Accidentally Slept With The Ruthless Billionaire

Chapter 619: You’re My Favorite

Sophia’s words kept replaying in his head.

A man should take responsibility… Don’t act like a loose cannon… I hope you can face up to your actions…

Michael hadn’t taken her warning to stop seeing her to heart. He sat up suddenly, as if something had awakened inside him.

“Face up to my actions and take responsibility like a real man,” he murmured, his eyes fixed on the paternity test report in his hand.

“It’s time to tell Sophia the truth.”

He started the car and shifted into drive, but suddenly hit the brakes. His eyes went to the paternity test report, and anxiety crept in.

Had Sophia seen it when she came for the water?

He pushed the thought aside. The report didn’t look touched, and if she had seen it, she wouldn’t have acted the way she did. She probably didn’t know he was Elaine’s biological father.

Even so, he wasn’t sure. He needed to hear it from her.

His phone rang. Bianca’s name flashed on the screen.

Michael’s heart gave a small jolt. After a brief pause, he answered. “Hello?”

As he expected, Bianca’s irritated voice came through. “Stop bothering Sophia. The finals are just around the corner. Don’t distract her.”

She was right. This was an important time for Sophia, and he had other matters to deal with.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Don’t worry. I won’t see her before the finals.”

“You better not,” Bianca replied before ending the call.

At first, Bianca’s opinion of Michael had begun to improve. But then Sophia called, telling her he had a child with someone else. Her view of him sank lower than ever. Sophia shouldn’t give a man like that a chance; she should stay far away from him.

After warning Michael to keep his distance, Bianca called Sophia right away.

“How’s Elaine doing now?”

She hadn’t expected Elaine to like Michael so much, or that she would cry after seeing them argue.

“Still not talking to me…” Sophia said, watching Elaine with a sad, distant look in her eyes.

She knew Elaine needed a father, but it couldn’t be Michael.

“Bianca, can you come over and spend some time with her? She really likes you. Maybe she’ll cheer up if you’re here.”

“Okay, I’ll be there soon,” Bianca replied.

By the time Bianca arrived at Sophia’s house, Elaine was already fighting sleep, her eyelids drooping.

But the moment she saw Bianca, she perked up and ran straight into her arms.

“Bianca, I missed you so much! Mom won’t let me play with Michael, but I really, really like him,” Elaine said, pouting.

Bianca froze for a moment, surprised at how quickly Michael had won her over.

“Elaine! Why won’t you listen to me?” Sophia said, her voice a mix of disbelief and frustration. She never thought her daughter would openly say she liked Michael, especially after knowing him for such a short time.

“Michael isn’t all sunshine and rainbows,” Sophia said, trying to change the subject. “How about Mommy plays with you instead?”

Elaine puffed out her cheeks and turned away, folding her arms across her chest. “Hmph, I’m mad. I’m not talking to you anymore.”

“Elaine…” Sophia let out a long sigh. It was becoming clear her daughter longed for something she couldn’t give, a father figure.

Bianca knelt down beside her and gently smoothed her hair. “Elaine, tell me… what is it about Michael that you like so much?”

Elaine hugged Bianca’s neck tighter and leaned in, ready to share a secret.

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t know, Bianca. I just… feel really close to him. I want to play with him. But Mommy won’t let me, and she even got mad at him.”

Elaine tilted her head slightly, her eyes on Sophia, as if searching her face for answers.

“Michael didn’t do anything wrong. That day, I was holding Mommy’s hand in one and Michael’s in the other. People said we looked like a perfect family.”

They weren’t her own words, but ones she had overheard, memories so sweet they had settled deep in her heart. Thinking of them now still made her smile.

Sophia’s chest ached with guilt. She had failed to give Elaine what she deserved: a real family, bound together with love and warmth.

Maybe Elaine had never truly seen Gabriel, the harsh, heavy-handed man, as her father. The thought settled in Sophia’s mind and refused to leave. Perhaps that was why Elaine seemed so relaxed and open around Michael.

Sophia looked at her, their eyes meeting for just a moment before Elaine turned away and buried herself in Bianca’s arms, clinging to her tightly.

“Bianca,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “can you ask Mommy not to be mad at Michael anymore? I just want to play with him. Is that okay?”

Bianca’s fingers moved gently through her hair, her chest tightening. She thought about the life Elaine had endured in Gabriel’s home. Deprived of a father’s real love, it was no surprise she was holding on so strongly to the first man who showed her care.

But still, something about it tugged at Bianca’s thoughts. Elaine had met other men Michael’s age before. Why was this bond so strong? Especially with the tangled history between Michael and Sophia.

Bianca couldn’t shake the question nagging at her. Was there more to this bond than anyone realized?

“Elaine,” she said softly, “why do you feel so close to Michael?”

Elaine tilted her head, her dark eyes glimmering with something she couldn’t quite put into words. “I don’t know,” she murmured, almost to herself. “It just feels so nice to be around him.” Her face brightened. “He makes me feel like… he is my dad!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Elaine!” Sophia’s sharp voice sliced through the air.

Startled, Elaine buried her face against Bianca. Bianca held her tightly, offering comfort, and shot Sophia a look of disapproval. She turned back to Elaine, her voice gentle. “What if one day you meet another man who’s even kinder and better to you?”

Elaine’s face scrunched up in a pout. “I don’t want anyone else! I only want Michael!”

Her certainty left both Bianca and Sophia momentarily speechless.

“You like me, don’t you?” Bianca teased with a small smile as she carried Elaine to the bed.

“Of course I do! You’re my favorite,” Elaine said firmly. She gave Bianca a sweet kiss on the cheek, then sighed. “But… I still want Michael to stay with me…”

A long yawn escaped her, her small body sinking with the tiredness that came after a whole day of play.