Page 74 of Misdeeds of a Billionaire
Just so I could see my son safe and happy again.
Chapter30
Byron
My lawyer, David Goldstein, sat across from me in my office. Judge Duncan, who I had on speed dial if I ever needed him, was here too. I had never needed him.
Until now.
My son. She’d keptmyson from me.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around how that was possible when the doctor told me she had lost the baby. None of it made any sense.
“We can assign temporary custody to you,” Duncan stated. “But considering the woman isn’t a resident of the United States, that might be a problem.”
“She has U.S. citizenship,” I hissed. I didn’t want excuses, I wanted results. My son belonged in my life. I’d lost so much already, and I’d be damned if I lost this chance to be part of his life.
“Yes, but she has spent most of her life living on foreign soil.”
“She attended medical school here,” I pointed out.
Fury boiled beneath my skin. Ever since I saw her again, it simmered, threatening to explode. She looked so fucking good. Her scent alone was enough to intoxicate me. But all the while, I pictured the men she would have touched over the last six years. The men who had touched her. And I wanted their names and their deaths, so I could be the only man alive to know how she felt underneath me. I could still hear her moans and feel her nails on my skin as I thrust into her.
Was I fucking furious? Yes. But even knowing I had missed out on raising my son, I couldn’t hate Odette. Everything within me rebelled at the notion of hating the woman that so effortlessly captured me. I wanted to protect her. Own her. Fuck, I was obsessed. And still in love with her.
“So do many foreign citizens,” he retorted dryly. It was a delicate situation and Judge Duncan didn’t want to be obvious about his allegiance. Not that I gave a flying fuck. “I’m not saying it’s not possible,” he continued diplomatically. “Just that we should tread lightly.”
“Your son was born in France. The jurisdiction would be questionable and could cause a problem for you.” Why in the fuck was he so pessimistic?
“Does my son have U.S. citizenship?” I was met with a blank stare. “Surely he’s entitled to it since his parents are U.S. citizens.”
“But—”
I slammed my hand across the table, sending every single item rattling. “I don’t pay you to give me excuses and reasons why we shouldn’t.”
Before I could ram into him further, my phone rang.
“What?” I barked.
“Mr. Ashford. I have Miss—” My executive assistant’s voice trailed off and my infamous cool threatened to erupt like a volcano. Or like champagne under pressure.
“Well?” I’d have to fire that woman. She strutted around here like she was shopping for a husband rather than working with efficiency.
“Sir, it’s Dr. Madeline Swan.”
For a fraction of a second, I froze. Just fucking froze while my brain shouted,She’s here.
My heart tripped, then started drumming wildly, like I was some kind of teenager. I jumped to my feet, ready to run to her. I’d drag her back to my office and bury myself inside her—seduce all her secrets from her.
My cock throbbed with excitement, totally on board with that plan.
But then realization slammed into me, and I fell back into my chair. Odette never referred to herself as Madeline. Fucking ever. She was sending a message.Madeline.One night full of passion and her name slipping from my lips. Over and over again.
Opportunity.This was my chance.
“Let her in. Have her wait in my lounge.”
I hung up and met the eyes of the two men in my office. “Goldstein, I need you on standby.” Then I turned my head to the judge. “And you, explore all options but do not act on any. A solution might have just landed in my lap.”
