Page 7 of Next Door Billionaire's Surprise Baby

Three Days Later

"I'VE GOT IT!"

The screech that leaves my throat is piercing and reverberates around the entire department. In my excitement, I'm vaguely aware of the sound of chairs scraping the tiled floor and footsteps beating the floor, rushing over to my station.

My heart was racing fast in my chest, and my eyes lit up wide in mad elation. All I could focus on was the screen of my computer. The evidence of three days’ worth of rigorous planning is on the screen in the form of code. To any other person, it might look like jargon, but I see the building blocks of an app that's going to change the game in e-commerce.

Eric, my department head, sees it, too, because he grabs my shoulders and shakes them back and forth with enthusiasm.

"Good job, Chloe!" He exclaims, hoisting me to my feet and enveloping me in a bear hug. The rest of my colleagues are busy looking through my code, trying to understand what I've done there, but they seem unable to make any sense of it right away, so Eric explains to them.

Lucy, a petite blond, grasps what Eric is saying before he can finish, and she turns to me with wide eyes, "There is no way you created this in just three days. That's freaking amazing!"

"I know, right?" Kelly, the college intern, says, "One of my professors toyed with the idea of something like this before. It takes a lot of time and effort to execute."

Eric waves his hands in front of my face, "Kelly's right. This is a big deal, and it's going to need all the support it can get." Then he gives me a meaningful look.

"What?" I laugh at how intense he is as he announces, "You, my dear, are going to have a chat with the boss. Let him know what he thinks about the concept and if he's willing to support you through it."

With the widest beam on my face, I turn back to my computer and fawn over my creation. When I got hired, the first thing I did was promise to prove my worth in the company, and now, after just three days, I've managed to do it.

Eric takes me to the top floor, where the CEO’s office is located. Since I started working here, I haven’t seen the owner yet. I've heard bits and pieces about him, but I’ve been too busy to look at the picture and bio of our CEO on the company’s intranet yet.

No worries, though. I’ll be able to meet him today. Hopefully, he'll be impressed with my work.

Eric and I arrive at the top floor, and I follow him to the door located at the furthest end of the floor. Eric knocks twice before opening the door and ushering me inside like a gentleman.

The office is pretty big for just one person and is tastefully decorated. My eyes immediately zero in on the person behind the desk in the middle of the room.

His head is bent downwards, facing the desk, so I don't get an immediate glimpse of his face, but even from my position by the door, I'm pretty sure I'd recognize that strong jaw from somewhere.

"Sir?" Eric moves to the desk, his strides springy with enthusiasm, "I have something big for you."

The boss raises his head up to look at us, and suddenly, all the excitement vanishes from my body.

I know this man.

It seems he recognizes me also because his features lock in place when his eyes land on me. From here, I watch his lips move to say my name quietly, "Chloe."

That voice...

I'm instantly catapulted back in time to a Christmas brunch with Tim’s family three years ago. It was the first time Tim introduced me to Kane. He'd told me he had an older brother, but neither of us expected to see him there because he hardly ever came home. I remember trying so hard not to ogle at him, and I couldn't help but admire his mature composure.

When we talked, it felt like he was the only person in the world who got me. He left an impression on me that day, and even though I never saw him again after that, I still remember everything about him.

I also knew he was in tech, just like me, but what I didn't expect was for him to be the owner and founder of K-Synch. For one, it's a billion-dollar organization. There's no way Tim or even I wouldn't have known about it.

When Kane wasn’t visiting his small hometown for business, and he was not there to brag about how successful his business was.

I don't need to read our company intranet to know who he is. He's Kane Simmons–Tim's older brother and my daughter's uncle.

And he's also my boss...talk about a plot twist.

"Kane," I call his name in a shocked whisper.

I'm aware of Eric staring at both of us. "Do you...know each other?" He asks.

Neither of us answer at first. Then Kane rises to his feet and makes his way over to me. As he approaches, I have the sudden urge to leave, but his dark and warm eyes pin me in place.

---