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The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 13
“Sounds good,” said Luca. “I’ll have the same. And maybe a bottle of something?” He looked at me as if I had a suggestion.“I’m fine,” I said tersely. I’d noticed that Luca’s account at the restaurant had been growing recently, including an outrageous order for a bottle of Dom Perignon last week. I knew he liked to show off to his buddies—all less successful than him—but I thought it would be good for both of us if we had a clear head. “Let’s just have water,” I said when Cherise came to take our order.“Oh, come on,” he said. “You can’t have lunch without wine.”“One glass,” I said.“’Lex, ‘Lex,” he said, chuckling. “You treat me like a kid sometimes, huh? When are you going to let me make some of the big decisions? I’m the same age as you, huh? Don’t I deserve to be making my own billions, some day?”“You’re a smart guy, Luca,” I said. “So you tell me: which of the two gets to make the decisions. The guy who has a 65% stake inThe Blue Orchid, or the guy who has a 20% stake?”Luca gr
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 14
“I’d be happy to see her step into that role,” I said. I knew Zeke was only mentioning this so I’d have the okay from him. He was still wary of discussing Lola around me.“Where is she?” I said.“Uh, in the cellar,” said Andy. “Stock check on all them old Beaujolais we got down there.”“You want me to get her?” said Zeke.“No,” I said, “I’ll say hi.”I stepped down into the cellar. It was a warm day in New York, in the low seventies, and inside the cellar, it felt cool. I wandered among the racks of wine, my feet sounding quietly on the flagstones.Then, I saw Lola. She was working in the back office of the wine cellar, a small, cramped room with a standing desk and computer, with a stock sheet on the desk. I watched her bending intently over the sheet, strands of hair falling from her otherwise neat ponytail.I came to the doorway and stood there, leaning against the frame.“Good afternoon,” I said.Lola looked up quickly, in shock. “Oh,” she said, standing up. “Hi. How are you?”“I’
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 15
“I guess. I just hate to waste it. Look, they’ve had enough to drink already.”I glanced over surreptitiously at the table. Through the crowded restaurant, I could see the booth where Luca and his friends were sat. Their faces were red and they were laughing loudly. Luca was telling one of his crass, dirty stories about something that happened in Vegas, while they sipped oysters and looked at the menu.I couldn’t stand watching people throw money around like that. My twenties had been nothing if not a struggle to make ends meet: first as a musician, and then caring for Macy. And even if my salary at theOrchidwas good, it wasn’t exactly like a single mother waitressing in New York was ever going to bethatwealthy. I looked up at the ice bucket sitting on the side, the bottle with its gold label gleaming in the low light.“That bottle is like half my week’s salary,” I muttered.I watched the champagne get carted over to Luca’s table, where Carrie, one of the waitresses, opened it. Luca y
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 16
He pocketed the roll of bills and left through the front door.***The next day, when I came in for work, I was sent straight up to Zeke’s office.When I got there, I closed the door behind me. Zeke was sitting in his chair, looking crestfallen. Alex was leaning against the desk. He wasn’t wearing a tie, and I felt myself grow a little hot under the collar when I saw his open throat, the soft hairs on his chest.“Lola,” said Alex. “What was the take last night?”“About thirty-thousand dollars,” I said, and I heard my voice shake as I spoke. “It’s on the sheet, right? I printed it off from the register.”This was it. I knew it. I was about to be fired. Or worse, arrested.“Thirty thousand, six hundred and ninety two,” said Zeke, tonelessly. “Eleven thousand, eight hundred and fifty-six in the register,” he added.Zeke looked up at me, and even though I was scared, I thought,bless you Zeke. I could see he was praying that it wasn’t me.“Last night, between the count and the time when yo
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 17
Alex“How’souremployeeofthe month doing?” said Zeke.“Uh, she’s fine,” I said. I was just finishing some work up in the office while Zeke went down and did the briefing for the evening. Lola was still distraught from Luca’s threats.I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen this side of his personality before. It was like a completely different person had appeared from under the good-humored mask he wore.It seemed to prove everything I knew about human nature. Despite the fact that some people might seem nice, might seem good-natured, they were ultimately fickle. People could change at the drop of a hat especially when you found them out.“I’m gonna take Lola home,” I told him.“All right,” said Zeke. “I’m gonna stick around here for a bit.”I went down to the staff lounge, where Lola was drying her eyes and sipping a cup of coffee. “How are you doing?” I said.“I’m okay,” Lola said as she stood up.But I could see from the look in her eyes, her lightly-stained mascara, that she wasn’t o
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 18
The door opened, and Lola poked her head out.“Oh,” she said. “Hi sweetie!”The two of them embraced, while I stood awkwardly in the hall.“Sara, this is Alex.”“Nice to meet you,” said Sara, her voice softening now that she knew I was with Lola. “Macy doing okay, Lola?”“Yeah, she’s out for the count. You’re amazing, Sara. Thanks for putting her to bed.”“Least I can do,chica. You around tomorrow?”“Sure. I’ll see you then, okay?”“Night.” Sara turned and went down the hall of her building.“Woman was looking at me like I was a crook,” I muttered, as Lola let me in.“Oh, that’s Sara,” laughed Lola. “She’s always looking out for me.”The apartment was homely and warm, despite the old furniture and the threadbare cushions on the sofa. The living room and the kitchen were all one. For a moment I thought of Philadelphia again. Lola’s apartment couldn’t have been much bigger than the one I grew up in.Except, it was completely different. Whereas my childhood home had been empty and desola
