All Chapters of His hidden heir : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Alicia got Alex inside and shut the door.He fell onto the couch hard. Like his legs just gave out.She stood there looking at him.“Can’t believe you showed up like this.”“Sorry.”“You’re completely drunk.”“Little bit.”“Alex, it’s three in the morning.”He just nodded.She went to the kitchen. Got water and aspirin. Came back and handed them to him.“Drink.”He did. Spilled some on his shirt.She sat on the coffee table across from him. Close enough their knees touched.“What happened?”“Bad night.”“Yeah, I can see that.”He had blood on his knuckles. She grabbed his hand to look.“How’d you get hurt?”“Don’t know. Climbed a fence maybe.”“A fence?”“I don’t remember anything. I think someone was chasing me?”“Jesus Christ.”She got up and found the first aid kit under the bathroom sink. When she came back she sat next to him on the couch.Started cleaning the cuts on his hands. He didn’t even flinch.“My dad called,” he said.“Yeah?”“Said you’re like my mom. That you’ll ruin ev

Her eyes widened in surprise. She blushed and took her hand off his.“I…I don't know what to say.”“Say you'll be my date. You will come with him next week to our dinner and be by my side.”“This is a great honor, Alex .”“How?”“I…”She said nothing and looked down.He was confused. Had his request made her uncomfortable? He thought she felt something for me, too.“You can think about it if you want. You don't have to give me an answer today, you know?” he said.“You can also decide not to be my date. I…won't be upset,” he lied.He turned to leave, but she grabbed his wrist and held him back. He looked back to stare into her big, beautiful eyes, staring back at him.“I don't need time to think about it. I'll be your date, Alex .”He smiled, moved towards her, and pecked her on the cheek.“Then I shall be expecting you, Mon coeur.”$$$He ordered a beautiful purple gown and sent it to Alicia as attire for the evening feast. He also sent a sweet note with it, hoping she’d like it.The

The morning after dinner, Alicia woke to the gentle hum of the city below her apartment. Memories of last night lingered – Alex's hands on her, the way he looked at her when no one else was around. She wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders, smiling softly.Her phone buzzed. A text from Alex. “ Last night.. you okay? You looked tired when we got home.” She typed back quickly. “ Never been better.”It felt strange. The same man who could command a room and close deals effortlessly was soft and careful with her. Gentle in ways no one else had ever been. Heart ached, a mixture of hope and fear.At the office, Alex was reviewing contracts when is phone buzzed. Alicia's message made him grin. He tossed his phone onto the desk and leaned back, letting himself remember last night,he had to fight to focus.The office door opened. Keith walked in, looking unusually tense.“Alex,” she said, her voice casual but edged.”We need to talk.”“About?” he asked.Keith leaned on the edge of h

Sunday morning came slowly.Alicia woke before the alarm, the apartment wrapped in that quiet hour before the city decided what kind of day it would be. Aiden was still asleep. The light through the curtains was pale, almost gray.She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, listening.No footsteps. No voices. Just the familiar sounds of home.Her phone rested on the nightstand. Face down.She hadn’t heard from Alex since he left the night before. Not because he didn’t care. Because he was doing exactly what he said he would do.That thought settled in her chest, heavy and warm at the same time.Careful was new for him.She got out of bed and moved quietly through the apartment, making coffee, straightening things that didn’t need straightening. When Aiden finally padded out in his pajamas, rubbing sleep from his eyes, she smiled like nothing in her life was uncertain.“Morning, mama.”“Morning, love.”They ate breakfast together. Talked about school. About a science project he was ex

The pressure didn’t arrive all at once.It came in pieces.Alex noticed it first in the way doors stopped opening easily.A meeting with the energy board was “rescheduled indefinitely.” A funding partner asked for additional compliance reviews that hadn’t been necessary before. An old ally suddenly wanted everything in writing.Keith didn’t say anything.That worried him more than if she had.By noon, his legal team was in his office, faces tight.“This isn’t random,” one of them said. “Someone’s pushing quietly.”“Who?” Alex asked.They exchanged a look.“Hard to say. But whoever it is has leverage. And patience.”Alex already knew the answer.Alicia felt it differently.More personally.She was leaving Aiden’s school when a woman she didn’t recognize approached her.“Well,” the woman said lightly, adjusting her sunglasses. “You must be Alicia.”Alicia stopped. “Do I know you?”“No,” the woman replied. “But I know your mother.”Something inside Alicia went cold.“She wanted me to pas