Page 69 of The Debt (The Billionaires Club)

‘Of course you are.’ Mum snorted. ‘Only love messes with a person this badly.’

And the truth flooded through me then. The enormity of what I’d held in my hands and what I’d done with it.

‘She’s...too good for me,’ I said, the knowledge sudden and blinding. ‘She’s everything I’m not. She’s bright and beautiful, and I’m just a violent, selfish man who doesn’t want to change.’

Mum snorted again. ‘Oh, what bullshit. Those are excuses. You’re just scared. You’re scared of being hurt. And fair enough. You know what that’s like and so do I.’ Suddenly something burned in her eyes, something fierce. ‘But you have one thing I never got from your father. You know that she loves you.’

I froze, something deep inside me shifting, like an undersea earthquake. A crushing weight. A vast pain. A current that wouldn’t be denied.

Mum had never had that, but she’d loved Dad, I knew she had. Even though he’d kicked her to the kerb as soon as I was conceived. A love that, God knew, he didn’t deserve.

What made me any better?

She already told you.

That day in Dubai, in the club, in that bed. Her telling me what she saw in me. Things I’d never seen in myself.

She’d been so brave, my pretty thing. Telling me what she felt, opening her heart up to me like a fighter opening themselves up to take that last punch. And she had taken it, straight to the heart. Only it had been me she’d KO’d.

But I hadn’t taken it like a warrior.

I’d turned and run like a coward.

‘What do I do?’ My voice was a harsh scrape of sound as I tried to draw some air into my lungs. ‘I hurt her.’

Mum gave me a disbelieving look. ‘What do you think? Go and apologise, then kiss her and make it better.’

The weight was crushing. I wasn’t going to survive it.

But Mum was right. There was only one way to make this any easier.

I had to apologise. Kiss her, heal the hurt I’d given her.

And hope like hell she didn’t simply punch me in the face the way I so richly deserved.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Ellie

I TOOK A flight to France that night. There was one seat left and, since my bags were packed already, it didn’t seem like the most insane thing to do.

I couldn’t bear the thought of going back to my flat and I couldn’t stay in London one second longer. For once in my life, I wanted my dad and his no-fuss, no-nonsense presence.

For once I wanted it to be no big deal.

It was late by the time I got to the little town near Nice where Dad and his team were located. Ash had even hired a house near his small factory for the duration of their stay.

I took an Uber from Nice airport and got dropped off at the house they were staying in, my heart racing as I raised my hand to knock on the door.

I hadn’t told Dad I was coming. In fact, I hadn’t spoken to him at all. I’d just left Ash to handle it.

I could see Dad’s shock in the way his white eyebrows rose into his hairline when he answered the door to find me standing on the doorstep. ‘Ellie? What the hell are you doing here?’

My chest ached and my throat w

as tight, but Dad wasn’t one for emotional displays so I swallowed it down and forced a smile. ‘Thought I’d come and check out what was happening with the Pythons. Hope that’s okay.’

It was okay, as it turned out, though, since it was late and he could see I was obviously tired, Dad told me that we’d talk in the morning, showing me to one of the unoccupied bedrooms.

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