Hiding The Billionaire's Daughter

"Mommy, look! Elsa looks like Annabelle!"

I laughed when my child pointed at the life-sized doll of Elsa, who had thick blush on her cheeks just like Annabelle.

"Do you want to buy it, baby?" I teased her, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Of course not, Mommy! I don't want to have nightmares every night," my child said with her arms crossed.

I laughed, and I saw the saleslady giggle at what my child said. We decided to leave that toy store because all she was doing was making fun of the toys there. I didn't even know if we went to the mall to buy her a new toy or just to make fun of the toys.

"I'm so happy, Mommy!" my child said, jumping up and down as we walked. I started to walk faster since we were holding hands.

"And why is my baby happy?"

She stopped walking and raised both her hands. I laughed and picked her up.

"Because you're always busy with your work. I missed being with you, Mommy. I missed you," she said, hugging me tightly around the neck.

Aww, my heart!

"I'm sorry, baby. Mommy is just busy because I have a lot to do at work. But you know that Mommy loves you so much, right?"

She smiled widely, which melted my heart.

"Yes, Mommy! I love you too! A million, million times!"

I laughed and showered her with kisses, which made her giggle even more. Aww, I love hearing those giggles!

I really love my daughter; she is my everything. Even though it was hard for me when I was pregnant with her, I truly love my child. I remember almost losing her because of the stress and tiredness I felt back then. The doctors said she was weak while in my womb. So, I stopped working to focus on taking care of her.

Thankfully, Mama and Papa were there to help me take care of her after she was born. Now that she is four years old, all the struggles I had before are worth it. I named her Summer Frost.

My Summer Frost.

We ate at her favorite fast food restaurant because she loves their fries and spaghetti. It's funny because now I don't have to feed her; she can eat by herself!

"Mommy, can we watch Aladdin, please?" Summer asked while giving me a cute look.

So adorable! It makes me want to pinch her cheeks!

I wiped her mouth covered in spaghetti sauce before pinching her cheek gently. She squealed and pouted when I stopped.

Dear God, thank You for giving me my daughter in my life!

"Okay, sweetheart. But you have to finish your food first, okay?"

Because she was excited to watch Aladdin, she quickly finished her meal. Soon, we went to the movie theater. I bought the tickets and sat my daughter in the chairs near the popcorn stand before I bought the popcorn.

"Two cheese and two waters, please," I said to the cashier. A moment later, my order was ready.

I returned to where I left Summer, but my heart raced when I saw she was gone.

"Summer!" I called out, but I couldn't see her. "Excuse me, miss. Have you seen my daughter? She's wearing a pink dress and has light brown hair," I asked a woman, but she just shook her head.

Oh my God! I didn't know how I would find my child in this big mall! My mind raced with thoughts. What if someone kidnapped her and took her with the people begging on the street?

Oh God! No, please. Not my Summer Frost.

"Mommy!"

I turned quickly when I heard my daughter's voice. I saw her near a TV showing movie trailers at the theater. There was a man kneeling in front of her, but I couldn't see who he was because he was facing away from me.

I ran to Summer and quickly knelt down to hug her. I noticed the man stood up as I got closer.

"Oh God, Summer! I told you not to leave that spot! You scared me!" I said, almost in tears.

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I was just watching Aladdin's trailer! I love their song," she replied and sang "A Whole New World," which made me laugh.

"Is she your daughter?"

My smile disappeared when I heard that cold voice. Even without looking, I knew who it belonged to. I felt nervous and couldn't move right away.

"Zuri..."

All I could do was stand up and face him. The first thing I noticed was his electric blue eyes that seemed so ruthless and cold.

"Helios..."

I saw him look from my face down to Summer, so I hid my daughter behind me.

"Is she your daughter?" Helios asked again, making me even more nervous. I took a deep breath to control my shaking body.

"Yes," I answered, relieved that I didn't stutter.

"Who is he, Mommy?" Summer asked from behind me.

Helios kept staring into my eyes, making it hard for me not to shake. His gaze hadn't changed-serious and very cold.

"He's my..." I swallowed hard to clear my throat. "He's my boss," I replied to my daughter without taking my eyes off Helios.

His gaze dropped again when Summer peeked behind me, so I hid her even more. I almost fainted at his next question.

"Is she my daughter?"

"No." I answered quickly, knowing my response sounded strange. I saw him look at me more coldly, and my lips almost trembled.

"Is that so?"

"Yes." I replied bravely. "You are not the only man in my life, Helios. So stop assuming." I picked up Summer and turned away from Helios quickly.

Oh, God! Why now?! Shit, I'm not ready. No. No. I hope he didn't notice.

"Mommy, is he your boss? At work?" I nodded at my child's question. "Really? We have the same eyes, Mom."

I stopped at what Summer said. If my child noticed that, Helios would definitely notice too.

He's not stupid, Zuri. And you know that.

I looked back, wishing I hadn't because Helios was still there with serious eyes watching us. I turned away and walked quickly in the other direction.

Oh, shit. What should I do? Should I run away again? He will definitely find a way to learn who Summer's father is.

