The Billionaire's Stolen Heirs

Grace Bryce stared at her cheap yet moderate wristwatch; she adjusted her glasses and prayed for the day to come to an end. The day seemed longer than she expected, and Derek Knight, the CEO of Knight Enterprises, and her boss had been in several meetings today.

"Why are you not rounding up?" Lucy Hunt, her friend and colleague, leaned against the edge of her table with a mischievous smile hanging freely on her face.

"I'm trying to finish up a report for Mr. Knight; I can't wait to go home and take a nap", Grace said as she straightened up her back.

"What do you mean by taking a nap?" Have you forgotten that tonight is the annual gala? Lucy stared at her with a smirk on her face.

Grace sighed. "Lucy, you know I'm not up for these events; it's not my thing; I'd rather take a long nap.

"Neither is it my thing, but we need to go. Get to meet new people, who know if I'd find my Mr Right there"

"Miss Bryce, bring in the Hollington report." Derek's commanding voice interrupted them through the office intercom.

Grace sat up immediately and grabbed the reports. She made her way to Derek's office, leaving Lucy behind.

"Drop it on the table", Derek said, barely looking up from his sleek mahogany desk, while massaging his temple. His countenance was unpredictable.

"Sir, are you okay?" Grace asked out of concern, worried that she had never seen his face like that since she resumed work here two months ago.

Derek let out a sigh and lifted his head, his countenance softened a little bit. "I'm just having a rough day, that's all."

"Alright, if you say so" Grace wondered why the Almighty Mr Knight was looking vulnerable today.

"You'll be at the gala tonight, right? Derek asked as she turned and was about to leave.

"I...I... not really" She blinked In surprise.

"You should come," almost as if realising how odd he sounded, he cleared his throat. "It will be good for the company."

"Good for the company? Okay, I'll try," Grace replied and immediately left his office with a confused look on her face.

"Did he just ask me to come? He asked me?" Bewildered, she asked herself as she went back to her table. Lucy was waiting for her, all ready to go.

"Be fast, we need to find something to wear", Lucy nudged her. She arranged her table, picked up her bag and left with her.

At The Gala,

Lucy had managed to convince Grace to wear a sleek black dress that accentuated her curves modestly but still made her feel like she belonged in the grand ballroom of the exclusive Knight Enterprises gala.

She was adjusting the hem of her dress, nervous as they stepped into the grand ballroom of the Knight Tower.

The room looked exquisite, filled with elites dressed magnificently to show wealth and power.

It felt different to be in this kind of place with people in power. "Coming here was a bad choice", Grace whispered into Lucy's ear.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, you need to have fun once in a while; it's not every day you get to meet people like this. What's the worst that could happen?"

Grace forced a smile, but her nerves wouldn't settle. Being the secretary to Derek Knight, the billionaire CEO of Knight Enterprises, meant she had seen these people at their best and worst. And she knew one thing for certain; she didn't belong in their world.

They walked to the left side of the room, and as Grace reached for a glass of champagne from a passing waitress, a familiar hoarse voice sent shivers down her spine.

"You look good, Miss Bryce".

Grace turned

It was Mr Malcolm, one of the executives in the company, but he has a reputation - one that Grace wanted nothing to do with.

"That's an understatement, you look amazing," he said, moving closer.

Grace stepped back. "Thank you."

He reached for her hand, but before he could touch her, another voice interjected.

"Hello, Malcolm."

Grace turned to find Derek standing beside her, his presence radiating authority. He was dressed in a tailored black tuxedo, his dark hair slightly tousled, and he looked devastatingly handsome.

Malcolm chuckled. "Mr. Knight, you're here, I'll just go get a drink." He said as he walked away, definitely uncomfortable in Mr. Knight's almighty presence.

"You made it," Derek said to Grace, picking up a glass of champagne for himself. He took her hand and led her to a table.

As they sat down, his piercing blue eyes held a glint of amusement as he took a sip from his glass, watching her.

Grace became uneasy. She had a slight crush on her boss, but unfortunately, Derek had a fiancee; he was engaged to Christina Winslow, the elegant socialite who practically owned half of New York's high society.

"Yes, sir, I did."

"Don't call me sir, address me by my first name", Derek interjected

"I don't think I should. That's disrespectful, and you're my boss." She replied.

"I insist."

"Okay, sir...I mean Derek." Grace smiled.

"Let's have one more drink", Derek said, waving to the waiter nearby.

One drink turned two, then three.

Before Grace knew it, she was standing with Derek on the balcony, away from the noise. She brought out her phone from her purse to text Lucy about her whereabouts when she felt Derek lean into her slightly.

"You're different from the others", he murmured, his voice husky.

"Different? What do you mean?" She swallowed.

Derek leaned in more, his scent wrapping around her.

"You're natural," he said. "You've been working diligently and focused on your work, and you've grabbed my attention unknowingly."

