Billionaire Daddy - A Standalone Novel (A Single Dad Billionaire Romance Love Story) (Billionaires - Book #6)

by Claire Adams

  That brought me back to reality and made me jump. “Stop!” I yelled. “Stop trying to tell me what I want, stop trying to tell me what’s right for me, stop trying to tell me who I can or cannot speak to. I have survived a perfectly wonderful 20 years of my life without a man telling me how best to live it and more than anything else in the world, I would like to continue to do so. You need to back the hell off, Zayden! My life is none of your goddamn business.”

  Those words seemed to have been the equivalent of slapping him across the face, as he took a few visible steps backwards and looked at me in a completely different way, with something that resembled very close to loathing.

  “Really? Is that what you want? For me to back the fuck off?” All humor had disappeared from his face and I felt a shiver of fear at the look he was giving me. Had I finally done it? Offended him enough that he would just step aside?

  “I didn’t mean to sound hurtful,” I said more gently. “But I have spent my whole life being independent and this, whatever this is with the controlling, this aspect of our contract is suffocating me, Zayden. It all seems unfair – especially after I saw your wife in your office like that the other day – like you think I am some kind of a commodity you have acquired. Like a pet that you expect will do your bidding without asking any questions. Somehow, when all of this started, you had convinced me that you had respect for me. That is obviously not the case here. And it’s really suffocating me.”

  “You already said the part about suffocating you,” he said softly. “And for the last time, nothing is real between Gina and I. You are right, I do have respect for you, which is why I wouldn’t lie to you through my teeth like this. But you have made your point. You want me to back off, I will back off. The contract is still valid, so if you don’t want to pay me a huge lump of money at once, don’t break any of the rules.”

  Then he turned around and walked away. I stood there and took deep breaths for a few minutes before following him into the classroom. When I did, it was like a completely different Zayden in there. Gone was the teasing, joking man who had come here to mess with me. He was stern and serious now, discussing his business strictly, and not even making eye contact with me. I was so confused and irrationally bothered by it that I actually found myself raising my hand to answer a few of the questions he addressed to the class, but it was like I was not even in the room.

  Chapter Four

  Zayden

  Things had become very different since the day I had gone to Aria’s school. Upset by her defiance, I had stopped pushing for her attention, but that had caused a remarkable effect on my mood. I felt cranky and impatient all the time and not a single interaction with anybody had gone by without my snapping.

  I was at the dinner table with my mother and Gina and whatever they were chattering about was making my blood boil.

  “What do you think, darling? You haven’t spoken a single word all evening,” my mother said sweetly. “Should I try acupuncture? Gina seems to swear by it.”

  “Sure,” I mumbled and went back to nibbling on my shrimp and mashed potatoes.

  “For God’s sakes, Zayden,” my mother snapped, seeming to finally lose her temper. “Make the slightest bit of an effort. How much time do you get to spend with family? Do you think it’s fair that on the odd night that we all get to sit down and have a meal together, you are not even really here?”

  “What do you want me to say?” I snapped back. “You two seem to be doing fine on your own. I have nothing to contribute to the conversation. Leave me alone, mom.”

  “Hey, don’t speak to your mom like that!” Gina gasped. “She is only trying to spend some quality time with her son.”

  “Nobody asked you for your fucking opinion,” I snapped at her, too. “I am done eating.” I through my napkin down and stormed out of the kitchen.

  No matter where I went, I couldn’t find peace. At work, I was forced to look at Aria all day and not be able to approach her. At home, it was the constant whining of two women who somehow seemed to have vowed to make my life difficult. Maybe now was a good time to take a vacation…

  There was a knock on my door. I ignored it, hoping that would make it stop, but I had no such luck.

  “Open the door, Zay,” my mother finally said. “This is really important.”

  “It’s open, just come inside,” I sighed.

  She walked in and sat across from my desk.

  “Are you feeling alright, sweetheart?” The look of genuine concern on her face took me aback. “You seem to have been very disturbed by something these past few weeks. I know you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, and whatever it is that is bothering you, you know you can really talk to your mother.”

  “Do I?” I glared at her. “It has never quite seemed like it.”

  Her eyes started to moisten but she held back. I had never seen her this way before. The only times I had seen her cry were full-blown episodes where she wailed until she manipulated me into doing whatever she wanted.

  “I know you think I am a horrible mother. You always have. Even before your father passed away, and you learned about things that I wish you never had to hear.” She looked at me with a kind of rare intensity for a long while before speaking again. “And you are right.”

  “What’s that?” I was surprised to hear what she was saying. It was not like her. Unless this was some new, twisted plot intended to manipulate me.

