Falling for the Billionaire Boss
His Unwanted Wife, The Hidden Genius
I flew back to New York on my twenty-fifth birthday, carrying vintage gold cufflinks I spent weeks finding for my billionaire husband, Declan. But when I walked into our townhouse, I found him throwing a massive victory party with Sloane, a glamorous socialite, standing by his side as the proud hostess. "Don't cause a scene. Go upstairs." Declan coldly dismissed me in front of his guests. Even Poppy, the rookie player whose shattered ankle I had painstakingly rebuilt, rolled her eyes and ignored me to suck up to Sloane. Hiding in the shadows, I heard the maids gossiping that everyone thought Sloane was the future Mrs. Hartford. To make matters worse, I discovered Sloane had stolen my anonymous, groundbreaking medical algorithm and was planning to present it as her own. First my husband, then the girl I mentored like family, and now the scientific foundation I had built with my own hands. Declan even texted me to cancel our birthday breakfast without a single apology, treating me like an annoying afterthought. My tears vanished, replaced by a freezing clarity. I signed the divorce papers, leaving them on his desk with zero demands for his money. Then I packed my bags, booked a one-way ticket to Boston, and prepared to destroy them on the global stage.
Chapter 1
Aurelia Vance POV:
I had been married to Declan Hartford for three years.
Today was my twenty-fifth birthday, and I had flown back from Boston in secret, hoping for one quiet evening with my husband.
I'd spent a week carefully picking out a pair of gold cufflinks as a gift for my husband.
But the laughter spilling from the front door told me I was already too late: the woman who had taken my place at his side was already inside.
The heavy oak door swung open before I reached the porch. Three young players from the New York Titans, Declan's NHL franchise, stumbled out with crystal tumblers of scotch, laughing loudly. They barely glanced at me as they passed.
I stepped into the grand foyer. The heat hit me instantly,expensive champagne, roasted tenderloin, cigar smoke.
Dozens of people filled the double parlor: executives, scouts, wives in designer dresses.
In the center stood Declan, tall and broad in a bespoke charcoal suit. Beside him, laughing into his ear, was Sloane Whitfield, her backless silver dress catching the chandelier light. Her hand rested on his forearm like she belonged there.
Before I could take another breath, a blur of blonde hair darted past my elbow.
"Sloane!" Poppy Delacroix cried, throwing her arms around Sloane's slender waist. "You were completely right about the catering! This is literally the best victory party the team has ever had!"
Poppy is fourteen, a junior elite forward prospect.
I scouted her two years ago from a crumbling youth league, back when she was at her lowest.
Her parents had once shown me great kindness, and I knew they had already passed away, leaving her all alone in the world.
Declan and I adopted her together.
I rebuilt her shattered ankle with a custom rehabilitation plan.
I had always loved and cared for her as both a mother and a sister.
Now, she did not even glance in my direction.
Declan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until his eyes locked onto mine. The easy grin on his sharp jaw vanished instantly. His brows drew together in a hard, irritated line.
He excused himself from Sloane, cutting through the throng of players with long, impatient strides.
"Aurelia," Declan said, stopping two feet in front of me. His voice carried zero warmth. "What are you doing here?"
My throat felt like sandpaper.
"I took the four o'clock flight from Boston," I whispered, clutching the strap of my bag until my knuckles turned white. "It is my birthday, Declan. I thought we could—"
"We are celebrating the division win," he cut in, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "The board is here. The sponsors are here. Sloane spent four consecutive days coordinating this event so the organization could project stability."
He did not look at me. His gaze slid past my shoulder to the bar, like I was a waitress who had wandered into the wrong room.
"Don't cause a scene," he added quietly. "Go upstairs."
A soft, mocking murmur rippled through a cluster of players' wives standing near the grand staircase. Two women with platinum blowouts exchanged knowing glances over their flutes of Dom Pérignon.
