THE CEO SECRET HEIR
The city glittered like spilled diamonds beneath the rooftop party lights, but Sophie barely noticed. Her heart raced, not from the music, but from the anticipation of breaking free from her mundane life, if only for one night. She hadn’t wanted to come, but her friends’ teasing had won. “Come on, live a little!” they said.
And live a little she did.
A drink in hand, she wandered through the crowd, laughing louder than she ever had in months. Her cheeks burned with excitement—and maybe the alcohol. Then she saw him.
Alexander Drake.
He was leaning against the railing, glass in hand, his dark eyes scanning the crowd like a predator. Sophie had heard of him—everyone had. The ruthless CEO who seemed untouchable, untamable, and entirely out of her world. Yet there was something magnetic about him tonight, something that made her heart skip.
He noticed her too, that much was clear. His gaze lingered longer than it should, and when he finally approached, Sophie felt a strange thrill.
“You look like you don’t belong here,” he said, his voice low, almost teasing.
“I don’t,” she admitted, her own voice shaky. “But sometimes it’s fun to pretend.”
And pretend they did. One drink became two, two became five, and before long, laughter and touches that should have been casual felt electric, forbidden. When his hand brushed hers, it was no longer accidental; it was deliberate. Her breath caught, and she knew she was powerless to stop the pull between them.
The city lights spun around her, her head dizzy from the alcohol and from him. “Come outside,” he said, and she followed, her heels clicking nervously on the terrace floor. The night air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of his cologne, intoxicating and dangerous.
One kiss.
Then another.
Every touch, every brush of skin, set her nerves ablaze. The world shrank until it was just them, two strangers lost in a reckless night neither could fully control. And in the blur of whispered laughter, stolen glances, and heated touches, one night of impulsive desire became unforgettable.
By sunrise, she woke in a stranger’s hotel room, alone, the sheets tangled around her and the faint smell of whiskey still lingering. Her head throbbed, and a quiet, gnawing fear settled in her chest. Something had changed. Something that neither time nor distance could erase.