Page 33 of Claimed By My Billionaire Ex

The photo was of me and Olive at Jessie's party, her arms wrapped around my neck, our lips locked together, her dress spilling out behind her as I dipped her into the kiss.

My phone buzzed, andJenny Publicistpopped up. I answered it immediately.

"Lucas, you dog! When did you find a lady?"

"What the fuck is this, Jenny? You're supposed to send me all publications before I give permission to print them."

Jenny went silent. "What was I supposed to do, Lucas? It was the fucking mayor pushing it through."

"You're supposed to my publicist, not the mayor's. What am I even paying you for?

"You're worrying for nothing, really, honey. This is a good thing. You wanted positive press, and you got it."

Jesus Christ. My phone buzzed as someone else tried to call in, and I almost sent it to voicemail until the name came up.

Adam.

"I got to go, Jenny."

Before she could sell me more bullshit on how everything would be totally fine, I hung up on her and answered Adam's call.

"Hello?"

Adam breathed heavily on the other line.

"Adam?"

"I'm texting you an address. Meet me there."

He hung up before I could even ask what this was all about. The last thing I needed was to listen to Adam defend Olive hiding my daughter from me for ten fucking years. But there was something about his tone that made me google the address he sent.

An hour later, I was on the boardwalk outside the New England Aquarium, scanning the crowd for Adam's face. I spotted him almost immediately. In the crowd crossing the boardwalk, Adam was the only person stiff and frozen, staring directly at me.

As I made my way toward him, Adam turned around, hunching over as he leaned against the railing and looked out on the water.

He said nothing as I reached him, matching his stance as I leaned on the railing.

Adam kept looking straight out at the horizon. "Do you remember telling me a story about Priscilla Mockley?"

Priscilla Mockley? That was a name I hadn't heard in years. "Priscilla? My highschool girlfriend?"

Adam clasped his hands and nodded. "Do you remember the story that you told me about her?"

"Adam, what's this about?" What the fuck was he getting at?

He turned to look at me, his voice tense. "Do you remember the story?"

"That she broke up with me?"

His eyes narrowed. "That your family didn't like her. And you guys had plans after high school to go to college together, but the school you chose was different from the one your parents wanted you to go to."

"Right. And I ended up going to that school. So she broke up with me."

"Are you that much in denial, Lucas, or is your memory just shit?"

I twisted around, leaning toward him while keeping my voice low. "What do you want me to say, Adam? That my parents didn't like her? So they forced her to break up with me and when she denied it, blackmailed her, and tried to ruin her entire life? Made her lose her scholarship? Is that what you want me to say?"

Adam nodded. "Was that all true, or was that a lie?"

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