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chapter 26
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The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 27
DEIRAFor the third time since I'd sat down in this lobby, I looked over at my reflection in the glass window and checked that I looked okay. It was a nervous habit, made worse by how expensive everything in this company looked. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves.My phone dinged and I checked it, grateful for a distraction. It was a message from Dani. "You got this!!!" it said, followed by a string of what I assumed were meant to be encouraging emojis.I took another deep breath.I almost had not applied for this job. When Dani showed it to me, I insisted that there was no way I was qualified. Especially once I saw the pay. It wasn't extraordinary, as far as executive assistant salaries go, but it was well above what I'd ever made at a job."What's the point?" I asked Dani. I was sure that this job would go to someone with connections, someone whose father or aunt or business college mentor knew the owner."What's the harm?" Dani had countered, and I had to admit that t
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 28
"Just the top five floors.""Oh," I replied. Just the top five floors of this very impressive building.We got off the elevator, and he led me through a pretty standard looking office landscape. There were cubicles full of office supplies and people's personal touches, like photos of kids or significant others. I thought about maybe getting to put up a picture of Makayla, and smiled to myself.We went right to the office at the back, the only one that didn't have glass walls."Wait here, please," the man said, and knocked on the door. A muffled "come in" responded and he slipped inside, shutting the door behind him. I waited awkwardly for what seemed like a long time, though in reality it was probably less than a minute. Finally, the man emerged."You can go in, he's all set for your interview," he told me."Thank you," I said. He nodded and walked off. I turned to the door, still sitting slightly ajar, and pushed it open. I walked in and stopped dead in my tracks.The man behind the
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 29
CASSIUS When Deira stormed out of the office like that, a part of me wanted to run after her, to grab her before she could escape forever. But something kept me frozen in place. People rarely spoke to me the way Deira had just spoken to me. Michelle would yell at me when she was angry, sure. But yelling for Michelle was more like loud complaining. It was unpleasant, but there wasn't much edge to it. Deira's yelling... it had felt pointed. Like she'd found my weakest spots and plunged a knife in. I was left with the impression that she saw right through me, and that shook me to my core. The other thing I couldn't get out of my mind was her face when I'd used Makayla's name, and then again when she'd realized that her snide remark about the private eye was true. She'd gone pale, somehow looking both terrified and terrifying at the same time. There was a fierceness to her, and a desperation, and it seemed nothing brought those out in her like potential danger to her child. I suddenly
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 30
DEIRA I hadn't been expecting another call from S&R Management. I certainly hadn't been expecting a call notifying me that there was a letter for me at their front desk. It felt like a trap. I asked them to send it to the flower shop. I figured even if he showed up with the letter personally, there wasn't much he could do in a public business. And though I wasn't close with my boss there, she was a decent person. I knew she wouldn't put up with any nonsense from him, or blame me if anything bad were to happen. Nothing bad happened, though. It actually was just a letter. A long letter. I glanced at it, feeling overwhelmed, and put it back into the envelope. But then it just sat on the table, like a ticking bomb. Finally, I gave in and read it. It wasn't what I was expecting. I was half expecting it to be from his lawyer. I had, after all, threatened him with my own (non-existent) lawyer. But it was from him, and it was surprisingly candid. It started with an apology, and then went i
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 31
"You have to decide what you think of me at some point, right? Shouldn't you have as much information as possible?" He gave me a small, warm smile. I felt like I was being given his best business pitch. It was working. Finally, I nodded. "I only have an hour or so," I said. "No problem. I drive fast and I cook fast," he said, and stood up. “I already know you drive fast,” I said with a heavy note of sarcasm. True to that statement, we were at his place in 10 minutes and there was a grilled chicken sandwich sitting in front of me in 20. I'd mostly sat quietly and watched as he'd buzzed around the kitchen. I wondered what it would be like to come home to him, and chat about our days at work as he made dinner. I shook my head to get rid of that thought. That wasn't why I was here. The sandwich was delicious, though. I couldn't help but make a noise of approval as I bit into it. He beamed at me, proud of his work. God, he was very charming like this. I wanted to let myself be charmed
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 32
CASSIUSI hadn't meant to ask Deira about seeing Makayla right away. It had just slipped out, my brain still fuzzy from our mind-blowing sex. I regretted the question as soon as I asked, and I felt Deira tense up. She pushed me off and went to grab her clothes off the floor.Well, I'd said it now. I decided confidence was the way forward."I know you probably don't want to think about it, but we have to talk about it at some point."She pulled on her shirt and started buttoning it, then finally looked at me."Well, I suppose 30 seconds after we finished having sex is the perfect time," she retorted.Her sarcasm irritated me, but I took a deep breath. I had promised in the letter that our interaction wouldn't be like last time in my office, and that meant no yelling and no bitter fights."We have to talk about it eventually," I said sternly. She finished buttoning her shirt and looked at me, crossing her arms."Do we?" she asked, and raised her eyebrows.I had to admire that she wasn't
