“I hope you’re not feeling bad for him. He deserves everything he’s getting.”
She should feel the same way. But she couldn’t quite convince her heart. “I was just hoping this scandal doesn’t impact the book sales—or the movie for that matter.”
“Sometimes controversy actually helps. I mean, people are talking about it and that’s half the battle, right?”
“I hope so.” Her phone buzzed. Chloe was reluctant to check it. She was tired of blocking media calls. And the hope of hearing from Liam always made her heart palpitate—which was stupid since she’d blocked his number.
“Aren’t you gonna check that?”
She pulled out her phone and peered at the screen. The foreign number on the phone had her ready to block the call. But a second glance revealed the call’s origin: Hartford, Connecticut.
She glanced up at Sean. It couldn’t be...
“What?” he asked.
It had to be a coincidence. Or a reporter calling from the same city where her father lived. But what if it wasn’t? Should she answer? If it was just a reporter, she could simply say, “No comment,” and hang up.
With trembling fingers she accepted the call. “Hello?”
The line filled with five full seconds of silence.
“Hello?” she repeated, her voice trembling on the word.
“Is this—is this Chloe?” It was a woman’s voice.
“Yes...”
“This is, um, this is Tiffany. Tiffany Daniels?”
Chloe blinked at Sean.
“I don’t even know if you know about me. I’m your half sister.”
A sudden coldness spread through Chloe’s core. This was the girl who’d stolen her father’s affection. The daughter he’d chosen. Her brain scrambled for a hold. “I—I know who you are.”
Sean frowned, mouthing,What?
“I’m sorry to reach out like this, so out of the blue. I hope you won’t be upset that I called. But I just had to talk to you, and I couldn’t see showing up on your doorstep.”
“No, this is fine,” she said rotely. But was it fine? Part of herwanted to hate the woman. The other part was curious about who she was—and why she might be calling.
Sean leaned forward. “Who is it?”
She covered the speaker. “Tiffany Daniels.”
His head jolted back even as his eyes went wide.
Tiffany was talking, but Chloe interrupted. “Sorry, uh, Tiffany, but I actually have Sean with me right now. My brother. Can I put you on speakerphone?”
“Yes. Yes, absolutely. I couldn’t find his number.”
Chloe tapped the button. “You’re on speaker now.”
“Hi, Sean.”
“Hey.” His voice sounded dazed. Chloe could hardly blame him.
“So just a few days ago,” Tiffany said, “I found out about that article online—the one about my dad.Ourdad. I can’t tell you how shocked and horrified I was. I couldn’t believe he’d done something like that all those years ago. It seemed so contrary to everything I’ve known about him, I thought it had to be a lie. But since then I’ve talked with my parents, and I know now it’s the truth. Honestly, I think I’m still in shock.”
