Page 24 of Secret Baby for Dr. Billionaire

Someone had entered the penthouse and baby-proofed the place. This had Ben’s name written all over it.

And it was not only the kitchen. As I walked around the house, I saw that every nook and cranny of the penthouse was proofed. Every corner and edge of the place had guards and bumpers, outlets were covered, and all the appliances were latched. There were even anti-slip mats in the bathroom and by the sink, and when I entered Sofi’s room, I saw the new baby monitor on her nightstand, something I had been contemplating buying for a while.

I knew I should be grateful and thankful for the fact that the penthouse was baby-proofed and Sofi could walk around without me having to worry about her that much, but I felt like I’d been invaded and been told that I was irresponsible for not having them installed in the first place. Well, it wasn’t really budget-friendly to child-proof, was it?

The self-control I’d been trying to keep up for the past week not to approach Ben went up smoke because I was steaming mad, and the next thing I knew, I was marching towards his side of the building, and like deja-vu, I was pounding on his door.

“Jesus Christ!” I heard him complain on the other side, but I was relentless and banged at the door some more. Then it burst open and the sight of Ben in black pants and a black ribbed shirt made me momentarily forget what I came here to say and just simply melt on the floor in front of him. “What the fuck, Chloe?”

“Did you have someone come into my penthouse?”

The accusation in my tone was clear, and I didn’t give two shits if he’d thought I was a crazy woman. The fact that Ben had the power to invade my personal space meant he could do so much more. And the idea that he could influence people to help him take Sofi away from me scared me to death. I needed to make this sperm donor realize that he didn’t have any right to decide things for Sofi, or for me for that matter. He was a stranger to us.

“No,” he answered nonchalantly, crossing his hands against his chest. “Why would I waste my money to make someone do that?”

The sense of relief I felt at his reply made me feel almost embarrassed that I had marched into his place like some kind of lunatic. Fuck. Maybe I was just the crazy next-door neighbor. But then the relief quickly evaporated when he added, “I did it myself.”

“You went in my penthouse? You know that’s trespassing, right?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You can’t just barge into my home, violate my privacy, and call it a night.”

“Even if I was doing it for Sofi?”

“Sofi is safe without you, asshole. We don’t need your help.”

I could tell that the words struck him deeply because the look of confusion in his eyes was replaced by irritation.

“The last time I checked, not proofing your home for your kid’s safety is considered child neglect.”

“The last timeIchecked, you leaving me pregnant with your daughter without honoring your responsibilities is child abandonment.”

That shut him up, and the sense of pride that blossomed in my chest was like no other. Ben was not going to win this war with me. I wouldn’t let him.

He had made his decision not to help out, and if he thought dangling the fact that he baby-proofed the penthouse in my face and calling it parenting was going to make me forget the way he easily discarded me, he could dream on. Fine, I was bitter about it, and I had every right to be because while Ben was out here living this extravagant life with his daughter, I was standing at the bus stop with an infant drenched in the rain because I had to close the restaurant, I was waitressing at on the weekends.

“I’ll speak with the landlord about this, Ben.”

“You’re going to tattle about me?”

“First your dog, then digging into Frankie’s record, and now this?” I pointed. “What’s next? Creeping in my house in the middle of the night?”

Ben let out a cold, frustrated scoff. “Have you even met the landlord, Chloe?” I admit, that caught me off guard.

“No.” But that didn’t mean I could call Frankie and ask him for contact information.

“Well, nice to fucking meet you. And by the way, my building is pet-friendly.”

Well, fuck me.

“You own this building?”

“And the next two beside it.”

Of course, he owned it. Just like he owned the bar I was at two years ago. Whatever I did and wherever I went, it seemed like I was stuck with this man.

“Still. You didn’t have any right barging in there without telling me.”

To my surprise, Ben took a deep breath, one that told me he was raising a white flag. He looked tired, almost defeated, like he wanted this to be over. Well, me too, honey.

“Look, Chloe,” he started. “I know that I messed up with you and Sofi, all right? I genuinely thought you were fucking with me, and I could’ve handled it differently. I had no excuse for that. And I didn’t expect you to be here, to be the damn person to live next door. When I held Sofi in my arms and looked at her, I knew that you were right. What I said to you last week, all those accusations, it was an asshole move. And I’m sorry for that. I get that you don’t trust me and you don’t want me, but I’m going to be there for Sofi. Iwantto be there for her.”

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