The Hidden Heiress: Tangled with Two Billionaire Kings
img img The Hidden Heiress: Tangled with Two Billionaire Kings img Chapter 5 Shadows and Champagne
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Chapter 6 Velvet Lies img
Chapter 7 The Dance Beneath the Diamonds img
Chapter 8 Weekend at the Sterling Estate img
Chapter 9 Snowbound Hearts img
Chapter 10 The Night the Line Blurred img
Chapter 11 Breaking the Ice img
Chapter 12 The Almost Kiss img
Chapter 13 Adrian's Reckless Promise img
Chapter 14 A Kiss in the Quiet img
Chapter 15 Adrian's Accusation img
Chapter 16 A City Made for Two img
Chapter 17 Adrian's Midnight Recklessness img
Chapter 18 Fractures at Dawn img
Chapter 19 A Gala of Secrets img
Chapter 20 Brothers at War img
Chapter 21 Torn Between Fire and Ice img
Chapter 22 A Dangerous Promise img
Chapter 23 The Ice Cracks img
Chapter 24 When Brothers Collide img
Chapter 25 Running from Fire and Ice img
Chapter 26 Shattered Choices img
Chapter 27 Whispers of Forever img
Chapter 28 Stolen Moments img
Chapter 29 Between His Arms and His Eyes img
Chapter 30 In His Arms Tonight img
Chapter 31 The Morning After img
Chapter 32 A Heart in Two Hands img
Chapter 33 The Weight of His Silence img
Chapter 34 Fire Against Forever img
Chapter 35 The Silent Claim img
Chapter 36 Kiss Me Into Tomorrow img
Chapter 37 When Fire Finds the Dawn img
Chapter 38 Stolen Hours img
Chapter 39 A Forever Written in Silence img
Chapter 40 A Fire That Waits img
Chapter 41 Where Forever Waits img
Chapter 42 The Weight of Choosing img
Chapter 43 The Fire I Cannot Refuse img
Chapter 44 A Forever That Fights Back img
Chapter 45 The Fire That Refuses to Fade img
Chapter 46 The Weight of a Heart img
Chapter 47 The Shape of Forever img
Chapter 48 Between Fire and Forever img
Chapter 49 The Heart's Betrayal img
Chapter 50 A Night of Fire img
Chapter 51 The Morning After Fire ‎ img
Chapter 52 The Silence Between Us img
Chapter 53 A Choice Too Heavy img
Chapter 54 What the Silence Holds img
Chapter 55 When Forever and Fire Collide img
Chapter 56 What Forever Demands img
Chapter 57 The Weight of Two Worlds img
Chapter 58 The Echo of Every Choice img
Chapter 59 The Truth Between Shadows img
Chapter 60 Between Fire and Forever img
Chapter 61 The Silence That Hurts img
Chapter 62 The Breaking Point of Silence img
Chapter 63 The Weight of Every Breath img
Chapter 64 The Day the World Saw img
Chapter 65 Whispers Turn to Storms img
Chapter 66 The Weight of Their Worlds img
Chapter 67 Into the Fire of the World img
Chapter 68 When the Cameras Found Me img
Chapter 69 The World Divides img
Chapter 70 Under the Same Spotlight img
Chapter 71 Behind Closed Doors img
Chapter 72 The Quiet Between Heartbeats img
Chapter 73 When Fire Learns to Breathe img
Chapter 74 Letters in the Quiet img
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Chapter 5 Shadows and Champagne

The academy's business simulation lab looked more like the headquarters of a luxury tech firm than a classroom. Glass walls, a floor-to-ceiling view of the city, sleek black desks arranged in a circle. On each desk sat a glowing tablet, already displaying our assigned roles for the exercise.

Mine read: Chief Financial Officer – Sterling Corp. Expansion Trial.

The title made my stomach tighten. Out of every company in the world, they had to pick this one?

Professor Leighton, a tall man in a tailored charcoal suit, explained the scenario - we had thirty minutes to make a decision about a fictional overseas acquisition, balancing financial projections, market risk, and board politics.

I kept my focus on the numbers, ignoring the way Damian Sterling sat across the room, his gaze steady and unreadable. Adrian was nowhere to be seen - he'd probably charmed his way out of attending.

The simulation began. The others around the table debated loudly, tossing out terms like "ROI" and "equity dilution." I barely heard them. The numbers on my tablet blurred, rearranging themselves in patterns that felt strangely familiar.

