All Chapters of A Billionaire’s Hidden Affection : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"Desperation can make even the sanest person agree to the unthinkable." I had always thought those words were an exaggeration, some poetic expression of human weakness. That is until I found myself seated in a leather chair so plush it felt like it was swallowing me, across from a man whose icy gaze seemed to pierce through my very soul. Maximilian Grey. I had heard his name whispered with both admiration and fear. A billionaire tech mogul, ruthless in business, and cold to anyone foolish enough to cross him. The man in front of me didn’t look like someone who would extend an olive branch to a drowning woman like me. No, he looked like someone who would hand me a contract and watch me sign away my soul with a smirk on his face. And that’s exactly what he was doing. “You’ll have everything you need,” he said, his tone devoid of warmth as he leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled together. “Your family’s debts will disappear. Your mother will receive the best medical car

"Do not mistake this for anything more than it is," Maximilian’s voice echoed in my head as I sat at the edge of the oversized bed, my fingers twisting the edge of my dress. His words from earlier that day, as cold and cutting as the man himself, replayed like a broken record, reminding me of the stark reality of my new life. The room was suffocating in its opulence—golden drapes that swept the floor, a chandelier casting fractured light across the walls, and a bed so large it seemed to mock the emptiness I felt. I had always dreamed of luxury, of escaping the suffocating weight of poverty, but I had never imagined it would feel this hollow. Maximilian had retreated to his study shortly after we arrived at his penthouse, leaving me alone to acclimate to my gilded cage. The silence was deafening, broken only by the distant hum of the city below. I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. Not here. Not where the walls seemed to watch, where every surface gleamed with the perfection he demande

“You have no idea what you’ve just gotten yourself into.”The words echoed in my mind long after I heard them. That stranger’s warning, sharp and cryptic, clung to me like an invisible thread, tugging at my thoughts every time Maximilian’s attention wandered from me. It had been a day like no other—beautiful, grand, and yet, strangely suffocating.Tonight, we were attending one of the most exclusive charity galas in the city, an event where the world’s most powerful figures mingled like puppets in a grandiose theater of wealth, influence, and secrets. Maximilian had told me nothing about it in advance—just that I needed to look presentable and play my part. I was expected to be nothing more than an accessory to his wealth, his image, and his control over this world.And yet, despite everything, there was something about it all that unsettled me.As Maximilian guided me through the venue, his hand resting possessively on my lower back, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. The

“I’ve made a grave mistake, Maximilian.”The words hang in the air like an echo that refuses to dissipate. I feel the tension in the room shift, the air thick with something far darker than I’ve ever felt between us. Maximilian’s face pales, his eyes narrowing as the figure from his past steps into the room. I don’t recognize the man, but there’s an undeniable weight to his presence, something about him that screams power—a dangerous kind of power that Maximilian must know all too well.The man looks at Maximilian like a predator sizing up its prey. And Maximilian? He stands motionless, his jaw clenched, his usually stoic demeanor cracking in the presence of this stranger.I take a step back, my pulse racing as I try to make sense of what’s happening. Who is this man? And why does Maximilian look like he’s seen a ghost?“Who is this?” I ask my voice barely a whisper. But Maximilian doesn’t answer. Instead, he keeps his gaze locked on the man, the walls of his emotional fortress instan

"If you want her back, you’ll have to face me, Maximilian."The words cut through the air like a blade, sending a chill down my spine. The panic that rises in my chest threatens to choke me as I stand there, frozen, unable to move. Maximilian’s expression twists into something that I’ve never seen before—fear. It’s raw and palpable, and I can feel the weight of it pressing down on me, suffocating me with its intensity. His eyes dart around, frantic, as he takes a step forward, his fists clenched. "Eliza!" he shouts, his voice hoarse with panic. “No!”But it’s too late.Before either of us can react, the shadows shift, and I feel cold metal press against my neck. A sharp, icy edge digs into my skin, sending tremors through me. I don’t have to look to know it’s a knife. The coldness of it is unmistakable.I barely have time to take a breath before the voice in the shadows speaks again, low and menacing. “You don’t get to make demands, Maximilian. You’ve been playing games for too long.