  “You are right. I could have been a better mother and a better wife. I had you when I was too young. Married your dad at an age when I should have focused on my career and living my life, without understanding the repercussions of being a wife. He wanted a child right away and I loved him so much, I went with it. Without warning, my youth was suddenly over and I became responsible for a whole new life at a time when I wasn’t sure I was doing a very good job of taking care of my own. Your dad had a huge business to run, so even though he had wanted a child, he didn’t have the time to care for it. Obviously, I had to quit my job – I was working towards being a chartered accountant – and then I started getting lonely and distant with your dad always working. I started finding comfort in other things, other men, and a part of me felt like I had given up so much, that I deserved to stray a little bit. Subconsciously, I blamed you for some of the things I had to give up, but it was never your fault. As you grew older, your dad started spending more time with you and going to all your football games, and you two bonded while I stayed home and made dinner. So it always looked to you like he was more of a parent to you than I was, but he never helped me raise you, Zayden.”

  “Why are you telling me these things?” I asked softly. “Why now?”

  “Because it is important that you understand. I don’t expect you to ever forgive me, Zay, but maybe you will understand why I was always the way I was, and why I want so badly for you and Gina to work out. It’s not for my sake, not at all.”

  “Why then? Because if you haven’t picked up on it yet, Mom, Gina is only around for your sake. She is what you want for me, not what I want.”

  “I know you feel that way right now because you’re hurt–”

  “I am not hurt. I don’t love her. She means absolutely nothing to me, but that doesn’t matter to you does it? You have decided that she is the perfect woman for me and you will just continue emotionally blackmailing me into trying to make it work with her. Whether or not I am happy in the process doesn’t matter to anybody, does it?”

  “Have you been listening to a word I have said?” She was getting teary again. “I love you very much, Zay. You are my son, and no matter what happened in the past, I want to make it up to you by being a better mother now. Of course your happiness means a lot to me. It means everything to me. I have very little else to live for.”

  “Then why don’t you give a shit that I don’t want to make things work with Gina?”

  “Because I have been where she is now, and it’s a terrible, terrible place! If I had gotten a chance to make thi
ngs better with your dad, I would have given everything I had to make him happy, and I know she will do the same. She used to make you happy once, and I just want to see that again.”

  “Would you care if I told you there was someone else I am certain I would be happier with?” I didn’t know why I had asked that. It wasn’t like Aria and I were going to spend the rest of our lives together. Hell, she barely even spoke to me, yet I was having this conversation, as though she were ready to seamlessly take Gina’s place in my life.

  “You’re only saying that to shut me up. Believe me Zay, just give her another chance. She will make you happy again, you will see.”

  “So we are back to square one, then? You want what you want and obviously think you know what’s better for me than I do myself. Why are we even having this conversation?”

  “Because I had to tell you I loved you, I don’t think I do it nearly enough,” she said, crying openly now.

  “It’s not necessary that you do. I have a lot to get done for work, so you should go back to your room.”

  She didn’t say another word, but hugged me tightly before leaving with tears in her eyes.

  ---

  The next day Aria was already at the bank when I got there, and she was by herself. Taking the opportunity, I strode over to her desk.

  “Hello,” I said, unsure of what I was hoping to achieve from this interaction.

  “Good morning, Mr. Sinclair, how may I help you?” she asked with a fake bright smile.

  “We’re still at Mr. Sinclair, then?” I frowned.

  “Depends. Am I allowed to talk to whomever I want yet? You still married?”

  I shook my head and walked back to my office, not having the energy or the will to deal with this for now, and then buried myself in paperwork for the next few hours.

  No matter what I did though, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The way she moved in her body-hugging dress sent tingles of excitement throughout my whole body. Aria had such an incredible presence. Every customer who walked up to her would leave looking happier than they were walking in. She exuded the kind of charisma that very few people I knew could muster, and this was when I knew for certain that she was going through a bunch of issues in her personal life.

  The truth was that I missed her incredibly. She had been great in bed, despite only having sex once before me. It was like she had this inherent talent that drove me completely mad. And it wasn’t just the sex that I missed, I missed talking to her, hearing her laugh, and working through her schoolwork together.

  When I had first thought up the contract, I never imagined that this girl would have such a powerful impact on me. It was supposed to be a game, a challenge to show myself that I was capable of making any woman want me. To an extent, I could say I had succeeded. Then why was the fact that she would refuse to meet my eyes frustrating me so much? What could I even do to make her stop being so distant?

  The answer was obvious: I had to end it with Gina and let Aria do whatever she wanted. She wasn’t like other girls, she would never be okay with doing things my way. That was one of the things I admired about her. In asking her to compromise her ideals, I was forcing her to be someone she was not, and there was no point in even trying to pursue that person. If I wanted her back in my life, just the way she was, I had to do it.

  I thought back to my conversation with my mother last night. From her feeble attempts at motherhood, I had at least gathered that she thinks she wants me to be happy. Surely this meant she wouldn’t threaten me with more suicide attempts if I could explain to her what I really wanted? Maybe I would take her out to dinner and forgive her for everything I was holding against her, if she were able to handle this without pulling any new shenanigans.

  With new resolve, I dialed Gina on my cell phone and walked out into the hall so that I could make sure Aria heard the conversation.

