Mr Billionaires Secret Baby

Chapter 42 The crips white tri- folded sheet of paper was suspended in mid air. The feel of the textured gold border pressed against the skin of my thumb as | looked down at it in utter shock and disgust.

When Lucy knocked on my door earlier and with great eagerness | was expecting ssort of good news but this was not the kind of news | was hoping to receive. Nevertheless, | had taken the envelope and dismissed her so | could open it myself.

An engagement party had been arranged for the new couple under such short notice and invitations were being spread to the elite and close friends to celebrate Dante and Pheobe’s sudden jump to commitment.

| nearly grimaced at the gold calligraphy that was spread across the page. At the top of the invitation, their names were entertwined boldly and in the larger font as opposed to the rest of the words on the paper. It read that | was cordially invited to celebrate love and togetherness by attending the engagement party of the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Crawford.

My jaw clenched tight enough that | heard it make a clicking sound in my head. The nerve of them to sendan invite after knowing what the hell had went down. The absolutely audacity for Dantel to even approve of an invitation card being sent to my place of work- My office door was pushed open suddenly, the noise of it unlocking had caughtoff guard. Adam stepped in with a bright expression unknowing of my current dull mood but his face fell soon enough when he sawappear to be the similar colour as the page in my hand.

“Christ, what happened?” He asked ntically as he made haste to shut the door behind him.

| didn’t say any thing except hand out the paper in his direction which he nearly snatched from my hand impatient to know what was going on.

His sharp intake of breath was expected and his brows furrowed together as his eyes scanned over the paper.

“The damn nerve.” He swore under his breath.

Adam remained silent for a few moments while | stared blankly at the wall behind him. The shock. still coursed through my b*dy and the betrayal had scared itself anew.

“Have you decided if you're going to attend this engagement party at all?” Adam asked carefully as he dropped the dreaded paper from mid air over the table where it wobbled and swayed as it settled on my desk.

I nearly choked on my saliva. “What? No, | don’t think it would be a good idea if | did.” | shrugged not wanting to think about it at all just yet.

“| think otherwise.” He said with a gleam in his orbs. He moved to settle in to one of the two chairs. across from the hardwood desk. “If you attend by my side, seeing as you have a plus one, you could. pretend that this all means nothing to you and that you are there in goodwill and as just a business partner.” He suggested but | still shook my head not feeling this plan.

“I- 1 don’t know about this, Adam. | don’t even want to think about it right now. If I could help it, | 1/5 Wed, b Chapter 12 would pretend this all didn’t happen, that | did not get an invite to this engagement at all.” | swallowed the lump that had formed painfully in my chest, thankful that Adam had not noticed my voice begin to sound strained as a result.

“Dante is a lunatic!” He burst out in bafflement catchinga little off guard. “First he demands a paternity test for Hayley then he backs off, second he lies that Phoebe and him are done only for them to get engaged a week later, and what about the investigation? Did he suddenly forget that sone tried to attack either one of you?” From the way Adam put it, Dante was beginning to sound like an actual loon.

“I'm relieved that he let up on the paternity test. | do not want Hayley any where near Phoebe’s knowledge.” | muttered then thought about the investigation.

“As for the investigation, | don’t think its going any where. | shrugged, slumping my shoulders against the leather office chair causing it to squeak.

“| still say we attend the engagement party, Sophia. If we go, | can find a way to rough up Dante for what he did to you and make it look like an accident.” He winked attrying to lighten up the mood but | merely scoffed.

“We have a few days to decide. I'll let you know if my mind changed about the invitation during its course.” | said firmly and he nodded curtly.

Adam had left about half an hour later and | decided to check with the department’s about a few projects and finance plans. In the midst of it all, my mind had finally gotten distracted away from Dante and his bride to be and | felt a tad bit lighter.

However, that relief was short lived when | arrived back to the top floor where my office had been. Lucy looked up from her screen and handed out a yellow envelope for me.

At first glance, | assumed that it was sreports or contracts that spartner sent through mail but as | tore open the flap of it as | sauntered to my office, my breath caught at the back of my throat and | nearly double over feeling sick to my stomach.

Dante had sentofficial paperwork demanding a paternity test for Hayley. The legal implications, should | fail to comply, were highlighted in a bold font catching my attention before. any thing else.

| was back to believing all over again that Dante wanted nothing more than to make my life a living hell go the extent that he wouldn't leave my child alone in his attempt to seek out ssort of revenge.

By the end of the day, | was more than ready to leave the office building and go home. | wanted nothing more at this moment to strip this professional facade that | managed to maintain throughout the day and just crumble in to countless pieces with out worrying about being mocked or rediculed.

But as | steered my car down the road, my irritation had causedto make a small involuntary detour which lead me, after a few minutes of driving, to park in front of Dante's glass corporate castle. | didn’t even know if he was here but I'd be damned if | went to his hwhere Phoebe would definitely be.

11:28 Wed, 6 Mar R Chapter 42 | stormed through the lobby and headed straight to the elevator ignoring the protesting warnings from the receptionists as | marched forward. Luckily, the metal doors had closed before any one could get to me. The button of the highest floor was jabbed none too gently by my index finger as | imagined it being Dante’s eye ball.

