The billionaire lost flame

As the Cole Legacy Resort glowed softly in golden light from mellow gold chandeliers, expectation pulsed in the night air. Rising into the star-filled night sky, its floor-to-ceiling windows providing unvarying views of the cityscape, the fabulous ballroom—an engineering wonder built of steel and glass—existed with a steady hum of polite conversation and clinking glasses of champagne as the guests themselves, dressed in exquisite gowns and designer overcoats, moved amidst it all. Money, ambition, and power all converged under one roof for this night of celebration. For Damian Cole, though, it was just another responsibility. His chiselled, hard face was unexpressive as he stood in the doorway, tampering with the cufflinks on his black bespoke suit while surveying the crowd. He had ruled for so long that he was totally confident at thirty-two years old. Everybody respected or feared him because of the profound quietness in his chilly green eyes, the colour of dark emeralds. It was going to be business tonight. about the future of the Cole dynasty. His intention was to show his grandfather Arthur Cole and his father Maxwell Cole that he was more than capable of guiding the family's multibillion-dollar hotel empire into the future. But his whole world changed when he took a step forward. She was there. As Damian's eyes fell on the woman who was at the center of the high-end dining room, he was taken aback. Benson, Elara. He was struck by a tidal wave of the past. Her lovely figure was dressed in the sharp white chef's coat as she stood beneath the falling crystal chandeliers. Her graceful curve of neck was exposed beneath her chestnut-brown hair, which fell in tresses down her back and was tied into a tidy ponytail. She could stop traffic even when she was wearing something as dull as a kitchen uniform. He had abandoned her five years earlier, but she was not the same. She was a woman with a name now. A culinary star in the making. A chef with a growing name among the high society. She was present as the mastermind behind tonight's pricey dinner, if the reactions of the guests to the meal were anything to go by. Damian's jaw tightened. He hadn't seen her since the evening he'd left. Since the evening he'd committed the largest mistake of his life. He met Elara's gaze when she turned half way. Their eyes met for an instant. And the whole room vanished in an instant. The music, the voices, the flashing lights all became a blur. Her dark, warm brown eyes had been distant and invisible to him previously now. Far removed from that other time they had last met, where the deep well of tragedy had left the tears-filled blue eyes brimming with asking grief questions. Damian moved another step closer. She turned and moved away. His breast gripped with searing agony. He had done this. He had promised himself that he would be the one who wouldn't get hurt if he ever set eyes on her again. But it was much harder than he had thought possible actually to stand in the same room as she, knowing what he had lost and what he had done. "Elara Benson?" A voice broke him out of daydreaming. Damian searched to find Vanessa Cole, his sister, observing the exchange with thinly veiled amusement. As Vanessa swirled the wine in her glass, she thought, "Now, that's a name I never thought I'd hear again." Her beautiful blond hair cascaded over the shoulder of her beautiful red gown. "Brother, you look like you've seen a ghost." Damian didn't say a word. Vanessa smiled. She's the chef for tonight's affair. What a coincidence, don't you think? He clenched his fists at his sides. There were no accidents. "You knew." His sister's eyebrow shot up beautifully. "I knew, of course. Did you think the instant she was mentioned when the topic of catering services was being debated, I wouldn't recognize it? He ground his teeth. "And you didn't think to warn me?" "And spoil the surprise?" Vanessa smiled, sipping from her wine glass. "Where's the fun?" Damian's patience wore thin. "You always have some agenda for some reason, Vanessa. What is it?" She played dumb as she c****d her head to one side. "I am just watching the show. I must say, it is scrumptious to see the notorious Damian Cole flustered once." He would not take the bait. He turned around and stood in front of Elara again, observing as she was directing the catering attendants. She was different. The girl who'd wished to spend an eternity with him was gone. In her place was a woman who hardly glanced at him. And that fact pained more than it ought. — Elara pushed herself to take slow, even breaths as she navigated the kitchen space, watching over the last stages of the evening's centerpiece. She could feel his eyes slicing through her spine. Cole Damian. The man who had been her entire world. The man who had destroyed it all with a harsh goodbye and hollow silence. It had taken years to heal from that level of hurt. Years to tell himself that he didn't have control over her. Why, then, did there panic-ticulate quiver to the fingers which rearranged garnish on plates? Marco was at last catching up to her, but she would never give him the pleasure of knowing it. "Elara?" She turned to find Marco, her sous chef, standing before her, his face creased with concern. "Are you okay?" With a wan smile, she lied with ease, "I'm fine." "Just double-checking that everything is just right." Marco nodded after a moment. "We are prepared to serve the first course." Elara squared her shoulders and nodded abruptly. "So let's make this one night to remember." Hearts still smarting, she walked back to the dining hall. She was determined to prove him and herself that she had moved on. That the girl who loved Damian Cole wasn't that girl anymore. in spite of the urging in her heart to the contrary. — Maxwell Cole, the patriarch of the Cole family, stood the room up as he tapped on his glass at the head of the dining room. "As you are all aware," he started in a deep, authoritative voice, "this night marks the start of a new era for the Cole Legacy Resort." Our empire will reach even greater heights with our merger with Lancaster Holdings. Damian hardly heard what his father had to say. Because Cassandra Lancaster, the woman his family was urging him to marry, came forward while Maxwell was still talking and rested her hand on his arm with a sickeningly sweet smile. The impulse to jerk away was almost unbearable. Instead, he looked over at Elara, who stood frozen among the waiters, drinking in the view. They met eyes. Something crossed her face for an instant. Something that was about to break apart. Then she looked away almost as fast. Damian knew this night was only the start of things. The battle had just gotten underway. Not to mention, he wasn't sure if he could emerge victorious.