MY HUSBAND IS A SECRET BILLIONAIRE

PROLOGUE The Man I Was Never Supposed to Love I thought I knew my husband. I knew the way he drank his coffee. I knew that he hated crowded restaurants. I knew that he always reached for my hand whenever we crossed the street. I knew that he looked at me as if I were the only woman in the world. But I didn't know his real name. Not the name the world knew. Not the name whispered by businessmen and politicians behind closed doors. The night I discovered the truth, I was standing inside a mansion I had never seen before. Hundreds of people surrounded me. Men in black suits stood beside every entrance. Luxury cars filled the driveway. A helicopter waited on the rooftop. Then the doors opened. Everyone suddenly became silent. My husband walked into the room. But this time, nobody called him Adrian. They called him— Mr. Schmidt. The billionaire whose identity had been hidden from the public for years. I stared at him in disbelief. He looked directly at me. And for the first time since our wedding, I saw fear in his eyes. "Elena," he whispered. "What have you done to me?" CHAPTER 1 The Marriage I Never Wanted “You’re going to marry him.” I stared at my father, certain I had heard him wrong. “What?” My father sat silently behind his desk, his face pale and exhausted. Our family business was collapsing. Banks were demanding payment, employees were quitting, and creditors were threatening to take everything we owned–including our home. “I don’t understand.” “You don’t need to understand.” He pushed a photograph across the table. A man wearing an expensive black suit stared back at me. Cold eyes. Perfect features. A face that revealed absolutely nothing. “Who is he?” “Adrian Schmidt.” “And why would he marry me?” My father looked away. “Because he agreed to settle our debts.” My heart stopped. “You want me to marry a complete stranger?” “I’m asking you to save this family.” I stood abruptly, shaking my head. “No. I won’t do it.” My father suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Elena, please.” I froze. I had never seen my father cry before. That night, surrounded by silence and impossible choices, I finally agreed. I thought I was sacrificing my freedom to save my family. I was wrong. I had just agreed to become the wife of Adrian Schmidt—the mysterious man whose name made powerful people tremble. And I had no idea what he truly wanted from me.