And would forever be the bane of Akira’s existence. Her family had been in the public eye prior to this show, but never quite like this. “I’ve already told you. No.”
“We were thinking of doing a family dinner, Akira. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Whatever part of her soul had craved family dinners with her father had died long ago. If it had ever existed. “No.”
“Akira, it would be a great angle. My daughter and Chloe’s kids, all at a table together?”
It would be a great angle, until she clawed someone’s eyes out. Not that she had a problem with clawing eyes out, but she wasn’t keen on getting the clawing on tape. Terrible for legal reasons. “You know the last time I saw him, your precious stepson Brandon called me his little china doll?”
“What? Were we filming?”
She closed her eyes. “Goodbye.”
“But it would be amazing.” Her father paused for dramatic effect. “A real yours, mine, and ours moment.”
Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, fuck. Her lips barely moved. “What are you saying?”
“I wanted to wait to announce it at the dinner, but I suppose you have the right to know…Chloe and I are pregnant.”
She clenched her hand around the phone receiver, wishing it was her father’s neck. Did he think she would be overcome with sisterly affection for the fetus? That she would show up at the set of their show to support her new half-brother or -sister?
Jacob’s caressing voice, when he spoke to his half-sister, popped into her mind. No, this wasn’t the same at all. Her involvement with the unborn kid could be dealt with later. Only one thing was important right now. “Does she want it?”
“What?”
“Chloe. Does she want it?”
“What a silly question. Of course she wants it.”
“No,” she bit off. “It’s not a silly question. Not with you.”
There was a long pause. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And neither do you.” The words were low and threatening. Akira almost laughed. Like her father could threaten her with anything. A person had to care to feel a threat, and she made damn certain no one knew where her affections lay.
Bitterness rose in her throat, choking her. “You’re fucking ancient. Isn’t your sperm dead by now?”
“Watch your language.” Akira could visualize his hands clenching around the phone, his face turning red. Age was a sore spot for the man, which was probably why he tended to go for women half his age. Chloe was forty-eight to his almost seventy. Akira’s own mother had been eighteen when he’d snapped her up, well into his mid-thirties.
Grab them young, that was Daddy’s motto. The better to manipulate them.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to singe your virgin ears with my unladylike language. I’m just expressing my surprise you can get it up, let alone have any swimmers.”
“You…”
“What?” she asked, sweet as pie. “Bitch? Whore? Maybe you should bring the cameras back in so we can film you spewing your pet names for me. Such a wonderful moment we’re having, when you announce new spawn. I’m sure it will be as big a dick as all of Chloe’s other kids.”
“You will show her respect.”
“Uh, no. I don’t think I will, Father. Congratulations, by the way. I hope it’s yours and not that hot young tennis instructor Chloe hired.”
Her father’s voice was loud, a sure sign she had struck a nerve. “How do you know about the tennis instructor?”
“There’s always a tennis instructor. At least the instructor is employed, right?”That’s right, Daddy. Remember I succeeded where you failed. Remember if I had inherited the precious Mori empire, it would have thrived.
“You fucking bitch.”
Bitch. Cunt. Whore. She should thank her parents, really. By the time she had become an adult, those words had lost all power to hurt her.
She injected a note of false cheer into her voice. “This has been fun. I’ll call you on Father’s Day. Maybe we can go to brunch. Toodles, Daddy.” She ended the call with a quiet click, loath to give the fucking asshole dick the satisfaction of her slamming the phone down on him.
