The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress

Lorelai POV

Jackson's face was contorted into an expression that was chilling to the core "How could you have been so stupid" he spat out as I cringed in the hospital bed "Do you think I appreciated having to get work off to come here?" he snapped. "I didn't tell them to call you" I protested weakly "And I didn't do this on purpose" I added slightly indignant. He looms over me. I can tell that he's barely holding his temper in. "What about your job? How are you going to work while you're injured?" he asks tightly.

"They said they will still pay me and I still have my position" I assured him, sensing that's where most of his concern lay. It was always about the money. He didn't care about me or what I had gone through. Just the damn money.

He relaxed slightly as I told him that. He still looked mutinous though. Once again I wished lan hadn't contacted him. A knock on the door startles us both and I turn my head to see a beautiful woman standing there, her eyes twinkling with good humor. She looks familiar although I can't quite place her. Where have I seen her before?

"I'm sorry to disturb you," she says as Jackson scowls at me "but I was wondering if I could have a minute of your time?"

I glance uncertainty at Jackson but he exhales. "I'm going back to work anyway. You can find your own way home, right? You don't even know when you're getting discharged" he adds impatiently and strides back out of the room before I can say anything. Great. Thanks a lot, Jackson.

The woman is apologetic. "I'm so sorry if I interrupted anything."

I shake my head as she walks further into the room "You didn't" I told her numbly "he's just in a bad mood today" I added although it was a lie.

She nods and doesn't say anything more about Jackson. Instead, she holds out her hand and I shake it. "I'm Flair Oakes," she tells me as I gape at her "lan and Knox's sister. I wanted to come and thank you personally for what you did for them." She gives me a warm smile.

This was Flair Oakes? The heiress who had hidden her identity for three years and married infamous bachelor Grayson Oakes, aka Grayson Deluca? For a moment I was so stunned I couldn't speak. She laughs "I tend to have that affect on people." "Sorry" I squeak "I'm just surprised. I wasn't expecting to see you" I admit.

She frowns "You saved my brother's life, it's only right that I come and extend my gratitude. Not everybody would have gone to the same" She pauses and looks meaningfully at my injury "extent that you did. You went above and beyond what would be expected of an employee, which has intrigued me Lorelai Mathews" she breathes leaning in close and examining me closely. "What secret are you keeping from me?"

I try not to flinch. "It was what anybody else would have done," I say weakly.

She snorts "Lies."

She's blunt I marvel and straight to the point. I avoid her gaze. She narrows her eyes. There's a look of consideration on her face. "In fact one might think that it's something a person who is in love with one of them might do in order to protect them" she muses as I inhale sharply.

She's just guessing, I try to tell myself. But something in my face must have given me away because her eyes sparkled and she smiled at me.

"I knew it. I'm guessing it's Knox judging by how sour he looked outside" she said calmly.

I look down at the bedsheet, my fingers plucking at it. "Please don't say anything, I have a boyfriend and he well he" I stammered.

"Yeah he looks like a prize," she said rolling her eyes and then changing the subject "I won't say anything but maybe you should know a little bit more about Knox."

I glance at her "What more is there to know?" I'm genuinely surprised "he's loyal, he's kind, he's loving and he's unique. He's unlike any other man I've met. He has his little quirks but that just makes him more interesting."

She sits down and studies me "Have you worked out yet that he's on the spectrum?"

My mouth drops open. I hadn't even entertained the thought. She nods slowly "He's high-functioning autistic but he has trouble in social settings and can't read cues sometimes. He becomes fixated on projects, he is unaware of time passing, and a change in routine or person will often upset or confuse him. He often hides it in public, even having one night stands but when it comes to relationships, it often proves too much for the other person to handle. He doesn't get past more than two dates which is a shame because he's one of the most loving people I know."

"I don't care," I said fiercely "That doesn't make him less of a person. It just makes him sound even more amazing with what he's had to overcome."

"You really like him."

It wasn't a question but an observation. "It won't affect my work" I rush to assure her "and I'm not so naive as to think he's ever going to fall for somebody like me. I know I'm not glamorous enough or pretty enough..." I trail off as Flair shakes her head decisively. "You're gorgeous," she says wryly "and it's not a matter of not being glamorous enough. Why do you put yourself down?" she asks.

