Page 7 of Billionaire's Fake Plus One

“No!” they scream and start pleading with him.

“I’m going to die if we don’t go out on the boat!” Millie wails dramatically.

Lucien chuckles. “You’re such a drama queen.” The girls keep creating reasons why they have to go on the boat, each more over the top than the last as I leave the living room to give them some time alone.

I use my free time to read a book on my tbr list that I’ve been looking forward to, but I’m unable to get into it. I keep remembering Millie’s dramatic words about dying, and it inevitably leads to me thinking of my mother.

My heart throbs painfully and a tear spills down my cheek as memory after memory floods in. “I miss you so much, Mom.” I whisper, rubbing a hand over my aching chest.

A knock at my door jolts me, and I quickly wipe my face as I stand up. “Yes?” My voice is a little wobbly, so I clear my throat.

“Hey, it’s me. Can you meet me in the study?” Lucien’s voice is a little muffled through the door.

“Yes, of course. I’ll be right there.” I wait for his footsteps to retreat, then I walk into the bathroom to wash my face before leaving my room.

I know he asked to see me, but I still knock at his door, only going in when he gives permission. “Hi.” I say as I enter.

“Hi, sit down.” He nods at the chairs in front of his desk, and only continues when I do. “The girls showed me their nails and told me about your day out yesterday.”

I sit up straight at the serious note in his voice. “Was I not supposed to do that?” Shit, I should’ve asked before taking them out. Am I about to get fired? He mentioned me driving the girls around, didn’t he?

“No, no. It’s okay. That’s not the issue. Bainbridge Island is relatively safe, so I don’t mind you taking them around as long as you’re careful.” He opens a small drawer at the side of the desk and takes out a black Amex card. He places it on the desk and pushes it to me. “Use it for anything you want to buy while you’re out.”

Oh. I stare at the card blankly.

“I don’t want you spending your own money on them. I know about the medical loans you had to take out, and it’s not your responsibility to buy them anything.”

I quickly glance at him in surprise. “How-how did you find out about that?”

“I wasn’t going to let just anyone look after my girls without doing a background check on them.”

I jump to my feet, glaring at him. “That was an invasion of my privacy! You had no right.”

He leans back in his chair staring at me coolly. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’m not going to apologize for looking out for my daughters’ best interests.”

That takes a bit of the edge off; I understand where he’s coming from after all, but my anger is still piqued. My mind races, trying to think of what all might be in the report about me. The study’s door swings open before I can say a word, and Millie flounces in, her sister close behind her.

“What time are we going on the boat, Daddy?” Maddie asks. I take that as my cue to leave, but when I get to the door, Lucien calls my name, so I turn to face him.

“We’ll continue this conversation later.” I nod at him sharply, but before I can make my escape, Millie speaks up.

“Willow, you’re going to come with us tomorrow, right?” I stall trying to come up with a polite refusal, but Lucien beats me to the punch.

“Millicent, it’s not polite to put people on the spot like that,” he scolds softly, and she deflates.

I blow out a breath seeing no reasonable excuse to extricate myself from the situation.

“No, it’s okay. I’m sure your Dad wants to spend some time alone with you girls, Millie. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t be intruding.” Lucien, the traitor, replies. He should have tried to get me out of it! That’s what people who dislike each other do. They avoid each other! “You’re welcome to join us,” he adds. I force a smile as I nod reluctantly, then I scurry out of the study.

5

I went to the coffee shop where Andrew proposed and Aria, the owner of the shop totally called you a blondie. How’s that for a daily update, Rachel? LOL.

Itoss and turn most of the night, the nervousness about spending time with Lucien keeping me up. We aren’t exactly friendly, so I don’t understand why he’d want me to intrude on their family time. But I’m not complaining; the girls are so much fun, and Lucien isn’t exactly hard on the eyes. When I finally fall asleep, it’s deep and dreamless, and only the sharp knock on my bedroom door and the girls’ shouting wakes me up.

“Willow!Are you up? It’s almost time for breakfast,” Millie shouts through my door giggling. I sit up with a start and toss a quick glance at the alarm clock on my bedside table, which I clearly forgot to set. 7:30 am. Shit.

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