THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET BABY MAMA

Emma Carter stood frozen in the lobby of Blackwell Corporation, her fingers tightly wrapped around the small hand in hers. Five years. It had been five years since she had last seen Alexander Blackwell. Five years since she had walked away from the man she once believed she would spend the rest of her life with. And now, she was standing in his company with his son beside her. “Mommy,” Noah whispered, looking up at her. “Why are we here?” Emma forced herself to smile. “We just need to talk to someone.” Noah frowned. He was only five, but he was already observant enough to know when his mother was hiding something. Emma looked down at him. His dark hair. His brown eyes. The shape of his face. Every time she looked at Noah, she saw the man she had spent five years trying to forget. Alexander. She had promised herself that Noah would never meet his father. She had promised herself that she would never return to this world. But life had a cruel way of destroying promises. That morning, Noah’s school had called her. There had been an incident involving another child, and the situation had somehow become connected to one of Alexander’s business partners. Emma had tried to handle everything quietly. She had failed. Now Alexander knew about her. And worse, he knew about Noah. The elevator doors opened. A woman in a black suit approached them. “Ms. Carter?” Emma nodded. “The CEO is waiting for you.” Her heart sank. The CEO. Alexander. She had imagined seeing him again countless times. Sometimes she imagined herself walking past him without feeling anything. Sometimes she imagined telling him exactly how much he had hurt her. But she had never imagined standing in front of him with their son. Emma took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator. The doors closed. With every passing floor, her heartbeat became louder. Noah leaned against her. “Mommy, are you scared?” Emma looked down at him. “A little.” “Why?” She forced another smile. “Because sometimes grown ups have difficult conversations.” The elevator stopped. The doors opened. Emma stepped out. The executive floor was silent. She followed the assistant toward a massive office with glass walls overlooking the city. The assistant opened the door. “Mr. Blackwell is waiting.” Emma walked inside. Then she saw him. Alexander stood beside the floor to ceiling windows with his back toward them. He looked exactly like the man she remembered. Tall. Powerful. Impossibly handsome. His black suit fitted perfectly against his broad shoulders. Five years had changed him. But not enough. Emma’s heart still recognized him. Alexander turned. His eyes immediately found hers. He stopped breathing for a moment. “Emma?” Her name came from his lips like something he had not said in years. Emma said nothing. Neither did he. Then Alexander’s gaze shifted. He looked at the little boy standing beside her. Noah looked back at him innocently. Something changed in Alexander’s expression. His eyes narrowed. He took one step forward. “Who is that?” Emma’s fingers tightened around Noah’s hand. “My son.” Alexander’s eyes remained fixed on the child. “What is his name?” “Noah.” “How old is he?” Emma’s heart pounded. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She had known this moment would come eventually. “Five.” Alexander went completely still. Five. His eyes moved slowly from Noah to Emma. Then back to Noah. He studied the child’s face. The dark eyes. The jaw. The expression. There was something disturbingly familiar about the boy. Alexander’s voice dropped. “Emma.” She looked at him. “Who is his father?” Emma couldn’t speak. Alexander stepped closer. “Look at me and answer the question.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You already know the answer.” Alexander froze. His face changed. “No.” Emma looked away. “Yes.” For the first time in five years, Alexander Blackwell looked completely lost. He stared at Noah. “My son?” Emma said nothing. Alexander’s breathing became heavier. “You had my child?” “I didn’t have a choice.” His eyes snapped back to hers. “What does that mean?” Emma swallowed. “It means you weren’t supposed to find out.” Alexander stared at her in disbelief. “You kept my son from me for five years?” Emma’s tears finally fell. “I was trying to protect him.” “From me?” “No.” She looked directly into his eyes. “From everyone who wanted us apart.” Alexander’s expression hardened. “What are you talking about?” Emma pulled Noah closer. “You should ask your family.” Silence. Alexander stared at her. For five years, he had believed Emma abandoned him. For five years, he had blamed her for leaving without an explanation. But now he was beginning to realize something much worse. Maybe Emma had never left because she stopped loving him. Maybe someone had made sure she had no reason to stay. And if that was true, Alexander was about to uncover a secret capable of destroying his entire family.