Page 24 of The Billionaire's Off Chance

Hold up, wait! Lance’s son?“Who are you?”

“Claudette, the one and only.”

“Lance!” I call him.This can’t be.

Chapter 12

LANCE

“Lance!”IhearChasminscream from the foyer. I bolt out of bed, putting on my clothes hastily. I’ve never heard such a scream from Chasmin before, and this worries me. I only have my pajamas on, so I leave the room, heading to the foyer. I see Chasmin in her robe, looking out the door with her back to me. She doesn’t look hurt, which makes me wonder why she had screamed my name so loud. I approach her from behind and realize there’s someone standing at the door.

“What is going on here?” I ask Chasmin. She steps away from the door, and I get to see who it is. A sour taste forms in my mouth. It’s Claudette! She has a young boy about four years old with her. The shocking thing is that he looks oddly like me when I was younger. Claudette has a gloating smile on her face, a clear look of triumph. I still remember her as the young woman who stole my breath away when I first met her: her silky dark hair, petite body, and great humor. Her blue icy eyes are now staring at me with a ravenous hunger that makes my skin crawl.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Lance dear?” She leans against the wall, batting her eyelashes like that is supposed to do something to me.

“What are you looking for here, Claudette? I made it clear that I don’t want you here or anywhere near me. Now, leave!” I have it in mind to slam the door in her face, but what she says next makes me pause.

“I can’t do that when your son is right here in front of you. Will you be so callous as to ignore your own flesh and blood?” I stare at her incredulously, trying to catch a hint of her lying. There’s no way I’m trusting her again after what she had done to me four years ago. I glare at her, then I squat to be on eye level with the boy. He’s shy and presses his chin to his neck to avoid looking at me.

Claudette doesn’t seem to care about his reaction. I see no trace of maternal love in her eyes, which makes me wonder if this boy truly is her son…or mine for that matter.

“Look at me,” I command in a soft voice, not wanting to scare him any further. He looks up at me with hope in his eyes. I want to hold him. He looks so much like me when I was younger: curious dark eyes and a face that reveals most of my features. Even I have to admit that anyone could pick him out on the street as my son or a doppelganger. Still, I’m not quite convinced that there isn’t foul play afoot. It’s still Claudette bringing him here. Why wait so long if he’s truly my son? “What’s your name?”

He looks at Claudette. She nods and he answers. “Eric Rosii.” I arch an eyebrow in surprise. I didn’t expect him to take my name. I ruffle the boy's hair, smiling at him to ease his worry. He giggles. Hope blooms in his eyes like he’s really found his dad. Don’t hope too much, Eric, I thought. This might be a very good plot by Claudette. I’ll need more than this to be convinced of her truth.

I rise to my feet, staring at Claudette for a minute. I have to tolerate her presence for much longer if I’m to find out the truth. If Eric is, in fact, my son, the last thing I want is for him to be stuck with her. The smile on her face shows that she knows what I’m thinking.

I glance back to Chasmin. Her arms are folded; she is watching me with suspicion and questions in her eyes. I sigh. I ought to have talked to her about Claudette when the issue came up at the company. Now, we’ve been ambushed in our home. I face Claudette and catch her ogling my bare torso. She blinks in surprise at my cold glare.

“Come in.” I walk back into the house. Chasmin takes my hand, smiling softly with assurance. I return the smile. The door automatically closes behind Claudette and Eric.

Chasmin and I take seats on the largest couch in the living room. Eric moves stiffly to one of the smaller seats. Chasmin rises and heads to him. She leans over him, saying something quietly. He laughs and opens his arms for a hug. Chasmin hugs him, lifting him up and heading to the kitchen. Before she leaves, she says, “It can’t be good for him to sit here and listen to you guys barter over him. I’ll be in the kitchen, and later we can talk.”

I give her a curt nod then turn my attention back on Claudette. She is walking around, admiring any and everything she can lay her hands upon. “We should talk. What do you want?” She stops by the drapes, touching the material with a faraway look in her eyes.

“So, she’s the new one? I never expected you’d go for your assistant! And most surprising of all, she’s living in your home. Oh, the scandal, Lance. Scandals are never far from you.” I know what she’s trying to do. She’s looking for leverage, hoping to use my relationship with Chasmin to get something from me.

“If you won’t talk about why you’re here, then I have to ask you to leave.” I’m already losing my patience. She moves away from the drapes and takes a seat directly in front of me. She crosses her legs, pushing out her chest. I’m growing bored and tired of this.

“Remember when I was the one in this house with you, Lance? When we couldn’t keep our hands off each other…”

“Then you cheated and tried to gaslight me. Cut the bullshit, Claudette. You’ve never been a saint; whatever your motives are here, they are not pure. So, what do you want? Speak or I’ll have no choice but to expel you from this house.”

She sees that I have no time for her mind games and grows serious. “Remember four years ago when you broke up with me?”

“I remember finding out that my woman had been cheating on me for months.” I reply tersely, and she scowls.

“Won’t you let that go?” she asks and sighs. “Fine. I got pregnant; but with how bad things were between us, I couldn’t come back because I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“And you think I’m going to believe you now? Why didn’t you go to the guy you cheated on me with. He might be Eric’s father and might accept him. Claudette, don’t try to play me. It won’t work.”

“Lance, that boy is clearly yours. What other proof do you need? Why don’t you believe me?” She breaks down crying. I feel uncomfortable, seeing a woman cry – even if it’s Claudette. I walk over and pat her gently on the back till she stops. I see Chasmin peeking from the kitchen door, and I take my hand away. Chasmin frowns and returns to the kitchen. I sigh, returning to my seat.

“Maybe he is mine or maybe not. A DNA test will prove it. So, is that all you want, Claudette? To bring my son back to me after all these years?” I say in a mild tone, seeing the bitter look on her face. “Out with it, and let’s stop these games. I have better things to do with my time.”

“I want money…”

“Same old, same old.” The little pity I had for her is crushed. She looks offended with what I said, but I’m not going to apologize when it’s the truth.

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