My Accidental Billionaire Husband (Katia and Julian) novel Chapter 45

Diner with the Godmother

Katia’s POV

The glass doors of the 1* Technologies headquarters hissed shut behind me, the cool, conditioned air of the lobby giving way to the humid, heavy reality of a Brooklyn evening. I looked at my watch; it was 6:15 PM. My heart was pounding with the remnants of a three hour budget review, but the physical fatigue was nothing compared to the mental exhaustion of the last week

Ever since I stepped off that plane from Vegas, I had been living a double life. By day, was the sharp, uncompromising CEO, the woman who was turning the tech world on its head. But in the quiet moments, in the spaces between emails and meetings, I was the woman pinned against a cold hallway wall, tasting whiskey and Julian Windsor’s tongue.

My phone buzzed in my hand, and that made me flinch. It was Gail.

“I’m in the neighborhood. Don’t you dare tell me you’re ‘working late‘ again. Meet me at our spot in twenty. I can smell the bullshit from across the bridge, Katia. We need to talk.”

I sighed, a long, shaky breath that did nothing to settle my nerves. I could keep a secret from the board of directors. I could keep a secret from the paparazzi. I could even keep a secret from my own mother. But Gail? Gail Windsor had a way of looking through me as if I were made of glass, spotting the fractures before I even knew I was breaking

I swung by the daycare annex to pick up Aiden. The moment he saw me, his face lit up with that pure, uncomplicated joy that usually acted as my anchor.

“Mommy! Look! I made a spaceship!” he chirped, thrusting a crumpled piece of construction paper into my hand.

I knelt down, kissing his forehead and inhaling the scent of baby shampoo and crayons. “It’s beautiful, Aiden. Ready in go see Auntie Gail?”

“Auntie Gail!” he cheered, his little legs already moving toward the exit.

We arrived at the small, tucked–away bistro near the waterfront ten minutes later. It was a place where the light was always amber and the booths were deep enough to hide a thousand sins. Gail was already there, a glass of crisp white wine in her hand and a look of terrifying focus on her face.

“Aunt Gail!” Aiden called out, breaking into a run the moment he spotted her.

“Oh my God, look at my charming godson!” Gail laughed, her face softening instantly as she scooped him up into a hug. She peppered his face with kisses until he giggled, then she expertly helped him into the high chair at the end of the table. “You are

I looked at Aiden, who was preoccupied with a strawberry, then back at Gail. I felt the weight of the secret pressing against my ribs, suffocating me. “So, please don’t judge,” I started, my voice barely a whisper. “And before I tell you, please know I never asked for this. I never planned for this. And I know exactly how this makes me look. I know the optics are disgusting.”

I took a deep breath, the words tumbling out before I could lose my nerve. “I was in Vegas a week ago. And since I got back, I

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