  “Hi,” I said when she answered. “About that deal you wanted to make with me? I don’t think so. I don’t love you, Gina,” I said more loudly. “And you don’t love me. Let’s not waste any more time on facades and pretenses. I don’t hold anything against you, and if you ever need anything, I will be glad to help out, financially or otherwise.”

  “Zayden! You can’t do this! Not like this, over the phone! Come home and we can talk about it properly. You don’t need to–”

  “I am done talking about it. I am just done. Can’t you respect me enough to understand that? It’s over, Gina. Take as long as you need to move out, and I would appreciate it if you let me tell my mother myself. Goodbye,” I said and hung up before she could make any more protests. She called back immediately, so I shut my phone off. Then I looked up at Aria. She was pretending to be typing something intensely on her computer, but there was no way she hadn’t heard that conversation.

  Next order of business; I made a second phone call from my office.

  One hour later, Rick, Aria’s ex-boyfriend, was inside my office. She was now actively looking towards me with genuine curiosity.

  “Hello, Dick,” I said when he walked in.

  “It’s Rick, actually,” he said, looking slightly confused. “Is there a reason why you asked me to come here today, Mr. Sinclair? Can I help you in any way?”

  “Yes,” I said looking at Aria. “Go talk to Aria over there.”

  “Huh?” He looked like someone had dropped him right in the middle of a bizarre dream. “I don’t understand.”

  “You’re not very smart, are you?” I scoffed. “What is there not to understand? Go talk to Aria.”

  “Was there something particular you wanted me to say to her? You understand my confusion?” He screwed his nose.

  “Nope. I am giving you permission to talk to her because that’s what she wants, I think. But if you hurt her again, you won’t be seeing the light of the day for a very long time. Are we clear?”

  He nodded, looking utterly confounded. “You can go now,” I said and got back to my paperwork.

  Chapter Five

  Aria

  I had to be dreaming! There was no way that my ex-boyfriend was walking out of Zayden’s office.

  Even though I had been trying hard to pretend I didn’t care what Zayden was saying on the phone, I had been very alert when he ended it with his wife. In spite of myself, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited upon hearing that conversation, which was obviously happening loud and clear out in the hallway for my benefit. There was no way I was going to let him know that it made me feel better, though. Perhaps it didn’t even have anything to do with me and I was overanalyzing all of it. But as Rick walked towards my desk, I was starting to get a good idea of what was going on.

  “Hi,” Rick said and smiled at me. “So, I was apparently called here and given permission to talk to you.”

  Zayden was unmistakably focusing all his attention towards us, and knowing full well he could hear whatever I was saying, I said, “Well, it’s not up to anyone to give you permission to talk to whoever you want, is it?”

  “Hey, it’s Zayden Sinclair, I’ll eat a hat if he tells me to. Can’t go too wrong with being in a billionaire’s good graces. I don’t know what is going on between the two of you but–”

  “Nothing is going on between the two of us,” I said quickly. “And nothing is, or ever will, go on between you and me either, Rick. So just go home, and for your own good, stop taking instructions from strangers just because they happen to be influential people.”

  Like I had any room to talk.

  He looked hurt, and my anger was definitely misplaced at him, but I didn’t care. Giving him permission to talk to me! What was Zayden trying to pull? There did not need to be such a huge show, and he didn’t have to make Rick come all the way here just to prove a point. A small part of me couldn’t help but be happy, though. Clearly, he must have been regretting the situation and he was trying to change it.

  “Okay, then, I’ll get going,” Rick said with a pained expression.

  “I am sorry, Rick. I didn’t
mean to offend you, but seriously, there is nothing between us. I am telling you so you don’t get your hopes up, I would hate to lead you on. Nobody deserves that.”

  He probably did deserve it for what he did to me.

  “Well, I am going to back off then.” As he walked away, I heard him mumble, “What a damn waste of my time.”

  When he was gone, my phone rang and I immediately knew who it was.

  “Come into my office,” Zayden said and hung up without even letting me answer.

  I went without having any idea of what to expect, trying to calm the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. What’s the worst that could happen? He had, after all, just made the effort to show me that he was capable of making some changes. But did he really have to call Rick here and make a whole scene of it? No matter how excited I was, I couldn’t help my temper.

  “Why did you call him here?” I snapped as soon as I walked into his office.

  He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Wasn’t it obvious? I gave him the permission to talk to you!”

  “Who do you think you are, God? You can just swing people around like puppets and tell them what they can or can’t do? If you were trying to make the point that you are not going to be controlling anymore, the best way to do it would not have been by controlling another human being and giving them ‘permission,’ as though you owned the rights to their life.”

  Upon hearing that, his eyes got red with what seemed to be anger. “What the fuck do you even want from me, Aria? I just ended a very long and complicated relationship with my ex-wife, something for which I will have to face more consequences than you can imagine. And I let that guy talk to you. Why isn’t any of this shit enough?”

  “Oh, the sad consequences of not having a beautiful blonde woman as a trophy wife. I feel your pain,” I said and immediately regretted it. I was being bitchy for no reason, while he was making the effort. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean–”