All Chapters of THE ROSE TATTOO, The Billionaire Secret Heir: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

ANDREA’S POV I stood in front of the mirror in the small apartment I shared with Marcus, smoothing down the emerald green dress that hugged my curves. The fabric shimmered under the warm light, and I turned slowly, checking the back one more time. Tonight marked four years with him. Four years of late-night study sessions where I helped him finish his business plans, four years of dipping into my savings to cover his gaps when clients paid late. Tonight he would finally propose. I felt it in my bones. My phone buzzed. A text from my best friend, Riley: Andrea, hurry up! The whole crew is here and Marcus has been smiling like he swallowed a secret. I grinned, grabbed my clutch, and stepped out into the warm evening air. The party venue sat only a few blocks away, a cozy rooftop spot Marcus had booked himself. He had insisted on handling everything this year. That alone told me something big was coming. Laughter and music floated up as I climbed the stairs. String lights twinkled ov

RYDER’S POVI woke to silence and an empty bed. Sunlight cut through the half-open curtains and landed on the rumpled sheets where Andrea had slept. I reached out instinctively. Cold. She had been gone for a while. I sat up slowly, my head clear despite the whiskey from last night. Every detail remained sharp in my mind. I glanced toward the bathroom. The door stood open. There was no light, no sound of running water. Nothing. I dropped back against the pillows and dragged a hand down my face, then pushed it through my hair. What the hell had I done? I remembered everything. The way she had pressed against me in the elevator, bold and desperate. Her voice in my ear demanding my name. The taste of her skin. The sounds she made when I buried my face between her thighs. How she had begged me to nut inside her and held me there until I did. Her wild laugh afterward, like something had finally broken free in her. And now she had vanished. I turned my head and spotted it on the nightsta