Page 213 of Damaged Mogul

God, I’d die for this woman.

My father never bothered finding out which were my favorite flowers. He’d have one of his mignons send me flowers—ninety-nine percent of the time, they were lilies—accompanied by a birthday card with the same one-liner.

Love you, Lily. Dad.

The distinctively female penmanship was a dead giveaway. It’s always a blessing to receive gifts, but my father’s gifts were never from him. As for the ‘love you’part, that’s a big fat joke.

“Gage suggested I fly inwithflowers that would put a huge smile on your face.” She shrugs. “So, I did.”

I knit my eyebrows together. “The flowers are all from Paris?”

She nods. “It took me a few days of hustling before I was able to get them from the right vendors, but I managed. Let me tell you, a private jet is quite practical when you’re not traveling light.”

“Unbelievable.”

I’m amazed by the care and attention Gage put into planning this party.

“Gage wanted to make up for me having to close the shop for a few days.”

“Wow––” I frown. “I’m leaving tomorrow for New York. Are you going to stay in LA? That would suck if we were in the same country, but on opposite coasts.”

She shakes her head. “Gage is flying me out to New York tomorrow night. We won’t be on the same flight, but I’ll arrive in New York an hour after you. I can only stay a couple of days, but we get to spend some time together.”

I’m flabbergasted. “He did all this for me?”

She reaches out and rubs up and down my arm. “He wanted to make up for Fisher being a jerk. My words. Not his.”

I laugh.

“Here I thought Enid was…” I shake my head.

She elbows me. “You thought Enid was a random chick after yourman?”

The DJ kicked off the music again, but I don’t want my voice to carry. So, I switch to French.

“Maisca va pas la tête? C’est pas mon mec. On n’est pas ensemble.”

Translation:You’re crazy. He’s not my man. We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend.

Nadine stares at me like I’ve lost my marbles. “T’es aveugle, ma vieille. De part ses actions, il démontre ses sentiments à ton égard. Tu es sa copine. Je n’en ai aucun doute.”

Translation:You’re blind, dear friend.Actions speak louder than labels. You’re his girlfriend. I don’t doubt it for a second.

Her eyes shift in Gage’s direction before fixing onto mine. “Your father spent years hiding you. He’s still not forthcoming about who you are. Case in point.” She places her hands on her face, cupping her mouth. “Your Adonis didn’t even know you existed because Fisher never spoke about you.” She holds my gaze. “The demigod who punched your V card is flaunting you around like the prized beauty you are.”

Like the beating wings of a majestic white swan, hope blooms in my chest.

Chapter 39

Lily

I’ve been up for a while, but I refuse to move. I only have a few hours left in LA and I want to cherish every minute spent with Gage.

I sigh, utterly content.

I’m the luckiest girl in the world.

Not only from last night’s post-birthday party sex marathon, but also because yesterday will go down in history as the best birthday ever.