Page 33 of The Billionaire's Contract Baby

"Wow… Where did you learn to cook?" he asked, still eating with relish. Alfred, not wanting to be left out, took a spring roll, and ate along with his father. The cute scene warmed my heart.

"I worked for years at different diners and restaurants. I picked up some skills along the way and hit the jackpot when I cooked at home. Eating out was expensive, but cooking my own food brought me more joy… plus it was cheaper." I ate to avoid seeing the look in his eyes.

"I'm glad you made it out of that situation. I promise, you'll never experience that life again." I looked at him in surprise. I knew he would do as he said: he was always true to his word. However, the smear of oil on his lips made me giggle. I rose from my seat and kissed him, licking the oil with my tongue.

When I sat, his gaze was heated. I acted oblivious, however. "I believe you, though you should know that I still appreciate the experience I got to have along the way." I shook my head to stop him from speaking. "Let's eat." He nodded. Alfred was dozing off on his father's chest when he was done munching. Lorenzo took him to his room while I cleared the table.

In no time, I went to his room. At first, I wanted to open it directly but held back and knocked. "Come in, Crystal." Getting his permission, I entered. He was out of his suit with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I could come back later." I turned to leave, remembering what had happened at the hotel in London, and I was sore from last night.

"Please stay. What's the matter?" He was already beside me. He led me to the bed and made me sit. He crouched and looked at me earnestly.

"Well, this would be a lengthy discussion. Sit." I patted the free space beside me. He sat. "I have been thinking about a lot recently. Mostly about oursituationand your role in it. I want to believe we are adults and can be honest with each other. What am I to you? What do we even call this relationship? Am I just going to be a nanny and makeshift housewife? Because if that's all that's in store for me, then I don't want it."

I gripped the edge of the bed, struggling not to shake with anger. It wasn't directed at him - it was my frustration at myself. He placed a cool hand on my shoulder to make me face him. “You are not a makeshift housewife. You are something different, something more…."

I cut him off, "So name it! Give a name to it, or we should end whatever we have. Having sex here and there doesn't cut it for me. I need something real with a label on it. Don't you want that too? To just be exclusive - you and me. Is this about Luna? I've heard a lot about her, and I am not her. I am Crystal, and though I hurt you, it was not an intentional act on my part, Lorenzo…" I put my hands on his cheeks, stopping him from looking away.

He stood up, breaking my hold. “You’re right. You're not Luna, but she hurt me, and the trust and love I had for her for five years went down the drain. In fate's peculiar way, the incident with her brought me to you. You know the gist of it. We wanted to start a family, but we were plagued with infertility…or so I thought. When I finally convinced her to agree to a surrogacy program, I thought finally we were going to be a family." He laughed… a sad laugh. I wanted to stand and hold him, but I saw that he needed space to deal with his feelings.

"One day, I came home to discover she was on a call with someone, saying romantic things. I didn't want to believe what I heard, and I needed to put my suspicions to rest. I followed her the next day and discovered her with a doctor in her car. When they both left the car, I knew that something had happened. She kissed him through the window of her car, and that confirmed my suspicion. If it was just cheating, I would have forgiven her, but it was worse. My doctor informed me after he did bloodwork on Luna that she had trace elements of birth control pills in her system. I connected the dots. In the end, when the surrogacy failed, I decided to end everything. Crystal, that is why I was so mad at you. It felt like I was reliving the betrayal all over again." This time I stood and went to him.

I hugged him. “That was horrible. I'm so sorry. I can understand how you must have felt. But I need you to try and move past Luna and heal. Look around, you have a son and…me. That's if you still want me. We can still make your dreams come true. You will have the family you want and deserve. Look at me… I promise you."

A smile slowly crept over Lorenzo’s face. “You have a way with words. I'm sorry I made you doubt my intentions. Crystal, you're a beautiful and brilliant woman, and I would love to have you as my partner. We can call what we have a relationship and work our way up from there. Let’s heal together."

I sighed, relief washing over me. "Yes, let's heal together. Exclusive?"

"Exclusive! And about the housewife issue, I never meant to push you into that role. I'll find something better for you to do, or would you like to work as my assistant again?" He pinched my chin, his voice teasing.

"That or I could go to a cooking school and then open a restaurant of my own," I mused.

"Really?" We were now hugging each other intimately.

"I'm still thinking about it. For now, I can work from home. Something to pass the time. For now, let me take you to the bathroom." He groaned, obviously hard with pleasure. I led him to the bathroom, feeling relaxed and optimistic.

Chapter 22

LORENZO

Crystalmadethingsinmy life easier. These days, I was excited to get back home. I now had a family, I told myself every day. In fact, it was easy to build trust with her again. I just got off the phone with a friend and left my study. I was greeted with the exuberant sound of Alfred playing. I had brought home some toy cars suitable for his age, which he drove around the house with our supervision.

It was a Saturday… originally I intended to bury myself in work - in silence - but now that would change. I wanted to transition into an easy life with Crystal and Alfred, which meant I had to spend more time with them. I went down the stairs and traced Alfred's voice to the sunroom.

As soon as I entered the sunroom, I came in contact with Alfred's toy car. I patted his head and opened a space so he could continue driving. The room was wide enough for him to play; there were no sharp objects around to hurt him. Crystal was particular about changing many things in the house to accommodate Alfred, which I gladly did.

Crystal was sitting on a chaise lounge beside one of the picture windows, which gave a clear view of the garden and pool. She was reading. I occupied the seat beside her and stared. She looked at ease and, in her element, - slowly flipping through the book’s pages with a fascinated look in her eyes. She was truly beautiful - a face you could never forget in a crowd.

"I know you're staring." Her eyes were still on her book, but a flush crept up her cheeks.

I pulled a lock of her black hair behind her eyes, lightly caressing her cheek. "This is gradually becoming one of my favorite hobbies. What are you reading?"

She closed the book and faced me. "It's a novel, a romance novel to be exact. I'm trying to make this a pastime. Would you like me to read it to you?" She waved the book in my face, her tone cheerful.

"Well," I gestured with my hand for her to come to me. I reclined in my seat and gave her access to sit between my legs. She did. Running my hands through her silky long hair, I whispered in her ear, "I have something fun in mind."

She pressed her body against mine, resting her weight on me. "And what would that be?"

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