The CEO'S Forbidden Secret

Chapter 01

~~~SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA~~~

~~~TIAGO MANSION – EVENING~~~

The guards didn't even have time to react before Tessa stormed through the grand double doors, her fury slicing through the silence of the mansion like a blade. Her heels struck the marble floor sharply, her hand clutching a file so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Dad!" she screamed, bursting into his office.

But the moment she saw who sat behind the mahogany desk - the one that once belonged to her mother - her voice faltered.

Monica.

Smiling. Relaxed. Sitting where her mother used to sit.

"What are you doing here, witch?" Tessa spat, her voice shaking. "And what the hell is this nonsense?"

Monica raised her head with a slow, infuriatingly calm smile. "Tessa, darling, I know this is difficult for you-"

"Difficult?" Tessa's voice cracked as she slammed the file onto the desk. "My mother would never leave a will like this! What the hell is the lawyer even saying?"

Monica's smile didn't waver. "Your mother was a wise woman. She entrusted the company to me - to protect you, your sister, and your father. It was her wish, and your father supports it."

Tessa's eyes burned. "You? You shouldn't forget your place, woman. You're just the other woman my father dragged in after my mother died. You're nothing but a parasite leeching off her hard-earned empire!"

"Tessa." Monica stood slowly, still smiling - that kind of smile that hid poison behind it. She reached out, but Tessa swatted her hand away like fire.

"Your mother was a strong woman," Monica said softly, almost mockingly. "But look how she ended."

Tessa's voice trembled. "I don't care about your pathetic lectures. Why you? Why do you have control of my mother's company?"

"Because," Monica said, stepping closer, "your father supported it. He agreed with me. It's what your mother would have wanted."

"Dad would never do that!" Tessa shouted, tears streaking down her cheeks. "He would never hand my mother's legacy to a lying bitch like you!"

"Watch the way you talk to your mother, Tessa."

The deep voice came from the doorway.

Tessa froze. She turned, and there he was - Roman Tiago, her father - the man who used to lift her up on his shoulders as a child, now looking at her like she was a stranger.

"Dad, what the hell is this bitch saying?" she demanded, tears burning behind her fury. "Why don't I have access to Mom's company? It's mine, not hers!"

"You'd better lower your voice when you talk to me, young lady," Tiago said coldly. "And you'll really regret it if I hear you call your mother that word again."

Tessa's voice broke. "She's not my mother! You can't expect me to stand here and watch you destroy everything she built! Did you really give her control over Mom's company?"

Tiago's voice thundered. "It was your mother's wish!"

"Liar!" Tessa shouted back. "My mother would rather die than let a vulture touch what she worked for!"

The crack of the slap echoed through the office.

Tessa staggered, her cheek stinging, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Learn to respect me, you useless child," Tiago growled.

"Stop it, honey. She's just a kid," Monica cooed, though the smirk tugging at her lips betrayed her.

"Dad!"

Mia's voice quivered from the doorway. The younger girl stood frozen, eyes wide, tears already gathering.

Tessa turned toward her sister, her anger collapsing into something rawer - grief, disgust, exhaustion.

"I knew this day would come," she said hoarsely. "Mom spent her whole life trying to make you happy. She gave you everything - her love, her devotion - and you repay her by bringing this into our home?" Her gaze cut to Monica like a knife. "You're a disgrace, both of you."

"Enough!" Tiago roared, his hand lifting again, but Monica caught his wrist midair, smiling faintly.

"Tell me, Dad," Tessa's voice broke, tears blurring her vision, "did you ever love her? Did you ever love Mom - without her money, her company, her power?"

Silence.

And in that silence, Tiago's face said everything.

Tessa let out a shaky breath. "I knew it. You only ever loved her fortune. If she'd had nothing, you'd have never even looked her way."

Mia's small hand slipped into hers.

"Leave," Tessa said coldly. "This mansion was our mother's, not yours. And I have more right to it than anyone here."

Tiago laughed bitterly. "You have no right to anything under this roof."

