Page 59 of Vexatious Queen

Patricia nodded and turned to leave.

“Oh, and Patricia…”

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob and looked back.

“I expect to know who Victoria’s father is before the divorce is finalized, or I will start digging. You really don’t want me to do that.”

Her face morphed into a mask of rage, but she wisely kept silent and slipped out the door.

Unbelievable.

Marcus walked in as I swiped my phone off the desk.

“Sorry, we wouldn’t have let her in at all, but she had Victoria with her,” he said, closing the door behind him.

“Patricia certainly knows how to manipulate a situation.”

I walked over to fix myself another drink and then poured a second for Marcus. I held it out to him.

“Thanks.”

“She still won’t tell me who Victoria’s father is. Have you ever heard any rumors?”

He shook his head.

“No, for such a big mouth, she certainly knows how to keep a secret when she wants to. What are you going to do?”

“I hate to have to do a DNA test, but the more she refuses to tell me, the more worried I become about why she won’t just say.”

I tapped my phone on my chin as I had a thought.

“It’s not you, is it?”

Marcus spat the scotch back into the glass as he choked and then gasped for air. He glared at me as I laughed.

“Asshole.”

“Thought I better ask,” I said, wandering over to the window.

“No, you just wanted to see me throw up in my mouth,” he grumbled.

He was right. Marcus would never have been able to keep that secret from me for eighteen years. He parked himself on my leather couch and took another sip.

“I feel you glaring at me.”

“You do know that I will never get that out of my head, right? Every time she shows up, I’m going to picture it, and…ugh…it would be like sleeping with demon sludge,” he said, still gagging.

“Demon sludge…that’s a new one.”

I tried to remember who Patricia had hung out with back then, but I’d avoided her as much as possible. We only had family meals to keep up appearances.

“I’ll see if I can make it part of the divorce proceedings. I really don’t want to ask Victoria to do the sample. This has been difficult for her as it is.”

Unlocking my phone, I hit Mr. Valentino’s number. It went to voicemail after three rings.

“Mr. Valentino, I’m still waiting on that footage. Maybe I didn’t make myself clear when we spoke earlier. Get me the footage, or I will retrieve it personally, and neither of us wants that to happen.”

I hit end and looked at Marcus.