Married On Paper To The Billionaire
Chapter 27: Secrets and Lies

Kane's head was throbbing when he woke up. His back ached and his mouth felt heavy. He yawned and tried to roll over but he bumped into soft, warm flesh.

His eyes cleared immediately and he blinked when he saw a naked woman lying beside him. He was even more horrified when he realized that he too was naked and they were lying down on the floor of his study. "What the hell?" He cursed and sat up.

Serena woke up and smiled up at him. "Good morning, handsome."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Her smile faltered. "I came here to keep you company last night when you were lonely and we made love twice."

Kane nearly fainted. His life was over!

"That's not possible," he whispered in denial. "I couldn't have done that."

"You did!" Serena fired back sharply. She was starting to lose her temper.

"I have no recollection of ever touching you," he told her.

"But you did and here is the evidence. You're naked, I'm naked and your cum is still inside me."

"Please, don't say that."

"It's true."

"Shit!"

Her softened. "Please, don't get upset. We can make this work."

He stared at her coldly. "Are you crazy? Have you forgotten that I'm married?"

"It doesn't matter. You can divorce her. You've done it before."

"That's enough. Get dressed. You have to leave before someone walks in and replaces us like this."

"The door is locked."

"Good. Get dressed quickly and leave," he said urgently and began to dress up.

"That's it? This is all I get for consoling you when you needed a shoulder to lean on?"

"I'm sorry, Serena. I didn't mean to offend you but you must agree with me that this is not a good position for us to be caught in. Come on, get dressed."

She reluctantly got up and began to wear her underwear and then her dress. When she was done, she looked up at Kane with tears in her eyes.

"Don't you even feel anything for me?" She asked softly.

"I'm sorry, Serena..."

"Please, stop saying that. Last night was too beautiful for you to say sorry this morning."

Kane sighed. "I apologize. Things got out of hand last night but it doesn't change anything. I love my wife very much."

"Are you going to tell her about us?"

"There is no us, Serena. Last night was a mistake. You know what, I'll compensate you. I'll write you a cheque. How much do you want?"

"I'm not a prostitute."

"No, you're not. I just want to express my gratitude to you the best way I can."

"One million dollars."

"Done," he said instantly and opened his desk drawer to bring out his chequebook. "How should I write your name?"

"Serena Maria Filipe," she replied calmly.

He signed the cheque quickly, tore out the page and handed it to her. She received it but didn't look impressed when she saw that he'd written 1.5 million dollars instead of one million. "Am I supposed to say thank you?" She asked in a small voice.

"You don't have to. And please, let's keep this situation between us. Can I trust you to keep this secret?"

She nodded slowly. "Sure."

"Good. That will be all," he said curtly and turned around to replace the chequebook in his drawer.

Serena felt a crushing disappointment that reached her soul. She spent all night dreaming about how Kane would wake up in her arms and realize that she was the love of his life.

Instead, she was getting kicked out of his office with a hefty cheque like an escort. How degrading.

She summoned what was left of her dignity and walked out of his study. She felt like ripping the cheque into tiny pieces and throwing them above her head like confetti, but she restrained herself. It might come in handy later. "My goodness, Serena. What are you doing here this early?" Lillian asked when she saw her in the hall. "Wasn't that the same dress you wore yesterday?"

"Good morning, Mrs Adams. I didn't go home last night."

"What? Why?"

She was tempted to confess the truth to her boss, but she knew that wasn't a good idea. Lillian had a short fuse. She would barge into her brother's study and let all hell loose.

"I had terrible cramps last night. I took a Tylenol and slept off in the living room. I'm very sorry about that. I know that's not very professional of me."

Lillian's face softened. "That's fine. And please, you needn't be so formal with me anymore. You've been working with me for over a year now. It's ok for you to loosen up a little, ok?" "Of course."

"Why don't you go up to one of the guest rooms and freshen up? And then you can go home afterwards. Take today off."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Serena as her sour mood began to perk up again.

Being in the Beaumont mansion for a few more hours meant that she would run into Kane again. Maybe he'd have a change of heart, realize his mistake and beg her to stay with him. "What's that you're holding?" Lillian asked.

