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CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE
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2026-03-04 18:39:48
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The billionaire’s dirty deal CHAPTER EIGHTY TWO
The call came at 6:42 a.m.Too early for anything good.Grayson reached for his phone before the second ring.Unknown number.He almost ignored it.Almost.“Hello?”There was breathing on the other end.Then a woman’s voice.“Is this Mr. Grayson Knight?”His stomach tightened.“Yes.”“This is Officer Ramirez from Brookfield High.”Everything inside him went cold.“I’m calling about your son.” Leo was already sitting up in bed.“What happened?”Grayson’s face had drained of color.“We need to go.”The drive felt endless.No music.No small talk.Just the echo of that sentence.Your son.When they reached the school, the front office felt too bright. Too normal.Kids walking to class.Lockers slamming.Ordinary.Officer Ramirez met them outside the principal’s office.“Your son is safe,” she said immediately.Leo’s knees nearly buckled.“Safe?” he repeated.“Yes. But there was an incident.”The word incident felt too small.Inside the office, their son sat in a chair, shoulders stiff.
The billionaire’s dirty deal CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE
Three years later.Not chaotic, just alive.Soccer cleats by the door. Pink glitter shoes abandoned in the hallway. Crayon drawings taped proudly to the fridge dragons, hearts, a very questionable family portrait where Grayson somehow had purple hair.Their daughter, Aria, stood in the middle of the living room in a sparkly cape.“I am NOT a princess,” she declared fiercely. “I am a warrior.”Her older brother nodded solemnly. “She fought a dragon before she was even born.”Grayson looked at Leo over their heads.“Still telling that story?” he asked.“Always,” Leo replied.Because some scars deserved legends. Life had steadied into something almost peaceful.Grayson had returned to business but on his terms. Smaller portfolio. More time at home. He had learned the hard way that money didn’t tuck kids into bed.Leo had started a nonprofit using part of Meredith’s trust.A foundation for LGBTQ+ youth who’d been rejected by their families.He called it The Fierce Heart Initiative.G
The billionaire’s dirty deal CHAPTER EIGHTY
The pregnancy test sat on the bathroom counter like a dare.Grayson stared at it.Two pink lines.Life changing.Leo stood in the doorway, gripping the frame like the room might tilt.“Well?” he asked, voice barely steady.Grayson turned the stick around slowly.Leo’s breath left him in a rush.“Positive?”Grayson nodded.For a second, neither of them moved.Then Leo laughed.It wasn’t graceful or composed, it was wild and bright and a little terrifying.“Oh my God.”Grayson pulled him into his arms, both of them half laughing, half shaking.“We’re doing this,” Leo whispered against his neck.“We’re doing this,” Grayson echoed.They had decided on surrogacy months ago, quietly, carefully. After long talks at 2 a.m. After spreadsheets and fears and therapy sessions where Leo admitted he wanted another child not because of Meredith’s money or legacy but because their first son had made him believe in family again.Their surrogate, Hannah, had been steady and warm and matter of fact.“
The billionaire’s dirty deal CHAPTER SEVENTY NINE
The first letter arrived on a Tuesday morning.Grayson almost threw it away.It looked like junk mail thick cream envelope, no return address except a law firm’s embossed seal.Leo was in the kitchen packing their son’s lunch, humming softly. It had taken months for that sound to come back after Meredith’s death.Grayson slit the envelope open casually.Then he stopped breathing.“Leo.”Something in his tone made Leo look up immediately.“What is it?”Grayson scanned the first paragraph again, hoping he had misunderstood.He hadn’t.“It’s from Carter & Vale,” he said slowly. “Your mother’s legal team.”Leo frowned. “About the trust?”“No.” Grayson’s jaw tightened. “About a contested will.”Silence.Leo walked over and took the paper from his shaking hand.His eyes moved quickly across the page.Then his face went pale.“She had a brother,” Leo said quietly. “Uncle Richard.”Grayson didn’t like the sound of that.“What does he want?”Leo swallowed. “He’s challenging the inheritance.
The billionaire’s dirty deal CHAPTER SEVENTY EIGHT
The doorbell rang at exactly 9:17 p.m.Leo froze mid-step.Grayson looked up from the kitchen island where he had been pretending to read emails he hadn’t actually processed in the last twenty minutes.They weren’t expecting anyone.And lately… unexpected visitors didn’t mean anything good.“I’ll get it,” Grayson said quietly.Leo grabbed his wrist before he could move. “Wait.”Their eyes locked.Not the loud kind. The quiet, parental kind. The kind that lived in your chest and whispered worst-case scenarios about your child.Grayson squeezed his hand gently. “It’s okay.”It wasn’t okay.But he opened the door anyway.Standing on the porch was a woman in her late forties. Expensive coat. Perfectly styled hair. The kind of confidence that didn’t ask permission to exist.And beside her Grayson’s stomach dropped.Leo stood behind him now. “Who is ”The woman’s eyes flicked between them.“Good evening,” she said. “I’m Meredith Carter.”Leo’s fingers dug into Grayson’s arm.Carter.Leo’s
The billionaire’s dirty deal CHAPTER SEVENTY SEVEN
The custody hearing is set for Monday.Four days away.The house feels different now. Tighter. Like we’re all holding our breath at the same time.Grayson has turned the dining room into a war room. Papers spread everywhere. Legal documents. Financial statements. Character references. Photos of us with Ethan at the park, in the backyard, Rocket asleep in his lap.Proof that we are a family.I walk in with two mugs of coffee.“You need to sleep,” I say gently.Grayson doesn’t look up. “I will.”“That’s what you said yesterday.”He exhales slowly and finally looks at me.“I can’t lose him, Leo.”His voice cracks just slightly.I set the coffee down and sit across from him.“You’re not alone in this.”“I know.”“But you’re acting like you are.”That hits.He leans back in the chair, rubbing his face.“I’ve spent my whole life fixing things myself,” he admits quietly. “Solving problems. Taking control.”“And this isn’t something you can control,” I say.“No,” he whispers. “This is somethi
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