All Chapters of The Bill‍ionaire’​s Muse: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

(Meghan’s POV)Sitting up straight on the sofa with a laptop on her knees, Sofia said, “You’re home late, and why do you look like you want to kill someone?”I slammed the front door behind me, and my hands shook as I set my backpack on the kitchen table.“I had a terrible shift,” I said, as I went to wash away the fragrance of expensive rooftop liquor from my body.“Did you get another penny from some arrogant person?” Her voice was light but tired as Sofia rubbed her fingers against the plastic casing of the laptop.“Worse,” I said, rubbing my palms under the cold water of the tap until they were clean. “I kissed someone tonight.”Sofia placed her laptop on the cushion so fast that she might have broken the screen against the armrest. “Wait, what? You actually kissed a human male? The girl who hasn’t been on a single date since college because she claims men are a waste of time?”“I actually kissed Adrian Vaughn,” I said, turning around slowly to face her, wiping my damp hands again

(Meghan’s POV)I turned around to look at him, my chest rising and falling as I pulled my arm away from his hand. “About what? Another game? What’s this one called? Let me Rescue the Server?”“This is not what you think,” he said, and his voice was nothing like it had been on the hotel roof.His swagger and self-assurance had disappeared, and he couldn’t hide the urgency in his voice. “I don’t deserve your time after tonight, but I’m in trouble right now, and you’re the only one who can help me.”I gave a sharp, bitter laugh. “Help you? You demeaned me for five hundred dollars.”“Please, I’ll do anything... Alright, I’ll pay you,” he said.The words hung in the dark air like a solid weight.“How much?” I asked.Adrian blinked, his mouth opening slightly as if he had expected me to shout at him, not talk about numbers. “What?”“How much would you pay me to help you?” I asked, stepping closer until the metal tray pressed against my stomach.“I’ll pay you whatever you want,” he said, his

(Meghan’s POV)I walked out of Harlan’s office and quietly closed the door behind me. My heart was still racing, but I forced my feet to keep moving down the hallway.I was standing on my own two feet, yet my mind was still spinning from everything that had happened over the last thirty minutes. He hadn’t just asked about my background or whether I was good enough for his son. He had wanted to know if I was good enough for him. Then, against all expectations, he offered me the chance to pitch a design for one of his estates.Before I could reach the elevators, Adrian came rushing toward me. He must have been waiting outside the whole time. He stepped directly into my path.“How’d it go?” he asked immediately. I could hear the worry in his voice. “You were in there for more than thirty minutes. What did he say?”I stopped and looked straight at him, keeping my expression as blank as I could. I didn’t want him to see how overwhelmed I really was.“Your dad gave me a project.”Adrian bli

(Meghan’s POV)I stepped out of the elevator on the fourteenth floor, my shoes landing softly on the polished concrete as the heavy glass doors of Vaughn Residential slid shut behind me. I stopped for a second, hoping the deep breath I took would settle the nerves twisting in my stomach.The reception area was even bigger than I’d imagined. White marble tables sat beneath bright ceiling lights while floor to ceiling windows filled the space with morning sun. Designers crossed the room carrying fabric books, tablets, and coffee cups, weaving around one another like they’d done it a thousand times before. Phones rang somewhere in the background, keyboards clicked, and quiet conversations drifted through the studio. No one paid me any attention.I tightened my grip on my portfolio and started walking. My sneakers squeaked against the polished floor, making me wince. I’d spent years sketching in cramped apartments and fitting design work around catering shifts. This place felt like a diff

(Meghan’s POV)The blue light from my tablet reflected against my hands as I walked everyone through the final section of my ideas. I kept my voice steady while explaining the redesign of the southern structural grid, making sure every change had a clear purpose and every decision was backed by practical reasoning. This wasn’t a pitch for approval or a job—this was what Harlan had asked for five days ago. He wanted to see my ideas brought to life on paper first, to decide if they were worth turning into reality.When I reached the last slide, I lowered the tablet and looked around the room. Harlan sat at the head of the table with his arms crossed, his expression impossible to read. Adrian watched me quietly from two seats away, his brother Julian by his side, while Imogen glanced between me and the notes she had been making throughout the presentation. I took a slow breath, trying not to overthink the silence that settled over the room after I finished. This wasn’t a boardroom fig