The Billionaire's Low-Budget Assistant

Chapter 5: A Room Full Of Secrets

Addie didn't stop running. She burst through the back gate of the restaurant and disappeared into the crowded streets, her lungs burning as she dodged pedestrians, food carts, and motorcycles.

"Excuse me! Sorry! Sorry!"

She squeezed between two market stalls without looking back. For the first few minutes, she was certain she could hear footsteps behind her. Bodyguards. Black suits. Polished shoes. She risked a glance over her shoulder. Nothing. Only strangers going about their afternoon.

She finally slowed to catch her breath.A black SUV rolled past the end of the street.Her heart stopped.

"Oh no..."

She ducked behind a fruit stand before the driver could notice her. She stayed there, barely breathing, until the vehicle disappeared into traffic. Only then did she press a hand against her racing heart.

"Calm down, Addie," she whispered. "Not every rich person's car belongs to Mountain Man."

The words helped for exactly three seconds. Then Damian's cold eyes flashed through her mind. He had commanded his men to find out what she was protecting.

She shivered. She kept repeating the same prayer to herself: Please don't know where I live.

Even so, she avoided her usual route home. Instead, she crossed two busy streets, cut through the old marketplace, and slipped into a maze of narrow back alleys where expensive cars couldn't follow. Only when the towering glass buildings disappeared behind rows of aging apartments did the tightness in her chest begin to loosen.

She finally reached the northern slums just as the afternoon sun dipped lower. The familiar cracked sidewalks, rusted rooftops, and faded laundry hanging between buildings welcomed her like old friends. For the first time since leaving the restaurant, she felt safe.

She hurried down a narrow dirt lane and climbed the creaking staircase of a weathered apartment building. By the time she reached the tiny room at the end of the corridor, her hands had stopped shaking. Almost.

She unlocked the old wooden door, slipped inside, and quickly locked it again before resting her forehead against it. The room was barely large enough for a single mattress, a tiny plastic wardrobe, and a worn wooden table. But to Addie, it was home. She let out one long, exhausted breath.

"I'm back…”

"Mama!"

The moment the word reached her ears, every ounce of tension melted away. A tiny girl with round cheeks, sparkling brown eyes, and fluffy curls came running out from behind the faded curtain that divided the room. Addie barely had time to open her arms before Nyla crashed into her.

"Oof!" She laughed and scooped the little girl up, hugging her so tightly it made Nyla giggle. "There you are, my little sunshine."

Nyla wrapped both tiny arms around Addie's neck. "You came home late."

"I know."

"You promised."

"I know."

"You always say, 'Just one more shift,' then you come home when the sun is sleepy."

Addie smiled guiltily and kissed her forehead. "I'll do better."

Then her expression softened. She gently tapped Nyla's tiny nose. "What did we agree?"

Nyla's smile faded into a tiny pout. "...Outside, you're Sister Addie."

"And inside?"

The little girl grinned. "You're Mama."

Addie's heart squeezed. "That's my smart girl." She brushed a curl away from Nyla's face. "Remember, sweetheart... outside these walls, you must never call me Mama."

"Why?"

"Because the world isn't always kind."

Nyla frowned. "I don't like the world."

"Neither do I sometimes." Addie smiled softly. "But one day you'll grow up, become someone amazing, and show the world how kind people should be."

Nyla nodded as though she'd just accepted a very important mission. "I'll do that."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Addie hugged her again, holding her a little tighter this time. The sweet floral scent that always lingered around both of them filled the tiny room. It was home. It was peace. It was everything she was terrified of losing.

Nyla suddenly leaned back and tilted her head. "Why are your eyes red?"

Addie blinked. "Hmm?"

"You've been crying."

"I haven't."

"You have."

"I haven't."

"You have."

Addie sighed dramatically. "I think somebody in this room has become a detective."

Nyla giggled. "Tell me."

Addie dropped onto the thin mattress with Nyla still on her lap. "Oh, little sunshine..." She buried her face in the child's shoulder for a moment before groaning. "I had the biggest disaster today."

"Bigger than when you burned the rice?"

