Page 16 of Adonis: The Cost of a Billionaire's Heart
Still, I never saw my life with a kid in it. Between losing my mother at a young age and Lola lying to me about being pregnant with my baby to get me to propose, my outlook on fatherhood had been tainted. I’d never forgive that bitch for trying to pin a broke nigga’s seed on me.
“Was there something else?” I asked, snapping out of my thoughts and noticing her lingering near the doorway.
Her steps minced further into my office, and her expression looked slightly uncomfortable. “I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. The clothes, rings, the job stuff, the accommodations, the toys for Mason, and how you’ve been with him. It’s a lot more than I expected from this arrangement.”
Her gratitude made me unexpectedly uncomfortable. “There’s no need to thank me. Everything I’ve provided is necessary for maintaining the illusion of our relationship. It would hardly be convincing if my fiancée dressed from discount stores.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them. Simora’s expression closed off as the warmth in her eyes quickly faded.
“Right,” she replied flatly. “The illusion. Well, thanks anyway. Good night.”
She spun on her heels to leave, and I found myself immediately calling after her. “Sim.”
She paused, looking back at me with guarded eyes.
“I didn’t mean. . .” I rarely struggled for words, but I couldn’t get my shit together. “What I meant to say is that you’re welcome. And you did great tonight. I was impressed.”
Her expression softened slightly. “That’s what matters, right? The impression we make.”
“Yeah,” I agreed with a full-throated endorsement, though something about her tone suggested there was an undertone I’d missed. “I’ll have the first half of your installment wired into your bank account by the morning.”
“Thanks,” she responded, nodding once before slipping out of the office and leaving me with the distinct feeling that I’d failed some test I didn’t even know I was taking. Irritated with myself, I did what I did best and returned to work, determined to focus on what truly mattered: the success of the deal, not the complicated emotions of a woman I’d hired to play a role for seven days or her son, whom I didn’t know.
But as the night dragged on, I found my thoughts returning to Simora again and again—to her unbreakable spirit, her wit, her beauty, the genuine love she had for her son, and the burning question of whether that kiss was really as exceptional as it felt, or if that, too, was just part of her performance.
I wokeup the next morning, and the first thing I did after thanking God for another day was check my bank account. Sure enough, the $25,000 Adonis had promised was there. I eased out a sigh of relief before slowly sitting up in bed. I had about thirty minutes before the hair and makeup crew was scheduled to arrive, so I made sure to get up and hit the bathroom to clean my face and brush my teeth.
He’d supplied everything I could even think of inside the bathroom, down to sanitary products, just in case it was my time of the month during my stay. Adonis truly was the most intentional being I’d ever encountered. After going through a condensed version of my bathroom morning routine, I got dressed in the plainest outfit I could find from what Kimberleyhad delivered overnight. I contemplated whether to wear the ring since we were in the house, but I thought it would be best to get used to it on my finger since I’d be wearing it all week. As soon as I slid the ring on, my phone vibrated against the bed. I picked it up to see a text from Nina.
Nina:
Imagine my surprise when I clicked on a headline this morning and saw that you were engaged to THE Adonis Holland. I guess congratulations are in order, but I don’t hand them out to women who sleep their way to the top. And to think, I felt sorry for you with all that single mom shit. Hope that proposal came with a copy of our code of conduct.
I stared at the screen, brows creasing into a slow frown as I took a minute to think of a response. I wanted it to be calculated but lethal. She thought she knew my situation after connecting the dots between the headlines and her own half-baked thoughts. Nina didn’t know shit about me. No one did.
Me:
It did, along with a diamond that costs three times your salary. I hate that I can smell your envy through the phone, but don’t worry, I know how to keep it cute. Unlike you, you pencil-necked, clubfoot-having, stiff-ass bob-wearing bitch.
I locked my phone, daring her ass to text back. I headed through the bathroom connected to Mason’s room to check on him before making my way to the kitchen. My minced, barefooted steps came to a halt when I saw Adonis seated at the massive island. He was already dressed in designer clothesfrom head to toe. The shimmering diamonds in his ears and on his wrist were hard to miss, especially against his cocoa brown complexion.
“Good morning,” I said, announcing myself with an awkward hand gesture.
Why the fuck did I just wave at him like a loser?
“Morning. Coffee?”
My shoulders rose and fell with a soft shrug, knowing I could use the pick-me-up. “Sure. Thanks.”
“Americano, black. Right?”
My brows heightened as I stepped further into the kitchen.He remembered my order from the café? Why would he do that?“Yeah. That’s right.”
“Okay.”
“You’re up early,” I noted.
“I start my day at five o’clock every morning.”
