Page 52 of The Grumpy Billionaire Baby Daddy

My mouth goes dry. How can I ever face them? I want to leave this place, but not because I want to go back home. I want to hide somewhere else.

“Dad…”

“You just do that so we can talk better. A phone call won’t do. Do you hear me?”

“Okay, Dad.”

The call drops. My head feels like a thousand people are screaming inside of it, complete with drums and lots of dancing. I need to get out of here. But how do I get rid of Richard?

“How’d that go?”

“Take a wild guess.”

No need to mention that they want me to come back home. He’s better off not knowing there’s a possibility that I might leave.

“What do you want to do now?”

“I think I should just rest. This whole thing is super overwhelming for me. I don’t think it’s healthy for the baby too.”

I rub my tummy, avoiding his gaze.

“Do you want me to stay here while you —-”

“No, don’t worry about me. I’ll come over to your room later.”

“You’re going to go to sleep?”

I nod and walk past the opening that leads to the bedroom. The door to my room opens and closes. I’m alone. I do need to rest, but not before I find my way out of here.

The thought of Jason comes back to me. I want to stay with him. For him. But I can’t.

But it’s his baby.

It’s mine too.

Chapter 18

Jason

Eva!

Her name rings over and over in my head as I tap my feet under my desk. She’s the owner ofThe Tea, and there’s no way this story was run without her knowledge. How did they find out? And why would she throw it out to the public? I’ve tried calling her, but she’s not taking any of my calls. Not that it’s surprising.

I grind my teeth, eyeing the stopwatch on the far right of my desk. It’s just 3 pm, and I have two extra hours of work time before leaving. I’m not used to leaving the office for non-work related purposes. I glance at the clock again. 3:05 pm. For God’s sake, why’s time so slow today? The figures on my monitor screen jumble up the longer I stare at them. It’s a review of Kavia’s proposition about what features should be available to users on our Consco App. The blue light isn’t helping my concentration right now. My phone vibrates. Thanks to the stupid published article, this will be the thirtieth call I’ve received all day. I fold my shirt sleeves and rub my forehead, staring at my phone screen.Nope. I’m done with calls today.

I move out of my work desk and stand between the coffee table and couches in opposite directions, running my hand through my hair. I should leave herenow. I have to face Eva. I stare at the stopwatch again. 3:20 pm.

Fuck it.

With that, I pick up the keys to my BMW and storm out of the building. Everyone’s awkward as I step out. Of course, they’ve all seen the article. I stalk toward my car, enter and drive out of the HQ without saying a word to anyone. Fortunately, Eva’s house is also in Trousdale. The drive to the Davidson Mansion is short but grueling as my phone constantly vibrates from all the calls. Everyone is moving around on the sidewalks like they’re in a race with time, and the sun is unusually hot. I look over at the current speed. 70mph. At this rate. I won’t get there as soon as I need to. I hit the gas pedal and speed past the red light, swerving right into Davidson’s Mansion. There’s a car garage filled with four cars, but now’s not the time. I halt the car in the middle and dash out, wearing a frown. Tom, the buff guy in charge of security, rushes toward me, stopping in his tracks when he gets closer.

“Hello, sir.”

“Where is she?”

“You mean Ms. Davidson? She’s not—”

I ignore him, charging toward the brown mansion that looks like it was built during the medieval ages. It's huge and lined up with flowers beside the sidewalk. The rest of the expanse is covered in well-trimmed grasses and shrubs that almost look like a river. I climb up the steps and push the door. It’s locked. I ring the doorbell on the side of the door, tapping my feet. A small uniformed guy opens the door, but I push past him before he even speaks. He doesn’t hold me back. And why would he?

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