Falling For Her Billionaire Baby Daddy

"I don't know what you came here for and I am not interested in knowing," Rachel said through clenched teeth. "Now, get out!"

"Oh, don't raise your voice, honey. It's not ladylike," Cassie replied with a catty grin. "But you wouldn't know how to be ladylike, would you?"

"Don't make me call security to throw you out."

"Which security? The ones that let me in?"

Rachel resisted the urge to haul Cassie out of the apartment with that obscenely long ponytail of hers.

"Get out," she repeated angrily.

"It's ok, Rachel, I'll leave," Cassie said distastefully. "I just wanted to confirm whether the rumors are true about Derek hiding his social-climbing baby mama in his penthouse." Rachel gasped. Cassie's insult stung like hell.

"Have you no shame, though?" Cassie continued. "Why would you choose to be a parasite, living off of someone else? And how are you even comfortable with being hidden away like this? Why would you be with someone ashamed to show you off?"

"That's not true," Rachel whispered.

"You know it is," Cassie insisted. "You don't fit in, Rachel, and Derek knows. He's keeping you here to save you from the embarrassment you'll face if you ever make the mistake of showing up in public with him." "Get out," Rachel said firmly.

She'd heard enough. Cassie's words were cutting her like a knife but she was not going to give this bully of a woman the satisfaction of seeing that.

"Listen, dear Rachel," Cassie continued casually. "You need to stick to your circle and stop trying to fuck your way to prosperity. A baby doesn't keep a man, especially a wild man like Derek. He loves fun and that's not a word that describes you, Rachel."

Cassie sashayed to the door which was still held open by a fuming Rachel and said, "Enjoy this little fairy tale of yours while it lasts. When Derek is tired of playing house with you, he will come back to me. He always does."

And then she was gone. Rachel remained where she stood, angry with herself for not having the perfect reply for that mean-spirit giraffe called Cassie.

Rachel shut the door angrily. She was so livid, she could break something!

How dare Cassie come here to insult her? How dare she walk into her - her what? This wasn't her apartment, but still...

Zoe came back from the kitchen, holding a toy cupcake. "Mommy, Bye?"

Rachel exhaled her anger and smiled at her daughter.

"Yes, my darling. That wicked red dragon is gone," she said and fought back the tears that were pinching the back of her eyes.

She was angry with herself for letting Cassie get under her skin by raising doubts about her relationship with Derek. After all, everything the other woman had said was all lies, weren't they?

The only reason she hadn't been out in public with her man was that she'd been in recovery from her accidental smoke inhalation. Also, she wasn't keen on being followed around by a bunch of photographers each time she walked down the street.

None of those reasons amounted to being hidden behind closed doors like a dirty secret as that vile woman had claimed. Derek was proud of her!

"Who was it?" Taylor asked when Rachel returned to the kitchen.

Rachel's voice cracked when she opened her mouth to speak. She swallowed and tried again.

"It was Derek's, uh, friend," she said. "They didn't know he'd be at the office today."

"They? How many of them?"

"You know what, let's continue this conversation some other time. I have to run an errand right now," she lied and said a quick goodbye before shutting off the iPad.

Rachel was annoyed with herself for letting Cassie's verbal attack affect her this much. How could she let that bitter woman make her question Derek's feelings for her?

Why was she letting Cassie poke holes in her self-esteem? Why was she allowing herself to be thrown back to her teenage years when other girls made fun of her body for being 'too curvy' in an era where only skinny girls were considered beautiful?

Why was she allowing Derek's ex-lover to control her emotions and bring negative vibes into her space?

Why? Why? Why?

"Come on, Sweety. You're going to spend some time with Grandma this afternoon," she cooed to Zoe as she led the child out of the kitchen.

"Yay!" Zoe rejoiced. "Cookie!"

"Yes, Grandma is going to bake you some cookies," Rachel assured her daughter.

Meanwhile, Rachel's mind was somewhere else. If she didn't get this anger out of her system, she wouldn't be able to function properly for the rest of the day.

She changed Zoe's clothes and packed her favorite toys inside a mini backpack. Then went into the walk-in closet to get dressed too.

"You want to see fun, you stupid bitch. I'll show you fun," Rachel mumbled to herself as she began to briskly apply makeup on her face.

When she was done dressing up, she helped Zoe carry her backpack and they made their way to the front door together.

"Mommy, Bye?" Zoe asked.

"You are going to Grandma's and I'm going to work off some steam," Rachel answered.

"Huh?"

Rachel laughed. "Let's just say Mommy is on a mission to get her groove back," she told her daughter. "I'm going out to have fun, and you are going to have a fabulous time baking cookies with Grandma." "Cookie!"

