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The Girl in Red

Author: Ruth Poe
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-11 00:46:44

Roman

The car pulled up in front of the hotel just as the sun slipped beneath the skyline. Tall marble columns framed the entrance and warm golden light spilled out from the wide glass doors. The valet opened my door and I stepped out, smoothing my suit jacket as I looked up at the building. Elegant, old money, the kind of place Jonathan would pick without thinking twice.

Inside, the lobby had been transformed. Chandeliers hung like frozen waterfalls from the ceiling, casting light across the polished floors. Staff in crisp uniforms moved through the crowd with trays of champagne and finger food. The guests were already deep in conversation. Expensive dresses. Perfect hair. Laughter that sounded like rehearsed music.

I walked in with steady steps, familiar with this world but never quite a part of it. Heads turned, some faces lit up with recognition. A few people nodded my way and I returned the gesture. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

“Roman,” a voice called out.

I turned and sa
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  • The Billionaire's Brat   The Man on the Balcony

    NovaThe music inside the ballroom was low and fancy like something from a period drama. Laughter floated in the air like perfume and the clinking of champagne glasses made it feel like everyone was celebrating something more important than a birthday. The walls sparkled with golden lights and expensive decorations and everyone looked like they had been dipped in money. I didn’t belong there and I knew it. I felt like a well-dressed outsider watching the movie of someone else's perfect life.I slipped out to the balcony to breathe. The cold air hit me the moment I stepped outside and it was honestly a relief. I leaned on the railing with one hand, my champagne glass in the other, staring down at the gardens below. The air smelled like roses and winter. My heels were already hurting my feet but I didn’t take them off yet. Not here. Not yet.My thoughts started spinning again. I still hadn’t seen Jace and that was weird. He had probably been pulled away by his mom who acted like she was

  • The Billionaire's Brat   The Girl in Red

    RomanThe car pulled up in front of the hotel just as the sun slipped beneath the skyline. Tall marble columns framed the entrance and warm golden light spilled out from the wide glass doors. The valet opened my door and I stepped out, smoothing my suit jacket as I looked up at the building. Elegant, old money, the kind of place Jonathan would pick without thinking twice.Inside, the lobby had been transformed. Chandeliers hung like frozen waterfalls from the ceiling, casting light across the polished floors. Staff in crisp uniforms moved through the crowd with trays of champagne and finger food. The guests were already deep in conversation. Expensive dresses. Perfect hair. Laughter that sounded like rehearsed music.I walked in with steady steps, familiar with this world but never quite a part of it. Heads turned, some faces lit up with recognition. A few people nodded my way and I returned the gesture. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk.“Roman,” a voice called out.I turned and sa

  • The Billionaire's Brat   Silk, Screens, and a Black Car Ride

    NovaI knew today was going to be a lot the second I opened my eyes and saw twelve missed calls. Twelve. From one man. My father.I sat up slowly on my bed, my blanket half-draped over one leg and my bonnet halfway off my head. I rubbed the crust from the corner of my eye with one hand while the other scrolled through the endless call list. First one at eight thirty in the morning. Then nine fifteen. Then nine thirty-two. Then back-to-back missed calls like he thought I had fainted on my way to pick up the phone.I didn’t even bother listening to the voicemails. I already knew what they said. Something like "Pumpkin don’t be late" or "This party is important" or "Please try to dress appropriately for once." My dad had a whole playlist of passive-aggressive messages and he played it on loop every time there was a party with important people.I dropped the phone on the bed and groaned into my hands. But I got up anyway.After dragging myself into the shower and letting the water steam a

  • The Billionaire's Brat   Ghosts and Glass Screens

    NovaThe café smelled like burnt espresso and lemon floor cleaner. The last customer had left half an hour ago, but I was still there wiping down counters that didn’t really need wiping. It was easier than going home. Easier than sitting alone in my apartment with my thoughts pressing down like bricks on my chest.The lights buzzed softly overhead as I stacked the last of the chairs. The register clicked shut after I counted my tips for the night. Not terrible, not great. Enough to cover groceries and maybe a new sketchbook. I tossed the cleaning rag into the hamper behind the counter and sighed, rolling my shoulders to ease the ache.Then came the knock.It was soft at first. Just one knock. Then two more.I froze.Greg had already left. I was supposed to be alone.I glanced at the clock above the espresso machine. Almost eleven. Nobody sane came knocking on coffee shop doors that late.Slowly, I stepped toward the front, wiping my hands on my apron. The door was locked and the front

  • The Billionaire's Brat   Silk, Secrets, and Cinnamon Buns

    NovaThe wind whipped through my curls as I sped through the streets, Maya clinging to my waist with both arms like her life depended on it. She was screaming something behind me, probably a mix of joy and fear, but the helmet muffled most of it. I couldn’t help the small smile that curled at my lips. There was something wild and freeing about riding like this. No traffic jams. No fake smiles. Just the road and the engine and the sky above.We pulled into the mall parking lot, and I slowed the bike, parking neatly near the entrance. Maya hopped off, tugging off the helmet with wide eyes and a breathless laugh.“That was insane,” she said. “You didn’t tell me you ride like you’re escaping a movie scene.”I shrugged. “Gotta make errands interesting somehow.”We walked into the mall together, her eyes already scanning the shops like a girl on a mission. I had told her I needed a dress for a fancy dinner, left out the whole ‘my father is hosting a billionaire birthday gala’ part. I didn’t

  • The Billionaire's Brat   Distractions and Invitations

    Roman – First Person POVThe screen dimmed as the video call ended, leaving only my reflection in the glossy black of the laptop screen. I leaned back in my chair, the familiar creak breaking the quiet of the room. My office in the penthouse was just as I left it before Paris — minimal, clean, cold. A glass of untouched water sat beside the laptop, and the city outside the floor-to-ceiling windows moved like a dream in slow motion.Another meeting finished. Another deal wrapped. Everything was moving the way it should.And yet, my mind wasn’t where it needed to be.I turned in my chair, letting my eyes wander to the skyline for a moment. I could hear Celeste’s voice in my head already, telling me to take a break, reminding me of my calendar. But none of that was why I couldn’t focus.It was her.VelvetMistress.That red lace. Her legs crossed slowly, her voice low and deliberate, like silk sliding against skin. It had been only one night since her livestream. One night since I’d sat st

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