The Billionaire’s Hidden Heir

I ran.My breath scorched in my lungs, my heart crashing against my ribs like a drum as I held my son’s small hand. “Keep going, Leo,” I gasped, willing my legs to move more quickly.Heavy footsteps echoed behind us. I knew that they were getting closer. I had no reason to glance back for reassurance. All day, I had felt their eyes on me, watching, waiting — until they finally made their move.And now Damian Sinclair’s men were here to steal it all away.Leo whined, falling behind. “Mommy, I’m tired.”I sat stiff as a board in the backseat of Damian’s luxury SUV, my fists balled so tightly my nails cut into my palms. Leo sat next to me, his tiny frame wedged against mine, his large eyes alternating between me and the man dining across the table.Damian.He sat with his legs crossed, his piercing blue eyes boring into me. He seemed completely relaxed, as if abducting me and my son was merely a business deal.I swallowed, breathing through the tension. I needed to be calm for Leo. There

A knock woke me up in the morning.It was firm. Controlled.Damian.My young son, Leo, roused next to me and clutched the bed sheets as if he could feel the tension in the air. My heart raced as I looked at the clock on the nightstand. 6:00 a.m.I wasn’t ready for this.For him.For whatever battle was waiting for me behind that door.Holding my breath, I slipped slowly out of bed Leo was still [snuggled] in. I paused then walked to the door, combing through my tangled strands, fully aware of the fact that despite trying something, I would still appear tired.I opened the door to find Damian standing there, dressed in a crisp black button-down and fitted slacks. He looked as though he belonged in a boardroom, not the middle of my nightmare.His eyes skimmed over me, noting my rumpled clothes, and my tired eyes. Something unreadable flickered across his face, but he did not comment.“Breakfast is ready,” he told me.I frowned. “And?”His mouth turned up slightly but there was no warmth

I hated how my skin was still buzzing from Damian’s touch.His few words—“I will”— filled me with dread. Reverberated in my mind long after he’d walked away.But more than anything, I hated that somewhere in my soul of souls, the treacherous part of me just wanted to know what freedom would feel like if I’d just let go. To stop fighting him.I clenched my fists. No. But I wasn’t about to let him get in my head.I had a plan to figure it out.Damian may have dominion over my life at this very moment, but that didn’t mean I had to lie down and acquaint myself with it. “ There has to be a way out of this.I froze, my heart thudding in my ears as the woman’s icy blue gaze took me in.Damian’s mother.I should have guessed meeting her wouldn’t be pleasant, but something in her gaze — as if I were some bug under a microscope— put an ice-cold shiver in my spine.She was stunning in an impossible way, silver hair slicked back into a high chignon, dress immaculately against her slender body. B

I should have shut the door in his face.I should have pushed him away, told him to get away from me, and reminded him I wasn’t in town for this.But I didn’t.I felt the world expand into the space between us as Damian inched closer, just enough for me to feel the heat rising off his body as my breath caught in my throat."You’re lying," he murmured.I swallowed hard. "About what?"His fingers skimmed over my jaw, a whispering caress that had me shivering in response, whether I wanted to or not. "About not wanting me."The heat curling in my stomach, I willed myself to hold his gaze, to stand against it. “You think you can scare me into admitting to something that’s not true?”He chuckled, low and amused. “I do not need to terrorize you, Aria. I just need to wait.""Wait for what?" I snapped.“For that moment you can no longer lie to yourself.”I hated how smug he looked. How confident. How he pretended he already knew how this would go.I breathed slowly and stepped back, clutching

Aria. The air turned heavy. Smoke was present everywhere I breathed. It felt like an explosion. My fingers trembled as I faced the mother of Dolphin, who was Daisy's mother. There's no need to say her name. It was weighed down by the insecurity and how the walls seemed to retreat. She was dressed in icy finery and her pearls looked as expensive as my entire life. Although my voice wasn't quite the right tone, I still professed my fear of you. She smiled. Not kind. Not amused. Her creepy smile signaled that she had already planned out ten harms to inflict pain, including the most painful one. “You should be,” she whispered. The moment Damian stepped between us, I was almost caught. "Enough," he growled bitterly. But she didn't flinch. Not a single drop of sweat. "Do you think this little girl is worthy of our respect, Damian?". I swallowed hard. Little girl. Not a woman. Not equal. Not even human. Just a thing. Something she could erase. “Shut up on her like that,” Damian