The Billionaire's Hidden Heiress

Chapter 4

"You need to tell him."

Celine handed me a cup of ginger tea since I can no longer take coffee because of the baby. She sat down next to me on our worn couch, it's late at night and I'm to resume at Blackwood Innovations in approximately twelve hours but I'd barely slept all weekend.

"I can't," I said, wrapping my hands around the mug.

"Tina, he's the father of your baby, he has a right to know."

"He's also my billionaire boss now, he would probably I'm like every other opportunist out there who planned this whole thing just to scam him" I took a sip of tea, my stomach churning. "Do you know what I found when I googled him? His ex-girlfriend sold stories about him to tabloids and his own mother tried to embezzle from his company. So basically he doesn't trust anyone, especially not women who suddenly appear in his life."

"You didn't suddenly appear, not like you had any idea of who he was."

"He won't believe that." I set down the mug before I dropped it. "He'll think I applied for this job to trap him and I got pregnant on purpose to get my hands on his money."

"Or he'll surprise you and actually be decent about it."

"He left me a note, Celine remember the thank you note like I was room service." The memory still hurt more than it should. "He doesn't want anything to do with me."

"That was before he knew about the baby."

"He's not going to want the baby either."

Celine grabbed my hands, forcing me to look at her. "You're making assumptions, girl you don't know if he wants to step up and be in this child's life for good, he might want to be involved."

But I'd read enough about Damian Blackwood to know better. He wasn't the Ice King of Manhattan for nothing, there's a reason they called him ruthless in the tabloids and according to what I read, he's ruthless in business, emotionally unavailable, and doesn't do relationships. He wasn't father material and I wasn't going to force him to be.

"I'm keeping this secret," I said firmly. "At least for now. I need the insurance and the steady paycheck this job will provide if I work hard, keep my head down, and stay as far away from him as possible."

"You're going to be working directly with him on this project."

"Then I'll be professional"And when the baby comes?"

"I'll figure that out too."

"Tina..."

"I have to do this my way." I squeezed her hands, needing her to understand. "Please trust me."

She sighed but finally nodded after a brief minute. . "Fine. But if this gets too hard or keeping this secret starts hurting you or the baby, you promise to tell me."

"I promise," I lied.

Monday morning came soon enough and I arrived at Blackwood Innovations at eight forty-five, wearing the most professional dress I owned and shoes that Celine said make me look more professional. My stomach was doing backflips and I couldn't tell if it was nerves or morning sickness as usual.

Probably both.

The lobby was already busy with employees grabbing coffee and heading to their floors. Everyone looked purposeful and serious, like they actually belonged here, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I checked in at reception and was given a visitor badge and directions to HR,same room as last time.

"Ms. Royce?"

I turned to find Jennifer smiling at me with genuine warmth. "Welcome to your first day, Are you Ready?"

Not even a little bit, I thought but I pasted my best bright fake smile "Absolutely."

She led me through the building, pointing out major locations while I tried to memorize everything while fighting the urge to run screaming back home.

"You'll be working on Project Phoenix," Jennifer explained as we rode the elevator. "It's a major redesign of our flagship product. Mr. Blackwood is very hands-on with this one, so you'll be meeting with him regularly."

Same thing he told me last week, I guess there's no escaping this close proximity.

"Sounds exciting," I managed. I settled in my assigned space and a few minutes later he joined us in the meeting.

"Morning everyone," he said, his voice doing absolutely nothing good for my heart rate. "Before we dive in, I want to introduce our newest team member. Martina Royce will be joining us as senior designer on Project Phoenix."

The meeting dragged on for another thirty minutes where Damien outlined expectations and timelines while I sat there trying not to panic. When he finally dismissed everyone, I practically jumped out of my chair, desperate to escape the tension that was one sided.

"Ms. Royce, could you stay back for a moment?"

I froze halfway to the door while everyone else filed out and suddenly it was just the two of us in that glass-walled room. He was gathering his things, not even looking at me.

"I wanted to discuss your specific role on the project," he said, finally glancing up. "You'll be leading the user interface design, which means we'll be working closely together."

"Iv been told so," I managed.

"I went through your portfolio again over the weekend." He moved around the table, getting closer, and I had to fight the urge to back away. "Your work is exceptional. There's something about your design aesthetic that feels familiar, like I've seen it before."

My throat went dry. "I've freelanced for several companies. Maybe you came across something I worked on."

"Maybe." But he didn't look convinced. He was studying my face with that same intensity from the interview, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. "Have we met before? Outside of your interview?"

"I don't think so," I said, proud of how steady my voice sounded even though my heart was trying to break through my ribs.

He tilted his head slightly. "Strange. I'm rarely wrong with faces."

The silence stretched uncomfortably between us and I actually considered giving him the full truth, I could feel sweat forming at the back of my neck. Maybe he was going to remember and figure things out. He glanced at his phone while it buzzed and the fragile moment eased shifting back to pure business.

"I need to take this, let's meet tomorrow morning in my office by 9. We'll go over the project timeline in detail."

"I'll be there," I said, backing toward the door.

"Oh, and Ms. Royce?" He was already lifting the phone to his ear. "I have very high expectations for this project. Don't disappoint me."