Tessa blinked back tears. "I never thought I'd be ashamed to call you my father."

"Go get your bag, Mia," she whispered. "We're leaving. I won't stay another night under the same roof as a coward and a leech."

Mia nodded fiercely, and the two disappeared upstairs.

Minutes later, they came down with their bags, faces pale but determined. Just as they reached the front door, Tiago's voice thundered across the hall.

"If you walk out that door, Tessa, you're no longer my daughter! You'll never bear my name again-and you'll never see a dime of your mother's estate!"

Tessa froze, her back to him.

"Not like we had any of it to begin with," Mia said bitterly. "Mom's been gone only a few months, and you already brought your bitch to feed off everything she built. What chance do we have a year from now when we have nothing today?"

"Let's go, Mia," Tessa said quietly.

Tiago sneered. "I'd love to see how an eighteen-year-old girl plans to survive with a sixteen-year-old sister. You're both fools."

Tessa turned one last time, eyes blazing through her tears. "Maybe," she said softly. "But at least we're not leeches, Mr. Tiago."

And with that, she opened the door and walked out of the mansion-her mother's home-for the last time.

~~~FOUR YEARS LATER~~~

~~~ Velvet Ember Bar, Sydney ~~~

The bar pulsed with its usual rhythm - clinking glasses, low laughter, and the hum of neon lights cutting through dim smoke.

Until suddenly, it didn't.

The chatter faded. Music softened. Even the air seemed to tighten, thick with anticipation.

Tessa noticed it immediately. Years behind the counter had sharpened her instincts - something was off.

She wiped the polished bar top in steady, deliberate motions, eyes flicking toward the entrance where whispers began to stir.

Her manager approached, his tie slightly crooked, the edge of nerves tugging at his smile.

"Tessa," he said, lowering his voice, "we're expecting someone important tonight. One of the most influential figures in Australia. I want you to personally attend to them."

Her brows knit together. "Why me?"

"Because I trust you," he replied quickly. "You've been with us the longest. Just... don't mess this up."

She forced a polite smile, though her stomach knotted. "Yes, sir."

As he walked off, the low murmurs spread like wildfire through the staff.

"I heard it's Kingsley Voss," one whispered, eyes wide.

"Kingsley Voss? The Kingsley Voss?" another gasped, clutching her tray. "Oh my God."

"I would do anything just to have him look at me," someone giggled breathlessly.

"What do you think, Tessa?" one of the waitresses nudged her. "At least you should be happy you're attending to him!"

Tessa froze mid-wipe, a humorless smirk curling her lips.

"There's no way I'd ever wish to be in contact with that kind of person," she said coolly. "I heard he's a playboy. Someone like him disgusts me - he probably thinks the world revolves around him."

"You're just jealous," one of them teased with a grin.

Tessa froze mid-wipe, her jaw tightening. "You mean of that arrogant playboy who thinks the world revolves around him? No, thanks. Someone like him disgusts me."

One of the waitresses smirked. "Whatever."

Tessa gave a quiet chuckle, shaking her head. If only they knew.

Her little sister, Mia - now in college - was obsessed with Kingsley Voss. Posters, magazines, interviews... she could recite his quotes like scripture. Thanks to Mia, Tessa knew more about him than she'd ever wanted to.

A self-absorbed superstar. Scandal magnet. Every woman's fantasy - except hers.

Still, she couldn't deny the strange ripple crawling up her spine as the energy in the room shifted again.

"They're here!" a bartender hissed, nearly dropping his tray.

The staff scrambled into position, straightening uniforms, fixing hair, rehearsing smiles.

Tessa exhaled slowly, steadying herself. She needed this job - badly. With Mia's tuition and the rent piling up, this wasn't just work; it was survival.

She adjusted her name tag, plastered on her professional smile, and whispered under her breath,

"Please, God, just don't let me get on his bad side."

Because if even half of what she'd heard about Kingsley Voss was true...

one wrong move could destroy everything she was trying so hard to hold together.

