Billionaire's Secret Baby

CHAPTER NINE

Monday eventually came, it was Ruby’s first day at her new job and she wanted to make a good impact. She woke up earlier than normal and quickly got ready for work. Naomi had made breakfast but she wasn’t feeling up to it as she was feeling too excited to be hungry. She couldn’t even wait for Naomi to get ready, she took a cab to work

Today initiated the beginning of a new chapter in her life, with a confident stride, she walked into the office. Ruby put on her sweetest and polite smile as she exchanged pleasantries with her colleagues.

She settled into her workspace which happened to be a small cubicle outside Mr Trainor’s office, a stack of files awaited her attention. She wasted no time delving into them carefully reviewing every detail, creating a to-do list for Mr Trainor and then deciding to build his schedule for the week to ensure everything was ready for his upcoming meetings.

Ruby felt a sense of determination as she worked relentlessly, ticking off tasks one after the other from her to-do list. She was so neck-deep at work that she didn’t realise it was lunchtime.

“Miss Ruby, are you not going for lunch? The food at the cafeteria is nice” Mr Trainor said as he stepped out of his office.

“I didn’t know it was lunchtime already” Ruby quickly cleared her desk. She had missed breakfast and her belly had already started to grumble out of hunger.

“Please sir, can you direct me to the cafeteria?” Ruby asked politely. She has not yet acquitted herself with her new surroundings.

Mr Trainor chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Of course, Miss Qin,” he said, gesturing for Ruby to follow him. “It’s just down the hall and to the left.”

As they walked together, Ruby couldn’t help but feel a sense of ease in Mr Trainor’s presence. He seemed genuinely kind, unlike some bosses who were cold and distant. The thought brought a smile to her face.

They entered the cafeteria, greeted by the soothing aroma of different dishes and the vibrant chatter of colleagues enjoying their break. Ruby’s eyes checked the food options, her stomach rumbling louder with each passing moment. She settled on a plate of steaming vegetable stir-fry and grabbed a fresh fruit salad for dessert.

They settled down to eat, the food was nice and she enjoyed it. As she was about to leave the cafeteria, she noticed a familiar face on the TV screen. It was her mysterious baby daddy. Why was he on the news? The volume of the TV set was not audible so she couldn’t hear clearly but the headline said; “Business Mongol Stephan Rodriguez Set To Wed Amelia O’Neil”. She was so dumbfounded, she couldn’t believe she had spent most of her weekend looking for him only to find him engaged to someone else. She walked out of the cafe with a heavy heart.

When she got back in her seat, she took out her phone and searched his name on the internet. His pictures popped up, he was as beautiful as she had remembered. He is the owner of the Grand Hotel and many more conglomerates. He was never spotted with a girlfriend until today when the news of his engagement broke. He and his fiancé have been high-school sweethearts.

The more she read about him, the more she wanted to cry her eyes out but she was at the office so she needed to control herself. She stared occasionally at the clock hoping and praying that the time would move faster. It was finally time to go home, Ruby had to wait for Mr Trainor to leave before she could go home.

While she waited, she texted Naomi to pick her up if it was convenient for her and Naomi texted back “See you in twenty minutes”. Ruby was deep in thought, now that she knew who the mystery man was, she wished he remained a mystery.

The sound of Mr Trainor’s voice disrupted her thoughts.

“Miss Qin, it’s time for me to call it a day,” he said with a warm smile. “You’ve done an excellent job today. Keep up the good work.”

Ruby managed a weak smile in response, grateful for his compliment. She watched as he gathered his belongings and left the office, leaving her alone in the quiet space. It was finally time for her to go home.

With a heavy heart, Ruby packed up her things and made her way towards the exit. As she stepped out onto the familiar spot where Naomi always parked her car. Just as she reached the spot, Naomi pulled up

“Need a ride?” Naomi asked jokingly

“Yes please” Ruby played along trying to push away the thoughts that threatened to consume her

“Get in” Naomi said signalling her to open the door.

“Hey girl, how was your day?” Ruby asked

“Fine, yours?” Naomi asked

“Not fine at all” Ruby said, sadness evident in her voice

“Yeah you don’t look good, what’s up,” Naomi asked with concern

“I found him” Ruby announced sadly

“Found who” Naomi asked confusedly

“The mysterious baby daddy”

“That is amazing news, but you don’t seem to be ecstatic about it” Ruby exhaled heavily.

“He is engaged,” she said in an irritated tone. “I dedicated my entire weekend searching for him, only to find out that he is about to get married to someone else.”

Naomi’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh my God, Ruby I am so sorry,” she said empathetically. “That must have been overwhelming for you.”

“It was,” Ruby admitted, her voice coloured with sadness. “I thought maybe there was a chance for us, but now it feels like all those dreams have just been broken into tiny pieces”

Naomi reached out and softly grasped Ruby’s hand. “You deserve better than someone who would leave you without a clue and then get set to marry someone else,” she said firmly. “You are the most resilient and independent woman I know, and you don’t need someone like that in your life.”

Ruby nodded, tears gathered in her eyes. “You’re correct,” she said calmly. “I don’t need him. I have my job now, and I can take care of my baby by myself

Ruby wiped away her tears and inhaled deeply, determined to focus on going forward. She couldn’t afford to let this heartbreak devour her. As they drove away from the office, Naomi turned on the radio to distract Ruby from her thoughts.

Reaching their apartment, they stepped out of the car and made their way into the apartment. Inside, Ruby took off her shoes and slumped onto the couch, she was feeling both physically and emotionally exhausted. She closed her eyes, trying to find some comfort in the silence of their living room.

“Ruby, I forgot to ask, what’s his name” Naomi asked out of curiosity cutting through Ruby’s thought

“Stephan Rodriguez” Ruby replied nonchalantly

“Hold on, Ruby please tell me your Stephan isn’t the same Stephan the popular business mogul,” Naomi asked

“Well from what I found out, he is the same person, the heir to the Grand Empire” Ruby replied

Naomi took out her phone and quickly typed in “Stephan Rodriguez” turning her phone to Ruby “Is this your mystery man” Naomi asked showing Ruby a picture of Stephan from the internet

“Yes he is”

Ruby felt a mix of emotions as she looked at the picture of Stephan on Naomi’s phone. It was undisputed that he was the same man she had spent one magical night with, the man who ignorantly fathered her child. But now, seeing him as a successful businessman and engaged to someone else, it felt like a brutal twist of fate.

Naomi glanced at Ruby with concern visible on her face “Ruby are you sure you don’t want to tell him about the pregnancy?”

“And what good would that information do for him? I don’t want to interfere in his relationship”

“Ruby I get you but I think he deserves to know”

“Naomi, I’m raising the child alone” Ruby said with a note of finality

“Alone? I thought we were doing this together” Naomi pretending to be offended, pouted her lips like a child

“I’m sorry, of course we are doing this together besides you know I can’t survive with you” Ruby got up and embraced her friend