Tree Johanson

She was a billionaire who had everything-except someone who loved her for herself. Theresa Laurent has spent decades building an international hospitality empire. At fifty-something, she is powerful, sophisticated, wealthy, and accustomed to getting exactly what she wants. Then she meets Paul Bennett. Thirty years younger, ambitious, independent, and completely unimpressed by her fortune, Paul is unlike anyone Theresa has ever known.
What begins as an unexpected attraction quickly becomes something neither of them can control. Theresa tries to keep their relationship private and uncomplicated. But private dinners become stolen weekends, stolen weekends become something deeper, and soon she realizes that Paul sees the woman behind the billionaire image. Then their secret becomes public. Photographs of Theresa and Paul together ignite a society scandal.
Critics call Paul a gold digger. Others mock Theresa for dating a younger man. Her business associates worry about the effect on her reputation. But the real danger is closer than either of them realizes. When confidential information from Theresa's company is leaked, Paul becomes the perfect scapegoat. Theresa must choose between protecting the empire she spent a lifetime building and trusting the man she has come to love.
As betrayal threatens to destroy everything, Theresa and Paul discover that love isn't about wealth, age, or status. It's about trust. It's about independence. And ultimately, it's about choosing each other. When Paul builds a successful business of his own and Theresa learns to stop protecting him from every difficulty, their relationship becomes stronger than ever. But their greatest surprise is still waiting.
A private proposal. A wedding. A future neither of them expected. And a love that proves the most valuable thing in Theresa's world was never her billionaire fortune. It was the man who saw her as a woman before he ever saw her as a billionaire.