Page 30 of After-Hours Heir

“I didn’t mean me, Christos.”

He couldn’t process what she was saying.

“I am not dysfunctional. I’m a billionaire.”

She laughed. Like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. “What does you being a billionaire have to do with whether or not you’re functional?”

“If I am doing so well at managing my life, how could you possibly classify me as dysfunctional?”

“You do realize that there’s more to life than money?”

She was maddening. If she was trying to imply that he didn’t function, then she was ridiculous. And how dare she? He’d won. When it came to matters of her company, he had beaten her decisively, and he felt that spoke to functionality fairly damned well.

He’d heard it said there was more to life than money, of course he had. Multiple times. But it had never meant anything to him. “Do you mean power?”

“Have you never seen a Christmas movie in your life?”

He stared at her. “I don’t think I have.”

“Friendship. Family.Love.”

“I find that I do perfectly well without any of those things.”

“And yet you’re trying to muscle your way into having a family. You think that you’re going to marry me. You think that I should just be content with… What do you even want with me? You want to throw me up in the attic? You know you can kidnap me without making it official.”

“All I know is that in my life, when my parents were together and I had both of them, I was safe. I was well fed. I had a roof over my head. Then everything fell apart. And yes, I am logical enough to know that there are many variable factors in play. But what I want for my own child…is security. In every way.”

“Yet again,” she said, “youarea billionaire.”

“Yes, which means I have resources you don’t have.”

“I have enough resources to take care of a baby, and as far as I can tell you don’t care about anyone or anything. You lied to me in those texts. You made me think you were a decent man, and I thought I was meeting a decent man here today. But I will not be strong-armed into anything by a man who doesn’t even know why he wants to be involved in his child’s life.”

“I know why I want to be involved.”

“You gave me a reason, but I don’t think it’s a good one. Nothing you’ve said has anything to do with how you feel, just what you’re afraid of.”

Her words were like a dagger in the center of his chest. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

“Then, you’re not afraid of me walking out,” she said, standing up and turning away from him.

Desperation gripped him. An old feeling. One he didn’t recognize in this new body he’d created, this warrior frame he did battle from. He didn’t do desperate, he didn’t beg, he didn’t feel fear or vulnerability, and yet now he did, and it forced his next words from deep within him.

“I’ll give you the company back,” he said.

“What?”

“I’ll sign Jones & Abbott back over to you. As a gift.”

She didn’t look pleased, which he thought was ungrateful of her. He was making her a more than generous offer in response to her childish tantrum, her threatening to leave, and she was still unhappy. “You…you have to be kidding me.”

“I’ll be a silent investor, and you can do whatever you want with it. Provided that you marry me.”

The company wasn’t as important as this. He had to be certain he had access to his child, and he would do whatever it took to make sure that happened.

He was a warrior, and battle meant having to make sacrifices, having to make quick decisions. He had made his, and he was resolved.

“You are…you’re unhinged. How is that—”