Chapter 1

Ellie POV"Ellie, pick up the phone! Ellie!"The voice wasn’t coming from my dreams. It was blasting from my nightstand, sharp and frantic. I reached from under the duvet to slap at the screen, my palm hitting the glass with a dull thud. My best friend Sarah’s name was flashing in bright white letters against the dark background. It was barely six in the morning."Sarah? What’s wrong?" I muttered, sleep still clinging to my voice like a heavy fog."Worse," Sarah snapped. Her voice sounded like it was vibrating with pure panic. "Check your socials. Check the news. Check everything. Ellie, you’re trending. And not for your hotel designs."I sat up, the chill of the morning air hitting my bare shoulders. "What are you talking about?""Just look, Ellie. I’ll stay on the line. Just look."I swiped away the call and opened my browser. The first image on the landing page hit me like a physical blow. It was me. And him.The photo was grainy, taken through a rain-slicked window three n

Last Updated : 2026-05-11

Chapter 2

Ellie POVThe air in Damien’s office smelled of cedar and ozone. It was the same scent that had lingered on my skin for years, long after I had walked away from him. I stood by the floor to ceiling windows, looking out at the Manhattan skyline. From this high up, the people below looked like ants, easily crushed.He always liked the view from the top. He liked the reminder that the world was something to be managed, not experienced.My phone buzzed in my palm. I hoped for a reprieve, but it was an email from the lead developer of the Brooklyn Heights project.Subject: Project UpdateEllie, in light of the current media coverage, the board has decided to move in a different direction. We appreciate your sketches, but we need to maintain a specific image for this development. We’ll settle the remaining invoice by Friday.I gripped the phone until the edges dug into my skin. That project was my rent for the next six months. It was the anchor for my independent portfolio, the proof

Last Updated : 2026-05-11

Chapter 3

Damien POVThe city below was a jagged landscape of glass and light, but from the sixty-fourth floor, it looked like a circuit board I had finally mastered. I stood at the window of my office, a glass of scotch in my hand, watching the news ticker on the building across the plaza. My name was crawling across the LED screen in a neon loop.Calder Scandal. The Mystery Woman. Merger at Risk.I took a swallow of the peat-heavy liquid, the burn in my throat the only thing anchoring me to the room. My legendary restraint was a lie I sold to shareholders. In reality, my chest felt like it was being hollowed out by a dull blade.I turned away from the window and looked at my desk. The glass paperweight sat exactly where it had been for four years. Blue and gold. A cheap thing she’d bought at a street fair, yet I had moved it across three office renovations. It was a fragment of a life I wasn't supposed to miss.The door opened, and Marcus stepped in. He looked like he’d aged a decade sin

Last Updated : 2026-05-11

Chapter 4

Ellie POVThe weight of the pen in my hand felt like a lead pipe. I stared down at the document on Damien’s desk, the legalese blurring into a mess of black ink and white space. Marriage Contract. It was a ridiculous, archaic concept, something out of a Victorian novel or a bad soap opera, yet here it was, sitting on a slab of polished wood in the middle of a Manhattan skyscraper.I looked up at Damien. He was watching me with that terrifying, predatory patience. He didn't look like a man who had just proposed a fake marriage; he looked like a man who had just made a winning move in a game I didn't even know we were playing."The clock is ticking, Ellie," he said, his voice low and steady. "The Daily Ledger has their finger on the 'publish' button for that eviction story. The Sterling Group is already looking at other firms. You have exactly ninety seconds before the damage becomes permanent."I looked back at the paper. My bank account balance flashed in my mind—a pathetic three digi

Last Updated : 2026-05-11

Chapter 5

Damien POV The silence in the penthouse was different now. For four years, it had been a sterile, hollow quiet—the kind that echoed in the corners of the cavernous rooms and reminded me of everything I had traded for my seat at the top. But tonight, the air felt thick, vibrating with the presence of someone who didn't want to be here.I stood in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water I didn't plan on drinking. I listened to the sound of Ellie’s heels clicking across the hardwood in the foyer. It was a rhythmic, hesitant sound. She was counting her steps, measuring the distance between herself and the exit she had used forty-eight hours ago."The bags are in the guest suite," I said, not turning around.The clicking stopped. I could feel her standing at the edge of the kitchen, her presence a low-frequency hum against my back."The guest suite?" her voice was flat, devoid of the fire she’d had in the office."As per the contract, Ellie. Separate bedrooms. I keep the primary suite. You

Last Updated : 2026-05-11

All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Favorite Mistake: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5