Page 299 of The Billionaires

I’m actually dying to watch the show, but I plan to tell him I hated the book and that I’m skipping the show… and then I’ll watch it either stealthily by myself or after our arrangement is over.

He grimaces and takes a step toward me. “Look, Jane… I don’t want us to keep acting like strangers.”

“You don’t?” I ask bitterly. “But isn’t that safer? If we talk about anything of substance, we might have a quarrel, and if that gets bad enough, it could jeopardize the hearing.”

Petty, I know, but the logic is identical to his.

“Fair enough,” he says with a sigh and leaves.

The days following that conversation are as opposite of honeymoon bliss as it gets. We don’t even talk about the weather anymore, just the hearing, which is quickly approaching.

The only bright spots in the dull monotony of my days are when Piper visits, but even those are tinged with heartache because by now, I’m in love with the little girl, and I know I won’t see her once Adrian has no more use for me.

Oh, and did I mention seeing him be a good daddy is the most potent aphrodisiac?

It is, and it doesn’t help matters.

The minutes stretch into hours and days, and finally, it’s the night before the hearing. I expect it to be as uneventful as all the nights preceding it, but a distant shout wakes me up around three a.m.

What the hell? Is Leo up to his sheep shenanigans?

Overcome by the same curiosity that usually gets women in horror flicks killed, I put on a robe and open my door to peek into the hallway.

And wish I hadn’t.

It’s Sydney.

As in, Adrian’s baby mama. As in, the last person I expected to see outside of tomorrow’s hearing.

Her boob is out as she’s struggling to pull on her dress, and her hair is a mess.

Even though my brain hasn’t made the conscious leap just yet, my veins fill with liquid nitrogen.

It only gets worse.

A fully naked Adrian comes running down the hallway. Spotting me, he freezes in place. His voice is choked. “Jane… this isn’t what it looks like.”

Before he can say anything else, I slam my door closed.

My heart is hammering in my chest, and I’m holding in a scream—one that would probably shatter glass if I let it loose.

There’s a knock, followed by Adrian’s tight voice. “We need to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk,” I somehow manage to say.

“Please,” he says. “I wanted?—”

Using all my willpower, I say evenly, “The hearing is tomorrow. I need some sleep.” Like I could sleep after what I just saw.

There’s a beat of silence. “You’re right,” he finally says. “But we have to talk after.”

Sure we do. He’s probably just relieved that I’m still going to the hearing.

Which I am—for Piper, not for him. I’ll go even though all I want is to be done with this charade so I can go home to Staten Island, eat Mom’s chicken soup, and cry for a week.

Pointlessly, I get back into bed, my thoughts buzzing in my head like agitated wasps.

This isn’t what it looks like.

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