You’re too handsome to be alone,” my six-year-old daughter announced in the middle of the executive hallway, staring straight at the coldest billionaire in Manhattan. “I think you should be my daddy.” Every person around us froze, while I stood there absolutely certain my career had just ended.

The kiss was slow, deep, and intoxicating.

It was a explosion of two years of suppressed tension, professional restraint, and unspoken admiration. Adrian’s arms wrapped securely around my waist, pulling me tight against his solid chest, while my fingers tangled into the thick, dark hair at the back of his neck. He tasted like fine scotch and wild desire.

When he finally pulled back, both of us were breathing heavily. His thumb gently traced my swollen lower lip, his gray-blue eyes dark with emotion.

"I’ve wanted to do that since the day you won the Cartier rebranding contract," Adrian rasped softly, resting his forehead against mine.

I smiled, my heart racing with a joy I hadn't felt in years. "That was eighteen months ago."

"I have very good self-control," he murmured, kissing the corner of my mouth. "Except when it comes to you."

That night, for the first time in six years, I slept peacefully. Wrapped in the soft linens of the guest bed, knowing that security guards were downstairs and that Adrian Kane was just down the hall, the nightmares of Julian and debt collectors didn't touch me.

However, peace in Manhattan never lasts for long.

The next morning, the sun broke over the city in a blaze of gold. Adrian had arranged for a private nanny—a lovely, vetted woman named Sarah—to watch Mia at the penthouse so I could return to work.

At 9:00 AM, Adrian and I arrived at the Blackwell & Reed office building in his private car. Though we walked into the lobby separately to maintain professional appearances, the subtle glances and brushed fingers in the private elevator were electric.

Yet, as soon as I stepped onto the 14th floor of the executive wing, I felt a heavy, oppressive energy in the air.

Employees were whispering in small huddles. My assistant, Eleanor, was standing outside my office, looking pale and terrified.

"Claire!" Eleanor gasped, rushing up to me the moment I stepped off the carpet. "Oh thank God you're here. Something terrible happened."

My blood ran cold. "What is it? Is it about Mia?"

"No, no! Not Mia," Eleanor whispered frantically, pulling me into a side conference room. "It’s the board of directors. Someone leaked the entire confidential draft of the luxury campaign we were presenting to the Kane Global board today. It was posted on an anonymous tabloid site an hour ago!"

I gasped, gripping the edge of the conference table. "What? That’s impossible! Those files were encrypted on my private server!"

"There's more," Eleanor said, her voice shaking. "The leak included a signed document claiming that you embezzled two hundred thousand dollars from the creative budget to pay off personal debts."

My world shattered. I felt like the air had been kicked out of my lungs.

Julian.

He hadn't just tried to threaten me for money; when Adrian cut off his extortion path, Julian had retaliated by trying to destroy my entire career and reputation. He must have gained access to my old personal laptop during one of his break-ins at my apartment, forging documents to make it look like I had stolen from the firm.

Before I could react, the door to the conference room opened.

Two men in dark suits stepped inside, followed by Richard Vance—the ruthless, senior partner at Blackwell & Reed who had been competing with Adrian for control of the board for years.

"Claire Montgomery," Vance said coldly, a cruel, triumphant smile playing on his face. "Security is here to escort you off the premises. The board has called an emergency hearing, and you are under immediate investigation for corporate espionage and grand larceny."

"Richard, this is a setup!" I cried, standing my ground. "I didn't leak those files! And I certainly never embezzled a single cent!"

"The paper trail bears your signature, Claire," Vance sneered. "And given your... colorful personal life and sudden financial troubles, the board isn't taking chances. Turn over your keycard."

Tears of fury and humiliation threatened to spill from my eyes. Colleagues were watching through the glass walls of the conference room. Two years of blood, sweat, late nights, and perfectionism were being wiped away in five minutes.

"She won't be turning over anything, Richard."

A deep, thunderous voice cut through the room like a broadsword.

Every head turned. Adrian stood in the doorway, his tall frame blocking the entrance. He wore a crisp dark suit, his expression colder than absolute zero. The temperature in the room plummeted instantly.

"Adrian," Vance said, narrowing his eyes. "This is internal firm business. The evidence against Miss Montgomery is overwhelming—"

"The evidence is a cheap, forged fabrication," Adrian interrupted smoothly, stepping into the room. He walked right past Vance and stood directly in front of me, placing a firm, protective hand on my shoulder. His physical presence immediately anchored my shaking body.

"I have already had my private cybersecurity team trace the IP address of the leak," Adrian stated, pulling a thick folder of documents from his jacket and slamming it onto the glass table with a sharp crack. "The files were uploaded from an IP address registered to a computer inside your private office, Richard."

Vance’s face went completely white. "That's... that's a lie! That's absurd!"

"Julian Vance—your distant nephew, if I'm not mistaken—was paid fifty thousand dollars from your private offshore account yesterday morning," Adrian continued, his voice dropping into a lethal, terrifying register. "You used Claire’s deadbeat ex-fiancé to frame her, hoping to trigger a scandal that would force me off the board."