PROLOGUE

ROMANCING MR. CEO

She came to steal his heart. He might just steal hers first.

To the world, Elise is nothing more than an ordinary fresh graduate returning from the States, ready to begin her career. But beneath her innocent façade lies a brilliant mind, an iron will, and a carefully guarded secret. She is the heiress to the Morettis’ greatest rival, a woman raised with privilege but never spoiled by it. Stubborn, grounded, and fiercely independent, Elise has never been one to back down from a challenge.

Especially when it comes to Reou Alexander Moretti, her first love.

Long before he became the cold and intimidating CEO of the Moretti empire, Elise knew Reou as the boy burdened by expectations no child should have carried. As the only heir to his family’s business, his future had already been decided for him. His parents demanded excellence, expected unquestioning obedience, and even wanted him to secure an heir as early as possible. To them, his life was another investment in the family legacy.

But Elise saw something others failed to notice.

Behind Reou’s pride was a boy desperate to be free, someone who wanted to make his own choices instead of living according to his parents’ demands. She watched how harshly he was treated, how every mistake became a disappointment, and how affection seemed conditional on his ability to meet impossible expectations. Rather than admire him for his wealth and status, Elise found herself drawn to the person struggling beneath the weight of his surname.

Unfortunately, Reou never wanted her sympathy.

He hated the pity in people’s eyes, the quiet judgments, and the feeling of being seen as someone who needed saving. When he noticed Elise looking at him with understanding, he mistook her concern for judgment. Embarrassed by the vulnerability she had witnessed, he avoided her, determined to keep her away from the parts of himself he never wanted anyone to see.

Yet, while Reou tried to forget her, Elise never quite forgot him.

Years later, she returns from the States with a degree, a brilliant mind, and a plan that could either win her first love or ruin everything. Disguising herself as an inexperienced fresh graduate, she applies to Reou’s company, concealing her true identity as the daughter of his family’s greatest enemy.

Her mission is simple: get close to Reou Alexander Moretti and make him fall in love with her.

Easy enough, right?

Not when her boss is a demanding, sharp-tongued CEO who seems determined to make her life difficult. Reou is no longer the boy she remembers. He has grown into a ruthless businessman who trusts few people and keeps everyone at arm’s length. Romance is the last thing on his mind, especially when his parents continue pressuring him to settle down and produce an heir.

But Elise is not easily intimidated. She challenges his decisions, tests his patience, and refuses to tremble beneath his intimidating gaze. While everyone else bends to his authority, she dares to stand her ground. And somehow, the woman who should have been just another employee begins to disrupt the carefully controlled world he has built.

Reou finds her infuriating, unpredictable, and strangely difficult to ignore.

Meanwhile, Elise discovers that loving someone from afar is far easier than understanding the man he has become. She wants to be his soft spot, the one person who can see beyond his title and remind him that he deserves a life of his own. But she must learn that loving him means more than understanding his pain. It means earning his trust without deciding what is best for him.

And there is one truth she cannot hide forever: she is a Moretti’s enemy, and her identity could destroy the fragile connection they are beginning to build.

What happens when the man who has spent his entire life protecting his heart finally lets someone in, only to discover that she has been keeping the biggest secret of all?

Can Elise make the beast fall in love with her, or will the truth turn her childhood admiration into the heartbreak she never saw coming?

After all, making a ruthless CEO fall in love is one thing. Making him fall for the daughter of his family’s greatest enemy is an entirely different business.