Chapter 1: The Proposal

The city skyline sparkled like diamonds against the midnight sky. Sophia Carter tightened her scarf as the cold wind swept through her. She had no business being at the top floor of the most exclusive hotel in New York, but when her best friend dared her to attend the charity gala uninvited, she couldn't say no.

"Just blend in," her friend had said. Easy for her to say. Sophia worked as a junior assistant at a publishing house, barely scraping by. She didn't belong here among the elite.

As Sophia sipped champagne, trying to look inconspicuous, a voice startled her.

"You're not on the guest list, are you?"

She turned to see a man in a sleek black suit. His presence was magnetic, his gaze sharp. There was something familiar about him.

"I—uh—how do you know that?" she stammered.

"Because I know everyone here. And I don't know you," he said, a sly smile on his face.

Sophia's cheeks flushed. She had two options: run or own it.

"I'm Sophia," she said, offering her hand. "And you are?"

"Ethan Black," he said, shaking her hand firmly.

Her heart skipped a beat. Ethan Black—the billionaire CEO whose face was on every magazine cover. The man who had built a global empire from scratch.

"Well, Mr. Black, I should probably leave before security kicks me out," Sophia said, her voice laced with nervous humor.

"Not so fast," Ethan said, his tone unreadable. "Stay. I have a proposition for you."

Sophia blinked. A proposition? From one of the richest men in the world?

"What kind of proposition?"

Ethan leaned in, his voice low and deliberate.

"How would you like to change your life?"