Semua Bab THE PRICE OF A BILLIONAIRE’S LOVE: Bab 1 - Bab 10

THE GIRL WHO DIDN’T FEAR THE BILLIONAIRE Veridion City gleamed in the morning sun, the skyscrapers rising like golden towers piercing the clouds. To the untrained eye, it was a city of dreams, of opportunity. But Aria Donovan knew better. Wealth and power often hid shadows darker than any alley. She adjusted her blazer, fingers gripping her leather briefcase. Today was her first day at Harrison & Cole—the law firm that could make or break her career. A place where she could finally rise above the struggles of her past, prove she belonged in a world that didn’t often welcome women like her. Stay sharp, Aria. Don’t let anyone intimidate you. The lobby was magnificent—marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and the faint scent of expensive coffee lingering in the air. Secretaries moved gracefully, tapping keyboards and answering calls, their eyes occasionally darting toward the elevators. Everyone here seemed to know their place. Everyone, that is, except Aria. She stepped into the elev

Aria tried to tell herself that Damon Reed didn’t intimidate her.Not his reputation, not his wealth, not the way his presence filled a room like a storm cloud ready to break.But as she sat alone in the conference room, waiting for the first official briefing on the Reed Corporation audit, her hands betrayed her—trembling slightly around her pen.She forced them still.You worked your whole life for this. Don’t act like a rookie now.The door opened abruptly, and a group of senior partners walked in, followed by a few associates. Conversations quieted when Damon entered last, moving with the lazy confidence of a man used to controlling everything he touched.His cold gaze swept over the room…then locked on her.Aria’s pulse betrayed her again.The partners began the briefing.“Reed Corporation is undergoing a routine audit,” Mr. Harrison said. “We’ve done this before. Usually, it goes smoothly.”“Usually,” Damon repeated, lowering himself into the chair at the head of the table. His

The office was quiet long after the rest of the associates had gone home. Only the soft hum of fluorescent lights kept Aria company as she pored over spreadsheets and encrypted transfers, tracing numbers that twisted into knots the deeper she went.It was nearly midnight.Her eyes burned, her fingers felt numb, and her brain screamed for rest. But something in her refused to stop.She could feel it now —this case was wrong.Not just complicated.Wrong.The numbers didn’t lie.Transfers to offshore accounts.Coded transactions under fake subsidiaries.Money vanishing into shadows.Someone inside Reed Corporation was stealing millions.And someone else wanted Damon Reed to take the fall.“But who?” she whispered into the empty room.As if answering her, her phone buzzed.Aria frowned when she saw the sender:Unknown NumberShe unlocked the screen.One message.STOP DIGGING.Her blood went cold.Another message followed immediately.THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING.Her breath hitched.Her han

Aria woke to the unfamiliar scent of cedar and cold air.For a moment she didn’t remember where she was — until the memory of last night crashed back:The messages.The threat.Damon.His penthouse.She sat up slowly, realizing she was in a spacious guest suite with silk sheets and a wall of glass that poured sunlight across the room.It was beautiful.And terrifying.And strangely comforting.Aria swung her legs out of bed, smoothing her hair as she stepped into the hallway. The penthouse was quiet… too quiet. Her heels clicked softly against polished marble as she moved toward the living area.She froze at the sight waiting for her.Damon Reed.Shirt slightly unbuttoned.Sleeves rolled up.Standing by the kitchen island with a cup of black coffee, looking like sin carved into human form.He looked at her immediately — as if he’d sensed her the moment she entered the room.“You’re awake,” he said.His voice was low, rougher in the morning, and it sent an involuntary shiver down her s

Aria had never heard silence scream so loudly.Damon didn’t move after the words left his mouth. He stood like a man carved from stone, shoulders rigid, eyes burning with something dark and terrifying.His brother.Adrian.Here.Inside her building.Aria felt a cold wave crawl up her spine.“Damon,” she whispered, “why would he come here himself?”Damon’s jaw clenched so tightly she could hear the strain in his voice.“To prove a point.”“What point?”“That I can’t protect the people I care about.”Aria’s heart skipped — not at the danger, but at the quiet confession buried inside his words.Damon cared.And Adrian knew it.Before Aria could respond, Damon grabbed his phone and typed something rapidly.“Damon—”“I’m calling in my private security unit,” he said, voice clipped. “Not the company guards. Not the police. People I trust.”“Your men?”His eyes flickered to hers.“Men who won’t hesitate to shoot if they have to.”Aria exhaled sharply. “This is spiraling too far.”“This start