Tessa exhaled slowly as she reached the restricted area, her pulse steady but her mind alert. The private lounge sat behind a velvet rope, guarded by a wall of suited men - six of them, all stone-faced, standing like statues outside the door.

She blinked, scoffing quietly.

"It's not like he's going to get kidnapped in a bar," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she approached.

One of the guards stepped forward, scanning her from head to toe before opening the door without a word.

Tessa stepped in, her head bowed out of habit, and was immediately met with a chill. The room felt colder than the rest of the bar - silent, sterile, as if even the air bowed to whoever was inside.

"Who are you?"

The voice came from behind her - low, smooth, but laced with authority.

She turned.

Kingsley Voss stood there in a white bathrobe, damp hair slicked back, droplets of water trailing down his neck. His bare chest glistened under the soft amber light, and yet, to her, there was nothing godly about him. Just arrogance draped in silk.

Her eyes moved over him once, searching for what made millions swoon - and found nothing.

"Done looking?" he asked coldly.

Her throat tightened. "I'm sorry. I was ordered to attend to you and make sure you have everything you need. I didn't mean to intrude."

He smiled - a sharp, mocking curve of his lips.

"I never imagined this bar would have such poor maintenance... and even poorer taste in staff. Why the hell would they send you to serve me? Do you have any idea who I am?"

Tessa inhaled slowly through her nose, fighting to keep her composure. "I'm sorry if I'm not suitable to serve you. I'll get the manager to-"

"Manager?" He scoffed. "Do I look like someone who deals with lowlife managers? Get me the owner of this place."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," she said evenly. "The owner isn't available. That's why the manager and the staff are here - to assist you."

He smirked, stepping closer, voice dripping disdain.

"Oh, I know your game. You're just another one trying to leech off me - trying to get close, brag to your little friends about serving Kingsley Voss. You have no idea how many girls pull this same stunt wherever I go."

That was it.

Tessa's control snapped. Her voice cut through the air like glass.

"And what made you think I'm one of those stupid girls crying after your van or screaming at your posters? You should learn to tell the difference between normal people and your pathetic, obsessed fans."

His eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

She didn't flinch. "I knew attending to you would mean trouble. But I still came because I need this job. So tell me what you want - and stop deluding yourself that every woman on this planet is dying for your attention."

The silence that followed was thick - dangerous. No one had ever spoken to Kingsley Voss like that. Not in public. Not in private.

Something dark flickered in his eyes - not anger, but intrigue.

"I like girls like you," he murmured, stepping closer, "the ones who pretend they don't know me but always end up in my bed anyway."

Tessa's back hit the wall as he closed in, his scent thick with confidence and entitlement.

His next words sliced through her like a blade.

"So tell me, how much do you need? How much to have you in my bed tonight?"

For a moment, she couldn't breathe. The humiliation hit like fire beneath her skin - the kind that burns slow, deep, and cruel.

She had once been the daughter of privilege. A woman who never imagined she'd be offered money for her body. And yet here she was - standing before a man who thought he could buy anything, even her dignity.

Her hand flew before she realized it.

The sharp crack of her palm against his cheek echoed through the room.

Kingsley stumbled back a step, eyes wide, hand pressed to his face.

Tessa's voice trembled with fury. "How dare you?"

No one had ever humiliated him like that. Ever. The sting of her slap cut deeper than pride - it cracked something inside him, something he didn't know could break.

"You... slapped me?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You have no idea what you've just brought upon yourself."

Tessa let out a breathless, bitter laugh and stepped forward until he fell back onto the couch. Her eyes blazed with righteous fury.

"Don't ever think every girl will swarm around you like flies do to sweet things," she hissed. "The world doesn't revolve around you, dummy."

Her words hung in the air like smoke - sharp, unforgettable.

Kingsley stood frozen for a long moment. His cheek burned where her hand had met his skin. His pride burned even worse.

When she reached the door, his voice came low and dangerous.

"You don't know what you've brought upon yourself," he said.

Tessa didn't even turn. "We'll see about that."

And as the door shut behind her, Kingsley's lips curled into a slow, vicious smile.

> "She's so done for."