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 19
LolaThat weekend I felt happy, for the first time in a long time. I played with Macy, and we went out with Sara to the park. On Saturday, I treated her to pancakes for breakfast, and cooked an enormous bowl of spaghetti carbonara in my kitchen for Sara, her uncle Sebastien and her son, Raul. It had been so long since I’d had the money to have people over for dinner, and Macy and I made a real occasion of it. I dressed her in a princess dress and she and Raul sat playing with their toys. And that evening, I put Macy to bed, and played Frank Sinatra on my stereo, and relaxed with a glass of wine. What had come over me?I knew, deep down, that it was Alex. Something about him had made me alive and alert to the world. His kindness hadn’t gone unnoticed. I couldn’t forgive him for his past actions—for leaving me and Macy when we both needed him. But now that they’d been in the same room, it felt easier somehow to separate them. Alex had seemed so uncomfortable, so awkward at Macy’s presen
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 20
“It’s great to see you,” said Alex. “How was your day?”“Oh, fine,” I said. “The usual. You know how it is. How was yours?”“I was in Toronto, actually.”“Toronto?”“Yeah. Flew down this morning by private jet. I was seeing some clients up there.”“Clients?”“For the hedge fund I run.”“You’re a banker? I thought you were a club owner.”“I am. But I wouldn’t have been able to get half as rich as I am without investing my profits. And along the way, I guess it turned from a hobby into a full-time job.”“You became a billionaire…from your hobby?”“I guess you could put it that way,” Alex said, and in the sun streaming down on us as we walked together, I thought to myself that I’d never seen him look so handsome. His soft, clear skin was glowing in the light, and I could see his sharp features and his fulsome lips more clearly. In the six years since we’d first met each other, I would have thought that he’d look older, a little less gorgeous than when I first met him. But if anything, he
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The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 55
I held the door for her to get into the car. My dad picked up Makayla so she could give Deira one last hug while I walked around to get into the driver's side. We waved at everyone, and I drove away. As we wove through the grounds of the estate, I kept looking over, stealing glances at Deira as the dappled sunlight flitted over her, turning her hair gold and making her skin glow. I could feel heat pooling in my groin and a desperate need coursing through my veins. I thought again at how long it would be until we got to the hotel that night, and decided it was simply too long.Instead of turning toward the main road, I looped us around toward the back of the estate. I remembered a particularly secluded spot that was perfect for what I had in mind. A few minutes later, I pulled the car to a stop."Is something wrong?" Deira asked, looking over at me curiously."Nothing's wrong," I replied with a wicked grin. "I just don't want to wait until we get to Hawaii." When she realized what I me
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 54
CASSIUSThree Months LaterDeira made a beautiful bride.Watching her walk down the aisle toward me, with all our family and friends present, I knew that I had made the right choice in asking her to marry me. In fact, I knew that every choice I had made since that moment I decided to step into that steam room, despite it unexpectedly being occupied, had been the right choice.It was a simple ceremony, because once I'd proposed and she'd accepted, we both wanted things to move quickly. Neither of us saw a reason to wait. So, our whole wedding party was just three people. Scott was my one groomsman, and Dani was her one bridesmaid, and Makayla was the flower girl. In fact, Makayla was something of a flower empress, having demanded to be put in charge of all the floral decisions for the wedding. When that happened, Deira just laughed and looked at me."She gets this from you, you know," she had said, smirking.For my part, I thought she had made great decisions. The flowers looked beauti
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 53
A few days later,I was standing outside a hospital room, fidgeting with my dress. Cassius took my hand, pulling it away from the floral garment."You look great," he whispered. "Don't worry." We were about to go into his mother's hospital room, where his parents were waiting to meet Makayla and I for the first time. Makayla was bopping excitedly beside me. She had been on cloud nine ever since Cassius and I had explained that she had grandparents, and they were waiting to meet her. I, on the other hand, was very nervous."Ready?" Cassius asked. I took a deep breath, and nodded.It turned out that I didn't have anything to be nervous about. Cassius's father immediately stood up and gave me a warm hug, and his mother insisted I come sit by her so she could hold my hand and talk to me. They both were very kind to me and, more importantly, to Makayla. Just as she'd been with Cassius, Makayla seemed instantly at ease with them. It didn't take long before she was chatting away to them, talk
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 52
