She stopped in her tracks and sputtered, “I saw you from my window.”
“You should learn to mind your own damn business. Where I go, when, and why are none of your concern.”
“We’re having a baby together, Ridge,” she whispered.
“What does that have to do with your stalking tendencies? And that’s if you’re even telling the truth.”
Fiona’s face turned red, and I didn’t think it was from embarrassment. She was pissed. Good. Fuck her and her feelings.
“I brought coffee for everyone,” Fiona called out.
“Not taking anything you handled without witnesses,” I said. It caused a few people to hesitate before coming to grab their own cups.
Fiona picked one, seemingly at random, and drank from it without a hint of hesitation. She chose the cup, so that didn’t prove anything. It was easy enough for her to know which ones were laced with something and which weren’t.
“I thought you were pregnant?” a woman named Tania asked.
“Yeah, so?” Fiona rolled her eyes and dismissed the woman easily, but Tania was a shrewd one.
“Pregnant women aren’t supposed to indulge in caffeine, as it isn’t good for the babe.”
“That’s why they make decaf,” Fiona smarted back.
“Well, that cup says Locke on it. So, either you got everyone decaf, or you don’t care.”
“Or she’s not pregnant,” Nancy, my recently promoted, forty-year-old, married assistant mumbled. I had no choice but to bring her up to speed on the situation with Fiona, so there was no love lost between the two women. I was beginning to think that Nancy may have explained a few things to the staff we were working with in Melbourne as well, based on their attitudes toward my former assistant.
“You know what? I don’t even know why I try to do nice things for you,” Fiona huffed and turned to walk away.
“Neither do I,” I returned. “I would appreciate it if you would stop, as you have been told numerous times you aren’t welcome in this building.”
Fiona left after that, and I called back down to the security office for the building and made sure she was escorted all the way out with no detours and to reiterate that she was not to be allowed inside at all, for any reason. If she had an emergency, she could call triple zero like everyone else.
“If I could get away with disposing of her body…”
Nancy rolled her eyes but nodded along anyway. “We have all had similar feelings. You could take a break, get her back to the United States, and have a judge compel her to take a paternity test. At least then you would know for sure.”
“I’ve thought about it, but it feels wrong to drag another scandal to Violet’s doorstep. You know the press would lose their minds if they got a hold of any filings like that, or if Fiona ran her mouth for attention.”
“I think it’s odd that she hasn’t already done that. It’s not like they’re lacking for paparazzi in Australia. They would win a huge payday if they could scoop the paps in the US with news of a potential baby.”
“I’ve wondered the same thing.” Something about the fact that Fiona had purposely stayed quiet about being pregnant with my baby had me worried. At first, I thought she didn’t want the press involved because of the potential of someone in the know talking and exposing exactly how she got pregnant. There was video evidence, after all, and I wasn’t the only person to see it or have a backup copy just in case.
Then I figured maybe she was trying to prove she could be a better person, so I wouldn’t take my child from her. That screamed false to me, too. If that was her biggest concern, she could have had the baby in secret. Whatever her angle, something about it wasn’t adding up.
“Are you afraid your wife will find out?”
“She’s my ex-wife now and my parents said there is exactly zero chance Violet didn’t see the fucking press about the airport or that Fiona flew here on the same flight with me.”
“Don’t you want to call her and set the record straight?”
“To what end? She already divorced me.”
“Maybe so. Ms. Violet doesn’t deserve to be left thinking she did that for good reason, though. I don’t mean to overstep, but you didn’t fight the divorce and then the airport scandal…” Nancy’s voice trailed off but when I stayed silent, she continued her thought. “It probably feels to her like your supposed assault was a false narrative to try to hide your on-going affair.”
“I’ve never had an affair,” I growled.
“No, but that is the only conclusion you left your poor ex-wife with.” Nancy shook her head and swiped at a tear that snaked down her cheek. “I can’t imagine the absolute heartbreak Violet continues to endure because you won’t tell her the truth.”
