Nora and Her Unexpected Billionaire
[Slow Burn • Forced Proximity • Grumpy x Sunshine • Billionaire Mystery] She went to Thailand to find her past. She didn't expect to crash into an arrogant billionaire who holds the keys to all her secrets.Adopted as a baby, Nora Ellison’s world shatters when her grandmother leaves behind a mysterious tin box containing a photograph from Chiang Mai, 1998. Desperate for answers, she flies across the world, only to immediately end up stranded on a deserted road in a soaked sundress with nowhere to go. Enter Arlo Reeves: arrogant, sarcastic, impossibly handsome. Nora is convinced she hates him, but when forced proximity keeps pushing them together, the slow-burning tension between them becomes impossible to ignore. What Nora doesn’t know is that Arlo was sent to Chiang Mai specifically to watch the cottage she is renting. The secret buried inside those walls is the exact truth she is looking for. But the closer Nora gets to Arlo and the truth, the more dangerous her investigation becomes. Someone in Chiang Mai knows exactly who she is—and they will do anything to make sure she stays forgotten.
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Chapter: First nightArlo carried her through the threshold, kicking the door shut behind them. He reached down, his fingers finishing the unzipping of her dress with one smooth stroke. The Valentino silk slid down her legs, falling into a dark heap on the floorboards. Arlo stood up for a brief second, stripping off his shirt and trousers until they were both semi-naked in the quiet dark.He reached beneath her back, his fingers carefully unbuckling the clasp of her bra as he lay her gently on the bed. When it fell away, Arlo paused, his eyes consuming her under the faint night light. He leaned down, his lips kissing her all over, slowly savoring every single inch of her skin as he moved down her neck, past her collarbones, all the way to the smooth slope of her stomach.When his hand reached the edge of her panties, he slowly used his teeth to catch the satin fabric, pulling it down her thighs until she was entirely bare beneath him. He slid his palm up the inside of her thigh, his fingers gently brush
Last Updated: 2026-09-10
Chapter: Good BoyArlo took the car keys from his personal driver’s hand, opening the door and letting Nora in. “Where are we going?” she asked quietly. “Away from here,” Arlo muttered. “That’s more than enough family time for today.”He started the engine and tore away from the event. The car moved swiftly through the evening traffic. When they finally reached a long red stoplight, Arlo turned his head. “Did Eleanor say something to you?” he asked, staring at her. “What do you mean?” Without answering, Arlo reached across and lifted her hands. Nora’s gaze followed his, and the sight made her breath hitch. “Oh,” Nora whispered, looking away as embarrassment washed over her. “It’s... it’s just a bad habit I do. You shouldn't worry about it. I'll take care of it when I get home.” Arlo didn't push her for answers. The light turned green, and he shifted the car back into gear. “She said you have not gotten over Skylar,” Nora finally murmured. “And I'm just a plaything to you. A way to pass the tim
Last Updated: 2026-09-09
Chapter: SkylarArlo's hand remained against his mouth for a moment after Nora's question.“Who’s Skylar?”He looked at her, then at the faint smear of lipstick that had transferred onto his skin. With a frustrated exhale, he rubbed at it with his thumb, only managing to blur what remained.She pulled out a small, clean handkerchief and handed it straight to him so he could clean it off properly.Arlo looked at it before taking it from her.“Thank you.”He carefully wiped his mouth, making sure he removed every trace of the lipstick before folding the handkerchief loosely in his hand.“Skylar…” He paused, his gaze returning to Nora. “Skylar is my ex.”Nora nodded slowly, keeping her hands in her lap. “Okay. I'm aware.” She didn't break eye contact for a single second.“We broke up three years ago,” Arlo added, tossing the handkerchief down.“What mistake was Eleanor talking about?” Nora asked, her voice dropping into a quiet tone.Arlo stood up from the stone bench, taking a long, deep breath. He ran
Last Updated: 2026-09-08
Chapter: An Uninvited GuestArlo's reaction was immediate.Whatever surprise had frozen him for that first fraction of a second disappeared the moment he realized whose mouth was against his. His hands came up between them, pushing her away with enough force to break her hold completely.“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” he hissed.The sharpness of his voice carried across the garden.Conversations dissolved almost instantly. Guests who had been laughing moments before now stood frozen with their glasses in hand, their attention fixed on the pair near the bar. Even the string quartet seemed to fade into the background beneath the uncomfortable silence that followed.Ben looked as though he had just witnessed a car crash.“Oh my God. It is Skylar,” he said.“Who is Skylar?” Nora asked, now noticing that the woman wasn't a stranger.Ben's expression changed immediately. Whatever amusement he had enjoyed throughout the evening disappeared.“Oh.” He glanced toward Arlo, then back at Nora. “It’s Arlo’s
Last Updated: 2026-09-08
Chapter: Grad partyTwo days passed in a quiet blur of settling back in. Nora unpacked into her old apartment. Everything was exactly where she'd left it. Arlo had gone straight to his parents' house the moment their flight landed, and aside from a few calls and a stream of texts that ranged from mundane to embarrassingly sentimental, she hadn't seen him at all.On the second day, she had her hair looked at. Her roots had grown out over the weeks in Thailand, and instead of the dark brown she'd been dyeing it for years, what came through underneath was a warm reddish brown that the stylist insisted on blending rather than covering."It suits you," the stylist said, turning the chair so Nora could see. "You should let it grow out."Nora studied herself for a long moment, tilting her head before deciding she agreed.The dress arrived that afternoon—a custom Valentino, a deep olive green that made her skin pop, paired with a set of pearl accessories understated enough not to compete with it.By the time the
Last Updated: 2026-09-07
Chapter: Leaving ThailandA week later, the humid afternoon air moved softly over the estate grounds. Arlo had completely recovered from his illness, and Nora had slowly begun packing her things into her suitcases.They were walking along the manicured gravel pathways together, with Lilly trotting idly beside Nora's ankles while Arlo's large guard dogs ran ahead through the grass. The sun was warm, filtering through the tropical canopy.“I've decided,” Nora said softly, looking out at the mountains. “There's really no need for me to return to Thailand after we go back to the States. Once I leave for New York, I'm staying there.”Arlo looked at her.“Are you sure?”Nora nodded.“What about the reason you came here?” he asked, slowing his pace.“I've decided to leave it behind.” Nora sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly.Arlo remained quiet.Nora kicked a small stone out of the path.“It's sad. I don't like leaving things unfinished, especially when I came here because I wanted answers. But…”She exhaled.“I
Last Updated: 2026-09-07
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