Mr Billionaires Secret Baby

Chapter 8

The evening had been in full swing and the turn out was better than | thought it would be especially considering that the event had been held on a weekend. Most people. would much rather prefer to be out of town altogether than attend a business event. | had to hand it to the P. R team who set up the entire event. The venue was new, neat, and had modern finishings making it a breath of fresh air. With the large doors open letting on a decent amount of the cool evening air, it took away the edge from being cluttered or too full.

Countless people | had recognised as being from amongst the Elite which made me wistful in my endeavours or regaining the business to its secure standing. There were a few faces | had been familiar with simply from the business headlines | had seen them. in and some new face that | had been introduced to that were just as wealthy.

| went from share holder to share holder and engaged each of them in conversation making myself approachable with as much confidence as | could muster. Up until earlier this evening, barely any one knew that | was the new owner of the business itself but once this information had been known, people were eager to get to speak to me first hand.

It was definitely a test from their side to gage just how capable | was and | thought | did pretty well. Thankfully, Adam had been by my side for majority of the evening. He served as a guiding hand and moral support never allowing me to doubt myself for even the smallest of seconds.

Regardless of all of it, from the people | spoke to to Adam’s presence, | couldn’t quite ignore the elephant in the room. It was impossible not to notice the two of them the minute | stepped in to the room and | tried not to pay them any attention since but it was a next to impossible task.

My gaze would avert to them every so often and it was crazy how | always seemed to have some sense of where they were about the room. However, it would appear that | was not the only one who had been mindlessly keeping track of whereabouts. Each time my eyes darted in their direction, | always met dark chocolatey eyes that | wish | hadn’t recognised so well.

Of course, Pheobe had been with him. My last encounter with the woman still scarred me and my temper was hanging by a thread just looking at her.

Naturally, the hushed whispers had not gone unnoticed but | pretended to not hear them. It would have been naive of me to assume that no one would say a word about it. At some point, they will, forget.

“You have interacted with every share holder in this room, Soph. You can’t avoid him

forever.” Adam smiled as he spoke to not give away what we had been speaking about.

He handed me a glass of champagne which | took. “I know but | can’t help not knowing how it would turn out.” | shrugged before taking a sip and feeling the welcoming cool liquid bubble down my throat.

Adam glanced over my shoulder before his eyes met mine again. “Well, you don’t have much time left to wonder because they seem to be making a move in our direction.” He gave me a heads up behind the rim of his fluted glass and a wave of dread washed over

me.

But | reminded myself that | was no longer the fragile woman that Dante discarded when he no longer needed me. | was stronger than ever and I'd be da mned if | let them intimidate me.

“Adam Huxley.” Pheobe’s voice sounded behind me making the hairs at the back of my n*eck stand as my anger began simmering.

| turned placing myself next to Adam so | could see them. Pheobe had dressed in an all pink ensemble that made her look like a flamingo. Her I*ps were painted a nude shade and she tried to rock the wet hair look but it just looked greasy.

Her

eyes lowered itself to me. “And you, of course.” She said in a mocking tone but her eyes were bitter with jealousy.

“The infamous Dante Crawford.” Adam said ignoring Pheobe entirely which made her cheeks heat in embaras sment.

| looked over at Dante and my breath caught at the back of my throat. He was dressed in his signature dark suit that hugged his b*dy like a second skin.

“Huxley.” Dante responded carelessly. He was clearly upset about Adams presence for some reason or had it been because he hated the fact that | was the one who inherited the company he was an investor in.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“| never thought you’d ever show your face back here.” Pheobe butted in refusing to allow herself to fade in to nothingness. “Things had not quite been in your favour the last time you were here.” Her eyes danced with malice and | knew that she was referring to her actions that had me in hospital.

“Perhaps but it is now.” | responded briefly not wanting to engage with her too much.

Dante opened his mouth to say some thing but Pheobe cut him off. “You better watch your steps this time. You may not be as lucky as you were previously. Despite inherenting, you are still just as you are.” She mocked and | grit my teeth.

Had there not been half the room watching out interaction, | might have struck the

woman with out sparing it so much as a second thought.

“You should heed your own warning. You don’t know who you're messing with this time. around and I'd advise you against biting of more than you can chew.” | scoffed humorlessly as | glared at her.

Her nostril twitched and her surprise at my verbal retaliation was visible on her face. “Just because you now have the back of a rediculously wealthy man doesn’t mean that you’ve suddenly grown a back bone. I'll say it again. You are just as you were once years ago.” She sneered and | laughed lightly causing her eyes to tighten and Dante’s brows to raise in shock.

“Not every woman seeks to climb their way to relevance by sleeping around with the first rich man they find. It is a tacky tactic used by worthless, irrelevant individuals such as yourself. If any one hasn’t changed at all than it is you.” The look on her face was. priceless and | already felt better.

