One Week to be Loved by a Billionaire
He was supposed to be her fake fiancé for one snowy Christmas week. He turned out to be the billionaire judge who could make or break her dreams.
Desperate to save her failing small town bakery, Elodie Voss enters the Hart Holiday Bake-off, a nationally televised competition with a $500,000 grand prize. There’s only one problem, it’s time for her family’s yearly Christmas retreat and they are determined to find someone for her to marry.
Solution? Hire her grumpy, very hot neighbour Cassian Hart as a pretend fiancé to keep them off her back. Cassian agrees instantly, anything to escape his own family’s matchmaking. What Elodie doesn’t know, Cassian isn't just rich. He’s the reserved heir to the Hart Estate of Cuisines empire-the secret major sponsor and final judge of the very contest she’s competing to win.
When Elodie's vicious step-sister uncovers the truth and threatens to expose them on live television, one fake relationship becomes terrifyingly real.
This Christmas the sweetest prize isn’t the trophy. It's deciding whether to trust the man who could ruin her…or the heart he’s determined to win.
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Chapter: Chapter 5~The Change Of HeartCassian’s POVThe door slam echoes in my apartment long after she’s gone.I lean against it, eyes closed, her words replaying like a bad dream. “Please. One week. I’ll do anything.” Her voice was raw, breaking on the edges. Her eyes were desperate, shining with tears she wouldn’t let fall. I’ve seen that look before. On my mother’s face the day she left. But Elodie Voss isn’t my mother. She’s just a neighbour. A baker. A woman with a bakery that's failing.I push off the door and walk to the kitchen. The apartment is silent. Too silent. I moved to Snowhaven two months ago to escape exactly this, the family pressure, the endless board meetings, the arranged dates my father kept setting up. “You need an heir, Cassian. The Hart empire won’t run itself.” I came here for a break. For quiet. Not for her.But her bakery treats have become my only comfort. Every morning, I look forward to ordering through her app. Something that feels like a home I never had. I run a hand through my hair.My
Last Updated: 2026-01-22
Chapter: Chapter 4~ Fake It or Go InsaneElodie’s POVThe words land like ice water. A cold, sharp pain pierced my chest, making it impossible to take a full breathI blink. “You… what?” The waiter brings in the food. They’d ordered before I arrived. When I look at the food I lose the little appetite left from the news they dumped on me. So this was the important thing my mother had to discuss.“He’s a good man,” my father says, not looking at me. “Stable. Reliable. You’re not getting any younger, Elodie. It’s time to settle down.” “Father, I have important things to settle before I think of marriage and also to Luca. How can you agree with this dad?” He looks at me startled i called him dad. Since the year after Selena joined our family, I stopped calling him Dad always Father. Tears burn my throat. I pick at my fingers under the table.“You know what i went through with luca, i know you don't care what happens with me but there is a reason he is my ex-boyfriend, what were you all thinking” my father doesn't say a word and
Last Updated: 2026-01-22
Chapter: Chapter 3~The Dinner AmbushElodie’s POVThe screen glows brighter than it should in the dark office. €500,000. This Christmas. The words blur for a second, then snap back sharply. Hart Holiday Bake-Off. National television. Live finale on Christmas Eve. Open entry for passionate bakers. Winner takes the prize and a lifetime partnership with Hart Culinary House.My thumb hovers over the “Apply Now” button.I sit up so fast the cot creaks. Heart hammering. This can’t be a coincidence. Not today. Not after the red notice. Not after Mama Vee walked out and took half the town with her. €500,000 would wipe the debt clean. It would help with the bank, restock everything, prove to everyone, including myself, that I’m not the failure they all think I am.I tap the button before I can talk myself out of it.The form loads. They ask for my name, age, bakery name, a short bio, why I deserve to compete and to upload a photo of my best creation.My fingers fly. Filling the form in one breath.I attach a photo of my Kaisers
Last Updated: 2026-01-22
Chapter: Chapter 2~ The Last SparkElodie’s POVThe red notice trembles in my hand like it’s alive. I fold it once, twice, until it’s small enough to shove into the drawer with the others. My fingers won’t stop shaking. I stare at the closed drawer as if it might disappear if I look away long enough.The bakery is silent now. Just the hum of the fridge in the back and the faint drip from the sink I never fixed. I should clean up, lock up, and go home. Instead, I sit there, numb, counting how many days are left until Christmas Eve turns into Christmas morning and everything my grandmother built gets taken.Twenty-one days.I press my palms to my eyes until spots dance behind my lids. Twenty-four days to find almost two hundred thousand euros. Twenty-four days to fix the allergy mess that just cost me my most loyal customer and probably half the town. Twenty-four days to prove I’m not the failure everyone already thinks I am.A soft knock on the office door makes me jump.“Elodie?” Mara’s voice is careful, like she’s tes
Last Updated: 2026-01-22
Chapter: Chapter 1~The Last StrawElodie’s POV“Ellie, a customer is asking for you.” Mara poked her head through the kitchen door.Another complaint. Another customer I couldn’t afford to lose.My hands stiffened. The dough stuck to my fingers like glue as I paused the next batch of meat rolls. I raised my head to look at Mara.“Did the customer say why?”“No, just that she wants to see you, and before you ask, her face is neutral, so I couldn’t get a read on her emotions.” Mara leaves the kitchen, and I am left alone with my mind running on the number of possibilities about why this customer could be asking for me.A lot of customers have been complaining lately, and it’s draining me mentally. I used to get excited every day to bake and make people feel happy with every bite, but lately, I don’t look forward to opening anymore.I remove my apron, wash my hands, take a deep breath and walk to the counter, hoping it’s not another complaint. I put on my customer smile.“Hello, you asked for— Mama Vee? It’s you. Is ever
Last Updated: 2026-01-22
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