I have no answer for that. "I don't know" I whisper "I just know that I don't want Knox to guess how I feel."

She raises a brow "Knox can be rather dense sometimes, so it's entirely possible he hasn't guessed yet" she sounds amused "but eventually he will figure it out, and then what do you plan to do? What is your situation with the boyfriend?"

I can't tell her. I can't tell her that I fear for my life if I try to leave Jackson. I can't tell her that the only reason I'm with him is because I'm too scared to leave. But there's a thoughtful look on her face as she eyes me and I wonder if she knows, if there's something instinctual about another woman being able to see the monster inside the man or if I'm being silly.

"I know that it's impossible," I tell her "and Knox deserves better than me."

"Maybe you're exactly what Knox needs," she says quietly.

I doubt it. I'm the last thing Knox needs right now. "Thank you for saving my brother's lives Lorelai," she says evenly "If there's anything you need, anything at all, you call me. I don't care what time of day it is, I won't hesitate to help you."

She rifles in her handbag and withdraws a business card and pen, scribbling her personal phone number on it before handing it to me. I'm awed.

"Anything" she emphasizes loudly as I nod at her.

"Thank you" I whisper past the lump in my throat.

This woman didn't even know me and yet she was willing to do something far beyond anything my own parents had ever done. I liked her. She pushes her hair back over her shoulder and smiles. "I should get going. Grayson has the baby right now and he's probably waiting impatiently for mummy to come back" she sings, standing upright. "Congratulations," I tell her a little enviously.

Sometimes I contemplate what it would be like to be a mother but after my own poor upbringing by parents who weren't exactly great role models, I had been hesitant to become one. Add Jackson into the mix and I swore it was never going to happen. Not with him and not in these circumstances. A child deserved better than what I could give them. I would never put them in a situation that was similar to my own childhood. Never.

"Being a mother is unlike anything I ever thought it would be. It's like a void has been filled that I didn't even know I had" she tells me quietly as she begins to make her way to the doorway.

"Knox loves Hunter and he would make a great father one day" she adds seriously, glancing over her shoulder as I stare at her wide-eyed "And you two would make cute babies" she teased before disappearing and leaving me slack-jawed.

Whoosh. The air left my lungs. I couldn't believe that Flair Oakes herself had chosen to visit me. I had read about her but she was even nicer in person. The doctor came wandering in to check on my wound. "When can I be discharged?" I asked curiously. He frowned "In a rush to leave?" he asked gruffly.

I was in a private room and it couldn't have been cheap. "Well I just want to minimize costs" I began and he held up a hand.

"It's all taken care of" he interrupted "and I won't discharge you until tomorrow. I want to ensure that you have everything you need when you leave, including scripts for painkillers. You are lucky the bullet didn't hit anything vital" he scowled "or rip through tendons or" he looked like he was about to have a stroke with how angry he was "urgh" he threw his hands up "to shoot oneself. Unbelievable" he mutters, checking my blood pressure while I wisely hold my tongue "do you have a death wish?"

"Also, the various bruises on your body, and the healed broken bones" he scowls while I flinch "Do I take it to mean you would not like Mr. Knox or lan Knox to be aware of them?"

I shake my head and he frowns "As you are the patient, I must keep it confidential but Miss Mathews if you need help.." "I don't" I interrupt and he scowls and shakes his head looking resigned.

I had the feeling that he saw these kinds of injuries on women a lot judging by the troubled expression on his face. I tried not to let it bother me.

I was glad when he left the room, a scowl still on his face. I leaned back against the bed, feeling lonely. Although at least that was better than being forced to endure Jackson's presence, I thought with a wince. I could rest in the hospital for a day and then go back to the apartment tomorrow. Providing my movements weren't too restricted, I planned on going back to work, even if I had to work one-handed. I shuddered at the thought of being confined to the apartment for days on end with Jackson for company otherwise. No, it would be better to go back to work and struggle than to remain home. With that decided I lay on the hospital bed and closed my eyes feeling drained. Flair Oakes was an interesting individual and it was clear that she loved Knox in a protective sister way. I admired her for that. I wondered, as I closed my eyes and began to fall asleep, how Knox would have felt if he'd known that Flair had told me about his little secret and vowed not to let that slip. I didn't understand why he would be ashamed of it, but understood the stigma that society tended to place on

it.