"You're resourceful. You'll explain it however you need to." He shuffled papers on his desk, the rustle unnaturally loud in the tense silence. "Results should be available by morning. I want it on file before lunch tomorrow."
"On file? With whom?" My fingers dug into my palms, nails leaving crescent moons in the flesh.
"My lawyers." He didn't look up. "Once paternity is confirmed, we'll discuss arrangements."
"Arrangements." The word tasted bitter, like copper pennies on my tongue. "You mean custody."
Now he looked at me, eyes hard as polished stone, the warm brown I'd once lost myself in now cold and unyielding. "Among other things."
"Cassian, please. Can we just talk about this? Like two adults who both want what's best for Leo?" I hated the pleading note in my voice, the way my hands shook as I clasped them together.
"Best for Leo?" Something dangerous flashed across his face, a ripple in still water. "What's best for my son is knowing who his father is. Having his rightful name. His rightful inheritance. His rightful place in this world."
"I understand you're angry—"
"Angry doesn't begin to cover it." He stood suddenly, palms flat on the desk, the sound making me flinch. "You had no right to keep him from me. No right to make that decision alone."
"You weren't there!" The words burst out before I could stop them, raw and painful in my throat. "You walked away, Cassian. You didn't leave a number, a last name, anything. What was I supposed to do?"
"You could have tried to find me." His jaw clenched, a vein pulsing at his temple.
"How? Search for arrogant billionaire with trust issues and hope you popped up?" I crossed my arms, feeling the rapid thud of my heart against my wrist. "I didn't even know your real name until—"
"Don't." His voice was lethal. "Don't you dare lie to me again. You admitted yesterday that you tracked me down years ago. Through conference attendee lists. That you've known I was Cassian Barone since Leo was a baby."
I froze, the lie dying on my lips.
"So spare me the innocent act, Isla. You found me. You knew who I was. And you chose to keep my son a secret for over two years." He leaned forward. "That's the truth we're working with now."
My cheeks burned with shame. He was right. "I was scared—"
"Then you should have been honest about that from the beginning. Instead of playing games.” His eyes held mine. "No more lies, Isla. Not about Leo. Not about anything."
"I was scared." The admission felt like ripping off a bandage, exposing the raw truth beneath.
"Of what?"
"Of this!" I gestured between us, the air crackling with tension. "Of you using your power, your money, your influence to take him away from me."
"And now?"
"Now I'm terrified." The admission cost me, but honesty was all I had left, my voice breaking on the words. "Because I look at you, and I don't see the man I spent the night with in Miami. I don't even see the boss I've worked for these past weeks. I see someone who views my son as property to be claimed."
"Our son." Each syllable precise, cutting.
"Yes. Our son." I took a deep breath, inhaling the lingering scent of coffee and his cologne. "Who loves his books and his dinosaur and who cries when the wrong person puts him to bed. Who needs stability and love and parents who can at least be civil to each other?"
Something flickered in Cassian's eyes—doubt, perhaps. Or maybe just calculation. For a moment, I glimpsed the man I'd met in Miami, vulnerable beneath the armor.
"You've had more than two years to speak," he said finally, the moment gone. "Now it's my turn."
He walked to the window, back rigid with tension, sunlight casting his silhouette in sharp relief. "The car will be waiting at four. Be ready."
I recognized the dismissal. There was nothing left to say, no argument that would reach him now. I turned to leave, dignity intact only through sheer force of will, the taste of defeat bitter on my tongue.
"Isla."
I paused at the door, not turning, the handle cool beneath my palm.
