Mr. Hayes’ Secret Heir

MiaMy phone vibrated in my pocket while I was wiping down the last table in the ballroom.I froze, the cloth still in my hand, my heart pounding hard against my ribs. Mrs. Betty never called me this late unless something was wrong with Lior.I glanced around. The ballroom was nearly empty now, just the four of us finishing the cleanup.Keeping it with me was against hotel policy. If the supervisor caught me, I could lose the job I desperately needed. But rules didn’t matter when your five-year-old son had been born with a hole in his heart.Lior had been weaker these past few months. He got tired easily. Even playing with his toys sometimes left him breathless.So tonight, like every night I worked, my neighbor Mrs. Betty was watching him. She lived two houses down and loved Lior like her own grandson.And right now something had clearly gone wrong.Jane noticed my expression immediately.“Go answer it,” she murmured. “I’ll cover for you.”Jane was the only person at work who knew ab

As I stared at Mason’s picture on the billboard, my mind drifted back to the first time we met. That summer in LA, I had taken a hotel cleaning job while visiting my Aunt Mel.I was pushing the cleaning cart after finishing my rounds, my hands hurting like hell, when the elevator dinged. He stepped out and made a remark about my slow work pace. I snapped and told him he was probably just a rich brat living off his dad’s money who had never worked a day in his life.Mason had chuckled instead of getting offended.The next morning I arrived at work to find a small box of chocolates sitting on my cleaning cart with a note that simply said: Sorry for being an ass.That was the beginning of some of the most cherished moments of my life.Now, six years later, he was in the same city as me.A small spark of hope rose inside me. This could be the only real chance left to save Lior’s life.My hands trembled as I pulled out my phone and searched for information about the Hayes Hotel opening. I

MiaFrom the hotel, I drove straight home with only two things on my mind.First, I needed a shower. After that, I would go through everything I owned to see if there was anything worth selling. I couldn’t risk putting all my hope on Mason.The house lights were on when I walked in, and the sound of laughter drifted from the living room. Ruben was there with one of his women. I didn’t bother looking properly.I tried to walk past quietly toward the stairs, hoping to reach the bedroom without drawing attention, but Ruben’s voice stopped me before I could take more than a few steps.“Hey.”I paused.“Get more ice for the drinks.”I went into the kitchen, filled a bowl with ice, and brought it back to the living room. The woman sitting beside him barely moved, her leg resting on his thigh.I placed the ice on the table and turned toward the stairs again.“Wait.”I stopped once more.By then I knew better than to think it would end with the ice.He leaned back on the couch, swirling the d

The moment I stepped into the kitchen, my steps stalled.Freshly used plates sat in the sink, smeared with sauce, half-eaten chicken bones left behind. Napkins and glasses were pushed to the side like they’d been dropped there without a second thought.They had already eaten. Not long ago, either. So dinner had never been the point.I stood there, staring at the mess in the sink, my hands going still at my sides. Heat rose fast, climbing up my chest. Lior was in the hospital, fighting for his life, and Ruben had me in here to cook a dinner they had no intention of eating.They were probably out there laughing, like this was some kind of joke. My fingers curled slowly, nails pressing into my palm.Just how far was he willing to go?Then my hand moved. I grabbed a plate and let it slip from my fingers. It hit the floor and shattered.The sound rang out, sharp and loud. I didn’t stop. Another plate. Then another. Then another. Ceramic broke under my hands, pieces scattering across the ti