All Chapters of The Billionaire's Hidden Heir : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The office was unusually quiet that morning. The air conditioning hummed, the soft tapping of keyboards echoed faintly, and through the tall glass windows of the Blake Tower, New York City glistened under a pale morning sun. Ethan stood in his office, hands shoved into his pockets, staring out over the skyline—but his mind wasn’t on the empire he’d built.It was on Maya.He couldn’t get her out of his head. Not since that business trip. Not since the night he’d almost kissed her. Not since the walls she’d rebuilt between them began to crack—and then rise again, even higher than before.He’d told himself to move on. To focus. To be the CEO everyone expected. But when she walked into his meetings, when her soft voice cut through the room like a melody he couldn’t forget, the logic vanished.And then, this morning, something strange happened.She’d rushed into his office before her shift officially began, muttering something about a report that needed his signature. She looked flustered—

The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, revealing Maya standing in the quiet corridor of Ethan’s penthouse office.Her pulse hammered against her ribs.She hadn’t wanted to come. Every part of her screamed, “Don’t do it,” but after last night—after he’d seen Liam—she knew she couldn’t run anymore.The call had come early that morning. His voice had been calm. Too calm.“Be in my office by eight.”No explanations. No warmth. Just command.Just Ethan.Now, as she stepped inside, the tension in the air hit her like a wall.Ethan stood near the window, his back to her, staring out at the Manhattan skyline. The morning light cast sharp angles across his face, but his posture said everything—controlled, rigid, dangerous.For a moment, neither spoke. The silence was unbearable.Finally, she swallowed hard. “Ethan, I—”He turned.The cold fury in his eyes made her words die in her throat.“You lied to me.” His voice was low, steady, but shaking with restrained emotion.“Ethan, please—

The note lay on the floor between them like a curse.Maya stared at it, her heart thudding so loud she thought Ethan could hear it. The words—simple but cruel—burned in her mind: You should’ve told him sooner.Ethan stood by the window, his knuckles white as he gripped the frame. The wind from outside whipped through the open glass, brushing against his shirt. But his expression was still—too still. The kind of calm that came before a storm.He turned slowly to face her.“Start talking, Maya.”Her voice trembled. “Ethan, I swear I don’t know who’s sending those.”“I don’t believe in coincidences,” he said tightly. “Someone knows about us—about Liam—and they’re close enough to break into your apartment. So, unless this is some kind of twisted joke, you need to tell me everything.”Maya’s knees weakened. She sat on the couch, her hands shaking as she held her head. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”Ethan took a step closer. “Then what was supposed to happen? You disappear? Raise my son

The storm outside had become a roar—wind howling, thunder splitting the night.Maya’s heart pounded as she stood in the middle of Ethan’s silent penthouse, phone clutched in her shaking hand.Don’t come downstairs.That was the last message she’d received from him.But every instinct inside her screamed otherwise.“Please, Ethan,” she whispered, dialing again. No answer.Lightning flashed through the wide windows, and for a brief second, her reflection appeared in the glass—eyes wild, hair in disarray, fear etched deep across her face.Then she heard it.The distant crash of something breaking.She ran for the elevator, pressing the button over and over. It didn’t move. The lights above flickered once, twice—then went dark.“Power cut,” she whispered in horror.Her only way down was the emergency stairs.Without thinking, she grabbed her phone, flashlight on, and bolted toward the stairwell. The air was cold, filled with the faint metallic scent of rain and city smog. Every step echoe

The morning sunlight broke through the New York skyline, cutting across Ethan Blake’s penthouse like a blade.He’d been awake all night. Not pacing this time—but sitting still, staring at a single photograph on his desk.It was the one he’d secretly printed from the company archives—the image of Maya on her first day back at Blake Enterprises. Hair pulled neatly back, eyes uncertain but brave. He’d thought it was just nostalgia at first. Now, it felt like guilt carved into paper.His phone lay silent beside him. No new messages.She had told him to meet her “tomorrow,” and he’d been ready since dawn. But the more the hours passed, the more the storm inside him grew.For the first time in his life, Ethan Blake—the man who always knew what he wanted—had no idea what he should do.When his assistant knocked, he barely looked up.“Sir,” came Nathan’s voice, hesitant. “You canceled your board meeting this morning. They’re asking if—”“Reschedule it.”Nathan hesitated. “Again?”Ethan’s jaw