Oh, how he adored her.

That sweet, luminous face of hers—how it blossomed into a smile crafted solely for him, a secret expression no one else would ever know.

The delicate flush that rose to her cheeks when he handed her a gift she’d never asked for, but that he knew—instinctively, intimately—she had been dreaming of. A silk slip from Paris. A necklace that caught the light like moonlight on water. Things she never named, but he could always read her desires.

Her voice—soft and honeyed—whispering into his ear confessions of longing, her fingers idly twisting loose strands of hair in slow, teasing circles, like a cat playing with a ribbon.

And the way she rested her bare feet on the dashboard of his prized car—his sanctuary, his machine of pride—chewing gum and blowing fruit-scented bubbles that shimmered for a moment, glossy and pink, before vanishing with a snap. Any other woman would have been thrown out on the curb. But her? She could do anything.

She was younger. Much younger. But that only sharpened his instinct to protect, to provide, to possess. He knew what women wanted—security, pleasure, attention—and he gave it to her effortlessly, generously. If she so much as lifted one perfectly manicured finger, he’d have bought her the moon in a Tiffany box.

Yes, she liked his money. She liked the power it gave her—to turn fantasies into Saturdays, cravings into Cartier. And he? He reveled in it. Because what he got in return wasn’t anything he could acquire through mergers or market strategies. It was her—her laughter, her scent on his shirts, her warmth curled up against him like something fragile and purring.

He loved the way she dressed for him. How, after a day of brutal meetings and hollow words in high glass towers, he’d return home to find her waiting—bathed in soft perfume, wrapped in the silk of a dress chosen with him in mind, her lashes long and deliberate, her smile a promise before a single word was spoken.

He took her on trips—not just to be seen with her, but to be envied for her. At charity galas and investment dinners, his hand rested at the small of her back, drawing her close. He could feel the burn of hungry eyes from across the ballroom. They watched her every move, those men who had everything—except her. And her eyes? They belonged only to him.

Back in the hotel suite, they settled into a quiet rhythm: he in his tailored suit, responding to emails with disciplined calm at a sleek glass table; she on the bed, draped in a velvet robe—his gift, of course—her chin in her palm, flipping through the movie options with languid elegance.

The world outside could wait.

He lifted his gaze from the glow of the screen and found her bathed in golden lamplight, looking like something out of a dream. Her hair was still pinned in that intricate style, and the glitter on her eyelids caught the light like tiny stars.

“Did you have a good time tonight?”

he asked softly, letting himself sink a little deeper into the chair.

All the dinners, receptions, and grand affairs had long since lost their charm for him. But for her, they were still new — a kind of magic. She loved the ritual of dressing up, the delicate architecture of a hairstyle, the pulse of live music, the slow swirl of expensive wine.

And all he ever truly wanted was for time spent with him to feel just as rare — just as unforgettable — as the world she was still learning to love.