"Derek..." Grace slightly pushed him backwards, noticing he might be a little drunk

"I can't take my eyes off you," he admitted, his fingers moving around her cheek

Grace became speechless; she didn't know what to do or say, but she liked the way she felt and didn't want it to stop.

For a while, she recalled Derek had a fiancee, and he shouldn't be flirting with her.

"I think you're drunk, why don't I take you to a room to rest." She said as she held him by the hand and dragged him to a room nearby.

She opened the door and dragged the tipsy Derek to the bed; she led him to the bed, took off his shoes so he wouldn't stain the duvet and was about to leave when he pulled her on top of him.

Her breathing hitched as she stared right into his striking blue eyes.

Grace knew this was dangerous. She should have stepped away, should have reminded him that he was engaged to Christina Winslow.

But she didn't. Instead, she stared.

She couldn't find the strength to pull out, she didn't want to. She was just a woman lying on top of a handsome man who made her feel different.

So when Derek leaned in and kissed her, she kissed him back, forgetting everything else.

And that kiss led to something more.

--

The Next Morning,

Grace stirred, the warmth of the sheets wrapping around her like a cocoon. Her body ached in places she had never felt before, and she was having a headache.

She sat up abruptly; her dress was rumpled, and this was not her room.

The memories of last night came rushing back like a wave.

Derek. His touch. His lips.

"Oh my God," she gasped.

Reality came crashing down on her.

"What have I done?"

She carefully slipped out of bed, her fingers shaking as she tried to think straight. She needed to leave before he woke up.

But before she could take another step, the door burst open.

The sound was like a gunshot in the silent room.

Before Grace could react, a hand yanked her by the hair, dragging her away from the bed.

"Ahhhh" Grace shrieked in pain from the forceful yank on her hair.

Christina dragged her out of the room so as not to wake Derek, who was lying comfortably on the bed asleep.

It was very obvious that Christina was in a pure rage, her dress rumpled as if she had been up all night. She has been looking for Derek throughout the gala, only to check the security footage to see Grace leading him into the room.

Grace struggled. "Let me go, I ....." She was interrupted by a slap which landed on her right cheek. She slipped to the marble floors in tears.

"You whore" Christina spat. "You think you can crawl into bed with my Fiancé and get away with it?"

"I...I didn't..." Grace tried to explain in tears.

Christina pushed her against the wall in the hallway and loomed over her. "You'll leave this place and pretend this never happened."

"But Derek..." Grace's heart pounded.

"He won't know it was you, and he never will, so get the hell up and leave!" Her voice echoed in the hallway with rage.

Grace went numb.

What?

That can't be true.

He can't just forget.

She darted her eyes to the room to see Derek, he was not moving. He was too drunk to know who he slept with.

The realisation hit her harder.

"I'm doomed." She wanted to scream, but she couldn't; she knew Christina could destroy her at a whim.

Tears blurred her vision as she stood up and started leaving.

Christina went back into the room, removed her dress and slid next to Derek on the bed.

Grace hurried down the hallway. She could hardly breathe, her pulse hammering against her ribs.

Her palm still burned from Christina's slap, and she felt ashamed of herself.

She reached the elevator and punched the button with trembling fingers. The doors slid open, and she stepped inside, pressing herself against the mirrored wall as she forced back the tears that threatened to spill.

What had she done?

She had slept with a man who wouldn't even remember he had been with her.

Meanwhile, back in Derek's room, He woke up feeling sluggish. He let out a small groan while massaging his temple.

He stretched his hands and felt a body beside him, he jolted up immediately. "What the hell...."

He wiped his face with his hands to see clearly. "Christina?" He asked In a loud voice.

Christina yawned and turned to him. "Hey, sweetheart."

She pulled the blanket over her body while Derek stared in confusion. Her blonde hair cascaded over the pillow, and her lips curved in a satisfied smile.

"Why are you staring as if you don't know what happened?" She asked

"What do you mean? Why are you here? What happened?" Derek asked bewildered.

He couldn't remember much.

He could only recall the gala, talking to Grace and taking a few drinks.

He Didn't remember seeing Christina at all at the gala; how come she was in bed with him, naked?

"You slept with me, of course; it was an amazing night. Don't tell me you can't remember because you were a little tipsy", Grace replied with a huge grin, leaning forward to Derek.

Derek stood up immediately, grabbed his clothes that were scattered all over the floor, wore them in a minute and Stormed out of the room in anger.

Something felt wrong.

Derek went straight to his car and drove off to his private villa.

Christina dressed up.

She needed a plan.

She needed to secure her place and she knew exactly what to do.

She took her keys, picked up her phone and dialled a number.

"Hello, send me the personal files of Grace Bryce now!"

Grace collapsed on her couch immediately after she got home.

Lucy rushed to her. "Hey, where have you been?"

"I need to leave, Lucy, I need to leave", Grace whispered.

"What do you mean? What happened? Oh my God, Did Derek hurt you?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"No, he didn't hurt me but he slept with me, and Christina... She knows." Grace ruffled through her hair.

