Page 17 of The Billionaire's Baby
“You know, you make enough money that you can buy actual food sometimes,” Adira pointed out.
“But then I’d have to cook it and all that stuff. Better to throw some hot water over a cup of noodles and call that wally, yeah?” Lynette said.
Remy laughed. “I think teaching you to cook may be a useless venture, right?”
“You’d be correct, sir.” Lynette grinned.
“Remy, do you want to join us for a bus tour?” Favian asked.
“It looks like it might rain and I don’t do the rain. I’ll stay in and get on the phone with Miles in R&D to see how they are doing,” Remy said.
As she and Favian stepped out of the hotel room and closed the door, he laughed softly and said close to her ear, “I doubt very much that it’s about work. More like he wants to hang around Lynette.”
“I heard them speaking computer earlier. I was completely lost,” Adira teased.
They took the elevator down to the first floor and were walking across the foyer when she heard someone call her name.
“Adira, is that you?”
She bit the inside of her cheek and turned around to see two people she had hoped she would never see again. Her stepfather, John Meres, and his obnoxious son, James.
“You know it’s me, John,” she said and noticed her voice was as dull as oatmeal.
He went to hug her and she stepped away. “What are you doing here, love?”
“None of your business and why do you care?” This time the bite was definitely in her voice.
“I am your stepfather.” John kept the fake smile in place. “Who is your friend?”
“Again, none of your—”
“Favian Rivera.” He stepped forward and answered.
“I know your name well. We’ve tried to do business with your company before,” John said. “Maybe we can grab a drink?”
“I think not. Obviously, Adira has an issue with you which means I do as well,” Favian said mildly. “If you’d excuse us, please.”
John laughed. “Adira has a longstanding childish angst against me.”
“If you call stealing my money while I was at school and while my mother was home sick and you not telling me she had cancer until she passed away, and then, to top it off, having her sign a new will while she was dying and in pain, teen angst, then, yes, I guess I’m still carrying it,” Adira snapped.
“Your mother did that of her own free will!” James said in a high pitch nasally voice.
“Is that really your voice?” Favian chuckled and then went serious. “You’re telling me while you were away at school they didn’t tell you your mother was dying?”
“I didn't know until the day of the funeral. Her lawyer called me because he had some sense of duty to inform me of their treachery even though he couldn’t stop it,” Adira explained. “These two then informed me that my schooling would no longer be paid for and to gather what I wanted out of my room and nothing more from the house I grew up in with my parents. They threw me out. I had to start my life over with only what I had in my savings account.”
“And you think that I would do business with people like you?” Favian scowled. “I should beat the crap out of you right here.”
“Y-you wouldn’t dare,” John stammered. James took the cowardly move to step behind his father.
“Of course not, but you won’t approach me again. Now that I know your name trust that I will destroy any future business you ever think to do in America. As a matter of fact, I can stop your transactions here in London as well,” Favian said with restrained anger in his voice. “You tried to destroy the mother of my child. Now I crumble you.”
“Well, Adira, it seems you landed on your feet, or is it on your back?” James snickered from behind his father.
Favian stepped forward, pushed John aside and grabbed his pale son with the wire-rimmed glasses.
“Favian, no, he’s not worth it!” Adira cried out.
“Oh, I know that,” Favian said mildly. He waved his hand and the manager came over. “These two are accosting me and my pregnant fiancée. I would like them banned from this hotel or I will close my account and find another hotel where my family is treated with respect.”
“O-oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Rivera,” the manager stammered. He spoke into a microphone he wore on his coat to call security. In a matter of seconds, John and his son James were being escorted out of the hotel and were permanently banned from the premises.
Adira and Favian left holding hands and she grinned when she saw John and James outside having trouble hailing a cab. They shot daggers of pure hatred at her, but she didn’t care. It was a small price to pay for watching their shame.
