Page 84 of Born a Billionaire

Her heart stuttered in her chest. “What? Are you serious?”

“Production meeting on Tuesday morning.”

“That soon?”

“Yes, are you ready for this?”

The excitement coursed through her veins. “I was born ready. Thank you, Barney. For everything.”

“You’re welcome. See you soon.”

Adelia squealed so loud that Skylar slapped a hand over her mouth.

“You’ll wake everyone up.”

She pushed Skylar’s hand away. “My project, the one I’ve been trying to get made for the past two years, is finally green-lit. We’re moving forward on pre-production this week!”

Skylar hugged her. “Oh, Adelia. I’m so happy for you.”

Adelia smiled. “This is exactly what I needed right now.”

Leaving without talking to Oliver felt wrong somehow, but Adelia knew where he stood, and as much as it broke her heart, she boarded the plane for California without so much as a text to let him know. As happy as she was about the project, she felt like she’d left a part of herself back in Michigan.

She moved through the airport in a fog. Nothing seemed to phase her. Not the traffic on the way home. Not the paparazzi camped out at the gate. All she wanted was to take a nice relaxing bubble bath, have a glass of wine, and get enough sleep that she was ready for the meeting with the producers tomorrow.

Andre helped bring her bags inside, then she locked up and headed toward the kitchen to see if there was anything edible. As she passed the living room, a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Her pulse quickened, and she nearly jumped sky-high at the sight of her mother, sitting on the couch with a wine glass in her hand.

“Mom!” Her hand flew to her heart. “What are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed in my own home?”

Adelia came closer and took a good look at her mother’s face. Smudges of makeup rounded her puffy eyes and mascara streaked down her blotchy cheeks. A few tissues were strewn across the sofa and a pile of them had collected on the floor.

“Mom? What’s wrong?”

Mom’s shoulders shook, and she began to cry.

Adelia wasn’t sure how to react, having never witnessed such a thing before. She slowly walked across the room and sat down beside her, and Mom leaned over and rested her head against Adelia’s shoulder.

“Did something happen with Bryce?”

“Something happened alright. I’ve ruined my life.”

Mom’s crying became full-blown blubbering, and Adelia handed her a fresh tissue and waited for her to calm down again.

“Talk to me, Mom.”

“I’ve made a mistake of epic proportions.”

“Everyone makes mistakes. What happened?”

“Bryce isn’t the man I thought he was. It was all new and exciting at first. He seemed so interesting and attentive to me and my needs. But the real Bryce has been revealed to me. The man is selfish and stubborn and a user. He doesn’t want to settle down with me. He doesn’t want to settle down with anyone. He was only looking for someone to prop up his ego and give his career a boost.”

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

Mom looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. “No, you aren’t. You’re glad this happened. I got what was coming to me, right?”

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