The Billionaire’s Masked Obsession
One woman. Three names. A thousand lies.
Corinne Sterling thought her secret was airtight. Teaching paid the bills but stripping paid the debts—that was the price of a corporate betrayal that ruined her name and stole her future. Her mask was supposed to keep her safe, until she caught the eye of the one man who has the power to ruin her.
Lucian Delacroix is a powerful widower, a devoted father to twin boys and a man who doesn’t believe in coincidences. When he recognizes the eyes behind the glasses of his son’s teacher as the masked dancer that nearly upturned his world, his curiosity turns into a dangerous obsession.
Instead of exposing her, he claims her.
Instead of destroying her, he offers her a lifeline: his name, his protection and a wedding ring.
It was supposed to be a cold business arrangement, they were supposed to be skeptical allies. But as they dig into a conspiracy of fraud and murder that tied their lives together long before they met, the lines of their fake marriage begin to blur.
And in this dangerous game of desire and deception, the price of love might be more than either is prepared to pay.
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Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY SEVENLUCIAN“Is she on her way?”Isaac didn’t even bother to look up from the file in his hands when he asked, and that’s because he had already said the same thing twice in the last ten minutes.I checked my watch anyway, more to keep my temper in check than for the time.“This is the third time you’re asking,” I said, fighting the sudden urge to throw my pen at his head. “And I already told you. She’ll be here by noon.”I angled my wrist toward him. “We still have thirty-five minutes.”He exhaled loudly then began tapping the edge of the document against the desk like he was trying to shake answers out of it.Corrine and I had spent most of last night locked in the library, going through every possible angle. Every move Nathan could make and every weakness we could exploit, and Christ... the whole time, my head was spinning as I found myself watching her more than the papers.Seeing the way her brilliant mind worked—how she could spot a diverted fund and errors before I even finished the
Last Updated: 2026-05-08
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY SIXLUCIANI’m so red with furiousness that even my skin felt too tight for my body. Heat climbed up my neck, settled behind my eyes and stayed there as my hands curled into fists with the violent urge to pummel something into the dirt.If I could get my hands on that scumbag right now, I wouldn’t just hurt him—I’d likely end him.How can a man be that vile? To Corinne, of all people.Sure, she’s a handful and quite stubborn, and God knows she has a mouth on her that could start a war, but that’s the heart of her charm. That’s the part of her that pulls you in before you even realize it.It doesn’t give anyone the right to hurt her.“He really threatened you with all that?” I asked, my low voice coming out like a cracks of a thunderstorm.She’s sipping her tea and trying her best to look unbothered but she wasn’t fooling me. Her shoulders were hunched and her small frame was curled inward as if she’s trying to find a way to disappear into the bean bag.She finally caught my eyes and force
Last Updated: 2026-05-06
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVECORINNE“Nathan and I met at a company event while I was still at Hargrove Financials,” I began shakily. “I was twenty-four, ambitious and had the big names in the industry seeking me out.”I stared into my tea, letting the steam dampen my face. “I’ve always been the type to keep my head down. I didn’t care to entertain people, I had no time for friendships or distractions. It was just me, myself and more work so I still don’t know how I let him in.”I let out a snort. “Actually, that’s a lie. I know exactly how. That night, we ended up stuck in the same corner and he made me feel like we were the only two sane people in a room full of pretentious assholes, we bonded over how much we hated the industry.”Lucian bristled but he didn’t say anything. I glanced up at him briefly before looking away again.“Nathan was… charming. Effortlessly so. The kind of man who can make you feel like you are the only person in the room when he speaks to you, he listens and pays attention. We liked the
Last Updated: 2026-05-05
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY FOURCORINNE“If we’re working together to get Nathan, what’s the plan?”If the question caught him off guard, he didn’t let it show. He just stood up with that slow, antagonizing ease that always made my skin prickle. His hands—with the wrecked one suddenly stripped of its bandages—slid into his pockets as he rounded the desk and stopped with several steps between us. He studied me intently like I was a problem he was trying to solve.“I already have something in mind,” he started. “But we’re not moving forward until we deal with the main issue here.”I feigned ignorance. “Which is?”“Your history with Nathan Caldwell.” He took two more steps closer, invading my personal space until I could smell the faint, sharp scent of his cologne. “If we’re going to work together then I need to know exactly what he’s holding over you. I’m not walking into this blind, Corinne.”I crossed my arms. “You’re assuming there’s something to know.”“I’m not assuming anything,” he replied. “I’m stating a fact.
Last Updated: 2026-05-03
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY THREECORINNELyra Flynn.The name hang in the air like a curse. It’s been so long since I’d heard those syllables spoken aloud that for a second, I didn’t even recognize them as my own.Of all days…My heart hammered against my ribs, but I quickly schooled my expression and let out a forced sound that should’ve been a laughter. “What are you even talking about right now?”Lucian dragged a hand across his mouth, like he was holding himself back from saying too much. “Corinne, please—”I pushed to my feet before he could finish. “I don’t know who that is. And clearly I’m not the one you should be having this conversation with, so—”The sound of a folder hitting the desk stopped me in my tracks.“I know who you are, Corinne,” he said, and there was something different in his voice this time. Not anger. Not even accusation. Just… certainty and exhaustion. “I’ve known for a while. Let’s stop dancing around this, please.”My hands shook as I reached for the folder.I opened it to find an encyclo
Last Updated: 2026-05-02
Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTY TWOLUCIANInstead of heading home like I said I would, I dismissed my driver at a stoplight, took the wheel myself and drove aimlessly through the city grid until I slowed to a stop in front of a house I hadn’t planned to come to.My parents’.I shouldn’t even be here, not when I’m still unable to get my thoughts straight. I shifted slightly, already thinking of reversing out before anyone noticed, when the front door swung open.Mom stepped out, eyes instantly finding my car. I let out a breath and killed the engine before stepping out of the car.“Well, look at this,” she gasped, pressing a dramatic hand to her chest as she descended the steps. “If it isn’t one of the children I birthed.”Despite the despair crushing me, my lips tilted into a faint smile as I met her halfway. “We’ve been over this, Mom. I’m the only organism you pushed out.”“The misfortune of it all,” she clicked her tongue. “Bless my poor, lonely little soul.”A quiet laugh escaped me as I closed the distance between
Last Updated: 2026-05-01
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