BILLIONAIRE MORNING

Chapter 6: The Billionaire’s Morning

Ethan Cole didn’t do chaos. His mornings were structured, efficient, and ran like clockwork. He woke up at 5:30 a.m. sharp every day, without fail. This morning was no exception.

By 6:00 a.m., he had already completed a brisk workout and was sipping his first coffee of the day, scanning through financial reports as the sun started to rise over the city skyline. Everything about his life was calculated, predictable, and controlled just the way he liked it. Nothing, and no one, ever threw him off his game.

Except maybe Olivia Hart.

He tried to push thoughts of her to the back of his mind, focusing instead on the meeting he had scheduled later that morning with Vivian Lewis and the production team. It was an important project, and he couldn’t afford distractions.

But as he settled into his office chair, reviewing emails, Olivia’s face kept creeping back into his thoughts. He couldn’t shake the memory of their night together the way she laughed, the sparkle in her eyes, how unapologetically herself she had been. Most women in his circle were polished, poised, and predictable. Olivia was... different. She was chaos wrapped in a stunning smile.

A soft knock on his office door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come in," he said, setting his coffee down.

Jake, his assistant, entered the room, looking as sharp as ever in his tailored suit. “Morning, sir. The agenda for today. Also, a reminder that the meeting with the production company is at 11:00 a.m.”

“Thanks, Jake.” Ethan scanned the agenda quickly, then glanced up at his assistant. “How’s Olivia doing this morning?”

Jake raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the question. “Miss Hart? I… wouldn’t know, sir.”

Ethan smirked. “Just curious.”

Jake blinked, clearly not used to his boss being “curious” about anything that wasn’t directly related to business. “Right… well, I’ll keep you updated if I hear anything.”

Ethan chuckled to himself as Jake left the room. Olivia Hart, a rising star in Hollywood, notorious for her spontaneity and unpredictability. He had a feeling today’s meeting with her would be nothing short of interesting.

---

By the time he arrived at the production company’s sleek glass building, Ethan had his game face on. He stepped out of his black SUV and walked into the lobby with his usual air of confidence. He was always five steps ahead of everyone in the room. That’s how he’d built his empire by anticipating every possible outcome before it happened.

As he rode the elevator up to the eighth floor, his mind drifted back to Olivia. He hadn’t seen her since that night, but he couldn’t help wondering how she’d be today. Flustered, probably. Late, almost definitely.

The elevator doors slid open, and as he made his way down the hall to the conference room, he wasn’t surprised to see Olivia sprinting through the revolving door, her hair still slightly damp and her shoes, were they mismatched?

Ethan’s lips twitched into an amused smile as he watched her frantically make her way past security. She was, as he had anticipated, an absolute mess. But there was something charming about it, about her.

He stepped into the conference room just in time to see her practically crash into the chair across from Vivian Lewis. She looked disheveled, breathless, and entirely unprepared.

Perfect.

Ethan took his seat at the long table, stealing glances at Olivia as the meeting began. She was trying to pull herself together, smoothing out her dress, her eyes darting nervously around the room. It was almost painful to watch her attempt to act like everything was fine, but it was also kind of... endearing.

Vivian started speaking, and Ethan pretended to listen, but his attention was completely focused on Olivia. She was fidgeting with a pen, clearly not paying attention either. Her eyes flicked to him for a brief moment, and he gave her a small, knowing smile.

Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly looked away.

'So she does remember',Ethan thought, his smile widening.

Halfway through the meeting, Vivian asked Olivia a question, and Ethan could tell immediately that she had no idea what had just been discussed. Her eyes widened slightly, and she nodded furiously, agreeing to whatever was said, though it was clear she had no clue what she’d just signed up for.

Ethan stifled a laugh as Olivia stumbled through her response. This was better than he could have imagined.

---

When the meeting finally ended, Ethan made sure to catch Olivia before she could escape. She was halfway to the door when he stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“Rough morning?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Olivia shot him a look, half-amused, half-annoyed. “What gave it away? The hair, the shoes, or the fact that I nodded through an entire meeting without understanding a word?”

He chuckled. “All of the above.”

She groaned, running a hand through her still-damp hair. “I’m a disaster.”

Ethan shook his head. “You’re not a disaster. You’re… chaotic. But in a good way.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “There’s no such thing as ‘good chaos.’”

“I disagree.” Ethan stepped a little closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “Sometimes chaos is exactly what you need to shake things up.”

Her eyes locked with his for a moment, and he saw the flicker of uncertainty in them. Olivia Hart wasn’t used to people telling her that her messiness was a good thing.

She probably spent her whole life trying to fit into the polished, picture-perfect mold that Hollywood demanded. But Ethan had always thrived in unpredictability because that’s where the real opportunities were.

Before he could say anything else, Olivia’s phone buzzed, breaking the moment. She glanced down at the screen, her eyes widening.

“I’ve got to go,” she said quickly, shoving her phone back into her bag. “Lily’s waiting for me.”

Ethan nodded, watching her rush down the hall with her usual whirlwind energy.

As she disappeared around the corner, Ethan couldn’t help but smile to himself.

Chaos, huh? He had a feeling his life was about to get a whole lot more unpredictable and for the first time in years, he didn’t mind at all.