"That's right, honey. You get the cookie, I get the honey. Now, let's go get 'em!"

Cassie may have tried to kill her spirit but she wasn't going to sit at home and wallow in self-pity. Not when she knew that was precisely her rival's plan.

Rachel was determined to go out now and prove to herself that she wasn't anybody's dirty little secret. She and Derek have come a long way in their roller-coaster relationship. S

he wasn't going to let that bitter shrew butt in and rock the boat now that they were finally enjoying some peace. No way!

Rachel and Zoe rode the elevator to the 10th floor where her mother's temporary apartment was located. When Rosemary opened her front door, her jaw dropped when she saw Rachel's outfit.

"Rachel Marie Lane! Where are you going to, dressed like that?" Rosemary asked her daughter.

Rachel grinned confidently. "I'm going out to have fun. Here's your grandchild, she's all yours for the afternoon. See ya!"

Rachel kissed Zoe and blew a kiss at her surprised mother before cat walking away like a runway model.

*******

Despite Rachel's insistence on going out alone, Frank refused to let her out of his sight. He stubbornly insisted on driving Rachel to her destination.

When she got tired of arguing with the giant of a man, Rachel finally gave in and told him to take her to Derek's office. There were a handful of paparazzi outside the house but they were too busy chatting with each other to notice Rachel's exit.

They drove there in Derek's white Bentley and when they arrived at his office building, Rachel told Frank to wait for her at the reception area.

"Hi, I'm here to see Mr. Fraser," Rachel informed the receptionist.

"Hi, do you have an appointment with him?"

"Come on, Cheryl. Don't you recognize me?"

Cheryl was surprised. "I - I don't think so."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm Rachel Lane. The last time we met here was about two years ago when you wouldn't let me in to see Derek. I ended up running into him at the parking lot and then we came back inside together. Does that jog your memory?"

"Oh, oh yes! I remember you now," said Cheryl with wide eyes. "You look... different," she added.

"I hope in a good way?" Rachel grinned.

"Of course. You look fabulous."

"Thank you. So, can I go in and see my boyfriend in his office now? This is more of a surprise visit, you know?" She added with a conspiratory wink.

Cheryl's smile faltered. "Uh, I see. I should probably inform his secretary - "

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ñe5s.org to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now! "No," said Rachel quickly. "She'll tell him that I'm here and I don't want that. This is supposed to be a surprise, remember?"

"Well, uh..."

"It's fine, trust me," she assured Cheryl and strutted to the elevator like a runway model.

Inside, she admired her outfit which was a champagne-colored mini bodycon dress It had only one strap and it put all of her curves on display, including her inviting cleavage.

Rachel hadn't taken time to brush her hair but the tousled look turned out to be perfect for the sex bomb image that she was going for. She wore a pair of black Chanel sandals and carried a small purse of the same color.

The elevator stopped on the 16th floor and Rachel strutted out of it like a proud peacock. She couldn't wait to see the surprise on Derek's face when he saw her.

When Rachel got to Diane's desk, the secretary stared at her with amazement. Before Rachel could even speak, Derek's office door opened, and then it was Rachel's turn to be amazed.

Cassie stepped out of Derek's office with him. She was still wearing the same outfit she wore when she'd showed up at the penthouse earlier.

When she spotted Rachel, she looked at her from head to toe with disgust before she burst out laughing.

"What is this clown doing here?" Cassie asked in between laughs. "What the fuck are you wearing?"

"Cassie," Derek said in a warning tone. "That's enough."

"What is she doing here?" Rachel asked him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cassie answered her. She turned toward Derek and kissed him, smudging her red lipstick all over his lips.

He broke the kiss and firmly pushed her away. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked irritably.

"Oh, stop it, Derek. It's too late to act innocent now," she said and giggled.

"Leave, now," said Derek quietly. His temper was simmering and Cassie was the cause of it.

"Sure, why not? You know where to find me, don't you? I'll be waiting," she said and blew him a kiss before walking away.

As she passed Rachel, she intentionally brushed past her and whispered, "Loser."

"I am so sorry about that," Derek apologized immediately after Cassie was gone. "She only kissed me to upset you. Nothing happened between us inside my office, I swear."

Rachel felt like a fool, especially because that embarrassing scene had played out right in front of Diane. The secretary/administrative assistant had been there to witness her shame! "I don't even know what to say," Rachel admitted.

"Come into my office, let's talk," said Derek, opening his office door wider for her to enter.

Rachel walked in slowly like a robot and sat on the Chester couch in his office. Her excitement at coming to see Derek had since deflated and she now felt like a fool instead.