Page 42 of Misdeeds of a Billionaire

A quiver started inside me—slow but strong—spreading through every single cell in me. It trembled in my veins and burned my eyes. My sister’s gaze met mine in the mirror—my hazel eyes against her brown ones. My strawberry hair color against my sister’s blonde hair.

We couldn’t have been more different. But we always stood by each other.

“We’ll figure it out. Together.” She wrapped her hands around me and my boobs protested achingly. Another fucking side effect of pregnancy. “Are you going to tell him?”

Staring at two pink lines, I bawled like a baby against my sister’s shoulder.

“I have to tell him, Billie,” I cried softly. “It’s the right thing to do.”I think.

“Fuck the right thing,” she hissed. “We do what’s best for us. You, me, and the baby.”

The tightness in my chest eased a bit at her words.She included the baby. My sister already saw this baby as ours. Part of our family.

Guilt pierced through my chest. I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve her. The guilt I felt for bringing the Ashfords into our lives was a heavy weight in my chest. A constant companion. It squeezed my insides and stabbed at my heart with each breath.

Yet, I couldn’t admit my sins to my sister. I needed her. I loved her. Without her, I’d fall apart. So I selfishly kept the events that led to our father’s suicide a secret. My reasoning told me that I couldn’t have possibly known what was going to happen, but that was the thing about guilt. There was no rhyme or reason when it came to it. It didn’t listen to facts. It just ate at you, weighing you down. I hated it, the twinge of guilt in my gut, but I just couldn’t force the admission out.

“Forget the baby’s father, Maddy,” Billie said. She knew who he was. Even without telling her about Senator Ashford, my sister held a grudge against the Ashfords. “We don’t need him. We can do this alone.”

We could, but it was wrong to keep it a secret. He had a right to know. Worry swarmed my mind. What if Senator Ashford found out and decided to hurt us? Surely, Byron would protect his child. Protect us. Wouldn’t he?

“We tell him,” I whispered. It was too big of a secret to keep. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to keep it from him. It was up to him to own up to it or discard us. “If he doesn’t want any part of it, we just carry on as if he never existed.” None of the Ashfords.

I just had to hope the Ashford wrath wouldn’t cause us more pain.

Chapter17

Odette

Istood in front of the tall glass building in Washington, D.C.

The wealth and power stared back at us, making us feel even smaller. Nausea swam in my stomach, whether from my nerves or the little life growing inside me. Or maybe it was this July humidity in this city that suffocated its residents.

The summers in D.C. were unbearable—at least, according to my standards. I’d take the French Riviera over this humid fog any day.

“Are you sure you should tell him?” Billie questioned again. Ever since those pink plus signs stared back at us, I’d fought with my conscience. I didn’t want to tell him, but it felt like the right thing to do.

“What if he thinks you just want shit from him?”

“I don’t want anything from him,” I hissed, anger and hate slithering through my veins. Unfortunately, it didn’t extend to Byron. I wished it did, but for some reason, I couldn’t handle it. Maybe it was my stupid mind chasing fairy tales. “I’m just making him aware. What he wants to do with the information is up to him.”

I’d be certain to tell him I wanted no claim on anything of his, regardless of whether he wanted to be part of our baby’s life or not. This was just a courtesy. Right? I refused to feed any hopes of happily ever after. Senator Ashford had made it crystal clear.

His kind and ours didn’t mix.

Then why did the images of that night still haunt me? The way his touch felt. Those whispered words that I was his. His grunts. My moans. His hands on my hips. The way he owned me. It felt so fucking real. How could I have misread it all?

“Earth to my sister.” Billie’s voice penetrated through the reel of images swirling in my mind.

“I just need to get this behind us so we can move on.” I glanced at my sister. “I’m so sorry we spent money we don’t have to make this trip. I should have waited until next semester started. I just—”

I didn’t really know why I felt the need to tell him right now. Maybe I thought I’d lose my courage and chicken out.

“You need to get this behind you so we can start planning how to move forward,” my sister finished for me. I nodded. She was right. I needed to know where Byron stood, so I could make the right choices. For our baby. My job at the coffee shop on campus wouldn’t be sufficient to raise a baby, nor would my summer gig back home. And med school—

“Oh. Guess what? You won’t believe this shit.” Billie rolled her eyes, emphasizing the words she hadn’t spoken yet. The tension built inside me, and I worried I’d explode.

“What?”