Page 47 of Billionaire's Second Chance

“It better be,” I grunted.

“It’s about the case. Lily agreed to an out-of-court settlement,” he informed me.

I sat up. “What did you say?”

“Her lawyer reached out to me this morning. She won’t pursue the case if we agree to her terms.”

What a way to start my day. I was excited about the development, but something didn't add up.

“What were her terms?” I placed the call on speaker and stepped out of bed.

“She wants too much!” Robert scoffed.

I wrapped a white robe around my body and poked my legs into the slippers by my bedside.

“I’m still waiting, Robert. What are her terms?”

“Ten million dollars or no deal. I think they’re bluffing, Damon. If we hold out long enough, they’ll budge.”

“Call them, Robert,” I ordered. “Tell them we’re taking it.”

“You serious about this?” He quizzed me.

“A hundred and one percent. Call them now, Robert.”

I hung up and walked to the bathroom. Lily’s change of heart was too sudden. Just a day ago, she was bent on getting me into all sorts of trouble, promising hell or high water through her lawyer. Now, she was offering me an olive branch.

My reflection stared back at me in the mirror.

This wasn’t Robert’s doing. If it were, he wouldn't have been so shocked to hear their terms. Quinn was the last person to get involved with this, as she blatantly told me the last time we spoke. Harry wouldn't dare.

Lily was a romantic. Everything she did was based on emotions. If it wasn’t for love, it was for some other feeling.

I doused water on my face. The cold liquid jerked me into the waking world. Lily must have spoken to someone. Someone that could understand how she felt and convinced her otherwise.

My phone buzzed again. I wiped my hands and went back into the bedroom.

The call rang out before I got it. Ava. A smile slid up my face. What if she was the missing link? I dialed her number and waited for it to connect.

“Hello, Ava,” I greeted her warmly.

“Rocky is such wonderful company. You need to see the antics he pulls here,” she beamed.

“I knew he’d be a handful. How did you both sleep?” I stepped out of my bedroom and walked to the kitchen.

“Besides playing with Rocky, I’m rehearsing the script,” she explained. "This is why I called too. I need some advice on a scene."

“Oh, do tell!” I rejoiced, happy that she thought to call me with questions.

The fireplace, where Ava and I had talked the other night, stared at me as I zoomed past it.

“It's the part where Rose talks about her father,” Ava explained. "I'm having a hard time connecting with that. What was he like? Describe their relationship for me, please."

I settled into a spot on the couch where Ava had briefly sat that night before leaving.

"Good question," I swiped my hair back and relaxed on the couch. "Let's see. Her father was in the Marines. A tough, masculine guy. Rough around the edges, but with a kind heart once you peel off all the layers of pain, loss, PTSD, and grief. He loved his daughter deeply but had a hard time showing affection, so she felt rejected and undervalued. She always felt the need to prove herself to him and hoped he'd be proud of her. Does that make any sense?"

Silence resonated on the other end of the line. I peered at my phone to see if she was still there.

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