All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Secret Heirs : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

~CELINE~“I’m pregnant.” The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. I stared at the fourth test strip in my trembling hand. This couldn’t be happening. Panic crawled up my spine. My parents would lose it. I had enough on my plate already. Missing a period wasn’t a big deal for me, so I didn’t think much of it at first. But when I started eating more and my jeans felt tighter, Caroline had insisted I take a test. And now here I was, sitting on the toilet, whispering to myself, “What am I going to do?”My art school entrance exam was next week. This was the kind of curveball I couldn’t afford. A knock on the door jolted me out of my spiraling thoughts. I scrambled to my feet, pulling up my shorts. Stuffing the test strips into a black plastic bag, I quickly tossed it into the trash and double-checked the bathroom for evidence. “Celine, get out! It’s my turn!” Jesse’s voice cut through the door. I let out a shaky breath. At least it wasn’t Mom. Gripping the doorknob,

~CELINE~ “What do you mean by fired, sir?” I asked, my voice trembling as I squeezed the envelope in my hands. Surely, I’d heard him wrong. Why was this happening? “Yes, Miss Brown, you heard me correctly. You’re fired,” he said, his tone cold and dismissive. “Gather your things and leave the premises.” The words struck me like a physical blow, and my hands began to shake. My grip tightened on the envelope, its edges biting into my palm. This couldn’t be real. This had to be Hunter’s doing. But why? Earlier in the hallway, he hadn’t seemed angry. If anything, he was indifferent—polite even—when he asked about Caesar. Why would he do this? Was it some twisted feeling of control or punishment? None of this made sense. None of it was fair. “Miss Brown, you might want to take your leave,” the manager said sharply, breaking through my spinning thoughts. His voice was cold, unbothered, as though throwing out someone’s livelihood was normal for him. Anger bubbled inside m

~CELINE~ I glanced at my wristwatch. 1:30 PM. Why was Caroline taking so long? With a sigh, I reached for my phone and dialed her number. Surely, she hadn’t forgotten about our lunch plans. Across from me, Caesar started to squirm, tapping his toy truck against the table. His boredom was my cue to hurry, but Caroline still wasn’t picking up. The soft ding of the café door opening caught my attention. I looked up and spotted Caroline standing by the entrance, scanning the room until her eyes found me. “Caroline!” I waved, relief flooding me. She waved back with a bright smile and threaded her way through the crowded tables. As always, she looked effortlessly elegant—her silk blouse and pencil skirt were perfectly tailored, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. I straightened in my seat, suddenly aware of the wild curls framing my face and the shadows under my eyes. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” Caroline said as she slid into the seat across from m

~CELINE~The silence between us was palpable after Hunter's declaration. I knew getting this job would come with a price and I was ready to pay, even though I was scared of what Hunter was going to demand from me.“There's a head maid in this house. One that receives the complaints of all the other maids and reports to me. If I will be hiring you, you will not be reporting to the head maid. You will report to me directly,” Hunter stated with assertiveness.This was rather a cheap price to pay compared to what I had been initially expecting. This was really not a big deal for me but I couldn't help but shake off the feeling of curiosity.Why was Hunter changing the rules when it came to me? Why was he restricting me from reporting to the head maid and instead reporting to him?Why didn't he come up with a condition that affected Ceaser since he was the sole reason for me getting rejected in the first place?A lot of Why’s surged through my mind but none of them really held water to me

~CELINE’S POV~The second my body hit the mattress, I let out a deep breath, one of those breaths that carry the weight of an entire day. My muscles screamed in protest, but I didn’t care. Sleep was all I needed. Caesar had knocked out the second his stomach was full, and I should’ve followed right after him. But exhaustion wasn’t the only thing pressing against me. It was everything. The weight of today. The weight of tomorrow. The weight of having to wake up and do it all over again. I turned onto my side, pressing my cheek into the pillow, willing my mind to shut off. But my phone buzzed, dragging me right back into reality. I groaned and reached for it, the screen illuminating the darkness. A message from Blake. And another from Caroline. I opened Blake’s first. Blake: Hey Celine, how are you doing? We haven't talked in a while… thought I’d check in.My fingers hovered over the keyboard. A lump formed in my throat because the truth was, I wasn’t fine. Not even close