And you know what? He's right.

Summer Frost is Helios Gallagher's daughter.

And I'm hiding the billionaire's daughter.

Chapter 2

"Yaya Tams, please take Summer home right after her class, okay? And please, don't talk to anyone else."

"Is there a problem, Ma'am Zuri?"

I paused my work because of Yaya Tams's question. She must have noticed that I was restless, which is unusual for me.

"Nothing's wrong, Yaya Tams. Just do what I said, alright?" She nodded, so I turned to my child who was quietly sitting on the sofa. "Hey, baby. Mommy is leaving now, okay?"

My child looked up and pouted. "Can you not go to work today, Mommy, please?" She gave me puppy eyes, and I felt the urge to give in to her wish.

But I knew I couldn't. I had to go to work, especially today. If I didn't go in, Helios would suspect something was wrong. I needed to act normal.

"I'm sorry, baby. But Mommy has to go to work today. You saw my boss, right? He will be upset if I don't show up."

I saw her face light up. "Your boss has the same eyes as mine?"

I swallowed hard. "Yes."

Since Summer could think for herself, she always asked me why her eyes were different from mine. My eyes are brown while hers are electric blue-just like her father's.

When she met Helios, she was so happy because she saw someone with the same eye color as hers. Well, he is her father after all. Summer only got her eye color from him.

After a bit of convincing, my child finally agreed to let me leave. But instead of going straight to work, I went to a coffee shop owned by my friend.

"Oh wow! You're here early!" Jenica greeted me when I walked in. We sat down at a corner table.

"Jen, he saw," I said as my lips began to tremble. I even pulled at my hair in frustration. "He saw."

Tears started rolling down my cheeks. No! He can't take my child away from me. She's my everything!

"Wait a minute," Jenica said and handed me a tissue. I used it to wipe my tears. "You're acting crazy! Crying out of nowhere!"

"Helios saw my daughter."

That's all I said, but her eyes widened in shock. She covered her mouth with her hand and tried to speak several times but kept closing it again. I rolled my eyes at her reaction.

"You're acting crazy," I replied back at her.

"Oh my gosh! Helios? As in Helios Gallagher? Your daughter's father?!"

I slapped my hand over her mouth in annoyance! What if one of the Gallagher staff was following us and heard my friend's loud reaction?!

"Do you want me to give you a megaphone too?" I said irritably.

"Wait... wait... I can't breathe," Jenica fanned herself dramatically.

I rolled my eyes again. "Are you Summer's mother or am I?"

I waited for Jenica to calm down before asking one of her staff for a glass of water and handing it to her.

"What happened?" Jen asked after drinking the water; she seemed calmer now.

I told her about what happened yesterday-how Summer went missing, how I found her, how Helios looked at his daughter, and how he asked if Summer was his child.

"Do you think he has an idea?"

"I don't know," I said, but who was I kidding? He wouldn't ask if Summer is his child if he didn't have doubts. Plus, Summer really has Helios's eyes. I'm sure he's already investigating my child now.

"What's your plan?"

I was taken aback by Jenica's question. What is my plan? Soon, Helios will find out the truth. He has his ways of getting information. And when he learns that Summer is his daughter, he will definitely take her away from me.

"I'm going to hide my child," I said, my lips trembling as I spoke to Jenica.

"You'll play the runaway girl again? Do you think he won't look for you? At first, he didn't search for you because he didn't know you were pregnant. But when he finds out he has a child, he will turn the world upside down just to find you."

"He doesn't love me," I said, as if that answered everything.

"Yes, but you have his daughter. Why not let him spend time with your child? Who knows, maybe he'll agree to share time with Summer."

I shook my head. I know Helios Gallagher too well. I see him every day at work. Every day I experience how harsh he is with his employees. And once he knows about Summer, he will take her away from me.

"What happened, Zuri? Why did you let yourself have a child with that man? He's like a devil in a business suit. You can't tell me that Summer was just an accident, right?"

I looked at Jenica. I hadn't shared what happened to me before. But maybe it's time to tell her what happened five years ago so she would understand why I've hidden my child from Helios. Jenica is one of my true friends.

I started to tell my story.

"It all started with a charity party organized by the Gallaghers." A party I never thought would change my life.

I jumped in my seat when I heard my boss shout again. It was early in the morning, and he was already yelling again. Oh well, what else is new? I hear him shout every hour while I'm at work.

It's fine as long as I'm not the one being yelled at.

"You are all fired! Get out! Now!"

In less than a second, I saw two men and one woman leave my boss's office. Their shoulders were slumped. The two men headed straight for the elevator while the woman sadly looked at me.

"Mr. Gallagher is a real devil! He doesn't even feel sorry! How have you lasted here?"

I just smiled at her and didn't reply. It was good that she left and took the elevator down.

I've been Mr. Helios Gallagher's secretary for almost a year now, and they say I'm the only one who has lasted this long as his secretary; others didn't even last a month.

Chapter 3

I work at Gallagher Empire as the CEO's secretary. I have a lot of work because I am the right hand of the CEO. There are many businesses under this company, including shipping airlines, condominiums, malls, supermarkets, and an amusement park.

