The Billionaire's Forbidden Bride

Chapter Three – Worlds Apart

For a moment, the lobby became quiet, all the workers including the receptionists paused to stare at what was going on. Oliver gazed at the wallet in Eliana's hands. His unique initials made with gold were glinting on the leather. He should have said something but for a second he was lost studying her face.

The same girl from the stall.

“Sir,” Eliana said again, her voice soft but steady, “you left this behind.”

Oliver finally reached out his hand for the wallet, their hands brushed and Eliana quickly pulled her hand back.

“Thank you,” he said calmly. His voice was gentle but his heart was beating fast like it wanted to leave his chest .” Most people wouldn't want to go through this hassle,” he added.

Her eyes lowered. “It was yours. It didn’t feel right to keep it.”

The receptionist shifted awkwardly behind the desk, suddenly polite now that she realized who Eliana had been waiting for. “Mr. Williams, we didn’t know she was—”

Oliver raised his hand slightly. “It’s fine.” His gaze never left Eliana.

She nodded and stepped back, her bag pressed to her side. “I should go now. I only came to return it.”

For a second, he almost let her leave. It would have been the normal thing to do but something in him resisted— just as it did in the morning when he instructed the driver to stop at the city.

“Wait,” he said before she could turn away.

Eliana paused, she raised her brows, he could read curiosity in her eyes.

Oliver placed the wallet into his pocket and studied her again. She looked petite in this towering lobby. Her plain dress and modest sandals made her look different from the rest of the people. And yet, it didn't affect her confidence. She stood with quiet dignity, even when she clearly didn’t belong here.

“At least allow me to thank you properly,” Oliver said. “Lunch. Tomorrow. My treat.”

She raised her brows, as though he had suggested something impossible. “Oh, no, sir. That wouldn't be necessary.”

“I insist,” Oliver responded softly, although she could read the seriousness on his face. “It’s rare to see someone as honest as you. You didn’t just return my wallet—you came all the way here. That deserves more than a thank you.”

Eliana bit her lip. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but lunch with a man like him? The Oliver Williams she had only ever read about in newspapers? It felt too unreal.

“I…obviously do not fit in your kind of place,” she said calmly.”

Oliver’s lips curve— he let out a faint smile. “Then we’ll eat somewhere simple. You choose.”

Her breath caught. She hadn’t expected him to bend, not even slightly.

Still, she shook her head. “I really should go. My mother is waiting.”

The receptionist pretended to be typing on her desk, while using her side eye to glance through Eliana. The woman's plain dress and sandals doesn't match the aesthetic of the surroundings yet she managed to grab Oliver’s full attention. That alone was enough to stir suspicions among the lobby staff.

Oliver noticed it too— The way people were staring at Eliana was beginning to be too much and then he had the urge to protect her from it, though he didn't fully understand what the looks were for.

“You came all the way here just to return this,” he said quietly, tapping the wallet in his pocket. “That means something.”

Eliana lowered her head, contemplating on what to answer. She wasn't used to men talking to her aside from her customers buying food— Now it's a billionaire son approaching her.

“I only did what anyone should do,” she muttered.

Oliver almost let out a smile again, but this time it faded before she could notice. He had a lot to ask her about her stall, her mother, her life— but asking more questions will push her further away.

He stepped aside instead. “Very well. Hopefully, this wouldn't be the last time I will see you.”

Eliana went speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say. She gave a small nod and headed towards the exit.

The fancy doors swung open. Eliana stepped outside, shielding her face from the sunlight with her hands, the city breeze catching at her braid.

Oliver couldn't take his eyes off her, until she was far gone. He felt something really strong for her but yet to figure it out.

The receptionist tried asking him a question—work related. “Sir, should I—”

But Oliver didn’t answer. His thoughts weren't in the lobby anymore.

He turned slowly, his eyes gazing around the high windows where the rays of sunlight penetrated from. For the first time in a while the files packed on his desk and responsibilities waiting for him upstairs felt like nothing important. His mind wasn't on business, family legacy, or even on family expectations that has weighed him down all his life.

Behind him, his phone on the reception desk buzzed. A message flipped in:

Lisa Weldon: Dinner tonight. Don’t be late.

Oliver’s jaw tightened.

But his thoughts weren’t on Lisa. They were still with the girl who had just walked out of his tower.