Chapter 23

Third Person's P.O.V

The ride back to Bryce's house was unnerving. His mind was too flooded with so many questions, that he thought his brain might explode. When he did finally get home, he went straight up to his bedroom and collapsed on his large king-sized bed.

She has a son, he thought, massaging his temples frustratedly. Better yet, could it possibly be his son?

Just the thought of it scared the hell out of him. Sure, one day he'd hoped he would have settled down, having a family and all, but now that it could actually be a possibility, the idea didn't sound too pleasing at all.

As he stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts floated back to the exact moment Aubrey had screamed those spine-chilling words.

"BUT HE'S MY SON!" she had screamed so loudly, that the sentence still echoed in his ears.

He stared at the ceiling a moment longer, noticing how precariously the chandelier was hanging of it. How had he not noticed that earlier? Tomorrow he would have to inform his butler to take care of it, lest the notion of 'death by chandelier' was truly pleasing to him.

Bryce stood from his bed, and stalked over to his huge en-suite bathroom, where he discarded his clothes and took quite a lengthy cold shower. Afterwards, clad in a fluffy white towel around his waist, he went back into his bedroom and retrieved his phone from where he'd left it. He quickly scrolled through his contacts, looking for one certain phone number.

There were a few rings before the person finally picked up. "You better have a damn good reason for calling me this late, Bry," spat someone at the other end of the line.

He smirked. "You know I always do. I need you to find out the whereabouts of Aubrey Whitlock for the last 5 years." he demanded, rather than asked.

There was silence from the other end for a few seconds. "Did you just say Aubrey Whitlock? As in that hot ex-wife of yours?" the voice breathed, askance.

Bryce rolled his eyes. "Yes, that Aubrey, Leo. That is, unless, you know another one by any chance?" he drawled out sarcastically. He was beginning to regret placing the call in the first place. Leonardo really hadn't changed much since their college days. "Tell me again how you've gotten this far, being obtuse and all?" he mocked, mirth lacing his deep voice.

Leonardo scoffed. "Do I have to remind you that it is you that is always coming to me for help? I don't think I'd be constantly receiving calls from you if I were truly obtuse, Bry. Now, would you mind telling me why the hell you're still in contact with Aubrey? Didn't you two end it decades ago?" he inquired, rather intrigued.

"I just found out she has a son, so I need to know whose child it is."

Leonardo gasped very audibly. "And you think it's yours? Wait, have you bumped into her lately? Spill!"

This guy is a child trapped in a man's body, Bryce thought grimly. Yes, he was really regretting calling him. "Does that matter?"

"It does if you want me to help."

He sighed. "I bumped into her about a month ago. She'd hit rock bottom, and she blamed me for it. So, I hired her as my personal assistant. There, I said it. Happy now?"

"You dirty bastard. You better thank your lucky stars that she's back in your life. I know how broken you were after the divorce and all. Maybe fate's giving you two another chance."

Bryce walked into his walk-in-closet and pulled out a pair of pajama bottoms and some briefs. He put the phone on loud speaker, then set it on his dresser so he could get dressed for bed. "So can you get me the information or what?" he deadpanned, after what Leonardo had just said.

"Hmm," Leo contemplated. "How soon do you want it?"

"By Monday," Bryce said, extracting the white towel from his body after applying some lotion and putting on briefs and bottoms.

"Okay. You'll have every last bit of info about what she did in the last half a decade by Monday."

"Good," he beamed then ended the call. Leonardo was probably cursing him for doing that, wherever he was.

Bryce re-entered his bedroom, opened the layers on his bed and slowly slipped between them. He felt nervous for some odd reason. What if it was indeed his son, and Aubrey had kept him from him all these years? Could he forgive her for such an atrocity?

"Monday," he hummed to himself, before his eyelids fluttered shut and he was out like a light.

***

Monday had come around sooner than expected, and Bryce still hadn't heard a word from Leonardo. All weekend, he had kept his phone close to him and probably managed to look like a mad man whilst doing it. To say the least, he had been very counter-productive during the last two days. At least he had gotten his chandelier fixed.

The elevator doors opened and Bryce walked out, headed straight for his office. When Aubrey came into his line of vision, his heart beat's rhythm was momentarily disturbed. She sat behind her desk, typing away and managed to look like a model whilst doing it. Her black mane was up in a high pony tail, and her beautiful heart shaped face was make-up free. She was clad in a black linen blouse, white pencil skirt and black wedge heels.

She must have felt his eyes on her, because she stopped what she was doing at looked up at him. She smiled at him flirtatiously, her two hazel pools bewitching him, slowly and painfully.

"Good morning, Mr Roberts," she said, pronouncing the words sensuously. "How was your weekend?"

Bryce began to walk again, pausing in front of her desk. "It was somewhat stressful. And yours?" From her proximity, he could smell her sweet perfume that not so subtly assaulted his nostrils.

She still stared at him through her long lashes, as though she was trying to dazzle him by her charm. Immediately, Bryce knew what she was trying to do. The clever wench!

"It was peaceful. I stayed at home the whole time." Crying, most of the time, she wanted to add. "Today your schedule is quite hectic. You have a meeting with board members at 8.30, a lunch meeting with the Chinese who want to start a chain of hotels at 12 and you have to go check up on Mr. Henderson's apartments." she told him, saying it all by heart. Aubrey was really getting used to her position as PA.

"Okay," he muttered and proceeded to enter his office, but not before Aubrey told him his coffee, and an envelope were waiting for him by his desk.

Bryce quickly took a seat at his desk and gingerly grabbed the black envelope that was indeed on his desk, completely disregarding the coffee. He would probably drink it later, or not at all.

He wasted no time in ripping it open, and scattering its contents on his desk. Various papers and photos now littered the whole space, spotting a little note from Leonardo, reminding him how much of an asshole he could be. But one of the photos stood out to him than the rest.

He picked it up briskly, and his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he stared at it, all color draining from his face.

The little boy in the picture, who eerily resembled him, seemed to stare back at him.

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