Serena came back to her sense. "Uh, it's a grocery list. For myself, I mean."

"Fine. Get yourself straightened out and go home. I have an early morning meeting to catch up with."

"I didn't schedule you for any meeting this morning."

"You're not the architect of my life, Serena. You're only my assistant," her boss replied curtly. "Good day!"

Serena mimicked her boss and stuck her nose in the air. "Good day, Lillian Adams. Very soon, I shall become a part of this household. You just wait and see..."

****

"I made a terrible mistake. I shouldn't have let you go," Kane said softly.

"I've only been gone twenty-four hours and - "

"That's long enough," he cut in. "I'm not myself without you. Please, come back home."

Emilia sighed. "Being in that house is pure torture. I feel guilty for living amid so much wealth when my child could be in a very terrible place without all the comforts she's used to."

"I know what you mean and I feel it too, believe me. But leaving me alone to face the harsh reality of our situation all by myself is not fair."

"You're not alone. You have your family with you."

"Emilia, you and our children are my family. Please, let's go back home. We should be together when Tiara returns home."

Tears ran down her face and she wiped them away. "I can't believe I still have any more tears left in my eyes. Now, I know the true meaning of cry me a river."

"It will become tears of joy when our daughter returns home," Kane assured her.

Emilia cried harder. "She has to return home, Kane. I can't bear to live another day without knowing where my daughter is. She has to come back."

He gathered her in his arms and let her cry her heart out while his own broke. He would give everything he owned to replace his daughter and bring her back home this very second. "Let's go home,” Emilia said softly in-between sobs. "Let's go home and wait for Tiara."

****

"What are you still doing here?"

"Hi. Lillian asked me to stay."

"Why?"

"It's a long story but the bottom line is that I think fate is working in our favor," said Serena dreamily.

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.com is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! "I beg your pardon?"

"Think about it, Kane. Do you think it's simply coincidental that your sister asked me to stay after that glorious moment we shared?"

He glowered at her. "First of all, it's Mr Beaumont, and second, you need to get your head out of the clouds and face reality fast. My wife is back and I don't want you to repeat this nonsense in her presence." Serena was stunned. "Emilia is back?"

"Yes, Mrs Beaumont is back. I'll have a word with my sister regarding your employment with her. I don't feel comfortable running into you in this house anymore."

"But we shouldn't be apart. We could have something beautiful together if you'll only give me a chance."

Kane looked at her with disgust. "You're delusional. I'll advise you to cash that cheque I gave you and stay as far away from me and my family as possible." "No..."

"I think you should start looking for another job elsewhere. I don't want to see you in this house anymore."

He walked away and left her in the hall, shaking with anger. She was so mad she wanted to scream and pluck out her hair from her scalp.

"That bitch came back," she murmured. "That stupid bitch came back for my man. My man!"

She ran into the living room, grabbed a cushion, held it to her face and she screamed into it.

****

Following a suggestion from the police, the Beaumont family agreed to release photos of Tiara's face to the public with hopes that it might move the search forward.

The next few days were spent reading mixed reviews from total strangers about the missing child's appearance. The majority of the comments annoyed Emilia because it seemed as if the purpose of releasing the photos had been defeated. "It's been five days! Shouldn't someone have recognized my daughter somewhere by now?" She complained one afternoon.

"I'm sure they will eventually," Kane assured her patiently.

"Excuse me. Please, pardon my interruption. There's a mail for you and it's marked as urgent," said Harry.

"Bring it," Emilia said and the butler hurried forward with a white envelope. "When was it delivered?" "Just this afternoon."

"Thank you, Harry," she said and he nodded politely and left.

"What is it?" Kane asked curiously.

"I don't know. It's addressed to us but there's no sender's address on it," she said and ripped the envelope open. There was a small piece of paper inside, just like the one left on Tiara's bed.

"Oh, my God!" Emilia gasped when she read the content of the paper.

Kane was immediately beside her, catching her as she lost her balance and nearly fell to the floor. He snatched the paper from her shaking hand and read the words out loud.

"I know where your daughter is."