Home / Billionaire / The Billionaire's Secret Baby / Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

All Chapters of The Billionaire's Secret Baby : Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

219 Chapters

chapter 38

“Did you really need to chat forthatlong?” said Alex. “We’ve been in there for like, two hours.”“It’s just like you said,” I replied, innocently shrugging. “We want it to look right, right?”I flashed my eyes at him and, not for the first time that week, enjoyed watching Alex seethe. He might be the one with the cash, but I was the one who understood the secret operation we’d embarked upon. In the end, I was the one who knew how to make things convincing.So I led Alex around town, visiting caterers, party planners, the priest, and all of it was just a big lie: a lie designed to present an impression to the world of two people who’d decided to join their hearts and minds for the rest of their lives. But the truth was that Alex and I were increasingly growing apart. It hurt me to have to bring an end to the affair we’d been carrying on. But I knew that things would be too complicated if I didn’t stop now. If my name ended up on the marriage license next to a man I was sleeping with, I
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chapter 39

“Where are you going on honeymoon?” one of Alex’s business colleagues asked me.“Oh, we haven’t decided yet,” I said. “After all, we’re so busy with everything at the moment.”“You could always go to the farm if you like. I’d be happy to sell the thing, actually. You and your husband ought to go and look at it.”I mentioned this odd exchange to Alex later, and he gave me the first smile I’d seen from him in weeks.“That farm…” he said, “…is on Martha’s Vineyard. He’s been trying to sell the thing to me for months, but I keep telling him 100 million dollars is too much money.”“Ahundred—” I said in disbelief, but Alex had already been swept away by more admirers and guests. I sighed. Was this how it was supposed to be on your wedding day? I’d barely seen him. Not that I was thinking about him, of course. Only I kept longing for the way he’d had his hand around my back in the photos, the graceful way he stood by me. It felt nice to pretend, I guess.As the afternoon wore on, I had anoth
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chapter 40

AlexI hindsight,itwasprobably a good thing that the police arrested me. If I hadn’t been then I would probably have dived into the burning building, to try and put out the fire.Luckily, everyone was safe. The only people there had been Gabriel and another cook, who were preparing to serve the wedding banquet, and a couple of servers. They’d gotten out in time.I found myself in another interrogation room in the local precinct, only this time, my wrists really were cuffed to the table. Opposite me, two detectives were sitting. I had at least ten years on both of them, and they were trying to play hardball with me. Only it wasn’t working one bit. They’d been at it since the afternoon and now it must be getting dark outside.“You know where your fusebox is, Alex?”“Of course I do,” I replied. I could smell the smoke in my clothes. “It’s in an alcove on the ground floor.”“Right,” said the detective. “That’s where the fire started. I spoke to the Marshall half an hour ago. He told me th
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chapter 41

“Do you have somewhere you can go?”“My lake house. It’s upstate, on the Finger Lakes.”“Go there. Lie low for two, maybe three days. Don’t talk to anyone, don’t go anywhere. I’ll come and get you when I can.”“This is crazy,” I said. “I have work. My restaurant just burned to the ground. I can’t run away now.”“You’ve made enough money this year. I’m trying to make sure you’re still alive tomorrow.”“Okay,” I said, frustratedly.“And, Alex?”“Yes?”“I’m sure you’re aware that you’ve technically not committed marriage fraud. But you’re going to take Mrs. Lowe with you. As the legal heir to your fortune, she’s at just as much risk as you are.”**************Lola....“No,”I said.Alex looked at me. Or rather, looked down on me. Standing next to me on the doorstep of my building, he looked enormous.“You have to,” he said. “I need to keep you safe.”“I’m not goinganywhere,” I told him.“Lola, the cops are on the verge of ending this whole thing. But you’re not safe here.”“And what abou
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chapter 42

But I hated him so much right now, I couldn’t bear to respond. I didn’t want to get drawn into an argument. Because I knew that if I lifted the lid on my emotions, I’d find a lot more than hate there. And I didn’t want to know how far down it went, the pit of fear, desire and want that was making me feel empty inside.After a while, we turned off onto a dusty road. It curved up a hill through the trees, past a small lake whose surface was rippling in the moonlight. I couldn’t see a light for miles around us. The world would have been pitch black if it weren’t for the car’s headlights. But eventually, we pulled into a wide driveway under a dark gabled roof.“This is it,” said Alex.I got out sulkily, and followed Alex to the front door with my bag. He opened the door.I was looking into a wide, spacious living room through the corridor at the front. I could see a stone fireplace in the gloom, with long sofas and chairs scattered around. There were lampshades. On the walls, I could see
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chapter 43