"I didn't know," I said, my voice barely audible over the swelling music. "I am sorry."
I turned toward the staircase, my legs trembling beneath my wool trousers.
Near the landing, Poppy was adjusting her designer jacket in the hallway mirror.
"Poppy," I said softly, pausing beside her. "How is your ankle feeling after Thursday's third period? Did you complete the isometric sequence I sent?"
Poppy rolled her eyes, sighing loudly as she pulled out her phone.
"Aurelia, please, not right now," she muttered without looking at me. "Sloane is introducing me to a marketing director from one of our partners. I don't have time for your spreadsheets."
The dismissive edge in her voice hit me harder than Declan's coldness. I had stayed up until three in the morning reviewing her biomechanical scans while she was recovering from surgery, and now I was just an annoyance in the way of her social ascent.
I walked up the rest of the stairs and entered the primary suite—the massive, sterile bedroom allocated to me under our prenuptial agreement.
I sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the velvet box. The gold cufflinks gleamed under the bedside lamp, cold and useless.
Downstairs, cheers erupted. The sound vibrated through the floorboards.
I walked to the French doors overlooking the rear garden. Down on the illuminated patio, Sloane was directing two servers by an ice sculpture. Declan stood beside her, his head bent down as he listened to her speak, his hand casually brushing the small of her back.
They looked like the couple the city expected them to be.
My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I pulled it out, hoping against hope.
It was an email notification.
"Happy Birthday, Aurelia. Remember that true science requires patience and solitude. You are meant for greater arenas than New York boardrooms. -Dr. Edmund Sterling."
My mentor at Harvard was the only person in the world who had remembered.
I typed a brief "Thank you, Professor" and shut off the screen.
Hours passed. The bass eventually quieted, replaced by the occasional clatter of glassware and slamming car doors. My throat burned with thirst.
At two in the morning, I padded downstairs in my stocking feet to fetch a glass of water from the butler's pantry.
As I rounded the corner near the service hallway, the voices of two newly hired catering maids stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Miss Whitfield is stunning," the first girl whispered, scraping dessert plates into a bin. "Mr. Hartford's girlfriend carries herself like royalty."
"A girlfriend?" the other asked, pausing. "But isn't Mr. Hartford rumored to be married? Is it inappropriate to be this close with Whitfield?"
"Married?Where did that come from? Even if there was one, they must have split long ago. I've worked three events here this month, and Miss Whitfield is the only woman hosting by his side. Everyone knows she's the future Mrs. Hartford."
I shrank back into the cold shadow of the archway, my blood turning to ice.
In the home where I held a legal marriage certificate, my presence had already been wiped clean.
Falling for the Billionaire Boss
Elarie Newton thought she could hide her secret forever. After becoming pregnant with no idea who the father was, she buried her shame, concealing the truth for months. But when her father, Alexander Newton, found out, her world crashed down in an instant. "Get out of my house! I don't have a daugh
Falling for the boss
JENNA It was the first time I did anything like this, one night no names, it was exciting, that was until I walked into my new job and there he was my new fucking boss, and to make things worse hes even hotter than I remembered how the hell am I supposed to do my job when all I can think about is t
Falling for the Billionaire Mob Boss
While on a work trip with her best friend, Kristine Richards meets Alexander Williams who is an Art dealer from the legal perspective. On the side, Alexander turns out to be the boss of a crime family. Alexander falls out with a long-term business contact Octavio. Octavio had attempted to cross Alex
Falling for the Billionaire
Skylar Summers broke up with the former love of her life seven years ago, following which she never did so much as look back at her past. Now, after pursuing her dream career of acting, she finds herself in a peculiar situation of meeting the man of her life again. Seven years weren't enough for h
Falling For The Mafia Boss
Raven's entire life has been defined by loss and betrayal. At just 13, she watched as the Cartel brutally murdered her father-an act that not only tore her family apart but also set her on a path to destroy the empire responsible. Now, at 22, she's back in Spain, leading a ragtag team of rebels with
Falling for the Mafia Boss
Lily Monroe is a fearless private investigator who's used to handling complicated cases, but nothing could prepare her for a job involving the infamous mafia boss, Luca Moretti. When Luca hires her to find a missing man linked to dangerous secrets, Lily is thrust into a world of power, betrayal, and
Falling Deeper for the Billionaire.
