THE BILLIONAIRE'S FORBIDDEN DRIVER

Chapter 1 The sound of leather hitting the marble floor rang through the ballroom, and everyone stopped talking at once. A trembling waiter stepped back in fear after accidentally spilling red wine on Victor Kingston's expensive suit. For one terrifying second, nobody moved. Then, Victor Kingston slowly looked down at the stain. The silence became unbearable. "I... I'm sorry, sir," the waiter said with a shaky voice. Victor gritted his teeth as his expression turned cold. "You should be." The young man suddenly looked very scared. Across the ballroom, Arabella Kingston closed her eyes because she already knew what would happen next. The waiter looked no older than twenty. It was just a mistake, an accident, but her father didn't believe in mistakes, only consequences. "Security," Victor called coldly, and immediately, two guards stepped forward. "Sir, please," the waiter pleaded. "I didn't mean to…" "You're fired." The words landed like a gunshot and it made the waiter freeze. Several guests exchanged uncomfortable glances, but nobody dared intervene or challenge Victor Kingson, not even when he’s in control of almost half of the city and when one signature from him could destroy his career overnight. Arabella felt uneasy. "Father," she said quietly as she approached him. "It was an accident." Her father turned toward her and the look in his eyes was enough to silence most people, but unfortunately for him, Arabella had spent twenty-four years surviving those looks. "Don't interfere." The waiter looked at her desperately, hoping she could help him, but Arabella knew she couldn't protect him from her father. Still, she tried. "Dad, he's sorry. He didn't mean to do it." Victor adjusted his cufflinks. "Careless people have no place around me." The guards dragged the waiter away. He kept begging until his voice could no longer be heard and just like that, one mistake destroyed his life. The party went on. The orchestra started playing again, and the guests went back to talking as if nothing had happened. Arabella stood there, as she felt a tight pain in her chest. "Smile." Her father’s command came without warning. She looked at him. "What?" "I said you should smile." His voice remained calm and that somehow made it worse. "Tonight is important." Arabella glanced around the ballroom, Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead with politicians, investors and billionaires. Every powerful person in New York seemed to be gathered under one roof, including the Sterling family. The sight of Damian Sterling immediately made her mood worsen. He stood beside his father looking entirely too pleased with himself. "Why are they here?" Arabella asked. Her father didn’t react and simply said, “You’ll know soon.” She felt a sudden shiver, and before she could ask anything else, he left. Arabella sighed softly, but she knew something wasn't right and she could feel it. For weeks, her father had been acting strange, having secret meetings and phone calls, and somehow, she felt it had something to do with her. "Miss Kingston?" The deep voice behind her made her heart beat as she turned. Lucas Blackwood stood near the entrance looking tall and composed, dressed in the black uniform of the Kingston family's driver. Most people barely noticed him but Arabella always did. "Lucas." His eyes were on her face. "You look upset." She was surprised by his worried voice because he was the only one who asked if she was okay after what had happened to the waiter. "I'm okay." A small, faint smile that explained he didn't believe her at all showed on his lips. “You always say that, but I never believe you because you usually aren’t telling the truth.” To other people, those words might have sounded bold, but when Lucas said them, they somehow felt calm and comforting to her. Arabella laughed without meaning to, and the sound of that surprised them both, making things feel less tense for a moment, not until Damian Sterling appeared. "Arabella." Her smile vanished instantly. Damian stepped between them as if Lucas wasn't even there just because he was a driver. "You look beautiful tonight." Arabella forced a polite smile. "Thank you." Damian offered his arm to her. "May I have a dance?" Before she could answer, her father's voice sounded very loud across the ballroom. "Everyone." The room fell silent and Arabella’s heart raced. Her father stood on the stage with a champagne glass in hand, with Richard Sterling standing beside him and Damian moving towards to join them as well. Arabella’s face was in so much confusion that she couldn’t tell what was about to happen. The uneasy feeling she'd been carrying all evening suddenly became dread. Her father raised his glass up. "My friends, thank you all for joining us tonight." The crowd applauded, but it wasn’t sitting well on Arabella. She clearly felt that something was not right. Her father kept smiling, but she could tell it wasn’t a warm father’s smile, it was more like a businessman’s smile. The kind he always wore before closing a deal. "Tonight marks the beginning of a powerful new chapter for both the Kingston and Sterling families." Arabella's blood ran cold. No. Her eyes moved towards her mother Eleanor Kingston, as she stood near the front row holding her champagne glass tightly and the sadness in her eyes hit Arabella like a slap, she could tell that her mother had known all along what was about to be announced. Her father continued speaking. “For many years, our families have shared success, loyalty, and friendship.” Arabella could barely breathe well because she already knew what was coming even before he said it, and she felt helpless to stop it. “I’m pleased to announce the engagement of my daughter, Arabella Kingston.” The ballroom erupted into applause and Arabella stood frozen. "...to Damian Sterling." A loud sound filled the room and everyone continued clapping. Her champagne glass fell from her hand and broke on the floor, but no one noticed because everyone was busy talking and clapping. They were too busy celebrating, except Lucas. Across the ballroom, their eyes met and for the first time since he'd entered the Kingston estate two years ago, Lucas looked ready to break every rule he had ever sworn to follow.