Showing up here was a bold move on her part and an act of war on mine. I’d warned her not to do anything drastic before getting that test, yet here she was trying to pull a fast one and invade my home like she already owned the place.
It wouldn’t surprise me if this was some sort of shake-down technique. Playing on the sympathies as a poor, widowed pregnant woman to my staff while giving me the middle finger in the process in a hope to gain some sort of loyalty. If she had anyhope that she could turn my own staff against me just because she’d been married to my father, she was out of her mind and league.
The smile on Ana’s face was brief before it was quickly smothered by the flat expression that replaced it. She continued to rub her belly at me, while behind her, Alexander Steele pushed his way past Jonas with a piece of paper pinched between his fingers.
“Mr. McAllister,” he greeted with a nod. “We have this to present to you.”
The second it was within reach, I snatched the paper out of his hand.
The header was from a local health clinic right outside of Ellington Heights, Ana’s name listed under the ‘party’ line, along with mine and the child’s.
Below that was a table with DNA markers that were checked, all accounting for different percentages of the DNA and whatever else had been tested with the small sample I’d gladly sent over the second I’d been requested to do so a few days ago.
Down at the bottom, right above the signature line of the clinic’s director, was a line that stated the DNA of the child had a 50% match to mine.
“As you can see,” Steele said. “The child is biologically related to you.”
No...
“It’s a boy,” Ana stated. Just to drive the knife in deeper.
How? How had this happened so long after he’d proudly gotten a vasectomy? How the fuck had she even talked him into it in the first place?
My father was the most stubborn man on this planet. He’d barely raised me, what sense did it make to have another that he’d soon abandon, too, once things got too tough?
Fear of his legacy? The impending pendulum of morality finally catching up to him?
I couldn’t wrap my head around it. No matter how many ways I tried to.
Without warning, my body swayed, the solid weight of two hands coming up to press against my back being the only things that kept me upright while my vision began to shift from red to seeing spots of black instead. I was holding the piece of paper so tightly in my hands that the edges of it were wrinkling.
What thefuck.
“Since we’ll need to negotiate the trust with this new information coming to light, my client requested access to the property to properly assess it and see what things she may want to negotiate for when we come to the table again.” Steele’s voice was quick and to the point. Something I’d normally appreciate in a lawyer if it wasn’t for the fact that my entire fucking life was falling apart at the moment.
This process was going to take much longer than a few sessions in Ted’s office while we argued over who got the family’s cast iron set and who got the titled sports cars in the attached garage. I’d have to wait for this child—my sibling—to grow up and divide everything fairly then.
Even as his mother, Ana had no claims to anything. She was merely the surrogate mouthpiece until his son was old enough to speak for himself. Until thecourtsdecided he was old enough to make these decisions on his own.
A little less than twenty years would be spent sitting with my thumb up my ass. Everything would be frozen. Untouchable.
My eyes locked on Ana again. “Just take the money. Whatever amount you want. Just take it.”
Her mouth twitched slightly. “No. I want the house.”
“Justtake the money.” I felt Brandon’s hands fisting in my shirt as I tried to step forward, keeping me from moving anyfurther than the spot my feet had been planted in. “You could buy another damn mansion with it. Just take the fucking money, Ana.”
“No. I want my son to grow up here. With his father’s things.”
“He’sdead,” I spat out. “It’s not going to bring him back. Your son’s not going to learn jack shit about that man while living under this roof. Take the money and move on.”
She gave me a firm shake of her head. “No. We stay here.”
“Avery,” Brandon mumbled softly to me while hooking an arm around my waist.
He kept me locked tight against his chest, not letting me advance on her or Steele. I’d never hit a woman before, never would either, but that wouldn’t stop me from dragging her and her fucking lawyer outside by whatever I could grab onto and throw them out of the house and slam the door shut behind them.
God, what thefuck.
