Under His Billionaire Roof
One childhood crush. One unbreakable rule. One mansion where every hallway feels like a trap.
For fifteen years, Leighton Hayes has loved Noah Knight from afar, the untouchable older brother of her best friend Chloe. Now twenty-three, broke, and freshly homeless, Leighton has nowhere to go but the sprawling estate of the man who once barely noticed her. Noah remembers her all too well. The billionaire who built an empire from nothing has spent the last six months trying to become a better man, and the shy girl in oversized hoodies who just moved into his guest wing is the most dangerous temptation he’s ever faced.
Chloe’s single rule was always clear: her friends are off-limits. Especially to Noah, the reformed Playboy who used to burn through supermodels and headlines. But late nights, shared secrets, and one stolen shirt ignite a fire neither of them can extinguish. What begins as whispered confessions and almost-kisses explodes into a secret affair neither wants to end, even as the lies stack higher.
When Chloe discovers the truth, the betrayal threatens to destroy the only family each of them has ever known. Leighton must decide if love is worth losing her best friend. Noah must prove he’s finally ready to risk everything for the one woman he swore he’d never touch.
Some rules are made to be broken.
Some hearts refuse to stay forbidden.
Baca
Chapter: Chapter 66: The MoveThe moving truck arrived at eight. Leighton stood in Noah's driveway clutching coffee. Watching three men unload boxes marked in her handwriting."This is really happening," she said.Noah wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Having second thoughts?""No. Just processing." She sipped her coffee. "My entire life fits in one truck.""Our life. Everything in that truck is ours now."Marcus pulled up. Chloe in the passenger seat. They climbed out carrying bags from the bakery."Sustenance," Chloe announced. "You can't move on an empty stomach."They spread croissants and muffins on the kitchen counter. Ate standing up. The movers worked around them. Boxes stacking up in the living room. Furniture wrapped in blankets."Where do you want the blue couch?" one mover asked.Leighton looked at Noah. "The den?""Perfect."Chloe grabbed a box marked Kitchen. "I'll start unpacking. You two supervise.""I can help.""You're emotionally compromised. Let me handle the dishes."Marcus carried boxes u
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-17
Chapter: Chapter 65: Moving In DiscussionNoah stood at Leighton's kitchen window. Hands in his pockets. Staring at the brick wall across the alley. He'd been quiet since they got back from dinner."What's wrong?" she asked."This place." He turned. Gestured around her apartment. "It's too small. Too far from me.""It's not that far. Two hours.""Two hours too far." He crossed to where she sat on the couch. "I hate leaving you here. Hate driving away knowing you're alone in this shoebox.""It's not a shoebox.""It's six hundred square feet. That's literally a box." He sat beside her. Took her hand. "I want you with me. Every night. Not just weekends or when it's convenient."Her heart started pounding. "Noah.""Move in with me." The words rushed out. "I'm asking. Officially. Move into my house. Make it ours."She stared at him. Mouth open. Brain trying to catch up. "That's fast.""I know.""We've only been back together a few months.""I know that too." He squeezed her hand. "But I also know I love you. That I want this. Want
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-17
Chapter: Chapter 64: Leighton's FatherThe call came during lunch. Unknown number. Leighton almost didn't answer."Hello?""Leighton? It's Dad."The fork slipped from her hand. Clattered against her plate. The world tilted."Leighton? You there?"She couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. Eighteen years of silence and now this. His voice. Older. Rougher. But unmistakably him."I saw your promotion online. Meridian Architecture. That's impressive. I wanted to reach out. See if maybe we could talk."Her throat closed. "I have to go."She hung up. Stared at her phone. It rang again. Same number. She declined. It rang again.She turned it off. Set it on her desk. Pressed her palms against her eyes.By the time Noah found her, she was crying. Silent tears streaming down her face. He knelt beside her chair. Took her hands."What happened?""My father called." Her voice cracked. "After eighteen years. He just called."Noah's jaw clenched. "What did he want?""To talk. To reconnect." She laughed. Bitter. "Like he has any right."He pul
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-16