I admit that being the secretary for Helios Gallagher is not easy. He wants everything to be perfect. He should not see any flaws in your work. If your work is perfect, he does not shout. At first, it was hard, but I eventually got used to it.

I took the flash drive and some papers from my desk. Then, I knocked on my boss's office door. Before he could answer, I opened the door and walked in.

"What?!" he shouted when he saw me. I put on a serious face. After hearing him shout every day, would I still be scared?

"Here's the report you need for your presentation later, boss," I said, placing the flash drive on his desk. "And here's the hard copy of that report." I placed the papers in front of him.

He took the papers and read some pages. I held my head high. I was confident in my work-perfect and flawless.

"What about the presentation for the Canadian investors?"

I raised an eyebrow at his question. "I'm still working on that, boss. I thought it's due next week? Do you want me to finish it today?"

He shook his head. "No." That was good. Just this morning he told me to do that report through email, and now he wants an update?

"Okay, boss. Is there anything else you need?" I asked.

"Coffee."

"Okay, boss," I said before leaving to go to the pantry to make coffee for my boss, who seems to have been born from a dragon. I brewed the coffee and added one teaspoon of cream and three teaspoons of sugar before mixing it.

I knocked three times before opening the door without waiting for his answer. I placed the coffee in front of him.

"Here's your coffee, boss," I said before turning to leave, but he called me back.

"Wait." I turned back to see him taking something from his desk drawer. It was a red envelope that he handed to me. "Here."

I took the envelope from him. "What's this, boss?"

"It's an invitation for the charity ball tonight. My mom wants you to come."

I looked at the invitation and was about to open it when I heard him speak again.

"Get out," he said, so I had no choice but to leave his office and read the invitation at my desk.

What my boss said was true; it was indeed an invitation to the charity ball organized by his family for an orphanage they sponsor. For sure, other wealthy people in the country would also be invited.

I got ready early for that party. The party would start at 7 PM, and by six-thirty, I was already there. I saw Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher at the entrance of that five-star hotel, welcoming each guest.

"Sweetheart." I saw Mrs. Gallagher's happy smile when she saw me. "I'm so glad you made it! You look stunning as always." She kissed me on the cheek.

That night, I wore a simple black dress with a low neckline.

"Thank you, Ma'am. You look beautiful, by the way," I said, which made her laugh.

"Helios is already inside. You should come in too, sweetheart."

I did what she said and went inside. My guess was right. The hotel lobby was full of rich people invited that night. If I hadn't been with Mrs. Gallagher, I probably wouldn't be here now.

I took a wine glass when a waiter passed by me. Surely my grumpy boss wouldn't order me around tonight. I might as well enjoy the night so I wouldn't get bored.

I walked over to the chocolate fountain, grabbed a marshmallow, and dipped it in the chocolate. I ate the marshmallow and felt like I was in heaven.

"Hi!"

I turned to see who greeted me and saw a goddess. I knew who this goddess was-Carmilla Johnson, Helios Gallagher's fiancée.

"Ma'am Carmilla!" I exclaimed in surprise as I quickly finished the marshmallow in my mouth. She laughed at my panic.

"I told you to call me Carmilla. Helios is your boss, not me." I smiled at her kindness. "By the way, have you seen him?"

I nodded because I had seen him earlier but didn't greet him since I knew he wouldn't notice me anyway.

"I saw him at the elevator earlier. He probably went upstairs."

"Okay, thanks," said Carmilla as she left to find Helios.

I finished my second glass of wine before the party started.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen."

We all looked at the stage where Mr. Hades Gallagher, Helios' father, stood in front of the microphone. Behind him were his family: Helios, Carmilla, Mrs. Sapphire Gallagher, Apollo, and Artemis.

"This charity party is for the orphanage that we Gallagher family are sponsoring. If this party is a success, we will choose another orphanage to sponsor. If you have donations or anything like that, please put them in the box beside this stage." He pointed to the box next to the stage. "I hope you enjoy the party tonight. Thank you for coming."

Others started to approach to drop donations into that box. I also went over to donate what I could. My parents are rich, but I am not wealthy myself. I don't want to use their money; that's why I chose to work instead.

I returned to my spot and got another glass of wine-maybe my fourth? I felt a bit dizzy now.

"Enjoying the party?"

I looked to my side when someone spoke and saw Apollo Gallagher with his boyish grin looking at me.

"Yeah," I said as I finished my glass.

"Bloody hell." I heard Apollo say as he grabbed my glass from me, but it was too late because I had already finished it. "Holy shit, how many is this for you?" he asked.

"Four? Five? I don't know," I said while rubbing my temples. Damn, I'm really feeling dizzy now.

"Zuri, you're drunk," Apollo said while laughing at me. I tried to focus on him but my vision was doubling.

I'm drunk?

"No, I'm not," I said while trying to convince myself that I'm not really drunk. "It's just wine."

"Yeah, wine mixed with vodka. Come on; you should rest."

I felt Apollo lift me up and take me somewhere. The next thing I knew, my back hit a soft bed.