Chapter 17
Ridge
I glanced up from the plans for the new studio in the Docklands of Melbourne to see Fiona enter the building with what looked like a basket full of drinks.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You left for work early. I figured everyone could use some coffee.” I looked around to see who might have heard her.
The way she said it made it sound like she had first-hand knowledge that I left for work at a different time than usual, like it had been from a place I shared with her.
That couldn’t be further from the truth, I couldn’t tolerate another lie being spun about Fiona and me.
“How the hell would you know if I left early?” I snapped at her.
She stopped in her tracks and sputtered, “I saw you from my window.”
“You should learn to mind your own damn business. Where I go, when, and why are none of your concern.”
“We’re having a baby together, Ridge,” she whispered.
“What does that have to do with your stalking tendencies? And that’s if you’re even telling the truth.”
Fiona’s face turned red, and I didn’t think it was from embarrassment. She was pissed. Good. Fuck her and her feelings.
“I brought coffee for everyone,” Fiona called out.
“Not taking anything you handled without witnesses,” I said. It caused a few people to hesitate before coming to grab their own cups.
Fiona picked one, seemingly at random, and drank from it without a hint of hesitation. She chose the cup, so that didn’t prove anything. It was easy enough for her to know which ones were laced with something and which weren’t.
“I thought you were pregnant?” a woman named Tania asked.
“Yeah, so?” Fiona rolled her eyes and dismissed the woman easily, but Tania was a shrewd one.
“Pregnant women aren’t supposed to indulge in caffeine, as it isn’t good for the babe.”
“That’s why they make decaf,” Fiona smarted back.
“Well, that cup says Locke on it. So, either you got everyone decaf, or you don’t care.”
“Or she’s not pregnant,” Nancy, my recently promoted, forty-year-old, married assistant mumbled.
I had no choice but to bring her up to speed on the situation with Fiona, so there was no love lost between the two women.
I was beginning to think that Nancy may have explained a few things to the staff we were working with in Melbourne as well, based on their attitudes toward my former assistant.
“You know what? I don’t even know why I try to do nice things for you,” Fiona huffed and turned to walk away.
“Neither do I,” I returned. “I would appreciate it if you would stop, as you have been told numerous times you aren’t welcome in this building.”
Fiona left after that, and I called back down to the security office for the building and made sure she was escorted all the way out with no detours and to reiterate that she was not to be allowed inside at all, for any reason. If she had an emergency, she could call triple zero like everyone else.
“If I could get away with disposing of her body…”
Nancy rolled her eyes but nodded along anyway. “We have all had similar feelings. You could take a break, get her back to the United States, and have a judge compel her to take a paternity test. At least then you would know for sure.”
“I’ve thought about it, but it feels wrong to drag another scandal to Violet’s doorstep. You know the press would lose their minds if they got a hold of any filings like that, or if Fiona ran her mouth for attention.”
“I think it’s odd that she hasn’t already done that. It’s not like they’re lacking for paparazzi in Australia. They would win a huge payday if they could scoop the paps in the US with news of a potential baby.”
“I’ve wondered the same thing.” Something about the fact that Fiona had purposely stayed quiet about being pregnant with my baby had me worried.
At first, I thought she didn’t want the press involved because of the potential of someone in the know talking and exposing exactly how she got pregnant.
There was video evidence, after all, and I wasn’t the only person to see it or have a backup copy just in case.
Then I figured maybe she was trying to prove she could be a better person, so I wouldn’t take my child from her. That screamed false to me, too. If that was her biggest concern, she could have had the baby in secret. Whatever her angle, something about it wasn’t adding up.
“Are you afraid your wife will find out?”
“She’s my ex-wife now and my parents said there is exactly zero chance Violet didn’t see the fucking press about the airport or that Fiona flew here on the same flight with me.”
“Don’t you want to call her and set the record straight?”
“To what end? She already divorced me.”
“Maybe so. Ms. Violet doesn’t deserve to be left thinking she did that for good reason, though.
I don’t mean to overstep, but you didn’t fight the divorce and then the airport scandal…
” Nancy’s voice trailed off but when I stayed silent, she continued her thought.