The very instance | stepped out of the elevator, made my way right to Dante's office which | knew was at the end of the hall way with the full intention of giving him a damn piece of my mind. | could hear his muffled voice behind the close door as | approached it but I didn’t care to knock.

Instead, | slammed the door open hard enough that the chrhandle hit the wall behind it with a loud crash and | would be shocked if the paint work hadn't taken a hit after that impact.

His chair swung around to see who had such audacity to interrupt him so rudely. The anger flashed across his face as he looked atbut soon surprise had over taken his expression.

“Eh, Russo, I'm going to have to call you back.” He muttered in to the phone. The man on the other end, Russo, shouted in protest but Dante hung up any ways.

“Sophia? I- | was not expecting you at all.” He placed his phoned against the desk that saperated my seething b*dy from him.

“Of course, you're not.” | spat out. “What ghave you been playing at all this time, Dante?” | demanded to know. | deserved to know! A frown formed between his arched brows. “I have played no gwith you, Soph. His use of the nicknhe used years ago ononly madeangrier.

“Do not lie to me! From the minute | arrived back in to the country, you've been hell bent on seeing to it that my life is a misery.” My voice was octaves higher than what was normal and it bounced of the walls of his office.

“You interfere in my business, you meddle in my ever affair, you lurein to believing that you are a free man who | could share my bed with again then deceive me, and now you go after my child! All this for what?! What the fuck did | ever do you that you have taken it upon yourself to make my life so miserable?! My blood rushed through my veins, my heart pounded against my chest, and my head hurt from the strain of it all but | needed to know.

Dante was silent for several moments which only infuriatedfurther but he rose to his feet abruptly and stood to his full length. His eyes locked with mine as he slowly rounded the table to stand right in front of me.

| expected to find him angry himself but he was not, making him harder to read. His eyes were soft, his jaw rested, but somehow he looked pained and that was not what | wanted to see. | did not want to stand here and believe that he was capable of feeling anything but bad, horrible things.

His hand moved to cup my face and | tried to move away from his touch but the second I felt the warmth of his palm against my cheek, | held still.

“It was never my intention to cause you any grief, Soph.” He whispered, moving his thumb gently against my skin.

“Stop callingthat.” I ground out through clenched teeth.

11:28 Wed 6 Mar RO.

Chapter 42 “I never wanted to hurt you.” He whispered again in a more firm tone.

1 shook my head slightly. “Do not lie to me, Dante.” | shrugged his hand away and took a step back but he only took a step forward.

“I speak no lie. Whatever happened was far from what | had intended. | saw you after all those years and | realised just now much I-” He paused, catching himself but his eyes scanned my face closely.

“How much you what?” | asked in a sharp tone.

“How much | had missed you, damn it! | hated that | missed you so much and that you had moved. on with Adam. The thought alone was enough to driveinsane. His tone was louder now, sharper even.

I glared at him, shaking my head in disbelief. “So you did all of this because you were jealous? Because you wanted to prove to yourself that you could still bendto your will if you so wished it?” Anger flashed across his orbs and he glared atnow.

“No. For goodness sake, no!” He yelled but | was not a scared of him.

“It definitely comes across that way. It's why you lied that Pheobe had been out of your life so you could lurein to you trap only for you to get engaged with her days later...” | paused and felt my nose scrunch up in disgust ‘days later after you used me!” My voice shook and my lower I¥p quivered out of absolutely no where.

But Dante did not notice it because he was now infuriated. His hands gripped by arms tightly as he shook me.

You have no idea what obligations | am bound to. You cannot even begin to think what situation | am in. It's very easy for you to stand here and accuseof these things when you do not have even. the slightest inkling of what | am dealing with.” He yelled in my face refusing to let go of me.

Then tell me! Tellwhat ever the hell is making you behave this way.” | demanded to know but he immediately let go of my arms then and turned away fromto rub his temples.

“You wouldn't understand even if | tried. You have already paintedthe victim in your life, so be it. He muttered then opened his eyes to look at me. “As for the paternity test, | have the right to it. If Hayley is my child then | would want to be aware of such an important fact that you have chosen to hide from me. His cl*pped tone irritated me, clawing at my anger further.

“You would have known had you not-“I was about to say if he hadn't kickedout of his office the day | found out that | was pregnant then he would have known but | caught myself just in tbefore I could say it “Had | not what?” He stepped closer again eyeingwith a pinned stare.

| shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.” | spat out.

| needed to get out of there and | needed to it as soon as possible. | couldn't stand here with both of our tempers raging so much. One of us was bound to screw up and | would hate for that to be me.

“I will send the date and further details for the paternity test and you'd better show up with Hayley 5/5 11:28 Wed, 6 Mar R Chapter 42 to see it through or else you'll see the worst of me.” He threatened but I scoffed looking at him with. utter disappointment.

“It's a little too late for that, Dante.” | mumbled softly before turned around and leaving his office.

| should have known nothing constructive would have cout from this. Dante was never one to cooperate withand this twas no different.

| took a moment before | could get out of the car to recollect myself and put on a happy face for Hayley. She was ever so observant and even the smallest frown on my forehead when | walked in to the house at the end of the day would prompt a stream of questions from her.

When | saw her after | entered the house, a quick thought occured tobut | brushed it off not wanting to think about it too much but as the night had gone on the thought kept coming tobut | knew that running away was not the answer.

0