The deeper you fall, the harder it will get. She has what it takes to fight for her love. He loves her more than anything else. Regardless of who they are in the society, they will stand for their love. Can they last after facing their future nemesis?
Falling Deeper For The Billionaire...
The deeper you fall, the harder it will get. She has what it takes to fight for her love. He loves her more than anything else. Regardless of who they are in the society, they will stand for their love. Can they last after facing their future nemesis?
Falling For The Playboy Billionaire
A collision of two worlds brought them together. Two single parents, with different personalities and distinct parenting styles. Playboy billionaire Henderson Bain is in search of a nanny for his daughter Itzel. Lena Cohen a single mother applies for the job though qualified, Henderson refuses to o
Falling for the billionaire playboy
Eva has a one-sided crush on the boss but hides it since she thinks he's a playboy. What would she do if he began to focus on her all of a sudden? Would she be able to safeguard her heart? Or would she get together with him and change him
Falling Deeper for the Billionaire..
The deeper you fall, the harder it will get. She has what it takes to fight for her love. He loves her more than anything else. Regardless of who they are in the society, they will stand for their love. Can they last after facing their future nemesis?
Falling Deeper For The Billionaire
The deeper you fall, the harder it will get. She has what it takes to fight for her love. He loves her more than anything else. Regardless of who they are in the society, they will stand for their love. Can they last after facing their future nemesis?
Falling For The Married Billionaire
Love has the power to make an individual powerful and this same emotion could break even the strongest man or woman whether they are determined to stay far away from it. Tiara Hale, a twenty-three years old woman that has never experienced true love and had given up on ever meeting the right man f
Falling For The Rebound Billionaire
Raina, a charming, successful young lady, is held bond by the love of her childhood crush and lover, Guy. She clutches firmly to that love until she meets the billionaire, Soter, her hero. He pulls her out of her chains, and they get entangled in a stream of love, romance, and passion. All she w
Falling for Mr Billionaire.
Two best friend, one is a billionaire and the other just a mere middle class man,decided to let their children tied together even though they were still so young not knowing anything .After the marriage,they decided that they will let them be together when they reach their college level and let them
Falling For My Billionaire Captor
"Her body was the price. His obsession was the cost." Mona is out of options. With her mother's life hanging in the balance, she'll do anything for the money-even if it means striking a deal with a venomous socialite who wants to destroy Ian Harrison,the most powerful-and dangerous-billionaire in t
Falling for my billionaire lecturer
Getting into Harvard had always been Sophie Macs dream, and having that fulfilled felt like things were finally falling into place, but when Sophie starts to experience difficulty in school due to work and other extra activities which also made her fail the one important subject she knew she wasn't
Falling for the Ruthless Billionaire Don
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to....."he cut me off again, "just shut up and get out, " he said through his gritted teeth to show he was angry. Tears were already in the corner of my eyes threatening to fall. I held them in. My mind is always in chaos whenever someone raises their voice at me. It
Falling for the Cheerleader
From my bedroom window, he looked like a Greek god, Up close nothing more than an angel from hell Kieran was the guy next door. But not the dreamy sweet type in romance coms and happily Ever after novels. He was the type you had chilling nightmares about. Powerful, hot, brutal and the king of Roya
Falling For The Womanizer
(Warning:- The book contains mature content. ) Working hard at night in the bar, Sabrina saved her Virginity for the man of her dreams, The one she was betrothed to from her childhood but then that deliciously handsome man came to the bar and asked for a private dance from her, that changed her who