“It probably feels to her like your supposed assault was a false narrative to try to hide your on-going affair.”
“I’ve never had an affair,” I growled.
“No, but that is the only conclusion you left your poor ex-wife with.” Nancy shook her head and swiped at a tear that snaked down her cheek. “I can’t imagine the absolute heartbreak Violet continues to endure because you won’t tell her the truth.”
“We were trying to have a baby, Nancy. We were trying and it didn’t happen before our lives blew up. Don’t you think it would hurt her worse to know Fiona might have ended up pregnant when she didn’t?”
“She’ll know anyway when Fiona starts to show, or at the very least when the baby arrives, if it is yours. I think it will hurt Violet worse to learn about it with the rest of the world instead of being told privately by the person who should convey that information.”
“Great. I’ll take that under advisement.”
It was a dismissal, and Nancy didn’t bother to fight me on it. She left and I sunk into my desk chair and stared out over the Yarra River.
Fiona’s presence in Melbourne was a nuisance.
She had begged to have her old job back.
There were two problems with that. One, over my dead body would she work for me again after the shit she pulled, whether she carried my kid or not.
Two, she didn’t have a work permit for Australia, so it wasn’t possible even if I would make an exception.
I wasn’t sure where she was getting her money from, but it wasn’t me. It sure as fuck wasn’t my company. I vaguely remembered her telling me sometime in the past that she didn’t really need to work and only did so to keep from being bored.
No matter what her circumstances were, I had firm input from my company’s lawyer not to pay her a dime for anything, especially if she wouldn’t prove paternity of the baby.
They were concerned if I paid for anything, it would be seen as me supporting her financially.
While that wouldn’t affect the company’s bottom line per se, it would come back on me personally and maybe open a door for her to come after the company for wrongful termination.
Navigating the bullshit surrounding Fiona felt like walking a tightrope most days and that was without adding in what all of this was most likely doing to Violet, and she only knew the half of it.
A couple hours later as everyone was getting packed up to leave for the day, Tania approached me. “Mr. Westover, can I speak to you?”
“Of course,” I said.
“It’s of a private nature.”
My hackles immediately went on high alert. “Then maybe we should get Nancy over here to sit in.” I was shocked when Tania nodded her agreement. It only took a moment to flag Nancy down and we all ducked into the conference room and took a seat.
“What’s this about?” I asked as Nancy pulled out her phone and fiddled with it for a moment. I had no doubt she planned to record the conversation.
“Sorry, had to silence my upcoming alarms,” the woman offered slyly.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind if you record this,” Tania offered.
She had clearly seen through the ruse. “You’ve been in Melbourne for three and a half months already.
” When I said nothing, the woman nodded and carried on.
“Thing is, my cousin is preggers right now. She’s about four months along and her belly has this cute little pooch.
That’s nothing compared to the way her norks have grown. ”
Tania added a bit of context by holding her hands in a grabby motion near her own breasts. I wanted to laugh at the terminology, but then I thought I knew where this conversation was headed and there was nothing funny about it.
“Do you have a point to this, or would you like us to do something to help your cousin?” I asked.
“Fuck no! She got herself up the duff. I was thinking of her in relation to Ms. Fiona Iverson. That one claims to be preggers and would be at least a month further along, judging from what I know of your situation. Shouldn’t her body have changed?
She wore a somewhat loose Galah earlier, but the other day I saw her at the gym in the hotel.
She was in full spandex and not a bump in sight. ”
“Not everyone pops at the same time,” Nancy added.
“True. Still, I find it odd and thought you might want to keep it in mind.”
“Is that all, Tania?” I asked.
“Yes. Sorry to bother.”
“I appreciate you coming to me with your concerns,” I said before Tania got up and took her leave of us.
“She’s not the only one to take note of the lack of growth.”
“Makes me wonder what excuse she’ll give if I ask her about it,” I pondered aloud.
“Either record her answer or be sure you have a witness along if you confront her. Once she thinks the jig is up, I have a feeling things will get ugly.”