Claimed by the Billionaire: Rescue #3 by Danielle Jamesen Read Free Book Online

back at Greg
who wasn’t paying attention, “That’s true.” I replied in a low tone.
    “Are you serious?” She
exclaimed, “That is amazing, Serena! Congrats!” She paused, “Congrats, right?
This is good, right?”
    In low tones, I explained
my concerns, about the news being leaked and about Winter wanting half of
Bradley’s money for a divorce. Cathy listened and didn’t say anything
judgmental, for which I was grateful. I couldn’t bear it if my best friend lost
it on me or said something terrible.
    “What are you going to
do?” She asked when I finished.
    “I’m going to have to
tell Greg tonight. I don’t want him to find out at school and I know he will.
TMZ said Winter was going to make a statement. I’m dreading that.”
    “If Bradley pays Winter
off, won’t she just go away? He is a billionaire, after all, Serena. Won’t he
make that money back in a year?”
    I hadn’t thought of it
like that, for some ridiculous reason. Cathy kept going.
    “And, seriously, girl,
no offense, but even if he does pay her off, will that even make a dent in how
much he has? At this point, wouldn’t it be easiest just to pay her off?”
    “But then she gets what
she wants.” I countered.
    “So?  So do you.
You get Bradley. And a new lease on life with a new family and you won’t look so
damned sad all the time,” Cathy shot back, knowing she was making sense,
“Bradley will still have more money than you ever did, Serena, even after the
divorce.”
    “I just hate that
Winter gets a penny.”
    “Life isn’t a story,
Serena. If you’re waiting for Winter to get her comeuppance, well, she won’t
get it. And you’ll just stress yourself and the baby out if you try to get
revenge on her or drag the divorce out any longer. Listen, I obviously can’t
tell you what to do. But you’ve gone through a lot these last few years. I
think some happiness is in order. If Bradley wants to pay her the money and
divorce her, I say let him. She’ll be out of the picture for good. Besides,”
Cathy added lightly, “You said she always wanted a kid, right? From Bradley?
You got that and she didn’t, if you have to absolutely feel as if you won in
this. I think that makes you a winner.”
    After I hung up the
phone with Cathy, I looked at my phone for a while. I kept getting texts from
people I hadn’t talked to in years, suddenly acting as if we were best friends
who had just fallen out of touch. My voicemails kept adding up. I shut off my phone.
It was time to tell Greg and then time to tell Bradley that Winter could get
the money. It was time for us to start a new life together.
    Like a child picking a
scab, I clicked on the TMZ link that led to Winter’s statement about the
pregnancy and skimmed it.
    “…deeply upset…thought
we could work it out…no choice now but to move forward with the divorce…thought
Bradley was better than that…Serena is using him for his money…her family lost
everything…will take the high road and reach out to him through my lawyer …”
    What a crock of shit, I
thought as I closed out of the story. Winter had never once taken the high
road. I thought of how she must feel knowing that Bradley didn’t want a child
with her, as evidenced by my own pregnancy. I didn’t want to imagine her rage
when she got the news. Her angle didn’t surprise me and I would have to do my
best to ignore it.
    I thought of how I told
Greg last night that I was pregnant. I told him it was with Bradley. Greg,
still a child, asked if this meant he could stay in the “big house” forever and
play video games. He didn’t blink when I told him about the pregnancy. He just
asked for a brother.
    I was lost in thought,
relieved at how Greg took it, when Bradley stepped into our bedroom. He looked
tired, his tie already undone and hanging around his neck.
    “How was the office?” I
asked him, shutting off my phone’s screen.
    He noticed and replied,
“I saw TMZ; it’s okay,” He sat down on the bed