Page 134 of How to Fall for the Secret Billionaire
Deep down, I know this isn’tScoop’s fault. I should have been honest with Margot, but I need to take my frustrations out on someone, and they’re the scapegoat.
My hand moves on its own, reaching for the phone lying beside me. I unlock it, and before I can talk myself out of it, I pull up her name.
Margot.
There it is. A whole thread of blue bubbles with no replies. Missed calls. Voice notes left unread.
I scroll, even though I’ve already memorized the silence. I miss her. Not just her laugh or the way she looks at me when I surprise her. I miss being with her. I miss who I was in that town—who she made me want to be.
Now she’s gone. Because I didn’t tell her the truth when it mattered most.
I stare at her name on my screen like it might light up. Like she might change her mind and finally pick up.
But she doesn’t.
She hasn’t.
Instead, I call Sam. I haven’t spoken to him since I left Everfield, thinking he won’t want to speak to me after I hurt his daughter. But I’m desperate now, and I’ll take anything I’m handed.
I don’t expect him to pick up. Honestly, I almost hang up after the first ring, thinking he’ll ignore it—thinking I deserve that. But then I hear his voice.
“Cal.”
I clear my throat. “Hi, Sam. I know this is probably the last call you want to get, but?—”
“Why do you think so?”
I pause. “I hurt your daughter. I lied.” The silence hangs heavy. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought if I told her too soon, it’d ruin whatever we were building. But it turns out waiting too long did the same thing.”
Another pause.
Then a sigh. “You still in L.A.?”
“Yeah. I’ve been here the whole time. Handling the press, lawyers, everything. I’ve also dealt with the pictures. I’ve tried reaching out to her, Sam. She won’t take my calls.”
“Can you blame her?”
“No,” I say quietly. “No, I can’t.”
He doesn’t say anything for a while. Then I hear the clink of something—maybe a mug on a coaster. And his voice softens, just a little.
“I like you, Cal. I liked the man who showed up and fixed everything with me, who ate Jo’s mystery casseroles without complaint. That guy fits in here. Money or no money. But you hurt her. That’s not easy to overlook. Now the question is… How do you want to handle it?”
I lean forward, rubbing my hands together like the friction will somehow help me think. I thought I had it all figured out. But now? Now that he’s asking?
“I don’t know,” I admit quietly. “I want her, Sam. I want Margot. But how do I get her back?”
There’s a beat of silence before I push the words out. “Would it be okay if I came back?”
“You kidding?” he says, voice warming. “It’s your home, son. You’re welcome anytime.”
I close my eyes, breathing that in.
“But I don’t belong there,” I say after a moment, the words surprising me even as I speak them.
Sam chuckles. “You do if you want to. Everfield isn’t about blood or birthrights. It’s about heart. And you’ve already got one foot in.”
I nod slowly, already making up my mind.
