Page 104 of Born a Billionaire

THIRTY-FOUR

The Schultz family gathered at the cottage that night, surrounding Adelia with their love and comfort. Skylar, Franky, Gus, and Merritt were the first to arrive and were instantly by her side. One of them always had an arm around her or was getting her whatever she needed. Sebastian and Genevieve came next, followed by Ephraim and Harriet.

Oliver watched with so much gratitude in his heart for the way they took care of and supported her. And he was thankful that he and Carmen had figured it out in time before something even worse happened. Now that he had her, he didn’t want to imagine a life without her.

Adelia gave her statement to another officer while Carmen was on the phone, confirming that Milton had made it to the jail.

“This is all my fault,” Skylar said as she sat down beside Adelia. “If I hadn’t brought Milton into our lives, none of this would’ve happened.” Her head dropped into her hands.

Franky crouched down in front of her and rested his hands on her knees. “Don’t blame yourself, Sky. Nobody else does.”

Adelia put an arm around her and leaned her head on Skylar’s shoulder. “There’s no way you could’ve known what kind of guy Milton really was. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“I should’ve recognized him at Oliver’s house on Halloween,” Skylar said.

“You couldn’t have with the mask he was wearing,” Adelia said. “I wouldn’t have known it was him if not for the dog.”

“Don’t worry,” Oliver said. “He’ll get what’s coming to him. Extortion, stalking, trespassing, assault … just to name a few. He’ll have the book thrown at him.”

“I hope so.” Skylar looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Adelia reached down and petted Lucky’s head. “Not to mention dognapping.” He’d been curled up next to Adelia’s feet the whole time.

Oliver took a few steps closer to the group. “He’ll for sure get jail time. And we believe he spent all his money paying off Cyrus, hiring him a lawyer, and paying his fine, so there won’t be any fancy lawyer for him this time around.”

“He definitely seemed desperate for cash,” Adelia said. “He was going on about owing some bad people some money and saying he was going to disappear.”

Oliver came to sit beside Adelia, and she turned into his side, resting her head on his chest and her hand over his heart.

Carmen walked over to the group. “The detectives just questioned Cyrus Mason, and he admitted Milton was behind it all. Milton paid him to take the rap for everything, promising him a big payday when all was said and done.”

“The only payday he’ll be getting is the candy bar,” Franky said with a chuckle, and everyone groaned at his attempt at a joke.

Ephraim had been quiet up until now, but he stood as he always did when he had something important to say. “This man has caused nothing but problems for our family, and we will do whatever we can to make sure he gets the maximum sentence he deserves, Adelia.”

“I know you will. Thank you.”

The doorbell sounded then, and Ephraim went to answer it.

A woman’s voice traveled across the room. “Hello, we got a call earlier that our dog was here.”

The dog perked up and suddenly left Adelia’s side.

Adelia stood and walked across the house. Oliver followed her, and they watched as the woman’s eyes filled with tears.

“Max!” She got down on her knees as the dog went into her arms, nuzzling her neck and licking her face. “Oh, I can’t thank you enough. We thought we’d never see him again.”

Oliver looked over at Adelia, who had tears spilling down her cheeks. She walked over and crouched down, petting Max.

“I’m so happy we could reunite you. I’m sorry this happened to you.”

The woman stood and reached into her purse, pulling out her wallet. “Let me give you something for your trouble.”

Adelia touched her arm. “Just knowing Max is back with his family is all the payment we need.” She bent down and petted his head and gave him a kiss on the heart-shaped fur on his head. “Bye, Max.”

The woman walked away with Max at her heels, and Adelia walked into Oliver’s waiting arms.

“You did a good thing,” Oliver spoke softly.

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