All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Secret Baby: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Celeste’s POVI stared at my phone, my fingers unable to move."Maya..." The name barely left my lips.Her head snapped up."What is it?""I...I think someone sent me something." In two strides, she was beside me, snatching the phone.The screen remained illuminated.Unknown Number. Below it were only four words. This message was deleted.Maya frowned. "Where's the photo?""It was there," I choked out. "I saw it for a few seconds...then it just vanished."She said nothing, but her thumb hovered over the number. She pressed call, but the line didn’t even ring.*The number you have dialled is unavailable.Her expression darkened, She tried saving the number into my contacts. For one brief second, it looked like it had worked.Then…The contact showed invalid just like that.A cold shiver ran down my spine. “What… what does that mean?”“It means this wasn’t random.” Maya slowly handed the phone back to me. I swallowed. “How do you know?”“Because whoever sent it knew exactly how long to l

**Lucian’s POV**The office door closed behind us and for a few moments neither of us uttered a sound. I watched as Finley dropped the inspection report carelessly on the glass coffee table before slumping into a leather armchair with a sigh. “Well,” he murmured, scratching the back of his neck. “That was… unsettling.”I loosened my tie and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city. “She was smiling.”Finley looked up from his slouch. “Exactly.”I folded my arms across my chest. “My mother does not smile. Not unless she has already set in motion some kind of malicious plan.” “I have seen that expression before,” Finley stated quietly. I turned my head, just enough to look at him “When?”“When she dismissed three board members within a week,” I recalled. “They thought she had already forgiven them.” Finley gave a wry chuckle. “They all had their unemployment papers before Friday afternoon.” My jaw tightened. “My mother never wastes an emotion and today

Celeste’s POVThe hospital lights were too bright and everything smelled like antiseptic and fear. “Celeste.” Maya’s voice was gentle. “Sit down. You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.” “I can’t.” My voice cracked. “I can’t sit down, Maya. What if…” “Don’t.” She caught my hand and squeezed it. “Don’t do that to yourself.”I nodded, but the tears kept coming anyway. I wiped them away only for more tears to replace them. Every few seconds my eyes flew back to the doors, willing them to open, willing someone to come out and tell me my baby was okay. Twenty minutes felt like twenty years. Finally, the doors swung open. A doctor in blue scrubs stepped out, scanning the room. “Are you Ray’s mother?”“Yes.” I was in front of him before I even realised I’d moved. “Yes, that’s me. Is he okay? Please, tell me he’s okay.”“He’s stable,” the doctor said, and something in my chest loosened just slightly. “He hit his head when he fell, and there was a laceration that needed a few stitches.

Lucian's POVShe hadn't come to work. I glanced at the clock again, as it would somehow read the third time differently. It didn't. It was well past the hour she was supposed to be at her desk, and there had been nothing. No message. No call. Not even the courtesy of an excuse. She could have at least asked for the day off, told me she wasn't feeling well, anything. But there was nothing, just silence, and it was starting to gnaw at me more than I wanted to admit.The room was too quiet. I paced around for a while and then stopped. My phone was still in my hand. The screen lit up and there was still nothing.I stared at it longer than I should have, then locked it, only to unlock it again a second later and still nothing.I sighed and then dragged my hand through my hair. This is ridiculous, I shouldn't be acting like this and checking to see w, checking is okay as it's my responsibility."Right," I muttered under my breath.But she hadn't come back. No text, not even a quick reply

Celeste’s POVThe whole ride back was surreal. I was sitting next to Maya in the back, my hands clamped tight in my lap as the lights blurred by the window.No one spoke for the first few minutes. Somehow, that was louder than the entire night had been.My head replayed it over and over again.She is mine.I closed my eyes for a moment.God.Why would he say something like that? I swallowed hard, looking back out the window.Lucian was driving. His hand resting lightly on the wheel, he looked completely calm, completely focused, as if nothing had happened. But now and then his eyes would flick to the mirror, and then to me.And each time my heart would beat double time.I hated it. Hated that he still had that kind of control over me. After six years…after everything that I had been through… after managing to survive and make myself feel strong without relying on anyone… He was slowly chipping away at every wall that I had ever built. It terrified me.Suddenly, Maya leaned over toward