The Billionaire’s accidental muse
“You took a photo of me without my permission.”
“Then why do you look like you want to be seen?”
Elliot Marlowe is a struggling photographer living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny New York apartment. One accidental photo in Central Park changes everything—a haunting shot of a mysterious, brooding man who turns out to be none other than Damien Whitlock, the untouchable billionaire tech mogul with a reputation as cold as his fortune.
Instead of suing, Damien makes Elliot an offer: become his personal photographer. It's the beginning of a dangerous game—one filled with stolen glances, unspoken truths, and a fake relationship meant to protect Damien’s public image. But behind Damien’s icy exterior lies an artist scarred by betrayal, and behind Elliot’s lens is a man desperate to feel seen for the first time.
As the line between performance and passion begins to blur, secrets unravel. A fake kiss becomes real. A lie about love becomes a truth too big to silence. And when heartbreak and ambition threaten to tear them apart, both must choose between fear and vulnerability, between survival and surrender.
In a world where image is everything, can two men find the courage to be each other’s truth?
Or will the picture-perfect illusion destroy them both?
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Chapter: Kissed Like a Mistake, Felt Like a MemoryElliott’s POVI wasn’t supposed to feel this way.Not over one kiss. Not over a job that wasn’t real. And definitely not over a man like Damien Whitlock. But my body hadn’t gotten the memo.Two days had passed since the gala. Since the kiss. Since Celeste disappeared from the ballroom without a word, like her fury had burned out in silence. And me? I hadn’t spoken to Damien since. Not beyond polite greetings. Not beyond fake smiles and business-like nods. We moved like strangers who remembered too much, each word clipped, each glance loaded with unspoken things neither of us wanted to name.I needed to get out.The walls of the penthouse felt tighter every hour. The luxurious room Damien insisted I stay in no longer felt generous—it felt like a cage. Not because it wasn’t comfortable, but because it was starting to feel... too much like home. The soft sheets, the perfect view of the city, the way my toothbrush sat next to his—it all whispered different thoughts. Familiarity. Dange
Last Updated: 2025-06-20
Chapter: This wasn’t in the ContractElliott’s POVI didn’t sleep that night. After Damien’s offer—no, his proposal…I tossed in bed with the weight of it crushing me from all sides. I couldn’t get it out of my head. The way he said it, like it was a simple business deal, like it wasn’t going to change everything for me. But it would. My body kept replaying that moment in the studio. The way his fingers had brushed my skin, the intensity in his eyes like I was something more than just a name on his payroll. We almost kissed. In a way that was too close.Too Intimate. Too terrifying.And then, like a slap to reality, his phone rang. Celeste. His ex-fiancée. The name alone was a wake-up call. He wasn’t asking me to be his friend. Or his lover. He was asking me to fill a role—a fake boyfriend. One that would distract the press, shield his reputation, and calm the boardroom storms that brewed around rumors. Because those rumors weren’t just whispers anymore. They were headlines. Damien Whitlock, the billionaire bachelor wh
Last Updated: 2025-06-20
Chapter: Close enough to BurnElliott’s POVHe caught me. I knew he would.I didn’t even have time to shut the door before he walked in. One second I was frozen in front of that painting, and the next, Damien stepped inside like he already knew someone was snooping around.His eyes met mine—not angry, but unreadable. There was something deep in them. Something heavy. Something like a secret held too long. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. I couldn’t breathe. The air felt thick and too still. “You weren’t supposed to be here. And yet… here you are,” he said, voice low—not sharp, not kind either.“I— I’m sorry,” I stammered, glancing nervously at the painting that looked like me, then back at him. “I was just... looking for the light. The sunset from this angle looked beautiful and—”He raised a hand, silencing me. “You found more than light,” he murmured. I swallowed. “Who painted them?” I asked. He walked past me, stopping in front of the unfinished portrait that looked so much like me.“I did,” he finally
Last Updated: 2025-06-20
Chapter: His eyes, My faceElliottThe place was quiet. Not the eerie kind of silence, but the sort that makes you pause, glance behind you, and wonder what secrets hide in stillness.I stood by the window, watching the trees outside sway like dancers moving to music only they could hear. It had been three days since I agreed to Damien’s proposal. Though one major reason I accepted was to invest in the rumor people had gathered against him. Maybe he was never what he was assumed to be.So it was three days of polished floors, soft-footed maids, and silent men in tailored suits who barely acknowledged me. Three days of learning that, no matter how many people worked here, Damien himself remained a puzzle I couldn’t stop studying. He wasn’t cold, not exactly. Polite, always. Controlled. Like everything he said had been pre-approved. Like nothing about him was unintentional. But that was totally different from how he treats others. He was known so well for his ruthless face. No smile. Just eye contact. He har
Last Updated: 2025-06-20
Chapter: The Click that Changed Everything ElliottThe thing about being a photographer is that you’re not just capturing moments.You’re hiding behind them. Letting everyone else shine while you become invisible.It’s why I chose this job. People don’t look at photographers.They look at the people we choose to capture. We’re shadows with lenses. Observers, not participants. The world doesn’t expect anything from us but silence and snapshots—and that’s exactly how I like it.Tonight, I stood in the shadows, my camera in hand, waiting for the next piece of theatre to unfold.The red carpet glittered with ego and elegance. Plastic smiles. Publicists who acted like gods. Maybe they were. Flashbulbs burst like fireworks. Reporters screeched like hyenas. Yet I felt utterly still. Detached. This was my element.And when it happened… it was everything I expected—and nothing I wanted.A sleek black SUV purred to a halt at the curb. The sound wasn’t loud, but the ripple it caused was instant.The crowd tensed. The air thickened. Convers
Last Updated: 2025-06-20
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