THE BILLIONAIRE’S PLACEHOLDER

Rose’s POVThe steak had been sitting on the dining table for three hours, turning cold already. I spent the whole afternoon setting up the dining room, uncorking wine, and lighting candles that had now melted down to nothing.My hand remained inside my right pocket, squeezing the white envelope from the clinic until the paper was completely ruined. Inside were my pregnancy test results and sonogram. I had been waiting all day to see Jake’s face when I finally told him he was going to be a dad. My mind kept replaying old memories, back when we had almost only five dollars to our name.The elevator down the hall chimed.I jumped. Water from my glass splashed onto my dress, but I didn’t have time to dry it. I pulled my hand from my pocket, quickly checked my hair in the reflection of the silver bowl on the table and put on a smile. I looked around. Seven years ago, we had absolutely nothing. Now, we owned this entire penthouse.The front door swung open and Jake walked inside. Usuall

Rose’s POVVivian’s laughter from the master bedroom woke me early. I lay awake, listening as rain tapped against the window. She was on the phone, bragging about being back in Jake’s bed , as though she had won a prize. Maybe she had. Because twenty four hours ago, that bed had been mine.Before I could get out of bed, a sharp pain hit my stomach. I gripped it tight and ran to the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before throwing up.My hands shook as I wiped my mouth. My legs felt too weak to stand. I stayed on the cold floor and rested my head on my knees to stop the room from spinning.This was not just stress. It was the tiny life growing inside me. I touched my bare stomach. Everything had changed. I had lost my husband and our home, but I had something else to protect now. My baby.Out in the hallway, Jake and Vivian started talking. I wanted to grab the envelope, walk out there, and throw the test result in his face. I wanted him to know he was having a child with the w

Rose’s POVI walked into Washington Global on tuesday morning, ready to do my job.I passed the lobby and went to the private elevator. I pulled out my access card and tapped it against the scanner.The light blinked red and beeped.I wiped the card on my skirt and tapped it again. Still red again.A security guard walked over to me. It was not David. I had never seen this one before.“Your access card is not working, Miss Rose,” the guard said. He looked down at his shoes.He reached into his pocket. He brought out a new white card attached to a plastic string and held it out to me.“This is a standard building card,” the guard said. “It no longer opens the executive floor. You would have to use the regular elevators from now on.”I looked at the piece of plastic. Someone changed my security access overnight.I did not ask any questions or say anything. I accepted the new card. I put my old card in my pocket and walked over to the regular elevators.The elevator doors opened on the p

Rose’s POVI barely slept after everything that happened with the magazine feature. My mind kept replaying every word of the article, every stolen strategy, and the silence that followed the anonymous flowers.My morning sickness was getting worse. I stood in front of my bathroom mirror for ten minutes, taking slow breaths until my stomach settled enough for me to put on my clothes. I kept telling myself the same thing over and over. I just had to survive one more day.I stayed in front of the mirror a little longer, studying my reflection under the bathroom light. My face looked paler than usual, and dark circles were under my eyes. But there was nothing else to see. I smoothed my hands down the front of my blouse. My stomach was still completely flat. Nobody could look at me and guess the truth. No one would know. Not yet.When I walked into Washington Global, the executive floor was quiet. Most of the staff were already at their desks. I sat down at my station and opened a new fold