, impossibly close, his presence consuming. She forced a polite smile. "It's... extravagant. More than I expected."

A corner of his mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Extravagant is what my family does best. But you-you don't seem impressed."

She blinked. Was he teasing her? "Maybe I've seen enough to know money can't buy authenticity."

Adrian's dark eyes glinted with interest. "And what do you think it can buy?"

Her pulse raced. Why was she even engaging with him? "Distractions. Illusions. Control."

For a heartbeat, silence stretched between them. Then, unexpectedly, he chuckled-a low sound that made her skin prickle.

"You're bold," he said. "Most people here would never dare say that to me."

"Maybe that's because they're trying to impress you." She tilted her chin. "I'm not."

His gaze lingered on her face, searching, almost hungry. Something flickered in his eyes-longing? Recognition? Elena couldn't tell. But before either of them could say more, a shrill laugh cut through the air.

"Adrian, darling."

Cassandra Knight appeared at his side like a diamond-draped shadow. Tall, elegant, beautiful in an icy, untouchable way, she slipped her hand through her husband's arm possessively. Her eyes flicked to Elena, narrowing slightly as though cataloging a threat.

Adrian didn't flinch, but Elena felt the shift. The atmosphere tightened.

"Mrs. Knight," Elena murmured politely, stepping back. "Your gala is magnificent."

Cassandra's smile was sharp. "Yes, it is. Excuse us, won't you?"

And just like that, Elena was dismissed.

Adrian's gaze lingered for a fraction longer before he allowed Cassandra to pull him back into the crowd. The spell was broken, but the damage was done.

Elena's heart pounded as she turned away, needing air. She slipped through a side door into one of the quieter hallways of the estate. The music and chatter faded behind her, replaced by silence and the echo of her own heels clicking against marble.

What the hell just happened? she thought.

She shouldn't care. She didn't want to care. Yet the memory of his eyes burned into her, unsettling her in ways she didn't understand.

She reached the balcony at the end of the hall, leaning against the cool railing as she drew in a shaky breath. The city lights sprawled before her, dazzling and endless. For a moment, she let herself believe she was invisible again.

"Trying to escape already?"

Her heart leaped. She turned-and there he was. Adrian Knight, alone, his bowtie loosened, his eyes darker now, more dangerous.

Elena's throat went dry. "You shouldn't be here. With me."

"Maybe," he said softly, stepping closer, "but I couldn't stay away."

His words sank into her like forbidden fire. And in that charged silence, with the night wrapping around them, Elena knew with a terrifying certainty-whatever this was, it was only the beginning.

Continue Reading

You'll also like

The Ghost Wife's Billion Dollar Tech Comeback

The Ghost Wife's Billion Dollar Tech Comeback

Huo Wuer
5.0

Today is October 14th, my birthday. I returned to New York after months away, dragging my suitcase through the biting wind, but the VIP pickup zone where my husband’s Maybach usually idled was empty. When I finally let myself into our Upper East Side penthouse, I didn’t find a cake or a "welcome home" banner. Instead, I found my husband, Caden, kneeling on the floor, helping our five-year-old daughter wrap a massive gift for my half-sister, Adalynn. Caden didn’t even look up when I walked in; he was too busy laughing with the girl who had already stolen my father’s legacy and was now moving in on my family. "Auntie Addie is a million times better than Mommy," my daughter Elara chirped, clutching a plush toy Caden had once forbidden me from buying for her. "Mommy is mean," she whispered loudly, while Caden just smirked, calling me a "drill sergeant" before whisking her off to Adalynn’s party without a second glance. Later that night, I saw a video Adalynn posted online where my husband and child laughed while mocking my "sensitive" nature, treating me like an inconvenient ghost in my own home. I had spent five years researching nutrition for Elara’s health and managing every detail of Caden’s empire, only to be discarded the moment I wasn't in the room. How could the man who set his safe combination to my birthday completely forget I even existed? The realization didn't break me; it turned me into ice. I didn't scream or beg for an explanation. I simply walked into the study, pulled out the divorce papers I’d drafted months ago, and took a black marker to the terms. I crossed out the alimony, the mansion, and even the custody clause—if they wanted a life without me, I would give them exactly what they asked for. I left my four-carat diamond ring on the console table and walked out into the rain with nothing but a heavily encrypted hard drive. The submissive Mrs. Holloway was gone, and "Ghost," the most lethal architect in the tech world, was finally back online to take back everything they thought I’d forgotten.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book