The Raging King's Secret Lover

Chapter 1 You’re Such a Handsome Man

The sound of footsteps echoed through the luxurious restaurant, followed by the rhythmic click of heels against the marble floor.

Stella Gibson walked toward the private meeting room, her short skirt revealing her long legs while her casual T-shirt fitted her slender figure.

Her fiery red hair fell loosely around her shoulders, framing her round face and soft features.

There was something youthful about her appearance, yet the sharpness in her eyes and the confidence in her stride gave her a sensual edge.

As she approached the private dining room, a member of the staff opened the door for her.

Inside, an expansive dining table had been arranged for the evening, its polished surface adorned with elegant tableware, crystal glasses, and carefully prepared place settings.

Everything about the room reflected the level of luxury expected by the clientele Stella had built her restaurant chain to serve.

Over the past year, she had expanded her business nationally, and the response had been far more enthusiastic than she had anticipated. Her café chain, Licius, had gained considerable attention online, particularly for their signature cakes, and business was booming.

But success came with its own demands.

With every new opportunity came another decision, another expansion plan, and another problem waiting to be solved. Stella had barely given herself time to breathe.

The moment she stepped into the room, every conversation came to an abrupt halt.

A dozen pairs of eyes turned toward her.

Investors involved in the expansion of her business watched as she made her way toward her seat. Then, one of the men leaned back in his chair, a teasing smile spreading across his face.

“Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence. We were beginning to wonder if Miss Gibson had forgotten about our little gathering.”

A few people chuckled.

Stella merely smiled, unfazed by the attention. She walked toward her seat, slipped her purse onto the table beside her, and pulled out the chair.

“Sorry I'm late. There was a problem with my car.”

“Car trouble or boy trouble?” a woman asked from a few seats away.

She lifted an eyebrow, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.

Stella paused before sitting down and glanced in her direction.

The woman rested her chin lightly against her hand, clearly enjoying herself.

“Come on, Stella. You're already thirty. Surely, you must have a boyfriend by now.” She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. “When are you finally going to introduce him to us?”

A round of laughter traveled around the table.

Before Stella could respond, the man sitting across from her shook his head.

“That's impossible. As far as I know, Miss Gibson hasn't been in a relationship in years.”

He picked up his glass, a knowing smile tugging at his mouth.

“I've even heard rumors about her. Apparently, she's an impenetrable wall. No one gets close to her unless she wants them to.”

“That's because she's too busy making money to fall in love,” someone else remarked.

The man across from Stella chuckled.

“Exactly. She's brilliant, intimidating, and far too sharp for most men to approach. By the time they gather enough courage to speak to her, she's probably already left the party.”

The woman beside him laughed.

“Then perhaps it's time someone finally broke through that wall.”

Stella settled into her chair and crossed one leg over the other, her fingers resting lightly on the edge of the table. She offered them a pleasant smile, though the faint narrowing of her eyes suggested she had already grown tired of the subject.

When one of the cocktails was placed in front of her, she reached for the glass almost absentmindedly. Her fingers curled around the stem as she lifted it, giving the drink a small swirl before bringing it to her lips.

She had intended to take only a sip.

Instead, one drink turned into another.

Then another.

Each time, she reached for the glass without giving it much thought, taking another slow sip as the conversation continued around her. The cocktails tasted deceptively sweet, making it far too easy to keep drinking.

Before Stella realized how much she had consumed, the alcohol had already begun to cloud her judgment. A faint warmth spread through her body, and her movements gradually became looser and less careful.

By the time the dinner finally came to an end, it was well past midnight.

Stella stumbled out of the restaurant, her purse hanging from her shoulder as she stepped onto the pavement. The cool night air brushed against her flushed cheeks, but it did little to clear her head.

She stopped near the entrance and blinked several times.

The city stretched out before her, alive despite the late hour. Traffic continued to move through the streets, headlights sweeping across the pavement. Neon signs flickered above storefronts, and the distant hum of engines mingled with the occasional burst of laughter from pedestrians passing by.