Chapter: Chapter 63: Meeting Noah's MomNoah's hands gripped the steering wheel too tight. His knuckles white. They'd been driving for twenty minutes and he hadn't said a word."You okay?" Leighton asked."Fine.""You're not fine. You've been quiet since we left."He glanced at her. Back to the road. "My mom can be... a lot. I just want you to be prepared.""You've told me. Multiple times." She reached over. Covered his hand with hers. "It's not like this is the first I'm meeting her.""She's not always lucid. Some days are better than others." His jaw clenched. "And she asks inappropriate questions. About money. About Marcus. About my dad.""Then I'll redirect. Change the subject. It'll be fine.""You don't know that.""Neither do you." She squeezed his hand. "Stop catastrophizing. I'm meeting your mom. Not going to war."He pulled onto a tree-lined street. Modest houses. Well-kept lawns. He parked in front of a small ranch. Beige siding. Red door. Flowers in the window boxes."You bought her this house?""After I made my
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-16
Chapter: Chapter 62: Coming HomeShe saw him before he saw her. Noah walked through the airport terminal looking exhausted. Suit wrinkled. Tie loosened. Carry-on dragging behind him. He scanned the crowd. Eyes searching. Then he found her. Everything stopped. The noise. The movement. The world narrowed to just him walking toward her. Faster. Then running. He dropped his bag. Didn't care that it fell. Pulled her into his arms. Lifted her off the ground. "God, I missed you." His face buried in her neck. His grip almost painful. "I missed you more." She wrapped her legs around his waist. Held on tight. He kissed her. Hard. Desperate. Like he'd been drowning and she was air. His hands tangled in her hair. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Neither caring about the people staring. When they broke apart, both breathless, he pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you." "I love you too." She kissed him again. Softer. "Let's go home." They made it to the parking garage. Barely. He pushed her against the car. Kissed
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-15
Chapter: Chapter 61: The "I Love You"Her phone rang at 1:43 AM.Leighton fumbled for it in the dark. Eyes barely open. The screen too bright. Noah's name glowing."Hello?" Her voice was thick with sleep."I couldn't sleep. I needed to tell you something."She sat up. Heart suddenly pounding. "What's wrong? Are you okay?""Nothing's wrong." He sounded breathless. Urgent. "I just realized I've only said it few times. Not properly. Not when it counts.""Said what?" She rubbed her eyes. Tried to wake up faster.Silence. She could hear him breathing. Could picture him pacing some hotel room halfway across the world."Noah?""I love you, Leighton." The words rushed out. "I'm in love with you.She was fully awake now. Her chest tight. Tears already building."I need you to know," he continued. "Not just that I love you. But that you're it for me. There's no version of my future that doesn't have you in it. And being here, away from you, made me realize I can't keep assuming you know. I need to say it. Every day. Until you belie
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-14
The Holidate Pact
SLOANE HOLBROOK is a thirty-five-year-old copywriter whose only commitment is to sarcasm, but every major holiday turns her into a single, pitiful spectacle for her judgmental family.
Her solution? JACKSON, a charming, commitment-phobic Australian golf coach who needs a distraction just as badly as she does. They forge the "Holidate Pact" a year-long contract to be each other’s flawless, platonic plus-ones for every major event, with one rigid rule: zero feelings.
But when a New Year's Eve kiss designed for public consumption feels startlingly real, Sloane and Jackson realize surviving the holiday calendar is easy; surviving the relentless, rule-breaking, undeniable attraction might be impossible.
They signed up for a cynical transaction, but what happens when their fake relationship becomes the most honest thing in their lives?
Baca
Chapter: CHAPTER 36: Two Weeks of SilenceSLOANE**Week One**Monday. I opened my laptop at 7 AM and didn't close it until midnight. The Morningside campaign was officially greenlit. Six figures. Six months of guaranteed work. Career defining.I should've celebrated. Opened champagne. Called Maya. Done something.Instead I made more coffee. Started on the next phase. Let work swallow everything else.Tuesday my phone rang. Maya. I let it go to voicemail.MAYA: Call me back. I know you're avoiding me. It's not healthy.I deleted the message. Kept working.Wednesday my mother started texting.MOM: Easter menu planning! Does Jackson like ham or lamb?ME: Either.MOM: Which does he prefer though?ME: Ask him.MOM: Sloane. Are you okay?ME: Fine. Busy with work.Thursday night I couldn't sleep. Got up at 2 AM. Went to my dresser. Opened the top drawer.The watch box sat there. Silver. Small. Accusing.I opened it. The watch caught the streetlight from my window. Beautiful. Perfect. A promise that felt broken.I touched it once. Cl
