THE BILLIONAIRE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY STEPFATHER

The night I met Dominic Vale, I had just lost my job.

And somehow, that still wasn’t the worst part of my evening.

“Clean your desk before you leave.”

My boss didn’t even bother looking at me when he said it.

The words landed like a slap.

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at him across the office desk.

“I… don’t understand,” I said slowly.

He sighed as if I were the one being difficult.

“Alina, the company is making adjustments. Your position is no longer necessary.”

“That’s not what you said last week.”

He finally looked up then.

Cold.

Impatient.

“That was last week.”

The finality in his tone made it clear the conversation was already over.

My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag.

Two years.

Two years of staying late, taking extra shifts, doing things that were never even part of my job description.

And this was how it ended.

Just like that.

“Fine,” I said quietly.

I turned before he could see the frustration in my eyes.

But just as I reached the door, his voice stopped me.

“Oh, one more thing.”

I paused.

He slid a thick envelope across his desk.

“Take these documents to Vale Tower. Twenty-fourth floor.”

I frowned slightly.

“At this hour?”

“Consider it your last task.”

My jaw tightened.

Of course it was.

But arguing wouldn’t change anything.

So I picked up the envelope and walked out.

The rain started halfway through my bus ride.

By the time I reached Vale Tower, the storm had turned the streets into mirrors of reflected light.

I stood outside the massive glass building for a moment, staring up at it.

Vale Tower was famous in the city.

Tall.

Impressive.

Intimidating.

It belonged to one of the most powerful business empires in the country.

And somehow, tonight of all nights, I was the unlucky person delivering paperwork here.

“Just drop the files and leave,” I muttered to myself.

I pushed through the glass doors.

The lobby was enormous.

Soft golden lights reflected across polished marble floors, and the quiet elegance of the place made me suddenly aware of my damp coat and slightly messy hair.

Definitely not the picture of professionalism tonight.

I walked toward the elevators at the far end of the lobby.

One of them was already closing.

“Wait!”

I slipped my hand between the doors just in time.

They slid open again with a quiet mechanical sound.

I stepped inside quickly and pressed the button for the twenty-fourth floor.

Just as the doors began to close again, a deep voice spoke behind me.

“Hold the door.”

I pressed the button without thinking.

A man stepped inside.

And suddenly the elevator didn’t feel empty anymore.

He was tall.

Broad shoulders, dark suit, rain still clinging to the edges of his hair.

But what caught my attention most was the quiet confidence in the way he carried himself.

Like he belonged anywhere he walked into.

The elevator doors closed behind us.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The elevator began moving upward.

18, 19, 20.

Then suddenly…

The elevator jerked violently.

I gasped as my balance shifted.

My heel slipped against the polished floor.

Before I could fall, a strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back.

My body collided with his chest.

Warm.

Solid.

Very close.

“Careful,” he said quietly.

His voice was calm, steady.

The kind of voice that naturally commanded attention.

I quickly stepped back, embarrassed.

“Sorry.”

Then the elevator shuddered again.

And stopped.

The lights flickered once… twice…

Then dimmed into emergency lighting.

I stared at the frozen floor numbers.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The man beside me leaned casually against the wall, completely unbothered.

“Well,” he said calmly, “this is unfortunate.”

I crossed my arms.

“That’s a polite way to describe being trapped in an elevator.”

He studied me for a moment.

“You’re not panicking.”

“Should I?”

“Most people would.”

I shrugged.

“Screaming probably won’t fix the elevator.”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

And suddenly I realized something unsettling.

He was even more attractive when he smiled.

The emergency lights cast soft shadows across his face, highlighting the sharp line of his jaw.

He looked like trouble.

The kind sensible women stayed far away from.

“What floor?” he asked.

“Twenty-four.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

“That’s where I’m going too.”

Of course he was.

Minutes passed in silence.

Then the elevator jerked again.

My balance shifted for the second time.

“Oh come on—”

I stumbled forward.

Straight into him.

His hands caught my waist instantly.

This time neither of us moved.

My back touched the wall behind me, and suddenly he was very close.

Close enough that I could see the faint gold flecks in his dark eyes.

My heart began beating faster.

His gaze moved slowly across my face.

Curious.

Focused.

Then it dropped briefly to my lips.

“Tell me something,” he said softly.

“What?”

A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Do you always fall into strangers’ arms like this?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

“I tripped.”

“Do you?”

The teasing tone in his voice made my stomach flip unexpectedly.

“You seem very entertained by this situation,” I said.

“I’m entertained by you.”

The honesty of the statement caught me off guard.

Before I could respond, the elevator suddenly jolted back to life.

The lights brightened.

The numbers began moving again.

The doors slid open.

I stepped out quickly, relieved to finally have space again.

But just as I started walking away, his voice stopped me.

“Wait.”

I turned.

He was still standing inside the elevator.

Watching me.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Alina.”

He repeated it slowly.

“Alina.”

“And you?” I asked.

“Dominic.”

Something about the way he said his name made it sound important.

But before I could think about it, the elevator doors began closing.

“Maybe we’ll meet again,” he said.

I gave a small polite smile.

“Maybe.”

The doors slid shut.

And as I walked down the hallway toward the office I was supposed to visit, I had no idea that the man I had just met in that broken elevator…

Was about to become my mother’s fiancé.