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 33
After a long time on the swings, we went back over to sit with Deira, who produced a juice box for Makayla out of her purse. I sat on the bench, and Makayla climbed up into Deira's lap."So, Makayla, I have some questions for you, if you don't mind," I said."Okay. Ask me," she replied.I had a list memorized, about all her favorites and the kinds of things that she liked. I found out that she liked blue, and chipmunks, and "boy" toys like trucks and squirt guns, as well as making crafts and coloring. I mentally repeated all the answers to myself, wanting to be sure I could remember them long enough to write them down later.As we talked, I could feel Deira relaxing. We'd been at the park for almost an hour, and it had gone really well. I hoped she realized that every time could be like this, and that I would do my best to make that happen.There was a lull in the conversation, and then Makayla suddenly leaned over to Deira's ear and whispered something. Deira listened, glancing at me
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 34
DEIRAAfter I submitted my application, it only took Cassius's company a day to call and offer me the job. I wasn't surprised. I'd looked over the job listing, and I did seem qualified for it. In fact, I thought I might be really good at it. So, I happily accepted. The morning of my first day, I woke up early, and realized I was actually excited to go to work for the first time in a long time.Cassius met me that morning after I'd filled out all the paperwork for HR and insisted on introducing me to my manager personally. I let him walk me over to the PR department and give me a quick tour that ended in the office of the department manager, Mr. White. I didn't like him very much. As he shook my hand, he looked me up and down in a way that was more appropriate for a blind date at a bar than meeting a new employee. He grinned approvingly as if he liked what he saw, and he held onto my hand for a little too long.Still, he was very polite, and he was the head manager of the department, w
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The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 55
I held the door for her to get into the car. My dad picked up Makayla so she could give Deira one last hug while I walked around to get into the driver's side. We waved at everyone, and I drove away. As we wove through the grounds of the estate, I kept looking over, stealing glances at Deira as the dappled sunlight flitted over her, turning her hair gold and making her skin glow. I could feel heat pooling in my groin and a desperate need coursing through my veins. I thought again at how long it would be until we got to the hotel that night, and decided it was simply too long.Instead of turning toward the main road, I looped us around toward the back of the estate. I remembered a particularly secluded spot that was perfect for what I had in mind. A few minutes later, I pulled the car to a stop."Is something wrong?" Deira asked, looking over at me curiously."Nothing's wrong," I replied with a wicked grin. "I just don't want to wait until we get to Hawaii." When she realized what I me
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 54
CASSIUSThree Months LaterDeira made a beautiful bride.Watching her walk down the aisle toward me, with all our family and friends present, I knew that I had made the right choice in asking her to marry me. In fact, I knew that every choice I had made since that moment I decided to step into that steam room, despite it unexpectedly being occupied, had been the right choice.It was a simple ceremony, because once I'd proposed and she'd accepted, we both wanted things to move quickly. Neither of us saw a reason to wait. So, our whole wedding party was just three people. Scott was my one groomsman, and Dani was her one bridesmaid, and Makayla was the flower girl. In fact, Makayla was something of a flower empress, having demanded to be put in charge of all the floral decisions for the wedding. When that happened, Deira just laughed and looked at me."She gets this from you, you know," she had said, smirking.For my part, I thought she had made great decisions. The flowers looked beauti
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 53
A few days later,I was standing outside a hospital room, fidgeting with my dress. Cassius took my hand, pulling it away from the floral garment."You look great," he whispered. "Don't worry." We were about to go into his mother's hospital room, where his parents were waiting to meet Makayla and I for the first time. Makayla was bopping excitedly beside me. She had been on cloud nine ever since Cassius and I had explained that she had grandparents, and they were waiting to meet her. I, on the other hand, was very nervous."Ready?" Cassius asked. I took a deep breath, and nodded.It turned out that I didn't have anything to be nervous about. Cassius's father immediately stood up and gave me a warm hug, and his mother insisted I come sit by her so she could hold my hand and talk to me. They both were very kind to me and, more importantly, to Makayla. Just as she'd been with Cassius, Makayla seemed instantly at ease with them. It didn't take long before she was chatting away to them, talk
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 52
