The Billionaire’s Hidden Truth

CHAPTER ONE THE INTERVIEW “You’re hired.” I stared at him. For a second, I thought I had heard him wrong. “Sorry?” “You’re hired.” Adrian Blackwood said it again, this time looking slightly annoyed. I looked down at my résumé, then back at him. “That’s it?” He frowned. “What do you mean?” “I mean… you’re not going to ask me anything else?” “I’ve already read your résumé.” “That’s not really an interview.” He leaned back in his chair and looked at me. “You applied for the position. I read your qualifications. I asked you why you left your last job. You answered.” “That was barely three questions.” “And yet, you’re still here.” I couldn’t tell if he was joking. Probably not. I looked around his office. It was exactly what I expected from a billionaire. Everything looked expensive without trying too hard. A large desk sat in front of the windows, and the view of London stretched out behind him. I looked back at him. “So, you’re really hiring me?” “Yes.” I smiled before I could stop myself. “Okay. Thank you.” He nodded and picked up my résumé again. “You start Monday.” “Monday?” “Yes.” “That soon?” “You need the job, don’t you?” I went quiet. There it was. He had noticed. I tried not to let it bother me. “Yes,” I admitted. “I do.” “Then Monday.” I nodded. “Fine.” He put my résumé down. “You’ll be working directly with me. My schedule changes often, so you’ll need to be flexible.” “I can be flexible.” “I expect you to be on time.” “I will.” “I don’t like mistakes.” “Neither do I.” His eyes lifted to mine. I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say. He studied me for a moment. “You seem very confident.” “I’ve been told that before.” “Sometimes confidence becomes a problem.” “Sometimes being too quiet becomes one.” His eyebrows rose slightly. I immediately wondered if I’d pushed too far. But he didn’t say anything. He simply looked back at the file in front of him. “Anything else?” I asked. “One thing.” I waited. “Don’t involve yourself in my family’s personal matters.” I frowned. “I wasn’t planning to.” “Good.” There was something about his tone that made me curious. I probably should have left it alone. Instead, I asked, “Why are you telling me that?” His expression changed. Only slightly. “Because I don’t want misunderstandings later.” “Okay.” I stood up and picked up my bag. “Then I guess I’ll see you Monday.” “You will.” I reached the door. “Sienna.” I turned around. He was looking at me again. “If you find the job too difficult, tell me.” I smiled. “I’ll be fine.” He nodded once. I opened the door and walked out. The second I stepped into the hallway, I let out a breath. I hadn’t even worked for the man yet, and somehow I already felt tired. I walked toward the elevator, trying to process what had just happened. I had actually gotten the job. A personal assistant to Adrian Blackwood. The Adrian Blackwood. I couldn’t decide whether to be excited or worried. Probably both. ⸻ Monday morning, I arrived fifteen minutes early. I stood outside Blackwood Group for a moment before walking inside. The building was even more intimidating than it had been during my interview. People moved around quickly, most of them dressed in suits and carrying laptops or folders. I walked up to the reception desk. “Good morning.” The receptionist looked up. “Good morning. Can I help you?” “I’m Sienna Blake. I’m Mr. Blackwood’s new assistant.” Her expression changed. “Oh.” I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” She smiled quickly. “Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you so soon.” “I was told to be here at eight.” “Yes, of course.” She picked up the phone. “Let me call upstairs.” While she spoke, I looked around. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Not in a peaceful way. It was the kind of quiet where everyone seemed to know when they were supposed to speak and when they weren’t. A few minutes later, she pointed toward the elevators. “Thirty-second floor.” “Thank you.” I stepped into the elevator. When the doors opened, a woman was waiting for me. “You’re Sienna?” “Yes.” “I’m Laura. Come with me.” She led me to a desk outside Adrian’s office. “This is yours.” I put my bag down. “Thank you.” “Mr. Blackwood is already inside.” “Of course he is.” She laughed. “You’ll get used to him.” “I hope so.” She gave me a look that made me wonder if she actually believed that. Before I could ask, Adrian’s office door opened. He stepped out. His eyes went straight to me. “You’re late.” I looked at the clock on the wall. It was 7:45. “I thought I was early.” “You are.” “Then why did you say I’m late?” He walked past me. “Because I expect you to be early.” I stared after him. “What does that even mean?” He stopped and looked back at me. “It means tomorrow, be earlier.” I shook my head. “Good morning to you too.” He stared at me for a second. Then he walked back into his office. I looked at Laura. She was trying very hard not to laugh. “What?” “Nothing.” “You’re laughing.” “No, I’m not.” “You are.” She smiled. “You’ll be fine.” I wasn’t convinced. A few minutes later, Adrian called me into his office. He handed me a folder. “These are the meetings for today.” I opened it. “There are seven.” “Yes.” “And lunch?” “Cancel it.” “Your lunch?” “Yes.” “You need to eat.” He looked at me. “I’ll decide what I need.” I closed the folder. “Fine.” He handed me another paper. “Call my lawyer.” “Okay.” “And move Thursday’s meeting to Friday.” “Okay.” “And—” “Can you slow down?” He stopped. I looked at him. “I’ve been here for less than an hour. I’m still learning your schedule.” He stared at me. Then, surprisingly, he nodded. “Fair enough.” I blinked. That was the first normal thing he’d said to me. “Thank you.” He returned to his desk. “You can go.” I walked back to mine. Maybe working for Adrian Blackwood wouldn’t be as bad as I’d thought. Or maybe I was being too optimistic. Either way, I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into. At the time, I thought the hardest part of the job would be dealing with Adrian’s attitude. I was wrong. The real problem had nothing to do with his work. It had to do with his family. And a woman named Clara Wilson, whose name I wouldn’t understand until much later.