Page 36 of A Billionaire's Secret

I knew I shouldn’t have picked up the phone at all during my stay in England. Nothing good ever came through that damned receiver. Suddenly my heavenly vacation came crashing down like Humpty Dumpty’s unfortunate fall.

“I’ll be back soon, hold everything off for a few days, please,” I instructed my attorney and slammed the phone against the couch.

My heart pounded against my chest, and fever rushed to my face. I realized that I had kept Victoria in the dark, afraid of ruining the moment and secretly hoping that all this would vanish into thin air. My breath quickened as I watched her sleep peacefully. Soon, she, too, would be losing sleep, and I’d be the only one to blame for that.

I left my worries in the living room, walked back toward the bed, and quietly slipped under the sheets. I’d tell her everything. Just not yet.

Victoria shifted her position, indicating that she wasn’t fully asleep. She flipped from side to side, then her eyelids lifted, exposing her sleepy hazel eyes.

“Hey,” she smiled. “Did you get any sleep? How long have I been out?”

“Not that long,” I comforted her and removed a lock of hair from her face. “We’re on vacation, time is a useless concern.”

“What’s next on our menu?” She sat up, eager to see more of the magical city. “Sight-seeing?”

“London is your oyster, baby!” I grabbed her by the waist and threw her on top of me. “I hope you’re having as much fun as I am.”

“Are you kidding? Most of the time, I feel like I’m the only one being entertained,” she kissed my neck, her warm breath making its hairs stand up.

“You must not know about my boring existence,” I returned her kiss. “This is the most fun I’ve had in years.”

We rolled around in bed for a while before mutually agreeing to explore the London streets, leaving the sheets until later that night.

I remained in bed while Victoria moved gracefully through the suite, picking out clothes and trying them on for me. My hand pressed against my crotch, suppressing the forming bulge at the sight of her tight body, stripping in and out of clothes.

“This one!” I finally approved a tight black, strapless dress and stepped out of bed, my hardness poking through my boxers.

“Oh, you’re blinding me,” she blushed and covered her eyes.

“Can’t help it, don’t be so sexy,” I smacked her butt on my way to the bathroom. “I’ll show you ‘blinding’ tonight,” I warned her.

I slipped into a pair of black slacks and a casual white button-up shirt to match her style, and we jumped in the limo.

“The London Eye, please,” I instructed the driver.

The rest of the night was a blur, clouded by the increasing anxiety about my secrets. Between laughs and excited chatter, I desperately searched for the right moment to tell Victoria. And when it came, the right words would escape me, so I’d freeze and change direction. I loved my daughter with all my heart, but her actions were about to cost me a price I wasn’t willing to pay—that of losing Victoria.

Nothing about Victoria hinted at her being able to come to terms with what Diana had done. She’d be the first one to demand justice for the horse that had been wronged. Not even for her loss of the race. Nowhere in that scenario did I see her forgiving me for all the secrets. And that thought was drowning me deeper into denial.

“Are we going back tomorrow?” She asked during dinner before inserting a piece of Beef Wellington through her lips.

“As much as that pains me, yes,” I confessed. “They need me at the office. Can we promise to come back soon?”

“Only if you promise not to answer your phone and let the office needs come before yours?” She couldn’t be more right about that.

“Christian, I’ve been putting this conversation off for a while, but something has been on my mind, and it never seems to be the right time to talk about it,” Victoria blurted out in the middle of a bite I was chewing, causing me to pause before I choked on it. “It’s about Diana.”

I contemplated spilling everything out before she began, but my lips wouldn’t open, no matter how hard I pleaded with them. I placed my hand on top of hers and pulled her in closer.

“Victoria, I have only one request for tonight,” I looked into her eyes, begging for her acceptance and understanding. “Let us, just for tonight, not worry about anything else. Nothing else exists but you and me. Just one night.”

Her eyes dampened, and she stared back at me, giving me exactly what I had asked for—agreement and understanding.

“I’d love that,’ she nodded, loosening up the invisible grip of regret from around my neck.

“Oh, and I won’t dwell on it tonight, but I received your wire. Please never do anything like that again.” I warned her while she smiled shyly.

17

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