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When quiet, grounded bookshop owner Lila Moore finds herself tangled in a legal property dispute with arrogant tech billionaire Ashton Vale, sparks fly in the most inconvenient of ways. He's used to getting what he wants. She's used to being left alone. But somewhere between coffee-fueled mornings and reluctant meetings, Lila discovers there's more to Ashton than money-and maybe more to life than her quiet corner of the world.
Chapter 1 The man in the black car
If you'd told Lila Moore that her Tuesday morning would begin with a luxury car blocking the entrance to her bookstore, she would have laughed. Not because the idea was ridiculous-it wasn't, not in this city-but because Tuesday mornings were usually slow, calm, and filled with the smell of fresh croissants from the bakery next door. Not... whatever this was.
The black car was a glossy, too-shiny sort of expensive, the kind that looked like it had never seen a speed bump or a grocery store parking lot. Lila stood on the sidewalk, coffee in hand, trying to assess whether walking around it would be considered trespassing.
A man stepped out. Tall. Dark suit. Sunglasses, even though the morning sun hadn't fully stretched across the skyline yet. Lila took a sip of her lukewarm coffee and raised a brow.
"Is this your car?" she called, keeping her voice casual.
The man turned toward her like he hadn't expected to be spoken to. That was the first strike against him. The second came when he looked her over, cool and analytical, before replying, "Yes."
He didn't elaborate. No apology. No explanation.
"You're parked in front of my store," she said, nodding toward the sign above the door: Moore Words. "People tend to want to enter through the front."
"I'll be a minute."
Lila blinked. "Right. That's not really the point."
The man-tall, well-groomed, definitely expensive-glanced down at his watch like her presence was a mild inconvenience. "This won't take long."
She should have let it go. Should have gone inside, counted the new inventory, pretended like this man didn't already rub her the wrong way. But something about the way he dismissed her made her spine stiffen.
"This is private property," she said. "Just so you know. You're not a customer, and your car is blocking mine."
That finally got his attention. His head tilted slightly. "Lila Moore?"
She stiffened. "Do I know you?"
"No," he said smoothly. "But I know this property. Ashton Vale."
He offered his hand like that name was supposed to mean something. She stared at it.
"Oh," she said. "You're that Ashton Vale."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "The one and only."
Lila finally shook his hand, if only to avoid being rude. "You're the guy trying to buy the whole block."
"I'm the guy who is buying the whole block."
She arched a brow. "Not this shop."
"That's yet to be determined."
Lila exhaled slowly. So this was the billionaire. The same one who'd made the news last month for purchasing six neighboring lots, including the café on the corner and the art studio two doors down. And now he was standing on her doorstep like he had every right to claim her world, too.
"Well, Mr. Vale," she said, unlocking her front door, "I don't sell my shop to people who don't say good morning."
He let out a quiet chuckle behind her, and she hated how smooth it sounded.
"Duly noted," he said. "Good morning, Ms. Moore."
She didn't look back. She had books to shelve, receipts to sort, and, apparently, a billionaire to ignore.
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