Page 161 of How to Prevent a Fumble

Stepping forward, I wrap her in a hug, her arms feeling like a warm blanket. “Thank you,” I whisper.

“I’d do anything for you,” she replies.

Taking a step back, she shoots me one of her dazzling smiles. “Now, let’s talk wedding planning. The girls are over there,” she points across the room where I see Isla, Heidi, Amara and Mila talking excitedly in a circle. “But I do think you have one more person to talk to, first.”

My brows furrow as I follow her gaze behind me, finding my mother.

Wearing a perfectly ironed pantsuit and a perfectly tight bun atop her head, my mother stands perfectly still behind us, her hands folded in front of her.

“Hey,” I tell her. I haven’t talked to my mom in months. Sure, Elara has had calls with her, but I haven’t wanted anything to do with her, and that’s for a reason.

Softening just a touch, my mother looks between Zara andLeo. “I guess a congratulations is in order,” she says stiffly, not bothering to extend her hand.

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Thank you,” I say simply.

She stares at me a little longer before nodding once, turning, and walking back into the crowd. I would ask her where my dad is, but I already know the answer. He’s on a business trip. I’d ask her why she bothered to come, but the truth is, I don’t really care.

Sometimes all you can do is meet people where they are and accept what they give you.

48

LEO

The bar is chilly as I take a long sip of my bourbon, my leg crossed over my thigh as I lean back in my seat.

I watch the man enter from the front door, his weaselly face glancing around before his beady eyes land on mine. A sly smile forms on his lips and all I want to do is slap it off.

He stalks toward me, wiping his hands through his greasy hair before settling in the seat in front of me.

“Thank you for meeting me,” he tells me, glancing next to me at my lawyer.

A waiter comes over, but before they can ask him for his order, I say “No need, he’s not going to be here long enough.”

The waiter nods, heading off in the direction for the bar.

Tony crosses his arms. “I’d like to thank you for the warm welcome,” he chuckles.

At my signal, my lawyer passes a file over to him.

“What is this?” he asks.

“It’s an agreement. If you sign it, we still have to go through the courts and get it approved, but I’d like to assure you we have every single document to prove that it’s the best case scenario, and it will go through. I’m adopting Elara.”

He chuckles. “You have to actually get married for that, and she’s never going to agree to that.”

“I thought you’d say that,” I tell him, nodding to my lawyer. Opening his briefcase, he takes out another folder, handing it to me. I take out the marriage certificate inside, holding it up to Tony. “We actually already got that figured out.”

His eyes narrow in on the piece of paper before sliding over to mine, reminding me much of some kind of slug. Or maybe it’s just my hatred of the man. I hadn’t even officially met him before.

“How much did she demand in order to agree?”

I shrug. “Nothing, actually. But I’m not discussing details with you. I’m offering you one million dollars to be out of her life completely. You sign that document and you’re gone. Not another word to either of them.”

“And why do you think I’d sign this? Or take the money? I know how much you’re worth, Warner.”

“I thought you’d ask that.” My lawyer hands me a third folder. “After a real thorough investigation we not only got a complete confession and papertrail from the man you hired to break into her place and trash it, which included stealing a significant amount of costly personal items, but we also found cameras around the home that weren’t originally there. In addition to that, after hiring a private investigator I’ve found significant proof of you cheating on your current partner, as well as, well, you know this one, proof of fraud found by a team of forensic accountants. That’s, well,” I chuckle, “that’s alotof things that could put you in jail.”

Tony stills, his eyes darkening. “There’s nothing illegal about getting your dick wet by someone else,” he sneers. “I’m sure you’ve done it, too.”

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