Page 36 of The Billionaire's Contract Baby

When I got inside, I slimmed down on the chair, gasping for breath. "Mama, what?"

"It's nothing, dear. We're fine now." I comforted him, although I didn't exactly feel comforted myself. I had not expected someone to intrude on our privacy. I knew when Alfred joined his father's family that he would be subject to public scrutiny, but I didn't want his privacy to be invaded like that. I was already hating the person before I saw him.

The door opened and the guards brought the intruder in. One of them held his camera while the other dragged him in. The man's hands were cuffed behind him. I felt a measure of satisfaction seeing him brought down. His face was still covered with a mask and a cap. "Take off his disguise," I said in a hard voice, getting to my feet.

Rollo, the taller guard, took off his disguise. The man looked to be in his mid-twenties with a fearful look in his blue eyes. Other than his doe-like face, he had no distinguishing marks. Rollo pushed him down to his knees. I watched all this, detached. The man looked pathetic. Evans, the other guard, came to me with the camera.

"We found this on him. There's nothing to identify him." I nodded while taking the camera. It was heavy and looked too cumbersome to handle. I placed it on the table and brought my attention back to him.

He was looking at me suspiciously, then seemed to reach a conclusion when he saw Alfred. “Who are you?" His attention snapped back to me.

He was silent, a defiant look in his eyes. Rollo yanked his hair which made me shout in pain. I stopped him from doing more - I didn't want to harm him. "Answer me or this could get worse for you."

He gritted his teeth then sighed, "I'm Taylor."

"And why are you here? Who sent you?" I pressed on.

"I'm a photojournalist for Celebrities' Scoop. I got an info that Mr. Rosii had a mistress. I came to confirm it. I didn't expect to find more." He looked sincere enough though I scoffed. He wasn't aphotojournalist,rather he was a paparazzo for an internet gossip site. I wasn't too worried now that news of my identity would leak…but something made me pause.

"You said something about info. What's that about?"

"I can't disclose my source." I nodded at Rollo. He saw this and flinched. "Hold on. My editor said she got a legit story about Mr. Rosii and a woman leaving the 407 Picasso Club last night. They were even caught naked in his car. She wanted me to get more credible photos. That's all I know, I swear."

I sighed, my head throbbing. This was why rich people could never have fun. Everyone’s nose was always in their business. “Rollo, take him to the sunroom and watch him. Evans, stand guard outside and look out for others. Who knows if he isn't working alone." They did as I ordered.

I picked up my phone and made a call to Lorenzo. He expressed his concern and informed me he was coming back soon. Although I didn't think it necessary, I appreciated the gesture. I stopped to think for a moment…if this blog had information on our night out, then it ought to be someone we know. I went online and checked this guy's blog but found nothing. Coincidentally, Jen called.

"Jen, how have you been?"

"I'm fine, though I miss my friend. However, I have something to tell you. Earlier today, someone shared a screenshot of a now deleted post by some gossip sites. It was about you and Lorenzo. And they had some explicit pictures of both of you…although the story seems to have died before it spread. Are you okay?" It was now making sense to me. Lorenzo must have done something to kill the story, but I would have liked to know rather than being in the dark.

"Yes, I am. This is all news to me…. but something scary happened today because of this story…." I told her everything, finding it easy to process my thoughts with her listening.

"That's truly scary. Your and Alfred's safety is now of the utmost importance. Make that clear to Lorenzo. Who knows who else might try to do this again?" I agreed with her concern. I was going to have her get used to this life. Shortly after, we ended the call.

I went to the window to peek out and saw Lorenzo's car parking in front of the house. I was glad to have him back so soon. I went to the door. He opened it, and as soon as he saw me, he pulled me into his embrace. "I'm glad you're fine." He kissed my forehead softly.

"Of course, I am. Everything is currently being handled." I led him inside. Alfred saw him and ran over for a hug. He picked him up and turned to me.

"What about that man you spoke about?"

"He's in the sunroom with Rollo. He's harmless at the moment. Wait, Lorenzo. Leave your anger in check." I placed a hand on his cheek, letting him know my intention.

He held my hand to his lips and kissed it. He returned Alfred to me and went to the sunroom. It was time to let him handle the situation.

Chapter 25

CRYSTAL

Afewminuteslater,I joined them in the sunroom. Rollo was standing at the entrance and stepped aside to let me in. Taylor was on his knees while Lorenzo was seated. I went to his side and took a seat too. "I know your motive for being here, but that doesn't absolve you of your crime. What I need you to do now is to delete all the pictures you have on your phone and sign an NDA. After that, I will let you go. But if you don't, I'm happy to hand you over to the police. With my blessing, of course."

He leaned back into his seat and placed a hand on my thigh. I smiled seeing how he had everything under control.

"Sir, I wish I could but… after I take a photo, a copy is made and saved on a shared cloud for storage. So, even if I delete the pictures on the camera's memory card, the images will still be available to a friend who will release them after twenty-four hours." I didn't want to believe what he was saying, but I knew it could be true. From the cocky look on his face, I knew he could use this advantage as leverage.

I looked at Lorenzo, and he winked. "If that's the case, then my next action can't be stopped. Rollo, come take him out and call the police. He must be duly dealt with." Taylor's mouth flew open in surprise. Rollo dragged him out before he could protest.

"What do we do now? Our family being exposed this way to the public is disgusting. Also, you should have told me about the issue with the club event."

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