Love in the Shadow of the Wolf

One Night With My Billionaire Boss

Nathaniel Stone

I woke up on silk sheets that smelled of expensive cedar and cold sandalwood, a world away from my cramped apartment in Brooklyn. Beside me lay Ezra Gardner-my boss, the billionaire CEO of Gardner Holdings, and the man who could end my career with a snap of his fingers. He didn't offer an apology for the night before; instead, he looked at me with terrifying clarity and proposed a cold, calculated business arrangement. "Marriage. It stabilizes the board and solves the PR crisis before it begins." He dressed me in archival Chanel and sent me home in his Maybach, but my life was already falling apart. My boyfriend, Irving, claimed he had passed out early, yet his location data placed him at my best friend's apartment until three in the morning. When I tried to run, I realized Ezra was already ten steps ahead, tracking my movements and uncovering the secret I'd spent twenty years hiding: my connection to the powerful Senator Grimes. I was trapped between a CEO who treated me like a line item on a quarterly report and a boyfriend who had been using me while sleeping with my closest friend. I felt like a pawn in a game I didn't understand, wondering why a man like Ezra would walk up forty flights of stairs on a broken leg just to make sure I was safe. "Showtime, Mrs. Gardner." Standing on the red carpet in a gown that cost more than my life, I watched my cheating ex-boyfriend's face turn pale as Ezra claimed me in front of the world. I wasn't just an assistant anymore; I was a weapon, and it was time to burn their world down.

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"Madison! Madison!" Aaron in tears kneeling as he held her in his arms.

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Hold up! That's not where we begin.

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Chapter One

New York City buzzed with pulsing life, tireless rhythm of noise and energy. The air carried the scent of rain blended with relentless ambition, one that Madison carter wasn't sure she could keep up with. But here she was, trying as she stood at the edge of her tiny balcony, her hands gripping the rusted railings as she gazed at the city.

She lifted up her face to the sky, letting the gentle drizzle of rain poured over her skin. The rain felt symbolic, like washing away of her past she was determined to leave behind. Her past wasn't a place she often visited, not if she could help it. There were many shades of black and darkness that stung like open wounds, and as if to punctuate the moment, her phone vibrated on the wooden table behind her, an immediate interruption from the calm she was trying to have. She sighed and stepped back into her studio apartment.

Her apartment was an evidence of survival, barely furnished, with a couch that served as both a bed and a silent witness to sleepless nights, a makeshift desk by the window, and a single pot on the stove, worn and scarred.

Madison swiped open her phone, A new message from Rachel, her boss at the gallery, lit up the screen.

"Remember your meeting with the donor tomorrow, its crucial. And for heaven's sake, wear something that screams professional. Make an impression!"

She groaned, tossing the phone onto her couch.

Rachel meant well, but she wasn't sure she could scream anything other than "walking catastrophe." She pressed her fingers to her head, longing to skip to the time when she felt grounded and settled. Maybe even happy. But happiness felt like a luxury she couldn't afford.

The gallery had been a way to rebuild in a city that didn't remind her of her past. It was a modest role, assisting with exhibits and managing donors, but it was hers. After years spent behind the domineering presence of her father, where every decision and choice had been dictated by him, she craved for freedom.

When she heard about the job opening in New York, she grabbed the opportunity desperate for something of her own. Her father was infuriated and his words were sharp.

"You think you can just run away and start afresh? What else do you need? New York will break you, and when it does you will be crawling back to a better life here."

His voice felt like a weapon with each passing syllable meant to wound.

"Madison, you are nothing without me. Nothing!"

His words still tarried in her mind, haunting her. But she wasn't going to let that define her. She was far from being the little girl who cowered beneath his harsh words. She clenched her fists at the memory, forcing herself to focus on here and now.

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"Morning, Maddie!" Rachel's voice reverberated as Madison walked into the gallery the following day. Her boss, a burst of enthusiasm, had her blonde hair swept into a messy bun that screamed effortless chic.

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