AlexIn the morning,I awoke in the soft sheets of the four-poster bed. I turned and watched the smooth curve of Lola’s shoulder down to her slim waist. I listened to her soft breathing, and for the first time in weeks, I realized I’d woken up calm and relaxed. Sleep had been impossible for the past few weeks, a restless rolling schedule of nightmares and anxiety. But here, in the lake-house, I felt peaceful, and for a while, I listened to Lola’s breathing while the sun rose and the room turned from blue to burnished orange.I got up and got dressed in a rough, cable-knit sweater and a pair of ripped jeans I found in the chest of drawers. I went downstairs and got into the car.The town of Gemini was ten minutes’ drive from the house, and though O’Rourke had told me not to see anyone or do anything, I already knew I wasn’t going to listen to his advice. It was impossible. How could I hole up in the lake-house for days, without doing something, without moving? I might be feeling lighter
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chapter 44

LolaWhenwegotbackto the lake house, it was still and quiet, a warm afternoon. I’d hoped Alex would take me out on the boat again once we got back, but we’d both been spooked by the appearance of the old man.“You want to talk?” said Alex.“Not really,” I said. There was so much on my mind that I didn’t feel like talking, so I went upstairs and showered. I was so spooked that I jumped at my own reflection in the mirror when I got out.Who could the man have been?A spy? A guy working for Luca? Luca was a flashy guy, who wore expensive suits and shiny watches and ordered the most expensive thing on the menu (even though he rarely paid for it). I couldn’t imagine the sallow, roughly-dressed man staring at us in the diner on Luca’s payroll.While I trusted Alex, or wanted to trust him, all kinds of fears began to swirl around my stomach since I’d seen the stranger. Alex had promised I’d be safe when we went out for the day. But how could he keep that promise? Hadn’t the boat ride, having
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chapter 45

AlexI was dreaming.Dreamingof the apartment in Philly, the matted, tangled hair of the man as he slipped out of the door. I was calling to him, waiting for him to stop. “Don’t go,” I cried. “Don’t go, dad!”Then, my eyes opened, and I heard the cry from outside: “Hey!” It was faint, but the voice was unmistakable. It was a voice I’d know anywhere.It was Lola.I’d had that dream a hundred times, but, I reflected, I hadn’t had it in some time. I got up and looked out through the window.Lola must be at the southern end of the house. I slipped on my sweater and some pants, and put on a pair of shoes. I took the car keys, just in case we’d need to leave in a hurry. Had they found us?I went down the stairs and through the living room. The house was quiet and still.Where was Lola?I went into the kitchen, and was about to leave when something caught my eye through the window. I stepped forward.I peered down towards the lake, and rubbed my eyes which were bleary with sleep. I could see
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chapter 46

LolaMax was gone bythe time I’d gotten back to the lake. I didn’t know where I could find him, or what I’d say when I saw him. I only knew one thing; that Alex was gone.“You’re an idiot,” I said, over and over again to myself. But for once, I wasn’t talking about myself. I was talking about Alex. How could he think that I had anything to do with Max’s appearance? Why couldn’t he see that this was perfect: that with Max’s testimony, we could prove that the certificate was fake?When Alex calmed down, he’d be sorry. He’d realize that he hurt me. But for now, I didn’t know what to think, and I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night.I took out my phone, but when I looked at the clock, I saw it was five in the morning. I didn’t want to wake Sara, so I decided to wait for the sun to rise in a few hours and get a hire car back to the city.When I finally set out, carrying my bag with me down the road, it took me an hour. In the stillness of the morning, I was tired and my eyes ached. An
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chapter 47

Alex“Ninety six,”I grunted.“Ninety seven. Ninety…eight!”A hundred pull-ups. There are professional athletes who wake up and don’t have the energy to do a hundred pull-ups. But of course, it was not about energy. It was about motivation. And I was highly motivated during the three-hour workout I’d just subjected myself to, during which I’d already beaten all my personal bests and was about to beat another.“Ninety-nine,” I cried, and then came the last one. Every muscle in my body was burning already, but I didn’t care. Anything not to think about what had happened since I’d got back to New York this morning.I collapsed onto the floor, and lay flat on my back, almost weeping from the pain. When I got up, I could see myself in the mirror, angry, red-faced, and soaking with sweat. I warmed down for a while, and then hit the shower. But even a gentle comedown from the enormous levels of physical strain I’d been under wasn’t enough to stop my legs from turning to jelly.The revelation t
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