Dante’s gaze was fixed on me and | could have sworn | heard him growl when he saw me look

up at Adam who place his hand around my waist.

“If you'd excuse us, we have many people to meet.” | said before allowing Adam to whisk me away from those two.

“You did great.” He said as he guided me to a more quiet side of the room.

My head was pounding in my ears and my face was heated. | needed a moment to recollect myself before | could manage the rest of the evening.

“I need to use the restroom just to freshen up and recompose myself.” | said to Adam. “I won't be too long.”

He nodded and | broke away from the room and headed out in to the hall way until | arrived at the rest room. | pushed open the door and stepped inside thankful that it was empty. My shoulders hunched over the porcelain sink, my hands clucthing the edges of it tightly as | breathed haphazardly waiting for my b*dy to regulate itself.

Meeting Dante again was never going to be easy. It was a fact that | was well aware of. However, | also knew that it had to be done. Maybe it would have been a better had | actually gone through the list of shareholders expected to attend tonight so his presence wouldn't have caught me so off-guard.

It didn’t help that as the night progressed and | spoke to people, | gathered that Dante Crawford was a major investor in the company making my life just a tad bit more complicated. It meant that he was a vital part of my plans to regain the company’s standing and if he is lost as a an investor then every one else will likely follow.

| inhaled slowly and exhaled just as slow as | straightened my back and stood up. | did a

quick inspecting look to make sure nothing was out of place before | could exit the rest

room.

When | pulled the door open to make my way back to the room filled of people, a tall figure filled the door way. | gasped in surprise and nearly jumped back.

Dante towered over me showing no intent of moving out of my way. His eyes were unreadable as they ran the length of me before settling back on my face.

“You are in my way.” | squared my shoulders ready for this battle.

“| will move but after you answer my question.” He said in a rough tone and | raised a

brow at him.

“You did not ask a question and, even if you did, | owe you nothing.” My response had his I*ps press in to a thin, disapproving line.

He didn’t move from the door way but he did straighten his posture in an attempt to intimidate me.

“What are you doing with Adam Huxley? Are the both of you romantically inv-” | scoffed at his question before a small chuckle escaped me.

are

“| must say that you are utterly ridiculous to think that you have the right to ask me such a question.” | retorted at the nerve of him. What was it to him whether Adam and | were a couple or not?

His jaw clenched from my lack of cooperation. “Answer me!” He raised his voice leaning forward like he was willing to scare an answer out of me.

“| will not. As a shareholder in my company, | may offer you professional responses to your queries but my personal life is mine to live as | please. | owe an explanation to no one. | paused looking at the anger take over his face. “Least of all you, Dante.” | muttered then took a step forward hoping he would just get out of my way but stubborn as he had been, he didn’t even move a muscle and | was too annoyed to step back and let him think | was intimidated by him.

“Sophia, I’m going to ask you again and | want a da mn answer.” | opened my mouth to protest but he went on. “What are you doing with Adam Huxley?” He pronounced each word slowly and | was beginning to grow tired of this.

“You are wasting my time. Please, get out of my way.” | said but he moved closer ending whatever space had been between us. The smell of his cologne that | remembered distinctly tickled my nose and | was immediately hyper aware of his close proximity. Chapter 8

“Get out of my way or | will-”

“Or you will what?” His breath fanned my face. “Scream?” He scoffed. “I dare you. As if people haven’t discussed our history enough already tonight.” His eyes flashes daringly and | clenched my hands in to fists.

| brought my hands to shove against his abdomen and push him out of my way but Dante was too fast. His hand gripped both of mine in one of his and he pushed me in to bathroom causing the door to slam shut. | fought against his hold but he was too strong.

His eyes darkened with a look that made my stomach churn. His gaze lowered to my I*ps and | knew then that he was enjoying this. My fiesty nature had set some thing alight within him.

“This is rediculous! You can’t just behave like such an entitled little piece of-” Before | could finish my insult, Dante’s I*ps pressed against mine brutally. His I*ps moved against mine roughly as he k*ssed me ferociously.

| fought against him, against his k*ss but | felt my self control crumble and, for a split second, | gave in. My I*ps moved against his matching his wild abandon as he moved my hands behind my back so he could press every inch of me to him.

My erratic breathing caused my n*pples to brush against the front of his shirt making them sensitive and tender but when Dante tugged my lower I*p with his teeth, the pleasurable pain made me jerk back to reality.

My entire b*dy grew stiff and in one swift motion, | pushed him off and away from me. Dante looked down at me in confusion but | yanked my hands free and used of them to plant a small right on his left cheek. The sound of my palm clashing against his cheek echoed through the bathroom.

| didn’t spare even a second to gage his reaction before | pushed past him and left with my heart pounding in my cars, my head a mess, and I*ps swollen from k*ssing Dante.

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