A couple walked past her, their fingers intertwined. A group of friends stood outside a late-night café, laughing over something one of them had said.

Stella watched them for a moment, her unfocused gaze lingering on the couple.

She hadn't intended to get drunk tonight.

She had driven herself to the restaurant, fully expecting to return home after the meeting. But somewhere between discussing business and entertaining her partners, she had allowed the cocktails to keep coming.

Now, the ground seemed to shift beneath her feet.

She reached for the nearest street sign to steady herself and let out a quiet breath.

“Damn it,” she muttered, pressing her fingers against her temple.

The conversations from earlier that evening began replaying in her mind.

‘As far as I know, Miss Gibson hasn't been in a relationship in years.’

‘She's an impenetrable wall. No one gets close to her.’

‘When are we finally going to meet your boyfriend?’

The words seemed to grow louder with every passing second.

Stella lowered her hand and stared blankly at the stream of headlights moving past her.

They were wrong.

She had loved someone once.

And she had fallen for him so completely that, even now, the memory of it could still tighten her chest.

Four years ago, Stella had met one of the most successful men in the business world.

Lucius Frost.

Even thinking his name made something twist painfully inside her.

She had first seen him at a business gala, standing among a room full of wealthy executives, yet somehow he had been the only man she noticed.

He was tall and powerfully built, with broad shoulders and a lean waist that made the black suit look almost unfairly good on him. His dark hair was swept back from his forehead, revealing a strong jaw, straight nose, and deep-set eyes that seemed even darker beneath his thick brows.

The sharp lines of his face gave him a naturally intense look, while the slight stubble along his jaw only added to it. A gold watch showed beneath the cuff of his shirt as his long fingers curled around a glass of whiskey.

Stella had noticed him first.

And when his gaze had settled on her, her heart had begun to race.

She hadn't expected him to be interested in her.

But he was.

At the time, both of them had been focused on their businesses and had little room for complications. Yet somehow, their attraction had grown into something neither of them had been prepared to ignore.

Eventually, Lucius had offered her a relationship of convenience.

And Stella, already hopelessly drawn to him, had agreed without hesitation.

Lucius had three rules for her.

The first was to be a proper girlfriend in public, always sophisticated and poised at his side.

The second was to be loyal to him. He wanted a monogamous relationship, and he expected her to remain faithful.

The third was one she could still hear in his deep, measured voice.

“If we ever part ways, we return to being strangers.”

At the time, Stella had nodded as though the rule meant nothing.

As though she could walk away from him one day and feel nothing at all.

How na?ve she had been.

Lucius had always seemed to have his entire life mapped out in his head. He knew what he wanted, how he wanted it, and exactly what he expected from the people around him.

Their relationship had been no different.

He had created the rules.

She had agreed to follow them.

And for a while, their life together had felt almost effortless.

He was like a machine. Everything in his life was planned, every hour accounted for, and every routine followed with clockwork precision.

At ten o’clock every night, he would leave his study, take a bath, and pull her beneath him, making love to her all night before gathering her into his arms.

Some mornings, he would press his lips against her forehead before breakfast. Other times, he would brush a stray strand of hair away from her face and call her darling in that deep, smooth voice of his.

She had loved those moments.

The quiet intimacy they had shared. The way he had made their arrangement feel like something more than a simple agreement.

For three years, Stella had lived in that illusion..

What had begun as a relationship built on attraction had slowly turned into something far more profound than either of them had intended.

She had agreed to be with Lucius because she couldn't deny the pull she felt toward him, never imagining that those initial feelings would grow into something she would eventually struggle to contain.

But they had.

Day after day, she had fallen deeper.

Three years had passed with her wrapped in his sheets, waking up beside him, falling asleep in his arms, and learning the smallest details of his life.

His presence had become woven into her every routine.

She knew the sound of his footsteps outside their bedroom, the way he reached for her in his sleep, and the low murmur of his voice when he called her name.