Semua Bab Secret Baby Of the Ruthless Billionaire: Bab 61 - Bab 70

Lisa's POVThe mansion was too quiet at night.It was the kind of quiet that wasn't really quiet at all - the faint hum of the refrigerator, the soft tick of an antique clock somewhere down the hall, and the distant sound of the waves if you cracked a window. Everything seemed louder in the hush, like the house was holding its breath.I padded barefoot through the hallway, hugging my cardigan tighter around me. Eddie was finally asleep, snoring like a tiny freight train. The poor kid had been so worn out from his first day exploring the grounds that he passed out mid-sentence while telling me about the koi pond.It was just me now. Me and the night. And Bryan.I told myself I wasn't looking for him. That I was just wandering, you know, getting my bearings in this ridiculously big house. Who needed three living rooms? Or was it four? I'd lost count.But there was this tug in my chest, this restless thing that kept pushing me forward. I found myself drawn to the back patio, where the sc

Lisa's POV The thing about living in a mansion, I was learning, is that you never know where anyone is at any given moment. It's not like our old apartment where you could sneeze and someone would shout bless you from the next room. Here, I could've hosted a small carnival in the kitchen without disturbing a soul.Which is exactly why it was so startling when Bryan appeared in the doorway at 7:30 a.m., looking entirely too good for a man who probably hadn't slept.I was mid-waffle.Literally, one hand on the handle of this shiny chrome contraption that looked like it belonged on a spaceship. The other holding a measuring cup of batter. I was still wearing my ridiculous pineapple-print pajama pants because laundry had become a casual suggestion around here.Eddie was perched on the counter like a tiny gremlin, already halfway through a bowl of Lucky Charms, no milk. Because apparently, we were barbarians now.Bryan cleared his throat.I froze mid-pour.Eddie didn't even look up. "You

Lisa's POVI didn't move for a while after Bryan left the kitchen.The house was still, save for the faint hum of the dishwasher and the occasional war cry of a digital soldier dying upstairs in whatever game Eddie had commandeered this week. I clutched the dish towel in my hand, staring down at the same spotless counter I'd wiped six times already.God, what was wrong with me?I'd always prided myself on being the practical one. The girl with the plan, the single mom who didn't let herself get caught up in the whirlwind of impossible daydreams. I paid my bills on time. I scheduled dentist appointments six months out. I carried hand sanitizer in my purse before it was trendy.And yet one look, one touch, and there I was - practically melting against the kitchen island like some love-starved teenager.I threw the towel onto the counter and gave myself a mental slap.No. Not happening. Not again.It wasn't that I didn't trust Bryan. Not really. I mean, for years, I'd told myself he was

Lisa's POVI woke to the smell of coffee.For a few seconds, I lay still, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. The events of last night hit me in slow, scattered pieces - the heat of Bryan's skin against mine, the rough scrape of his stubble along my throat, the way he'd said my name like it was the only thing tethering him to earth.I groaned, dragging a hand over my face.What the hell had I done?Scratch that - I knew exactly what I'd done. Repeatedly. Enthusiastically. With alarming flexibility, considering how long it had been.The bed beside me was empty, the sheets still warm. I sat up, clutching the blanket to my chest as the scent of freshly brewed coffee grew stronger.This was fine. It was just one night. A stupid, reckless, earth-shatteringly good mistake.Except the ache in my chest said it wasn't that simple.I found my clothes in a messy pile on the floor - my shirt half hanging off a lampshade, for reasons I probably didn't want to re

Lisa's POVThe house was finally quiet.It was the kind of quiet that only came after a long, sun-drenched day when the last of the excitement had burned out and left behind a soft, warm glow. Upstairs, Eddie was dead to the world, limbs sprawled across his dinosaur sheets, snoring lightly in the way only an eight-year-old could.I padded barefoot into the living room where Bryan had started a fire in the massive stone hearth, even though the evening wasn't really cold enough to need one. He claimed it was for "ambiance," but I suspected it was just an excuse to watch flames and pretend he wasn't a total softie."Wow," I said, smirking as I dropped onto the couch beside him. "Did you chop the wood yourself, lumberjack?"He shot me a crooked grin. "Maybe."I snorted and tugged the blanket off the back of the couch, curling it around myself. Bryan stretched out beside me, one arm draped over the back of the sofa, his bare feet propped on the coffee table. The fire crackled, casting flic