Page 122 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

“What is the deal with that guy anyway?” Luke asked, his forehead crinkled. “He’s Grant’s son, right?”

“Yes,” Julia said with a bob of her head.

“But he’s got a thing for you,” Alicia added.

“Also, yes,” Julia said. “I think it’s just…a product of what happened to him.”

“What happened to him?” Luke questioned.

“Oh, uh, when his mother got pregnant, she tried to tell Grant and his father kept it from him and suggested she get an abortion, which she didn’t do. He was adopted, and when he found out, he just…had a tough time dealing with it all. He came looking for Grant wanting some sort of payback for abandoning him. It’s just not been easy.”

“Cry me a river, it was no reason to kidnap you.”

Luke’s eyes went wide. “What? He kidnapped you? And you just…let Grant continue to bring him around you?”

“No, no. I…If it was left up to Grant, he’d probably have nothing to do with Kyle. They don’t get along very well.” Julia chewed her lower lip as she considered how their relationship would fare moving forward. “Plus, it wasn’treallykidnapping. I mean…technically, he rescued me from the first kidnappers. Then he just…kind of kept me after that.”

“The first kidnappers?” Luke asked.

“Yeah. The first people shot James, grabbed Sierra and me, drugged us, and held us in a warehouse. Kyle rescued us.” Her nose wrinkled. “But then he dumped Sierra on the side of the road and took off with me.”

Alicia slid her eyes closed as she shook her head. “I don’t understand how you dealt with this for a year. And then every time I called, you never even sounded…upset or tired. Therewas only one time I remember calling and you said you’d been crying.”

“Yeah, that was the time I couldn’t remember you.”

“Couldn’t remember her?” Luke asked.

“She had amnesia after the almost-deadly car accident,” Alicia answered. “And still, no one bothered to tell us.”

“Ally, that’s really my fault, not Grant’s. I don’t think he kept it from you, I did. And he just went along with it.”

“Because it was easier for him.”

“No, because…I don’t know. It was easier for both of us. I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I’m very sorry I did.”

Alicia patted her sister’s hand before she grabbed a few fries. “It’s over. And I’ll take some fries as a down payment on being repaid for the hurt.”

“I guess it’s cheap enough at least,” Julia said with a grin as Ethan strode back into the room.

“Everything okay?” Alicia asked.

“Yeah, under control and handled. Nothing to worry about.”

“What’s a twelve-twenty-seven? I don’t remember that call,” Julia said.

“Oh, yeah, it’s a new storm-related one. Just easier to say that than describe some sort of damage.” Ethan nodded at her as he smiled.

“Right. I bet there’s a lot of that. I was just telling Ally if you need to go–“

“No, we’re fine. Not that much damage, really. They’ve got it under control.”

“Okay,” she said with a smile before draining her milkshake. “Whew, I’m stuffed.”

“Time for a nap.”

“No. I’ve just slept for twelve hours. Hey, can you find a charger and charge my phone?”

“Julia, will you please relax and take care of yourself.”