Lucy stood still for a while, mouth opened in surprise. "You slept with Mr. Knight? What?"

Grace rushed into their bedroom with Lucy trailing behind her. "I need to leave".

"You know what that woman can do? You know she's a snake, and you slept with her fiancé? What were you thinking?" Lucy asked halting her.

"It was a mistake. I think he has feelings for me, but we didn't plan for it to happen; Derek was drunk." Grace defended.

"Okay, so what do you want to do now?" Lucy let out a sigh still trying to comprehend what she heard. "You can't just leave your job, wait are you leaving your job? You just got here two months ago."

"I don't have any choice, have you forgotten who Christina is? She can kill me and no one will know anything about it. I'm just stupid." Grace said almost ready to break down in tears again.

"That's true, she's capable, but I advise you to stay for a while till we figure out something, so we don't make a rash decision. Lucy explained.

Grace sighed and stared up at the ceiling; she slumped into the bed, thinking. "Maybe, I'll just stay a while and see what happens."

Meanwhile, Derek was in the shower in his private villa. He allowed the cold water to run down his body while he stared blankly into space.

He keeps trying to recall what happened last night, but all he can remember is having drinks with Grace. Maybe that's when Christina took him to the room.

He sighed out loud. He turned off the shower, grabbed his towel and stepped out of the exquisite bathroom.

He went to his wardrobe and pulled out a black suit. He had a few meetings to attend.

He took up his phone and dialled Grace's number.

He needed to be sure.

"Beep beep! Beep beep! His phone rang, but she wasn't picking up. He dialled her number again but she didn't pick either.

The almighty Derek Knight slumped onto his bed looking frustrated.

"Well, it's fine. This doesn't change anything, I'll get back to work." He grabbed his keys and left the room.

--

Grace stared at her phone while it rang; she didn't know what to say to Derek, so she just stared at the phone as it rang.

"Did he remember?"

Grace felt nauseous, she abruptly rushed into the toilet to vomit. She was confused.

She hardly fell sick, so she couldn't comprehend why she was feeling nauseous.

"Was it because of last night?" She asked herself as she wiped her face.

"Wait what? Last night? Oh my God," Her face twitched as a thought crossed her mind.

She ran downstairs and into the street, bought a pregnancy test kit and went back inside to confirm her suspicion.

Unknowingly to her, a black SUV was parked outside her apartment. Immediately she went back in, the man in the car stepped down and went into the store to ask what she purchased.

When he got his answers, he went back into his car and dialled a number. Christina.

"Lee, what do you have for me?" Christina's voice sounded from the other end of the phone.

"She just bought a pregnancy test kit." He replied

"A pregnancy what? Text me her address immediately " Christina thundered.

"Yes ma'am."

--

The poor Grace sat on the bathroom floor. Tears streamed down her fair face, her eyes red, indicating she had been crying for a long.

The pregnancy test kit was showing positive. She had peed on the stick.

"What do I do? Do I call Derek?" she pondered.

"Knock knock!" A hard band was heard at the door.

Grace rushed t and stared at the clock hanging on the wall. "Who could that be?" She quickly wiped her face with the hem of her shirt but it was still obvious she had been crying.

Grace opened the door, and a slap from nowhere landed on her cheeks, almost blinding her.

"Ahhhh!" She screamed out in pain while holding her reddened cheek with one hand and the pregnancy test kit with the other.

"I'll kill you if you ever mention to Derek that you're carrying his child! Take this money and abort that thing in your womb, you whore!" Christina yelled at her with anger written all over her face after giving her a stinging slap, she looked like she could erupt any moment from now.

She threw a bunch of dollar notes at her which scattered on the floor.

Grace stood still, moping at Christina.

"Take this money, abort that thing in your stomach and pretend this never happened. One word from you, I'll kill you. Whore!" Christina said with a look of disgust on her face and left, banging the door behind her.

"How did she know? How is she the first person to know about my pregnancy when I just found out."

Grace gently slid down the wall to the floor in tears, her eyes fixed on the door which Christina just left through.

--

At the Office,

The elevator opened and Derek walked in. He looked at Grace's desk, to find her absent.

He turned to Lucy and asked, "Why is Grace not at her desk today?"

"She... I.... she's sick, she couldn't come in because she's sick." Lucy stuttered. Derek's aura was too intimidating and she could count the number of times he had spoken to her.

"Oh." He sighed.

Just as he was about to open the door to his exquisite office, he heard Christina's voice. " Hey, sweetheart, I have good news for you."

Christina rushed in, her hands clutching her exquisite green dress.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked his left hand on the doorknob. He stared coldly at the woman who was smiling sheepishly.

"Let's go inside your office first," Christina replied.

"Whatever you have to say, say it and let's pretend like nothing happened last night." He said bluntly.

Christina pushed the door open herself, she sat on the soft couch positioned at the left end of the office and crossed her legs graciously.

"I'm Pregnant," She said. With a smirk on her face, she turned to look at the bewildered CEO. "And you're responsible."