DEIRALeave it to Cassius to make a dramatic entrance, I reflected as I stared at him from afar. Whether it was barging into my steam room or crashing into my car or running through the airport yelling my name, he never did anything subtly. I looked at him, standing there breathing heavily. Had he run through the airport looking for me?I glanced back at Dani, and she raised an eyebrow. She didn't have to say anything more for me to understand the question she was asking. That raised eyebrow said, well, what are you going to do? It might as well have said, well, Deira, what do you want? I hadn't expected to have to answer that question at the airport, right before we went through security, but apparently, that's what was happening. Now I had two choices.I could turn my back on Cassius, take Makayla's hand, and walk through the security gate toward a totally new life, or I could go over to Cassius and ask him why he was here. I could give him one last chance to be part of my life. It
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 51
CASSIUSThough my mother was doing well, I still spent the next week or so in the hospital. Now that I'd reconciled with my parents, I wanted them to know that I was there for them. But also, I knew that once I returned to my real life, I would need to talk to Deira, and I wasn't ready. Not because I wasn't sure what to say—in fact, the opposite. I knew that I wanted Makayla and Deira to be part of my life now, and forever. But we'd had such a rocky path, I was a little scared of how Deira would respond to me.So, I put it off for days, until my mom finally prodded me to leave the hospital."You've been here forever," she said. "Go home, get a shower, and get a good night's sleep. And then, once you're refreshed, maybe talk to your girlfriend about us meeting our granddaughter." She winked at me."She's not my girlfriend, Mom," I protested, feeling like a teenager."But you like her, right?" my mother asked, and all I could do was grin in response. "See," she continued. "You have to g
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 50
The next morning, Dani took Makayla to school on her way to work, letting me sleep in. I laid around her apartment all morning in my pajamas, then went for a quick run before getting myself some lunch. I was very consciously not thinking about work, or Cassius, or anything else. I had half-expected him to call me at some point, but he didn't, and I couldn't help but be relieved. I didn't think I could talk to him until I decided what to do about Mr. White.In the afternoon, I picked up Makayla from school and took her to the park to play. That night, the three of us made pasta and played board games. It was nice to have some time to just have fun, without thinking about all of the stress of the past few months. The next day, after dropping off Makayla at school, I found myself thinking about my blog. I hadn't thought about it in months. I went to the home page and started looking over some of my past entries. Before long, I found myself writing down ideas for new posts. It had been ye
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 49
DEIRA I had hurried inside after getting out of Cassius's car, but I didn't want to go back to Dani's apartment when I was so upset. I waited until I saw Cassius drive away, and then I went back out to take a walk around the neighborhood. I had meant to calm down, but I found myself reliving our conversation and soon I was crying. Cassius not believing me about Mr. White hurt even more than I had let on. I'd let out all my anger on him, but beneath the anger was a deep pain and a sense of betrayal. Why did he think I would make something like that up? What did I have to gain from that? And did our relationship mean so little to him that the word of an employee he barely knew was better than my word? That last part stung more than I wanted to admit. For all the ups and downs of our relationship, it had never felt meaningless to me, but it seemed for Cassius this always came second to his job. He believed Mr. White over me, just like he had taken a business call instead of watching
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 48
After I got my dad calmed down, I went to find the doctor. I wanted a clear understanding of the accident and my mother's injuries. The doctor confirmed that the coma appeared to be because her body had been through a trauma, and that there was nothing worrying on the scans. All her other injuries were minor, especially considering the severity of the accident, but we wouldn't know her true status until she woke up. I made sure he understood that I was the point person now, and that my mom was to want for nothing. He nodded and reiterated that there was nothing to be done but wait. The waiting was excruciating.I found myself wanting to call Deira, but remembering the look on her face as she'd slammed the car door, I didn't think that was a good idea. I called Scott instead. He offered to come to the hospital, but I asked him to take care of the business instead. That way, I could concentrate on taking care of my parents."Of course, man. Whatever you need. Anything else I can do?" he
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 47
The address wasn't far, and I made it there in twenty minutes. Deira was just taking Makayla inside when I pulled up. I waited in the car and a few minutes later she emerged. I was going to get out and meet her, but she walked right to the car and got into the passenger seat."I can't talk long," she said. "But I realized storming off like that earlier wasn't helpful, so I wanted to try to explain." She fidgeted, like she was nervous."I did talk to Mr. White," I said, wondering if what he said was true, and now she was nervous because she regretted her actions. At his name, she glanced over at me sharply."Did he admit what happened?" she asked, seeming surprised."He told me his side of things. Why don't you tell me yours?" At the phrasehis side of things, her face fell. She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. Finally, she spoke."He accused me of sleeping with you to get my job," she said quietly."What?!" I hadn't been expecting that at all, and I was so shocked I fel
