Page 55 of The Billionaire's Vow

“I overheard his begging call. It was so satisfying.”

I grimaced. “Fuck him.”

“Don’t curse—”

“Why not? He’s a dirty, cheating asshole.”

“And he’s not theonlyone,” she said in a saccharine tone.

The hair on the back of my neck raised. “What’s going on, Mama?”

“Nothing,” she said in pretend innocence, then giggled. “Okay. I don’t want to jinx it, but he’s not the only one finding some comfort in bed.”

I bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I have needs that are getting satisfied,” she said matter-of-factly.

I cringed and rolled my eyes. “Please, just get a divorce.”

“Nope. If Glenn flaunts his mistresses, I will flaunt my lover,” she said, like a petulant child, and much as I wanted to scold her, I couldn’t because Glenn was a scumbag cheater.If he wants to save his marriage, he should put in some effort.

“Are you pregnant yet?” she asked out of the blue.

I groaned. “I’m not.”

“Why not? Rocco may have trouble with his succession if you don’t have a child soon, or so the rag mags are saying.” I didn’t appreciate the delight in her tone and moved to end our call.

“Don’t believe what you read. It’s all under control. Please be careful. Talk to you soon, Mama. Love you. Bye.” I spoke in a rush and hung up.

Mama and Glenn moving on from their marriage was good for them. Yet, thinking about Mama with a new boyfriend rattled my nerves. Did anyone else know about him?Is he another abusive asshole?I didn’t want to be the only one to know, and I doubt she told my grandmother.Picking up my phone again, I scrolled to my grandmother’s number but hesitated.Maybe I should stay out of it and let her fling run its course?It wouldn’t be fair to put everyone on alert.After all, she wasn’t interested in divorcing.The affair could be to get back at Glenn, who had many mistresses.Nope. Not going to tattle.

I sat on the bench near the edge, and simpered. Mama had a way of spoiling the mood. What I needed was a pick me up and who better to do that than Cassidy. I called her and she answered with a scream.

“Oh my God, you’re married.”

I laughed. “Yeah. Crazy, right?”

“It’s Hollywood. Tell me the details. How did it happen? Because I was already working on a plan to rescue you from Percy.”

I shared everything from the moment Cassidy left until arriving at the new loft, leaving out Rocco’s succession woes.

“What a difference a day makes. I expected some drama, but not this much. Gah, I love Rocco coming like a knight to save you. His damsel in distress.”

I groaned. “Ick. Now I hate I told you.” She laughed and I joined her.

“So, what’s going on with the Marinis?”

I opened a drawer and took out a brush. “His father doesn’t like me. He thinks I’m going to trap Rocco with a kid.”

“What a dick. Stay strong. He married you, so they’ll have to come around.”

“Oh, wait. I forgot to tell you something else that happened, but I’m scared I might jinx it.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t tease me. What is it?”

I touched my throat. “I received a proposal to submit illustrations to Lily Crane’s publishing company.”

“Oh my God. Mom’s going to scream with joy. She mentioned something in a message but it wasn’t connecting because I’ve been crazy busy.”

---