THE BILLIONAIRE'S MIDNIGHT QUEEN

(Claire POV)Even before I reach the door, I hear a sound, a soft moan coming from our room. My feet slow down without me even thinking about it.My body reacts before my brain can even keep up. For a moment, I think I must be imagining things because of the silence that greeted me when I came in tonight. Silence sometimes has a nasty habit of playing tricks on us.Then I hear that sound again, not loud but enough to make my heart skip a beat.I stop in front of our bedroom door, a cake box and white roses in my hand. Everything stops within me, as if the whole world is holding its breath with me.No, there must be an explanation. My fingers are gripping the cake box tightly; I don't want to ruin the icing.I stare at the door, our bedroom, we've been married for seven years.Another moan escapes from our room, and this time I don't pretend I didn't hear it.It's softer now, I blink, confused. I recognize that voice, it's Damien's.I grip the cake box tighter; it tilts slightly before

(Claire POV)I didn't just want to dance, I wanted to lose myself completely. Standing in the heart of the Eclipse Club, I was no longer the woman who had spent seven years tarnishing her own brilliance.I was like a rebirth, a ghost returning to the world of the living, and the man holding me in his arms was the spark I intended to use to ignite my former life.Other dancers take to the dance floor, which is filled with expensive perfumes.But as soon as his hand touched the small of my back, everything else vanished.He moved like a predator, with such fluidity, such mastery, effortlessly guiding me to the center with an assurance that asked for nothing, but demanded it.Each step was decisive and, for the first time in years, I felt the call to follow and a spark ignited in my heart."You're tense," he murmured, his breath brushing against my ear, sending a shiver through me that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room."I'm not used to it anymore," I say, even though it

(Gabriel POV)Sitting in my office on the top floor, I feel so agitated.It's been days, and my phone sits on the mahogany desk like a log.I keep glancing at my watch, waiting for a notification, a text message, a call, anything from the woman I met at the masked ball and with whom I spent a passionate night.I left my private number; I never do that. I'm a man who builds walls to earn a living, and yet I gave her the key to my privacy and she didn't use it."Sir?" My deputy, Leo, is standing at the door, looking nervous. He has good reason to be; I haven't been easy to work with this week."Eclipse club surveillance," I retorted sharply, without looking up from my tablet. "Did you receive it?""The club has a strict privacy policy, Gabriel. They use signal jammers and infrared shielding to prevent any recording. But we managed to get some grainy footage of the main entrance and service elevators.""Bring it to me now."I need to see his face; it's been hard to forget him.Throughout

(Claire POV)I lean back in my chair, the soft glow of the monitors warming my face as I watch Gabriel Arnaud hunt for me on the screen. He’s chasing the anonymous email I sent, a slow smile spreads across my lips. There is something ridiculously attractive about the way he works and I cannot stop the little flutter that dances in my stomach.We are called Ghost Grid for a reason, no one finds us unless we decide they can.“Lucas, he’s moving toward the financial records now,” I say, keeping my voice steady even though my heart is picking up speed. “If he connects those dots, he’ll know it’s me.”“Got it, boss,” Lucas replies quickly. “I’m splitting the trail into three paths right now. He picks one, the others will vanish like magic.”Jax jumps in, her tone playful and light. “And I’m dropping two extra fake profiles that look just like ours. The poor guy is going to spend the next hour scratching his head wondering which one is real. This is going to be fun.”I laugh softly, shaki

(Gabriel's POV)I know I should call security on her for the way she got into my office. But instead, I sit down, finding the whole situation amusing as a smile twitches on my lips.“When I went through your resume, you didn't include that you have the ability of breaking into people's offices,” I say. “Tell me why I shouldn't call security on you.”A smug smile plays on her face. “Like I said, I have an offer for you. If you wanted to throw me out, you would have done that immediately.”I stare at her for a moment, my eyes running through her, glossy black hair tied in a ponytail and a beautiful face that captivates my attention. I'm tempted to run my eyes through her body but I let it stay on her face and our gaze lock.She does not look like someone asking for a job.The longer I watch her, the more certain I become that nothing about this moment is accidental. I had invited her for a job interview out of curiosity. Claire Laurent did not walk into my office just to impress me. Sh