Ethan Calloway was a man who owned the world—or at least, that's what it seemed like. With a net worth in the tens of billions, his name was whispered in boardrooms and splashed across headlines. He built empires with a single decision, turned small companies into giants overnight, and made fortunes disappear just as easily. But despite all that power, there was an emptiness he had learned to ignore.
It wasn't until he met her that he realized just how much he was missing.
The first time Ethan saw Claire Evans, she was balancing three coffee cups in one hand while struggling to push open the door to a small bookstore in downtown New York. He had just stepped out of his chauffeured black Bentley, distractedly checking his phone, when she spun around too quickly and slammed right into him. The impact sent scalding hot coffee all over his custom-tailored suit.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Claire gasped, her wide hazel eyes filling with horror. She immediately reached for napkins from the side pocket of her oversized tote bag.
Ethan stiffened. His first instinct was to be annoyed—he had a meeting in thirty minutes, and now he smelled like espresso. But then he looked at her properly. Loose auburn hair framed her face, and freckles dusted the bridge of her nose. She wasn't like the women he usually met at high-profile events—draped in designer labels, speaking in careful, calculated tones. No, she was flustered, genuine, and clearly mortified.
"I—uh—I can pay for the dry cleaning!" she stammered, pressing a handful of napkins against his chest in an attempt to help.
A slow, amused smile curved his lips. "I think it's going to take more than napkins," he said, his deep voice tinged with amusement.
Claire bit her lip. "I—I can buy you a new shirt?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Unless you have a few thousand dollars lying around, I doubt that's an option."
Her cheeks turned pink. "Right. You're one of those guys."
His interest piqued. "One of what guys?"
"You know. The kind who buys a car that costs more than my apartment's rent for the next five years," she said, glancing at his Bentley. "And now I've ruined your probably-ridiculously-expensive suit."
Ethan chuckled. "It's just a suit."
Claire blinked, clearly surprised by his nonchalance.
For a moment, they just stood there, caught in the odd intimacy of a collision between two completely different worlds. Then, Claire let out a breath and smiled apologetically. "Well, let me at least buy you a coffee to make up for it. Since most of it is currently on your shirt."
Ethan hesitated. He had a schedule, a carefully curated plan for his day. But there was something disarmingly refreshing about this woman—this stranger who had no idea who he really was, other than the fact that he was rich.
And maybe, just for a little while, he wanted to be just a man having coffee with a woman who made him smile.
"Alright," he said. "Lead the way."
And just like that, the billionaire and the common woman walked into the small bookstore café, completely unaware that this moment would change their lives forever.