Page 19 of My Forbidden Billionaire

“Once again—thank you.”

“I’ll want something in return, of course.”

There it is.

She’s such a little businesswoman—she takes right after me. Always trying to negotiate and cut a better deal. Now, caught between laughter and exasperation, I look my daughter in the eyes. “Really? And what would that be?”

“A trip to Disneyland. And tickets to the Taylor Swift concert—with backstage passes.”

She’s clearly given this some thought.

“Is that all?” I try not to laugh.

“No. I want to meet BTS.”

“Who? Isn’t BTS the company that installed our air conditioners? Why would you want to meet them?” I ask stupidly.

“Gosh, you’re so old! BTS! The best boy band in the world! The K-Pop group. I want to meet them!” she shrieks.

My ten-year-old daughter is turning into a teenager right in front of my eyes.

Still clutching Moby Dick, I try to come to terms with this. “Okay, scheming Moe. I think it’s time for you to go to sleep. Enough chatting for one night.”

“But what about Moby Dick? I want to know what happened,” she says, lazily stretching out across the bed.

“Fine. But just a few pages, okay? And no interruptions. You need to get your beauty rest.”

“Alright, Daddy. I promise not to interrupt. I love you…” She yawns.

“I love you too, darling. More than anything else in the world.” I open up Moby Dick to the page we left off from last night.

“Oh … and Daddy? Will you please take me to school tomorrow?” she asks.

“Of course I can.”

I only manage to get through a few chapters of Moby Dick before I notice she’s now drifting off. I stop reading and watch her tiny face lose itself in dreams—overcome with gratitude that this perfect little girl is in my life. She’s such a blessing in my life.

Clem starts to wriggle in bed and opens her eyes again. “Why did you stop reading?”

“Because it’s time to sleep, sweetie…”

“No…” she starts to whine, although her eyes are glued shut with fatigue.

“I’ll stay here until you fall asleep. How about that?” I say, gently caressing her hair as she settles into the pillow.

“Mhm … read me … the … book…” And with that last word, she nods off.

I sneak out quietly, gently shutting her bedroom door behind me.

As I make my way across the long, dark hallway, a deep silence engulfs the entire house.

The loneliness I try so hard to ignore, creeps in once again.

I open the door to the Rolls Royce as Clem eagerly jumps in, her pink backpack filled with books and a packed lunch made specially for her by our chef.

I slide into the front seat. “Ready to go princess?” I ask, smiling at her in the rearview mirror.

She nods defiantly with a playful grin across her face as the engine roars to life. “Let’s go! Oh, and Daddy? Put on some Taylor Swift music, please.”

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