Page 42 of After-Hours Heir

“You and I will have dinner together. And discuss the future.”

“Oh, good. More edicts.”

“You only see it as an edict because you are in fact buying into the narrative that you’re a prisoner. You chose this.”

“Yes. Shocking. I chose not to be in a fight with a billionaire over custody.”

“You may not have liked your array of choices, but you did have them.”

She hated him then, most of all because he was right.

Because she knew well enough that this was just life. A series of choices you didn’t always want to make.

“Well, I’ll see if I’m hungry.”

“It wasn’t a request.”

“And my response didn’t contain a stutter.”

She turned away, glad to have grabbed a small part of her own back as she found the near hidden staircase in the penthouse and took the steps two a time, ascending to the third floor. She needed a shower, or maybe a scenic bath, and some rest. She needed to try to come to grips with everything that had just happened.

Three months. Three months she had sat there, feeling broken over what had happened. And today everything had exploded.

Thunder and lightning and doom, doom, doom.

And yet again, she wished that she had someone to talk to.

But her safe space had transformed into a villain.

And if she was going to be angry about one thing forever, it was going to be that.

CHAPTER NINE

CHRISTOSPOUREDHIMSELFWHISKEYas he waited for dinner to be served.

He had sent Sylvie a text to let her know that she could meet him at a specific time, and she hadn’t responded.

But the time came and went, and she didn’t appear.

The table was set, and it was beautiful in his opinion. She should’ve come downstairs wearing something lovely. He could have watched her enjoy her food and…

He supposed today had been…difficult for her. But it was really no different for him. She had her pregnancy confirmed, and it meant that both of their lives were going to change. She had no right to act as if she was the only person who was impacted by the event.

Yes, she had to marry him, but he had married her.

It was…

It was the same.

He thought of how she had looked, vulnerable as she had asked about the sonogram, and him looking at her. As if he disgusted her.

He had not disgusted her that night they’d been together at The Luxe. No. She had been aroused by him. And he by her.

She had wanted him then.

She had texted him and told him all of her fears.

And you stopped. Before you knew who it was. You cut her off.