The Billionaire's Contract Heir

Talia’s POV

I’d been looking forward to this morning for weeks—two years, exactly with him, my boyfriend.

Two years of birthdays, late-night talks, stolen kisses in quiet corners, and promises that felt like they’d last forever.

I had everything planned out for our anniversary, I planned a small celebration, it would be just the two of us, sharing a cake and drinking wine till we passed out.

“Hey, babe,” I said, dialing his number as I stepped out of the cab.

“I just got out of the library, I'm heading to the bakery to get those cupcakes you love so we could celebrate, you'll meet me there right?”

He was silent for a while before he finally replied in a clipped tone.

“Talia… I’m at work. Something urgent came up. Can we… reschedule, , I'll see you in the evening , then we'll go there together.”

A familiar ache settled in my chest, but I forced a smile at the disappointment I felt. Work always came first when it came to Jeremy, didn’t it? I sighed, tucked my phone into my bag, and headed into the bakery. If he wasn't going to come now, I'd go alone.

The scent of fresh bread and yummy cupcakes hit me like a warm embrace when I stepped in. I smiled as I looked at the rows of cupcakes and cakes that gleamed from their glass cases.

“Hi, What can I get you?“ A lovely brunette lady said.

“Hello, today is i and my boyfriend anniversary I just want a cake to celebrate”

The lady smiled

“Sure how many years?“

“Two years”

“That's perfect come with me”

I followed her as she led me to a section, I saw so many designs and flavors. I was trying to make up my mind on which one to pick when I saw Jeremy.

He was laughing softly, holding a woman's hand and a little girl with pigtails was in front of him

“Dad, look” the girl said pointing to a pink strawberry cake

“You like that?, should we get it?“ He asked her

The girl nodded.

Dad?

My heart shattered, I couldn't breathe I held on to the table so I wouldn't fall to the ground

For a second, I thought I was imagining it.

My brain scrambled, refusing to process what my eyes were seeing.

I blinked.

No, it wasn't a hallucination.

The woman smiled warmly, leaning close to whisper something to him. He laughed and ruffled the girl’s hair.

A sharp sting shot through me.

Betrayal, pain, disbelief, rage… all of it combined into a single, suffocating knot.

I walked up to them, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

“What… what is this?” I said, my words trembling.

He looked up at the sound of my voice, and his eyes widened

“Talia…”

“You have some nerve,” I spat, my voice shaking.

“Tell me this is some misunderstanding.”

He hesitated and glanced at the child clinging to his leg, and then the woman beside him. “I… I—”

“Don’t. Don’t you dare lie to me.” My hands were trembling as I shoved past him, almost knocking over a display of cupcakes. “Two years. Two years, and you—what? You have a secret family?”

The child tugged on his hand again, innocent and oblivious to what was going on.“Daddy, can we get the strawberry cake?”

My heart cracked in two. That word—Daddy—sliced through me like a blade.

My breath came in shallow gasps, my vision blurred with heat and tears. I refused to let it fall in public.

“You could have told me,” I whispered,my voice tight and raw.

“I loved you. I trusted you.”

He stepped forward, reaching for my arm. “Talia, I—”

I jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”

The weight of everything—two years of shared dreams, late-night promises, whispered ‘I love you’s—crashed down on me in that bakery. I didn’t wait for explanations. I didn’t wait for apologies. I didn’t even glance at the cake display. I turned on my heel and left.

By the time I reached my apartment, I was trembling. My hands were shaking as I opened the door, throwing my bag down.

My cozy little home now feels suffocatingly small and claustrophobic.

I went straight to his side of the closet.

He had been staying with me everyday for two years, all those business trips were never business trips after all.

I blinked back tears as I packed all his clothes, shoes and laptop and threw them out the door.

I didn’t cry at first. My chest ached with rage and betrayal, a wild storm of heat and heartbreak.

But as I sank onto the couch, the tears came anyway. Big, hot, messy tears that stung my eyes and ran down my cheeks.

I didn’t bother changing. I grabbed my coat, my purse, my keys, and left the house, anywhere but here.

The streets blurred as I drove my hands gripping the steering wheel, my teeth gritted against sobs.

I didn’t care where I was going—just somewhere dark, somewhere that would let me lose myself.

I stopped at a bar and got in.

it smelled of whiskey and different drinks and it was actually half empty, luckily for me.

I slid onto a stool and my phone buzzed

28missed calls from Jeremy Jer: Please pick up i can explain.

I switched off my phone and sighed, I slid into a stool, and looked at the bartender

“Give me something strong” I said

“Rough night?“ He said

“You can say that”

I let the bartender pour something strong and bitter into the glass. I held it like a lifeline, letting the alcohol burn down my throat.

I didn't know how many cups I downed but I kept on drinking and drinking till I felt a sensation like someone was watching me.

I looked around and just then a bartender came.

“This is from him" he said , handing me a drink

“Who?“ I asked

“The bartender pointed in the direction of a man, and that's when I saw him.

He was tall, his posture relaxed but deliberate, as if he owned the corner he leaned against. Dark hair fell slightly over his forehead. Blue eyes—too bright, too intense—watched me with intensity, that sent shivers down my spine.

I looked at the drink, it was clear, and no bubbles coming out , my pulse was throbbing.

If I drank this it would seem like an invitation for him to come and talk to me, but I was too drunk and too busy to care.

I looked directly into the bright blue eyes and picked up the drink, he was watching me intensely, and I downed it all in one go.

He winked at me and I couldn't look away.