DEIRALeave it to Cassius to make a dramatic entrance, I reflected as I stared at him from afar. Whether it was barging into my steam room or crashing into my car or running through the airport yelling my name, he never did anything subtly. I looked at him, standing there breathing heavily. Had he run through the airport looking for me?I glanced back at Dani, and she raised an eyebrow. She didn't have to say anything more for me to understand the question she was asking. That raised eyebrow said, well, what are you going to do? It might as well have said, well, Deira, what do you want? I hadn't expected to have to answer that question at the airport, right before we went through security, but apparently, that's what was happening. Now I had two choices.I could turn my back on Cassius, take Makayla's hand, and walk through the security gate toward a totally new life, or I could go over to Cassius and ask him why he was here. I could give him one last chance to be part of my life. It
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 51
CASSIUSThough my mother was doing well, I still spent the next week or so in the hospital. Now that I'd reconciled with my parents, I wanted them to know that I was there for them. But also, I knew that once I returned to my real life, I would need to talk to Deira, and I wasn't ready. Not because I wasn't sure what to say—in fact, the opposite. I knew that I wanted Makayla and Deira to be part of my life now, and forever. But we'd had such a rocky path, I was a little scared of how Deira would respond to me.So, I put it off for days, until my mom finally prodded me to leave the hospital."You've been here forever," she said. "Go home, get a shower, and get a good night's sleep. And then, once you're refreshed, maybe talk to your girlfriend about us meeting our granddaughter." She winked at me."She's not my girlfriend, Mom," I protested, feeling like a teenager."But you like her, right?" my mother asked, and all I could do was grin in response. "See," she continued. "You have to g
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 50
The next morning, Dani took Makayla to school on her way to work, letting me sleep in. I laid around her apartment all morning in my pajamas, then went for a quick run before getting myself some lunch. I was very consciously not thinking about work, or Cassius, or anything else. I had half-expected him to call me at some point, but he didn't, and I couldn't help but be relieved. I didn't think I could talk to him until I decided what to do about Mr. White.In the afternoon, I picked up Makayla from school and took her to the park to play. That night, the three of us made pasta and played board games. It was nice to have some time to just have fun, without thinking about all of the stress of the past few months. The next day, after dropping off Makayla at school, I found myself thinking about my blog. I hadn't thought about it in months. I went to the home page and started looking over some of my past entries. Before long, I found myself writing down ideas for new posts. It had been ye
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 49
DEIRA I had hurried inside after getting out of Cassius's car, but I didn't want to go back to Dani's apartment when I was so upset. I waited until I saw Cassius drive away, and then I went back out to take a walk around the neighborhood. I had meant to calm down, but I found myself reliving our conversation and soon I was crying. Cassius not believing me about Mr. White hurt even more than I had let on. I'd let out all my anger on him, but beneath the anger was a deep pain and a sense of betrayal. Why did he think I would make something like that up? What did I have to gain from that? And did our relationship mean so little to him that the word of an employee he barely knew was better than my word? That last part stung more than I wanted to admit. For all the ups and downs of our relationship, it had never felt meaningless to me, but it seemed for Cassius this always came second to his job. He believed Mr. White over me, just like he had taken a business call instead of watching
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 48
After I got my dad calmed down, I went to find the doctor. I wanted a clear understanding of the accident and my mother's injuries. The doctor confirmed that the coma appeared to be because her body had been through a trauma, and that there was nothing worrying on the scans. All her other injuries were minor, especially considering the severity of the accident, but we wouldn't know her true status until she woke up. I made sure he understood that I was the point person now, and that my mom was to want for nothing. He nodded and reiterated that there was nothing to be done but wait. The waiting was excruciating.I found myself wanting to call Deira, but remembering the look on her face as she'd slammed the car door, I didn't think that was a good idea. I called Scott instead. He offered to come to the hospital, but I asked him to take care of the business instead. That way, I could concentrate on taking care of my parents."Of course, man. Whatever you need. Anything else I can do?" he
The Billionaire's Secret Baby chapter 47
The address wasn't far, and I made it there in twenty minutes. Deira was just taking Makayla inside when I pulled up. I waited in the car and a few minutes later she emerged. I was going to get out and meet her, but she walked right to the car and got into the passenger seat."I can't talk long," she said. "But I realized storming off like that earlier wasn't helpful, so I wanted to try to explain." She fidgeted, like she was nervous."I did talk to Mr. White," I said, wondering if what he said was true, and now she was nervous because she regretted her actions. At his name, she glanced over at me sharply."Did he admit what happened?" she asked, seeming surprised."He told me his side of things. Why don't you tell me yours?" At the phrasehis side of things, her face fell. She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. Finally, she spoke."He accused me of sleeping with you to get my job," she said quietly."What?!" I hadn't been expecting that at all, and I was so shocked I fel