It wasn't logic. It was instinct.

My fingers flew over the screen, running projections I hadn't even realized I knew how to make. Every move felt inevitable, like I was following steps laid out years ago in a language only I understood.

By the end of the session, the acquisition was projected at a 14% higher return than the professor's benchmark model.

When the results flashed on the main screen, the room fell silent.

Professor Leighton smiled faintly. "Impressive work, Miss Vale. Or should I say... CFO Vale."

Heat crept into my cheeks, but before I could reply, Damian spoke.

"She didn't just model the acquisition. She anticipated the board's political response. That's... rare."

The room shifted, the other students stealing glances at me. I hated the sudden attention, but Damian's words lingered long after the session ended.

I was gathering my things when his voice came from behind me.

"Walk with me."

I hesitated, but he was already heading toward the glass doors.

The hallway outside was quiet, the late afternoon light filtering through tall windows.

"What happened in there?" he asked.

"I read the numbers," I said simply.

"That wasn't reading," he said. "That was instinct. The kind you can't fake."

I met his gaze. "Is that a compliment or a warning?"

"Both."

We stopped at the end of the hall, where the city stretched out in golden light. He studied me for a long moment before speaking again.

"You've been avoiding the truth about who you are," he said quietly. "But sooner or later, you're going to have to stop running. And when you do, you'll need someone who knows the rules."

I crossed my arms. "And that someone is you?"

His mouth curved just slightly. "I'm offering to teach you how to win. What you do with that... is your choice."

Before I could answer, he stepped aside, letting me pass.

That night, the academy hosted a networking reception in one of the glass atriums. Champagne flowed freely, the air thick with the scent of peonies and expensive perfume.

I wasn't planning to stay long - until I saw him.

Victor Kane stood near the far wall, dressed in a black suit that absorbed the light. He was speaking to a man I didn't recognize, but his eyes flicked toward me the moment I entered.

I moved toward the balcony, needing space to breathe. The city glittered beyond the glass, the sound of soft jazz and clinking glasses muffled behind me.

"You shouldn't look so tense," a voice drawled from my left.

Adrian was leaning casually against the railing, his tie loose, a champagne flute in his hand.

"I didn't know you were here," I said.

"I wasn't. But then I heard my brother was spending a lot of time with a certain new student, and I got curious."

I rolled my eyes. "You're impossible."

"And you're far too serious." He clinked his glass lightly against the railing. "Let me guess - Damian told you he can protect you, Serena told you she can guide you, and Victor told you you'll never escape."

I froze. "How do you-"

"Because that's exactly what they told me," he said, his grin tinged with something darker. "Years ago. Different circumstances, same game."

He took a sip of champagne, his eyes holding mine. "The trick is not to let any of them own you. Not even me."

For a moment, the noise from inside faded, replaced by the soft hum of the city below us.

Then Adrian's expression shifted, his voice dropping. "You should know - Damian isn't the only one watching you. Victor has people here tonight."

My breath caught. "Where?"

He nodded toward the crowd. "Tall man by the champagne tower. Woman in the green dress near the piano. Both of them answer to him."

The weight of his warning settled in my chest. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't like seeing people cornered," he said. "Unless I'm the one doing the cornering."

I left the reception early, slipping out through the side exit. The rain had stopped, but the air was damp and cool, the city lights reflecting off the wet pavement.

Halfway to the dorm, I heard footsteps behind me.

I turned - and Victor was there.

"You're getting better at leaving without being noticed," he said, almost approving. "But you're not invisible yet."

"I'm not trying to be invisible," I said, though my pulse betrayed me.

He stepped closer, the faint scent of his cologne mixing with the damp night air. "That's good. Because the Gala will not be a place for ghosts. It will be a place for heirs. And you, Elena... are the only heir that matters."

His words slid into me like a hook.

"I'm not going," I said.

"You will." His voice was certain, as if the decision had already been made. "And when you do, you'll have to choose which wolf you'd rather be eaten by."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the night.

Back in my room, I stood by the window, the city a sea of light and shadow below.

Damian's offer. Adrian's warning. Victor's certainty.

The game was tightening around me.

And the more I tried to keep my heart out of it, the more I could feel the pull - not just of power, but of something far more dangerous.

Not every kind of hunger was about money.

                         

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