The Billionaire secretary : His Secret Child

Valerie's POV; "Hello, Delilah." My name wasn't Delilah, but I realized that should be the least of my concerns as I stared into the sneering profile of the man I had once thought I would spend the rest of my life with. Likening me to a devilish woman by calling me Delilah was the least of my concerns. I mustered up the last dredge of courage I had left in me, yet my voice came out meek and pathetic as I called his name in response. "Julian." "No, baby. It is Mr. Clear to you," he deadpanned. Those eyes, those dark gray expressionless eyes of his, had once stared at me with passion. His love for me used to be evident in them. They used to regard me with affection and intensity. Once upon a time. Now, I nodded numbly, unable to reconcile this stony-faced man with the affectionate one I had known and loved ten years ago. "Mr. Clair," I conceded. "Sit down, Valerie." As I accepted his offer, I tried to wrap my head around the fact that my ex, my college sweetheart, was now the CEO of one of the A-list companies in the world, and I was here to seek, no, to beg for a position in this world-renowned company. It was silly to come. I had come across an old article by Forbes under 30, and he was on the cover page. To say I was astounded would be an understatement. It was an old article, but it prompted me to input his name into my search bar. And it was then I discovered that he had grown even more successful since that article. The article had been printed four years after our breakup. Just four. If I had waited four more years… I shook the thought away and sat upright, although I couldn't stop wringing my fingers. "What can I do for you?" He asked, more focused on flipping through a pile of papers on his desk than granting me his attention. "I was granted an interview for the position of the personal secretary to the CEO," I managed to say. He chuckled shortly. "Not hoping to rekindle old flames, are you? You must have known who would be sitting in this very seat when you sent in your application." I faltered a bit. Yes, I had known. And I knew it was sketchy that I still followed through with applying for the job, but beggars cannot be choosers. I was desperate. I would have dragged myself through the thickest of mud if it meant acquiring a job that could sustain me and my responsibilities. Begging my ex for a job wasn't ideal, but it was the least I could do to get out of the tight corner I was currently in. "All I want is a fair chance at this opportunity like everyone else." He finally glanced at me with something akin to disgust. "Fair chance. You know a lot about that, don't you?" "Julian, I-" He raised a hand, shutting me up with a single movement. "Let's make this quick, shall we?" "Can I just say that I'm sorry about how we left things?" I rushed to say. "Valerie," he warned. "I just thought that since I'm going to be working for you-" He barked out harsh laughter. "You're going to be working for me?" My expression turned beseeching. "Please," I begged. "I need this job, and you know how qualified I am for it." "What I know you to be is a liar," he said with a clenched jaw. I swallowed, not wanting to revisit the past. "I'm apologizing Jul- Mr. Clair. At least I'm trying to." He smirked. "You think a sorry is going to cut it?" He shook his head, his eyes going expressionless again. I couldn't read his mood. He was right in front of me, yet so out of reach of me. "You can leave," he dismissed vaguely. I dug my nails into my palm. "We haven't-" "Emily will get back to you." I wanted to stay, wanted to plead some more, but I knew how insignificant it would be. I knew how determined Julian got when he set his mind on something and I knew I wasn't going to get the job. To be honest with myself, his nonchalance scared me. I had expected him to be more angry, expected him to throw me out immediately. He set his eyes on me. I had my heart in my throat during the entire bus ride to the affluent neighborhood the company resided in. That would have been better than what had just happened. The hatred and fury I had wanted to be had been replaced with a coldness that I wasn't used to. It was me. I made him like that. The thought made me sink onto the floor of the elevator as it went down. Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes. Coming here hadn't been an impulsive decision. Still, it was something I knew I had to do to survive. And now, that door was closed. My phone vibrated against my bag jolting me from my reverie. I pulled it out and swiped right to accept my sister's call. "Did you tell him?" Sage asked immediately. I rolled my eyes, but even that proved a Herculean effort. I was weakened by the morning's event. Or lack thereof. "No, Sage, I didn't." "Are you kidding me?!" She gritted out, annoyed. "What did you go there for then?" "I told you, for an interview." "Bu***hit," she spat, breathing heavenly. "Why didn't you tell him?" "He wouldn't believe me." But that wasn't the only reason. "He would think I was trying to trick him." "You are so dumb." I sighed. "And very soon, you won't have a house to live in if you keep up with this. Freaking Julian Saint Clair and you're acting like you're a f***ing saint! The guy was once head over heels for you. You can make him fall again." "Sage? That isn't my goal." "Then you have misplaced priorities." I was tempted to hang the phone up on her. It was hard dealing with her excesses in addition to the tough reality that was my life. But maybe she had a point. Maybe instead of keeping this secret close to my heart, it was time to tell Julian that he had a son. An heir.