Keeping The Billionaire's Heir

Chapter 3

JAZZLYN stared blankly as she sat at her desk. She hadn't touched a single one of the papers assigned to her for audit. Her mind was occupied by the unexpected events. The shock of seeing Erwan had left her in daze, she felt like it was the end of this world.

She needed some fresh air, so she stood up and left the office for a while. Her heart raced as she tried to process everything. First, if it wasn't for her love for her best friend, she wouldn't have done something reckless pretending to be Camille. And now, the unexpected encounter with Erwan and knowing that he was actually Kevin's cousin.

She messed up her hair and then leaned against the wall. It feels like her life turned upside down. How did everything get so complicated?

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She checked her phone to read a message from Kevin.

Kevin: I’m so excited for our dinner tonight :)

Her heart skipped a beat after reading that message. This was not exactly the distraction she needed, but then she quickly typed, “See you!”

Jazzlyn took one last deep breath before heading back inside, she felt heavier after what happened to her.

***

“JAZZ, I badly need your help. Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, what is it?”

Diane grabbed her hand and pulled her toward her desk. “You know I'm busy with my taxes, right?” Jazzlyn remembered that Kevin assigned her to do the company’s taxes. “I need to submit this monthly sales report to the executive office. Can you please give this to the executive assistant—Mr. Sean?” Diane held up the folder.

Jazzlyn pointed to herself. “M-Me?” She laughed nervously and in disbelief. She was just trying to avoid Erwan, and why was fate insisting to meet him?

“Yes, please, Jazz?” Diane pleaded.

Jazzlyn shook her head. “I'm sorry, Diane, but I have so much stuff to do. Look, I'm also buried with these audits,” she gestured to her bulked papers on her desk.

Diane showed Jazzlyn her painful cut on her foot from her shoes. “It's hard for me to walk because of this wound.”

Jazzlyn sighed. It seems like she had no choice. “Fine, I’ll take it to the executive secretary. But if Sir Kevin comes to see me, you will cover me up.”

Diane smiled brightly and nodded. “Sure. Here, take it.” She handed the sales report to Jazzlyn.

Jazzlyn heaved a sigh as she made her way to the 16th floor. The closer she got, the more nervous she felt. She didn't know what face to show him after what happened between them last night.

She scanned the entire room as she entered, but no assistant was around. She has no choice but to walk towards the CEO’s office.

She knocked twice. “Sir, I'm here to give the sales report for this month,” she said but there's no answer.

She was about to knock again when she jumped at the sudden voice of Erwan.

“Come in.”

Her breath caught as she opened the door. She entered the office and slowly walked to the CEO’s desk. Erwan stood with his back to her, looking outside a window.

“Just leave it there,” he said coldly.

Jazzly set the folder down. “I'll be going now, Sir.”

She was about to leave, but Erwan’s voice stopped her.

“You’re the woman I was with last night, am I right?”

Jazzlyn widened her eyes. She took a step back as Erwan turned to face her. Her throat went dry, and she swallowed hard. It feels like a spotlight was pointing at her. There was no escape pretending she wasn't a woman he slept with last night.

“I-I’m sorry, Sir. I-I didn't know you were the one I was with last night. I didn't know how I ended up in your room. I was drunk, I can't remember anything except…”

Erwan took a step closer. “Except for what?” His gaze showed no sign that her imperfections mattered to him. He seemed to enjoy cornering her regardless of her flaws.

“I-I really don't know, Sir,” Jazzlyn stammered, feeling trapped. She stepped backwards until the walls of the office closed in around her.

Erwan locked his gaze to her, and Jazzlyn fought to look away.

“Jazzlyn,” he said, lowering his voice as he moved even closer. “We both know that this isn't going away. You can't act like nothing happened.”

She swallowed hard as if her throat became dry again. The heat flowed into her cheeks as she felt cornered by him. “I—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Erwan reached into his desk drawer and pulled out her wallet and necklace. “You left these behind,” he said.

Jazzlyn took a step forward, her hands shaking in embarrassment as she reached for her things. “I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen,” she murmured.

Suddenly, the door opened and Sean walked in. “Sir, I have news from—”

“Not now, Sean,” Erwan cut him off while his eyes were still on Jazzlyn.

Jazzlyn seized the moment to snatch her wallet and necklace from Erwan’s hand. “I-I’m sorry, Sir, I really have to go,” she said while avoiding his gaze.

“Jazzlyn—” Erwan began, but she continued to open the door and slipped out.

Sean cleared his throat and began scrolling his laptop. “Your mom's golden birthday is coming up. Aren't you going to attend?”

Erwan felt irritated. He hadn't seen her mother Alice in years, and honestly, it didn't matter to him. She had left him when he was just four years old. What he remembered was Alice chose a life with a wealthy man over her own family. It still stung to think about it.

