Chapter 1The Billionaire’s Runaway Heiress

My best friend and I both ended up with unplanned pregnancies at the exact same time.

She was carrying the child of an Oscar-winning actor, and I had the baby of a high-stakes New York tycoon.

Since neither of them seemed particularly thrilled about the idea of fatherhood, my best friend suggested: "What if we just keep the kids and lose the dads?"

I didn't hesitate: "Deal. Wherever you go, I go."

So, we vanished. We fled the country with our baby bumps and started a dream life together abroad.

Two years later, her toddler went viral on TikTok because he was a dead ringer for the famous actor. The camera panned just enough to catch me and my daughter in the background.

That night, my bar was surrounded by men in black suits.

Just as I reached for my phone to call 911, my hands were pinned behind my back and bound with a leather belt.

The man gripped my waist, his voice a low, dangerous snarl in my ear:

"Go ahead, call them. Guess how many times I can break you before the cops even pull into the lot?"

* * *

Heartbroken and fed up with men, my best friend, Mia, dragged me to a high-end club to blow off some steam.

She was just about to reach out and touch the abs of a gorgeous male model when Ethan Sterling, the Oscar-winning heartthrob, appeared at the entrance.

Ethan, hidden under a baseball cap, stormed over and pointed at the model, who admittedly shared his brooding good looks.

"Who is this, Mia? Am I that easy to replace?"

Mia flicked a glance at him and stood up with a cold smirk.

"Why not? You treated me like a stand-in for your ex-girlfriend, Sophie, for a year. Why can't I find a better version of you?"

"Besides," she added, "your family’s 'precious' heirloom watch is currently sitting on someone else’s wrist."

Ethan went silent, his face pale. "I told you," he stammered, "I didn't give her that watch."

Mia: "Great. Then go get it back."

Silence stretched between them like a freezing river, making the thumping club music feel even more jarring. Ethan hesitated for a long time before sighing. "I'm sorry. I can't."

Even though she expected that answer, Mia’s face crumpled for a split second. She grabbed her bag, signaled for me to call her, and stormed out in her stilettos. Ethan nodded to me and chased after her.

Knowing how easily Ethan usually sweet-talked her back, I shouted after them: "Mia! Don't go soft! This is a dealbreaker! Dump him for real this time!"

My throat was dry from yelling. Suddenly, a long-fingered hand offered me a slice of watermelon.

I looked at the hand, thinking, Wow, this model is smooth.

I turned with a smile: "Hey handsome, what's your name?"

The smile froze. Standing behind me wasn't a model, but Caleb Vance.

Cold features, a sharp jawline, and eyes that looked like they were carved from ice. I stumbled back, but he caught my wrist.

Caleb leaned in, a dark smirk playing on his lips: "You like 'handsome' guys, huh?"

"Fine. Let's go home. I've got plenty for you to look at."