The Twins I Hid From The Billionaire

Ella’s POV The light of the gala kept shining brightly, and it almost blinded me. And calm music echoed loudly in the room, and the laughter of people was calm and collected, glasses clunked, and everything was actually expensive for someone like me, as a type, and I held my event badge close so no one would mistake me for a guest; I was only here to work. But my eyes kept moving around, and I didn’t know what I was looking for, maybe an exit, or maybe air, or probably a miracle. “Ella, check the flower arrangements again,” my supervisor whispered before rushing off. I nodded, but I barely heard her, and something pulled my eyes to the far end of the hall. A man stood there, he was tall, with a sharp suit and hard eyes, and he had the kind of presence that made the whole room pause for a second. People walked around him and whispered; they stared and acted so carefully as if he were made of fire. I didn’t know him, but he was familiar, and then, as if he felt my stare, he looked up and our eyes locked. And then my breath stopped, just for a few seconds. He frowned a little like he was confused why I existed in his line of sight. And I quickly looked away, but my cheek was flushed with heat. Why am I staring at a stranger? Why is he staring back? I tried to walk off, but my heel caught on someone’s bag, and I fell forward, and I crashed right into a hard chest. And then I was still, and my hands mistakenly touched a fabric, the touch was so expensive, and warm. And then a low voice spoke right to my head. “You should look where you are going.” I looked up, and it was him, the same hard eyes, the same deep look, but now it was so close, and he was even more overwhelming, and his presence was just like a wall I could not move through. “I… I am sorry,” I whispered gently. He studied my face like he was trying to solve some kind of difficult task. “You work here?” “Yes,” I responded in a low voice. “Event team.” He nodded slowly. “Then you should be more careful.” And I could feel his words; it was not anger, it was something else. Pain? No. I was imagining things, and I quickly took some steps back. “I’m really sorry.” And he gave a short nod and turned to leave, but then stopped, and he looked at me again, and his eyes moved slightly. “What’s your name?” “Ella.” He repeated it slowly, it was almost like he was testing the taste of it. “Ella.” My stomach ran for no reason, and before I could ask for his name, someone walked up behind him. “Mr. Adrian, you are needed on stage.” Mr. Adrian. My heart skipped, Adrian Reed, the CEO. Billionaire and the owner of half the companies sponsoring this gala. And I just fell into him like a lost child. He turned away without another word and walked off toward the stage. He was cold and perfect and impossible. And then I exhaled slowly. I should forget the whole thing, but his voice stayed in my head. ___ Hours later, the gala ended, and guests left, and the hall turned quiet. My team packed up decorations while I checked the schedule for tomorrow. I was tired and my feet hurt, and I just wanted to go home. I walked down the empty hallway behind the ballroom and searched for the staff exit. But a door swung open suddenly, and Adrian stepped out. He was alone, and then my breath caught again. Why does he always appear like this? His tie was loosened now, and his hair slightly messy, like he had run his fingers through it too many times. He looked different; he was less cold and more… human. He saw me, and then he stopped, and we stared at each other, and neither of us moved. Then he sighed softly and leaned against the wall. “You’re still here.” “Yes. Work ended late.” He nodded, and his eyes dropped to the floor for a moment. It was like he was thinking about something he didn’t want to think about. And then there was a strange silence between us; it was not uncomfortable, it was more like… awareness. “Do you always walk around alone?” he asked quietly. “Only when I don’t expect to meet anyone,” I said, and before I could stop myself. His lips twitched slightly; it was like he almost smiled. Almost. “You surprised me earlier,” he said, and then I blinked. “By falling on you?” He shook his head. “No, by looking at me like that.” My heart jumped. “Like what?” “Like you saw something you weren’t supposed to see.” I swallowed hard. “Maybe I did.” His eyes sharpened and darkened, and they held me in place. “Maybe I did too.” And then the hallway suddenly fell too small, too warm, and too charged. And before I could escape the tension, he stepped closer, and his voice dropped lower. “Ella, do you always speak so honestly?” “No.” I breathed out. “Just… tonight.” He nodded slowly, and then his fingers brushed my cheek. It was so gentle, and it was so unexpected and so dangerous. “Tonight feels different,” he murmured, and my chest tightened, and my thoughts also blurred. I didn’t know who moved first. Him or me or maybe both, maybe neither, or maybe we fell into something neither of us understood. All I knew was one moment we were staring at each other… …and the next, his lips were on mine. The kiss stole my breath. It was slow at first, almost hesitant, and then deeper, hungry, like he was trying to drown something inside him. I kissed him back, even though every part of me screamed that this was wrong, and his arms pulled me closer, and then my fingers clutched his shirt. We broke apart only to crash together again, and everything felt too fast, too intense, and too unreal, but neither of us stopped. Not when he pushed me gently against the wall, not when his breath mixed with mine, and not when his hands moved to my waist. We shouldn’t do this; we both knew it, but we didn’t stop, and not until everything was blurred and faded. And not until the night swallowed us whole. __ I woke up the next morning to cold air on my skin, and my head was hurt, my heart skipped, and I opened my eyes slowly. I was in a hotel room, the same clothes from last night were on the chair, and the sheets around me smelled like him. Adrian. Everything rushed back: the kiss, the heat, and the way he held me as he needed me for one night only. I sat up fast, and my breath stopped in my throat, and the bed beside me was empty. His side of the bed was cold; he was gone. There was no note, no message, and no reason.