Page 12 of The Billionaire's Secret Heir

“I don’t—” Madi started to speak, but Bret touched her arm again, a little more firmly. She shot him a glance and closed her mouth, looking down.

“We’ve prepared something that we think would be a fair package.” Bret moved to place the folders in front of George and then Beckett.

He didn’t change his expression as he looked at the papers in front of him, detailing a monthly fee that was almost outrageous. Of course, with Beckett’s wealth, it wouldn’t matter. But he couldn’t imagine that this woman needed this to care for one child. Maybe he had been wrong about her. She didn’t seem like Calista on the surface, but perhaps she, too, was money-hungry.

At the other end of the table, Madi’s brow furrowed and she whispered something to Bret, turning her head away from Beckett. Bret smiled in a slick way and tried to whisper something back, but she spoke firmly now. “I want to see it.”

She hadn’t seen it?

Beckett watched the exchange, far more interested in what he could learn from this dynamic than the numbers on the paper in front of him. Bret sighed and pulled what Beckett guessed was another copy of the proposed child support payments in front of her. Her jaw dropped and she swiveled to face Bret. Before she could speak, he lifted his finger to her mouth, silencing her.

Beckett frowned. He hadn’t liked Bret when he first met him and seeing him now as he barreled over his client, he liked him even less. Maybe in some ways Beckett and Madi were on opposite sides of this table, but he felt a sudden urge to protect her.

“Ms. Lott—I’m sorry, Madi. Do you need a moment to confer with your lawyer? Or, do you perhaps need some help with something?”

Bret stood. “My client and I would like a few moments to speak privately. We can step out into the hall.”

He clamped his hand on Madi’s arm, but she jerked away and stormed out of the room. Even with the door closed, Beckett could make out their raised voices.

“Well, this is interesting,” George said.

“I don’t like him,” Beckett said.

“That may work in our favor,” George said. “It certainly doesn’t seem like she’s very happy with him either. What do you think about this sum?”

Beckett shook his head. “It’s high. I could pay it, of course, but I doubt very seriously that this monthly amount would be necessary to take care of one child.”

“Unless they were comparing the child’s lifestyle to the father’s,” George said. “In which case, this sum seems accurate. I’ve compared it to the state averages by income and it’s spot-on. He did his research, at least.”

“Then we can pay it,” Beckett said.

George snorted. “I understand you want to fulfill your father’s contract and control the company, but you’re talking about paying out a very large sum every month for a child that may not even be yours. You’re a good man, Beckett. You don’t have to let guilt or a sense of obligation cripple you. I have to advise you—”

Beckett held up a hand. “I’m not interested in your advice right now, George. I just want to make sure this all stays neat and tidy and ensures that I’ll keep VDKI.”

George sighed and threw down his pen. “You know you’re just as stubborn as your father.”

Beckett only shrugged as Madi and Bret came back in the room. Their body language had changed. Bret looked triumphant and confident, shoulders back, that same smarmy smile on his face. Madi’s shoulders drooped and she looked at her hands in her lap when they sat back down. Beckett wondered what had been said. Again, he felt a flash of anger toward Bret and a surprising sense of protectiveness toward Madi. He didn’t like to see anyone being bullied.

Bret smiled to Beckett. “Did you have a moment to look over what we’re proposing?”

“I did.”

George sighed, a quiet disagreement with the whole process. Beckett made a mental note to look for a new lawyer. Someone who fell somewhere between the slick, disingenuous Bret and the overly cautious George.

“And?” Bret still had that smile.

Madi looked up at Beckett. Her shoulders still sagged, but her eyes held a fierceness in them that gave Beckett pause. Her intense gaze seemed almost like a challenge. Beckett’s pulse picked up at this. He had read her all wrong. Madi intrigued him and he wanted to figure her out.

Beckett looked to Bret. “I know this is unorthodox, but might I speak with Ms. Lott privately?”

He flicked his gaze back to Madi and caught a small smile before George and Bret both began protesting in equal measure, speaking over each other. Beckett held up a hand just as Madi spoke. Her voice was loud enough to carry over the bickering lawyers.

“It’s Madi. And yes, you can.”

Bret put his arm on her chair behind her shoulders. “Madi, look—”

She pulled away and turned her whole body to face him. Her voice was cold steel. “Bret. Please excuse us.”

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