His father Romeo worked tirelessly to provide his needs. He poured all his energy into his business to become successful. But when he turned six, everything changed. Erwan witnessed a traumatic event when he and Romeo were kidnapped. He remembered everything when his father got shot right in front of him. It haunted him up until now and he blamed everything on his mother.

“I don't want to see her, Sean.” Erwan could still hear the echo of her mother's name. He just hated her for abandoning him.

“I mean it's her golden birthday. Maybe you could at least send a gift.”

“A gift?” Erwan scoffed. “How about a nice piece of jewelry? That's what she always wanted, right? Expensive things over her own son.”

“You could at least show yourself for a moment, Sir.”

Erwan shook his head and then his fist clenched. “There is no point in visiting her. She has her own family now, and it is disgusting to think that the thing I hate more than her are gold diggers. I’ve seen many women who only care for money.”

***

MEANWHILE, Jazzlyn stood in front of the mirror. Camille quickly moved through her makeup. Foundation, more dabs of concealer and a swift brush of powder to set everything in place. She reached Jazzlyn’s eyeshadow, applying soft browns and golds on her lids, followed by a quick line of eyeliner and mascara.

Camille grabbed her new lipstick from her bag. “Let’s use this, I bought this from Paris. It will make you look even perfect.”

Jazzlyn took a small smile while Camille applied a deep rosy shade on her lips. It was bold but beautiful. “Thanks,” she said, smacking her lips together.

Camille stood back. “So, you're gonna end this now since you failed to do it last time?” she asked.

Jazzlyn froze for a second, she pretended to focus on fixing her hair. “I have no choice, Camille. I don’t want to keep pretending.”

“I'm sorry if I put you in this situation. If I had known that it was Kevin, I should have done it by myself.” Camille knew that Jazzlyn had a crush on Kevin.

Jazzlyn faced Camille and saw her face worried. “Don’t say that, Camille, you know I am very supportive of your love life. This is my choice and I’ll be fine, okay?”

“Anyways,” Jazzlyn grabbed her purse and posed in the mirror to check her stunning red dress outfit. “I have to go now.”

“You forgot to wear your necklace,” Camille said pointing out the jewelry box.

Jazzlyn was hesitant, unsure if she should wear it tonight. The necklace had been a lucky charm ever since a young boy gave it to her years ago. That moment grew hazy over time, but she would still remember how special it felt when he handed it to her.

She went back to her dresser and held the necklace.Then with a deep breath, she clasped it around her neck. The cool metal rested against her skin.

“Perfect. Now you're ready, so let's go,” Camille smilingly said to her.

Camille offered to drive her to the restaurant. The ride felt shorter than expected.

“You’ll do great,” Camille said as she parked the car.

Jazzlyn nodded and took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. “Thank you, Camille.”

Jazzlyn spotted Kevin sitting by the window. Her heart skipped a beat. He was incredibly handsome. Kevin gave her a warm smile as she approached. She felt like she was floating through a dream, one she both wanted to savor and wake up from.

Kevin rose to greet her with a kiss on her cheek, she felt her heart race. “Hi, Camille, you look beautiful as always!” he said warmly, pulling out her chair.

“Thank you, Kevin,” she replied, forcing a smile. She felt an ache deep in her chest—how she wished that compliment had been directed at her, the real her. But tonight, she was Camille, her best friend, and that reminder pulled her painfully back to reality.

They chatted about work and their busy schedules, Kevin’s gaze never left her. She could feel his admiration, his genuine interest, and it filled her with an odd mixture of guilt and longing. How could she possibly deserve this attention, this warmth? This was a moment she’d always secretly wanted, yet now, wrapped in a lie.

She wanted to enjoy this moment, she wanted to let herself bask in the illusion. But every second passing deepend her guilt. She was falling deeper.

Jazzlyn took a shaky breath, her heart pounding as she braced herself. She couldn’t keep pretending, not when Kevin’s feelings were becoming more obvious. But even as she prepared to speak, her throat tightened.

“Kevin, I have something to tell you,” she began, her voice trembling slightly, her heart heavy with the weight of what she needed to say.

Just as she was about to speak again, Kevin suddenly interrupted her. “I'm sorry, Camille, but there's an unexpected visitor.”

Jazzlyn frowned. “Who?”

Kevin glanced over her shoulder, he lifted his hand to wave someone over. “Erwan, over here!”

Her entire body stiffened as the name hit her like a slap. Jazzlyn felt her throat closed up, her hands gripping the edge of the table to steady herself. She didn't dare to turn around, but she had no option because Erwan stood in front of her. She felt her pulse race, unable to avoid facing him.

As he walked over, Erwan's eyes fell on her necklace—the one she left at the hotel. His face changed as he realized the truth. He knew she was pretending to be someone else.

At that moment, everything was crashing down around her. It was too late. Erwan already knew her true identity because of her necklace.