Page 29 of The Billionaire's Off Chance

“I already predicted this outcome, so I made sure a room was set up for him.”

“Thanks, baby. What do you want, son?”

Eric looks at me with open adoring eyes. “I want a toy car… Dad.”

I rise, lifting him up into my arms. “Dad will get you the best toy car, and when you grow, you’ll get a real car. Deal?”

“Deal!” He says with a bright voice that fills my chest with love.

I link my hand with Chasmin, and we leave the restaurant. We are off to a children’s boutique, to get him new clothes. I place an order for toys. We get him settled into the penthouse. I inform Lorenzo, Marie, and Igor about successfully getting Eric. Naturally, they’re happy for me and want to meet him. We decide they’ll see him and Chasmin at a family reunion before Christmas.

With Eric around, I’m suddenly aware that neither Chasmin nor I will be around often to look after him. Luckily, Igor has an extensive network of home workers. I’m sure one of them can fit in as a nanny until I can get a reputable one. Igor understands my need for a nanny, so I call him. “Brother, I need a nanny. Latest tomorrow.”

He barks out a laugh. I wonder about the cause. “At your big age, you need a nanny.” And he laughs harder.

My eyelids twitch with annoyance. He plays around too much. “Get a grip, Igor. You know Eric will need someone to take care of him in my absence.”

He snorts a laugh. “Oh brother, ever so serious. I’ll have a nanny over to your place tomorrow morning. Congrats, brother. It’s a magical thing being a father, trust me.”

“Thanks, brother. Before I forget, I’ll need a bigger place now that I have a kid. I need a conducive environment to raise him. Pick out the best properties available as soon as possible. I’d love to move before Christmas.”

“That’s what I love to hear. I’m on it, brother. Take care.” He ends the call.

Chasmin enters the room and wraps her arms around me, kissing my neck. “He’s settled in. He must be tired because he fell right to sleep.”

She comes over, sitting on my thighs and clinging to my neck. “Hmm, I still wonder what I have to do to be a father.”

“You’ll be fine, and I’m here with you. We also have to get a nanny due to our busy schedules.” She fiddles with my buttons.

“I’ve already got Igor to find a nanny for him. The nanny should be here tomorrow.”

“Nice.” She suddenly peers at me. “Do you want to tell the media about this new development? I think it’s best if you release it, get ahead of the story, and control the narrative.”

“That’s such an ingenious PR move.” I kiss her hand; she uses it to brush my lips.

“I’ve been learning.”

“I’ll do that later. For now, let’s enjoy this without the whole world knowing.”

She giggles. “I like the sound of that.”

The next day, the nanny arrives before we leave the house. She’s been vetted and with the extra security at the apartment, I feel safe leaving Eric with her. When we get to the company, I notice all eyes are on us.

I’m used to people looking and talking about me; however, the gazes we get are quite different. It is about gloating and being snobbish, mostly toward Chasmin. My heart sinks to my stomach. I already have an idea of what’s going on. Rumors have been floating around, but that’s all it was, rumors. It seems that something concrete has leaked. Chasmin begins to look nervous.

“Stay calm. I’m with you. Let’s get to my office first.” I whisper. I take her hand, not caring what anyone thinks at this point.

We enter the elevator, and she breathes a sigh of relief. “I think the rumors have been confirmed.” She looks up different websites and shows me one from the Daily Sun about ouraffair,accompanied bypictures. The article tags her as my passing fancy; and since Claudette is back in the picture, they expect us to get back together.

“It was written by Charles. We’ve met once; he wanted to get information on you. He threatened me when I refused. This is bad, Lance.” In terms of our reputation, it’s bad, but I also see the apprehension and doubt creeping into her eyes at the mention of Claudette.Why is she so afraid of her?

“No, we can still deal with this. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe. Nothing will happen to you with me here.” I’ll make sure of it. We get to my office. “You stay in here for the meantime while I deal with this.”

She nods, looking disconcerted. The knock at the door startles both of us. I think it might be Igor, so I call out in a steady voice, “Come in.” I sit on one of the couches. Chasmin sits beside me, her hands clasped and her head bowed.

The door opens, ushering in Walter Shaw, the HR manager. I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. This man is a stickler for the rules and can be a pain in the ass. I recently just celebrated his birthday, but that won’t change how he sees things now.

“Good morning, sir. I have something important to talk to you about. Alone.” He glances at Chasmin to emphasize his point.

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