Page 72 of Contract of a Billionaire

Autumn jumped out of the car and rushed up the marble stairs without a backward glance.

“By all means, let yourself in,” I grumbled under my breath.

She couldn’t hear me since she was already out of the car by the time I turned off the ignition. I took a moment to admire her curves. She was still slim but there was more softness to her. I guess it was the result of having a child.

Once I found out what fucker had dared to touch her, he’d be a dead man. I had already sent a note to Nico.

My phone beeped, signaling a text message, and I glanced at it.

“Ah, speak of the devil,” I muttered, then dialed him up.

“Why in the fuck didn’t your background check include her kid?” I demanded to know. There was no point in wasting time and beating around the bush.

“You said you wanted to know about her, not her family and her kid,” Nico answered unperturbed.

“Why in the fuck wouldn’t I want to know about the kid?” I roared. I could already picture Nico shrugging his shoulders and sipping his cognac or scotch. Whatever his choice of poison was.

“I want the father’s name,” I demanded, my teeth grinding. “Now.”

Children’s high-pitched voices belonging to girls and boys sounded in the background. “Girls, cut it out. You too, boys. Or there will be no movie today,” Nico warned. He had two sets of twins. Honestly, not sure how in the fuck Nico kept his sanity. His house always buzzed with life and children’s’ cries, screams, and tantrums.

“You really want to know who the kid’s father is?” Nico asked. He must have put his kids in check.

“I asked, didn’t I?”

“Look in the mirror, Alessio.” I blinked, my eyes actually flickering to the rearview mirror. “You’re the kid’s father.”

My ears buzzed and the whole world shifted on its axis.

I was the father. And I had abandoned her. Fuck me.

* * *

I enteredmy home to find Branka and Autumn pouring themselves a glass of my finest scotch. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Branka poured another generous, overly large glass, and offered it to Byron.

“Here, this is for driving me,” Branka told him dryly. “It was the most boring ride home.”

“I bet my ride trumps yours,” Autumn murmured absentmindedly. She looked tired. Her dark lashes swept against her cheeks in a dark fan as she took a gulp of my scotch.

Branka followed up by downing her own glass. I don’t think either one of them cared that it was almost two-hundred-year-old scotch the way they were gulping it. It was supposed to be savored. Byron at least sipped it. He must have not been in the mood for socializing because he disappeared into my office.

“Is it bad that I’m glad that man is dead?” Branka muttered.

Autumn placed her hand gently over my sisters. “Just forget about it. Probably best.”

She had no fucking idea. That man had put so many lives through hell.

“It will be nice to stay put for a while,” Branka beamed.

“For now.” Autumn took another drink of the scotch.

“What do you mean for now?”

“I’ll see how it goes,” she watched the liquid in her glass. “I kind of like being in the field.”

“But you can’t keep doing that with Kol.”

Autumn sighed deeply. Kol. My kid. Branka hadn’t once mentioned her best friend having a baby. Did my baby sister know? Or was that something Autumn kept to herself? We kept sneaking behind Branka’s back during those two months.