The Billionaire’s Secret baby のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 7

The glass doors of Sterling Enterprises didn’t just open; they hissed, a sound as sharp and expensive as the people inside.Elara Vance smoothed her thrifted blazer, her palms damp. It had been three years since she had stepped foot in this city—three years since she had fled with a broken heart and a secret growing inside her. Now, standing in the lobby of the tallest building in the skyline, she felt like a ghost returning to haunt her own life."Name?" the receptionist asked, not looking up from her screen."Elara Vance. I’m here for the Executive Assistant interview."The receptionist paused, her eyes scanning Elara’s face with a flicker of recognition that made Elara’s heart stop. "Floor 50. Mr. Sterling is expecting you."Mr. Sterling. Even hearing the name made Elara’s stomach do a slow, painful flip. She thought of Leo, safe at the daycare across town, with his messy curls and the stubborn pout he’d inherited from a man who didn't know he existed. I’m doing this for you, Leo,

The silence in the office was deafening. Julian’s gaze was fixed on the tablet screen, his thumb tracing the pixels of the little boy’s face. Leo’s eyes—the same storm-cloud gray that looked back at Julian in the mirror every morning—seemed to stare through the digital image and into his soul."He’s three years old," Julian whispered, his voice dangerously calm. It was the calm before a hurricane. "The math... the math is perfect, Elara.""Julian, please—" Elara started, her voice trembling, but he slammed the tablet onto the desk with a sound like a gunshot."Don't lie to me!" he roared, rounding the desk. He grabbed her by the shoulders, not to hurt her, but because he looked like he might collapse if he didn't hold onto something. "How could you? You let me believe you left because you found someone else. You let me think you were just another gold-digger who got bored with the chase. But all this time... you were hiding my son?""He’s my son," Elara sobbed, finally breaking. She p

The penthouse of the Sterling Grand was less of a home and more of a museum. It sat atop the city like a crown, cold and shimmering. As the elevator doors slid open directly into the foyer, Elara clutched her purse, her heart sinking.Leo was still tucked into Julian’s shoulder, his small fingers curled into the expensive fabric of Julian’s suit. He had fallen back asleep, exhausted by the sudden move."Julian, you’re late for the gala," a sharp, melodic voice echoed through the marble hallway.Elara froze. Standing in the center of the living room, framed by the sparkling lights of Manhattan, was Victoria Sterling. The matriarch of the family looked like she had been carved from ice. She wore a deep emerald gown, her silver hair pulled into a bun so tight it looked painful.Victoria’s eyes traveled from her son to the sleeping toddler in his arms, and then finally to Elara. Her expression didn't soften; it hardened into a mask of pure disdain."I see the rumors from security were tru

The coldness in Julian’s eyes was worse than his anger. He didn’t shout. He didn’t make a scene. He simply walked away, leaving Elara standing in the center of the ballroom, a golden bird trapped in a room full of vultures.Lydia’s triumphant laughter rang in her ears, but Elara didn’t stay to defend herself. A sudden, cold dread—sharp as an ice pick—settled in her gut. It wasn't about the money. It wasn't about Julian’s father.It was the man she had seen in the shadows.She remembered the way he had looked at her—not with judgment, but with the calculated gaze of a predator waiting for the alpha to leave the pack."Leo," she whispered, her voice a strangled gasp.She didn't wait for Julian. She didn't wait for the car. She hitched up the heavy silk of her gown and sprinted toward the exit, ignoring the gasps of the socialites and the blinding flash of the paparazzi’s cameras. She burst into the night air and frantically signaled a taxi."The Sterling Grand! Fast!" she screamed at th