Addicted (A Billionaire Romance Novel) by Aubrey Michelle Page A

together, living as a family. He also still needed to speak with an attorney to find out what his rights were in the matter and determine if he was going to petition the courts for 50/50 custody.  
     
    Arriving at home, he got ready for bed and stared at the ceiling as he tried to fall asleep. When he closed his eyes, he pictured Kayla’s sweet face and how happy she was to meet him once she finally opened up. As happy as he was with Audrey, he hated to think of Kayla shuffling back and forth between his and Christina’s house for visitation. Certainly, he thought, I should at least file for joint custody; but if I do that, how will Audrey handle that. What will she think of me? Would she applaud me for stepping up or would she condemn me for not being there during the first eight years of Kayla’s life?  
     
    As he drifted off to sleep, images of Kayla and Audrey plagued his mind. When he woke up in the morning, he felt stiff and sore. He’d slept horribly as he tossed and turned all night. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noticed that he needed to shave. He also appeared to look about 10 years older than he actually was. Is it possible, he wondered, for the stress to be taking its toll on me so drastically? Geez.  
     
    After he shaved and showered, he slipped on his business suit and headed into the office. Barely able to concentrate, he took an extended lunch. During his lunch break, Audrey tried calling him to determine when they’d see each other again. She was surprised to learn that he wasn’t in his office; frequently Tina, his secretary, went out to pick up his lunch if it wasn’t being catered in. Distressed, she dialed Tina’s extension to ask where Chad was.  
     
    “Wetzel Software Design, how may I direct your call?” Tina answered the phone.  
     
    “Tina, this is Audrey. Do you know where Chad is? I tried calling his office and cell phone but haven’t had any luck,” she explained.  
     
    “Um,” Tina thought for a moment, caught off guard that Audrey was calling her. “I believe he went to lunch. He left about 45 minutes ago, so I’d imagine he’ll return shortly. Would you like to leave a message?”  
     
    “Did he go to lunch by himself or was he with someone?” Audrey asked, suspicious that he may be cheating on her.  
     
    “I’m not sure, but I can tell you that when he left the office, he was alone.” Tina felt as though she was betraying her boss somehow and wanted to quickly end the conversation. “I’ll let Mr. Wetzel know that you called.”  
     
    “No! Don’t do that. I’ll just shoot him a quick text,” Audrey reassured her, even though she had no intention to do so.  
     
    “Have a nice day, Audrey,” Tina said before disconnecting the call.  
     
    Whatever Mr. Wetzel was going through must be some serious stuff, Tina mumbled. She’d never had so much drama going on in the office with him before. First he got a girlfriend, which was wonderful, and then he was served court papers; now he was skipping out of the office early and ducking his girlfriend on lunch breaks. This was a recipe for disaster. Tina had worked in enough corporate offices and seen plenty to know that much.  
     
    While out on his lunch break, he ordered a sub from a local sandwich shop and sought out a corner booth that offered privacy. Once he was settled in for lunch, he pulled out his cell phone and a small piece of paper. Before he’d left his office, he’d written down the names and numbers of several family law attorneys. He was able to get in touch with one from his list and discussed what his options were. The attorney informed him that he was most certainly entitled to 50/50 custody, but also advised him that the courts may frown upon him never paying child support—especially since he was a billionaire.  
     
    “I’m aware that you said you didn’t know about the child until recently, but the courts aren’t going to see it like that,” the attorney, Thomas