"...Much bigger."

"Bigger than when you dropped the soup?"

"Worse."

Nyla's eyes grew wide. "You broke another plate?"

Addie covered her face. "I wish it had only been a plate."

"What happened?"

"I accidentally poured an entire pitcher of ice water onto the richest, scariest man I've ever seen."

Nyla gasped so dramatically that Addie couldn't help laughing. "The whole pitcher?"

"The whole pitcher."

"Oh..."

"And then..." Addie pointed at herself. "This mouth..." She poked her lips. "...started talking before my brain woke up."

Nyla burst into laughter. "It always does."

"I know!"

"I kept apologizing..."

"And?"

"I compared him to a mountain."

Nyla laughed harder. "And then I said the pitcher jumped by itself."

Another fit of giggles.

"And then..." Addie groaned. "...I begged so much I almost cried."

Nyla stopped laughing. "Were you scared?"

Addie's smile faded. "A little."

The little girl reached up and cupped Addie's cheek with both tiny hands. "It's okay."

Three simple words. Yet somehow, they made Addie's eyes sting more than anything else had that day. She pulled Nyla into another hug and closed her eyes.

"As long as I still have you..." She whispered the words against the little girl's hair. "...I'll figure everything else out.”

Across the city, the top floor of Sterling Enterprises was wrapped in silence. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the skyline, bathing the vast office in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. Damian Sterling stood with his back to the room, one hand resting in his pocket as he looked over the city below.

A knock broke the silence. "Come in."

The door opened. Mark, his head of security, stepped inside carrying a tablet. "We've completed the preliminary background check on Addie Lee, sir."

Damian didn't turn around. "Report."

Mark glanced at the screen. "Female. Twenty-four years old. Orphan. No criminal record. Currently works multiple low-paying jobs, mostly in restaurants." He paused. "According to her employer, she's known for taking extra shifts whenever they're available."

Damian's expression remained unreadable. "Go on."

"She rents a single room in the northern district." Another pause. "She also has a younger sister."

Damian finally turned. "How old?"

"Five."

His brows drew together almost imperceptibly. "Five?"

"Yes, sir." Mark looked back at the tablet. "The girl's name is Nyla Lee."

Damian walked toward the desk. "What school?"

Mark hesitated. "That's... where things become unusual."

Damian stopped. "The tuition for Nyla's boarding school exceeds Addie Lee's annual income."

Silence settled over the office. Mark continued. "Our financial team checked every known source of income connected to her. Nothing explains it. No inheritance. No registered sponsor. No loans. No government assistance."

Damian's eyes narrowed. "So either our information is incomplete... or she's hiding something."

"Exactly, sir." Mark tapped the screen again. "We also reviewed nearby surveillance footage from last night. Most of the alley cameras were either damaged or pointed in the wrong direction."

Damian's jaw tightened. "But?"

"A traffic camera two streets away captured someone matching Addie Lee's height and build. Wearing an oversized hoodie. The timestamp was approximately two-ten in the morning. Running away from the alley."

The room fell quiet. A slow realization settled over Damian. She lied. Not once. Twice. Not for money. Not to avoid punishment. She had lied because she was protecting something. Or someone.

He looked out the window again, the city stretching endlessly beneath him. Most people would have used saving Eleanor Sterling as an opportunity. They would have demanded money. A promotion. A favor. Addie Lee had done the opposite. She had run. That alone made her different.

Behind him, Mark spoke carefully. "Would you like us to continue the investigation, sir?"

Damian was silent for several moments. Then he picked up his car keys from the desk. "Cancel the surveillance team."

Mark blinked. "...Sir?"

"I don't want another report. I want the truth."

He slipped the keys into his pocket and walked toward the door. Mark hurried after him. "I'll prepare the convoy."

Damian didn't slow his pace. "No."

Mark frowned. "Sir?"

"This visit doesn't require ten vehicles."

The elevator doors slid open. Damian stepped inside. The doors began to close. Just before they shut completely, his calm voice echoed into the hallway. "If Miss Addie Lee insists on running...Then I'll pay her a visit.”