The Billionaire's Secret Heir.

her scarf around her neck as she stepped out of Sweet Reverie, her bakery nestled on the corner of a quiet street. She tugged the hood of her coat

to lock up!" A

s-up. "Got it! Go get s

kery and raising a five-year-old, her days blurred into a cycle of exhaustion and stubborn determination. Tonight

nt. The world felt quieter than usual, though the city never truly slept. A cab honked in the distanc

hen she

an D

his dark coat, and his unruly black hair was damp, yet it did nothing to diminish the sharp angles of his jawline or the piercing b

years since he'd walked out of her life without so much as a backward glan

duck away, his ga

across the rain-soaked st

d herself to remain calm. She couldn't let

voice steady despite the

lose, he was even more devastatingly handsome than she remembered, and that reali

e said, his tone warm, almost famili

est. "I live here, Julian. Have for years. Not ever

face before he chuckled softly.

" she muttered u

udying her intently. "

ied sharply, taking a ste

er leaving her face. "Business. A new venture brought me ba

iness. Of course. That's a

phone buzzed in her pocket. Grateful for the distraction, s

d, turning away to a

bout you," Claire said nervously.

ent was the last person she

en minutes," she sa

s watching her with a mix of curi

, wa

ye, Ju

d racing. Harold showing up unannounced was bad news. And Julian's sudden rea