Page 67 of Dirty Money
“You’re going to be a big sister!”
She hurried to dress, pulling her hair into a ponytail and leaving her face free from makeup. She was in a rush to get to her cell that she’d left in the main living area. It was getting close to noon.
When she went back into her bedroom, she saw that Weston had spread out and was sleeping soundly. With a kiss to his cheek, she left him right where he was. She knew how exhausted he had to be. She was tired too but she was also excited about things now.
He’d come back and he’d taken control. Aullie never saw herself as a woman who wanted anyone to take control of their live life. But she had to admit that it felt fantastic.
He’d fight for her. He wasn’t about to let their love die. She knew that for certain now.
It was odd how the ache that had resided in her heart had suddenly disappeared. Love was flowing all through it again and she found that a relief. And now to see how she would get along with her father and new stepmom.
When she found her cell, she saw the text from her father that had come in, an hour back.
-My driver is on his way now. Can’t wait to see you.-
Just as she was about to text him back, the doorbell rang and she hurried to it. She found the butler answering the door and there stood the driver she’d known from the old days. “Dustin!”
The older man’s smile had wrinkles forming around his mouth and light green eyes. “Miss Aulora!”
She ran into his arms and he picked her up as they hugged. “I never thought I’d see you again!”
“Oh, honey,” he said with a happy tone to his deep voice. “I knew your father would smarten up one day.”
He let her go and took her down to the waiting car. “It’s so nice to see you, Dustin. How has everything gone these past years?”
“The usual. I’ve driven your daddy around a lot and time has passed. My only news is that I’ve had three grandkids in the time that’s passed.” He opened the back door of the Town car for her to get into.
“You’re a grandpa?” she asked then giggled.
“I am. They call me Gramps. Now, off we go so you can meet your new family, Miss Aulora.”
She gave him a nod as he closed the door. Then he took off and she found her tummy was filling with butterflies. She was back to where she’d been before.
Riding in the back of her father’s car, driven around by their driver and looking out the window as the car veered around other cars, some expensive and some not. People were everywhere and then they began to thin out as they left the city and went toward the place she’d once lived.
She wondered if her bedroom had been kept the same. She’d had a Paris-themed bedroom, complete with a replica of the Eiffel Tower in one corner. There was a huge balcony off that room and white lights had been strung along the railing.
Her fingers trembled as she smoothed out her blue skirt. She was going home. The place she always thought of as home. The small apartment in Queens was never a thing she thought of as home. It was like a little dungeon to her back then.
That apartment was like a prison. And it was a constant reminder to her that the money she’d always had wasn’t really hers. It was her father’s and he could take it all away.
She thought about how things had all changed. The money in the bank account was all hers. No one could take it away from her. She’d made sure to ask the bank representative who helped her sign the necessary paperwork about that.
She was the owner of a brand new Mercedes. Her name was on the title. She was also the owner of the penthouse. Her name was on that too. And it was her name and hers alone that was on the bank account that had a balance that was nearly a billion dollars.
Aulora was set!
Her man had come back to her, showing her how much he really loved her. She had two walls in a prestigious art gallery to fill. The world was her oyster, it seemed.
She hummed, happily as they drove the hour and a half out of New York City to get to her father’s home. A mansion she had a key to!
As they pulled into the long drive, she felt the butterflies turn into gargoyles. It was time to meet the woman who’d changed her father for the better!
Dustin got out and let her out of the car, then walked her up the huge staircase that led to the front entrance. “Good luck, Miss Aulora. It’s damn nice to have you back home.”
“Thanks, Dustin. It’s damn great to be here,” she said then gave the man a hug and turned to find the door was opening and a new man was standing at the door.
“You’re father and mother are waiting in the nursery for you, Miss Aulora,” he told her.