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 35: The Sunday That Changes EverythingJACKSONMy apartment looked like a gym exploded. Resistance bands draped over the couch. Weights stacked by the TV. Ice packs melting in the sink. Meal prep containers covering every surface.I'd been living like I was 22 again. Training 12 hours a day. Protein shakes for breakfast. Golf simulator until my hands blistered. Physical therapy. Strength training. Sleep. Repeat.Singular focus. That's what Mitchell said I needed.No distractions.Sloane was coming at 2. I looked at the clock. 1:30. Looked at my apartment. Swore.I threw resistance bands into the closet. Stacked weights in the corner. Shoved meal prep into the fridge. The place still looked like a disaster but at least you could see the furniture.Shower next. Hot water on sore muscles. My shoulder still ached but it was functional. Getting stronger every day.I stared at myself in the mirror after. Three weeks of this training had carved me lean. Hollow under the eyes. My face looked sharper. Harder.Like someone I didn't
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-05
Chapter: CHAPTER 34: Easter ApproachesSLOANEMy phone rang at 7:00 AM on a Saturday. My mother's name flashed on the screen.I considered not answering. Rolled over. Stared at the ceiling.It rang again."Hi, Mom.""Sloane! Finally! I've been trying to reach you all week."I'd been ignoring her calls. "Sorry. Work's been crazy.""I know, sweetheart. Peter told me about Morningside. Congratulations!" She barely paused for breath. "But we need to talk about Easter. It's in two weeks and I haven't heard from you about the menu or the guest list or..."My stomach dropped. Easter. Two weeks."Mom, I...""I've invited Patricia! Jackson's mother! She's so excited. And I thought we could invite some of Jackson's friends too. Dean, right? The one he's always talking about? And maybe...""Mom, slow down.""I'm just so happy, honey. Both families together. It's going to be wonderful!" She took a breath. Finally. "What time will you and Jackson arrive? I'm thinking noon for appetizers. Dinner at three. Then dessert and..."The list c
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-31
Chapter: CHAPTER 33: The Morningside PitchSLOANEI stood in the bathroom, staring at my phone.The pitch started in twenty minutes. The biggest of my career. Six months of work. My portfolio spread across the conference table. Client flying in from New York.And Jackson's text glowed on my screen.JACKSON: So sorry. Mitchell scheduled emergency training session. You'll crush it. Call me after.The message came in twenty minutes ago. While I was running through my presentation one last time.Emergency training session.On a Thursday morning.The morning he'd known about for three weeks.My hands shook. I gripped the phone tighter.The bathroom door opened. Heels clicked on tile."Sloane?" Maya's voice. "You in here?""Yeah.""You okay? Client just arrived."I unlocked the bathroom. Stepped out. Maya took one look at my face."What happened?""Jackson's not coming."Her expression hardened. "Why not?""Training. Emergency session.""On pitch day.""He forgot. Or Mitchell scheduled it. I don't know."Maya's jaw clenched. "Is it
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-30
Chapter: CHAPTER 32: Training BeginsJACKSONThe alarm screamed at 4:45 AM. I slapped it silent. Rolled out of bed in the dark.My body ached. Shoulders tight. Back stiff. Seven days of this and I still wasn't used to it.The apartment was freezing. I pulled on layers. Sweatpants. Hoodie. Beanie. Chicago in late March didn't care about training schedules.Coffee. Black. Scalding. I drank it standing at the counter.My phone showed three texts from Sloane. All from last night. All unanswered.10:47 PM: How was today?11:23 PM: You probably crashed. Sleep well.11:58 PM: Miss you.I'd fallen asleep at 9:30. Didn't even hear my phone.I typed:* Sorry. Exhausted. Talk later?*Sent it. Grabbed my keys. Out the door by 5:15.The range was empty when I arrived. Just me and the floodlights and rows of balls waiting.Mitchell showed up at 5:30. Watched me hit for an hour. Said nothing. Wrote notes on his clipboard."Tempo's off," he finally said. "You're rushing the downswing.""I'm not...""Yes. You are. Again."I hit fifty more
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-30
Chapter: CHAPTER 31: The Impossible ChoiceSLOANEI went back to Jackson's apartment at three. Told myself I was being supportive. Mature. The kind of person who celebrates other people's dreams.I was lying.My hands shook on the steering wheel the whole drive. I parked. Sat in my car for five minutes. Breathed.His building looked the same. Gray stone. Green awning. The coffee shop on the corner where we'd had breakfast once.Everything normal. Everything different.I knocked. He opened immediately. Like he'd been waiting by the door."Hey.""Hey."We stood there. The hallway smelled like someone's dinner. Garlic and onions. My stomach turned."Come in."His apartment was clean. Too clean. Like he'd stress-cleaned while waiting.The contract sat on the coffee table. White pages. Black ink. My competition.I didn't sit. "Tell me everything."He did. The sponsor. The money. Six months of travel. Texas first. Then Arizona, Florida, California. Tournament after tournament. Training between. No breaks. No downtime."It's only six
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-29
Masuk
