Chapter 21 #2
“I hope she don’t start yelling like she always do,” Kian muttered.
“Excuse me?” Tachina said.
“She always yells when talking to Dad.” He tried to mimic her voice and failed miserably. The channels he was on was now in Russian.
She couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed the remote from him.
“Hey!”
“Honey, let me help you out.” She punched in the numbers that would put him where he needed to be. “Here. Now you can decide on what we are watching until your father is done talking with her.”
She couldn’t even say the woman’s name without scowling.
“Thanks, Mommy. I was just looking to see what was on.” He curled into her side and continued his search.
“Sure you were,” she muttered. She kissed his forehead.
Kian hummed to himself, happy in his own little world.
Tachina placed her arm around him and absorbed the warmth of his small frame.
This was what truly mattered. Her son’s happiness meant the world to her.
She had finally settled down and felt comfortable again.
She and Vic would work things out while spending time as a family with their son.
Her eyes kept drifting toward the hallway.
Her pulse thudded in her chest.
That woman in there with Vic was determined to ruin everything.
Now Tachina was filled with tension.
Fear.
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
What if Sydney was here to try to take Vic back?
The soft click of the office door sounded louder than it should have.
Like a trapdoor sealing shut. Vic moved and flicked on the lights.
His office looked the same as it always did with its dark wood paneling, sleek built-in bookshelves filled with textbooks, portfolios he’d collected, and a few framed photographs.
Two leather wingback chairs sat across from his polished mahogany desk, and a large Persian rug muted their footsteps.
Tonight, the air felt tense enough to snap.
No sooner had he turned to face her than Sydney surged forward, arms outstretched and lips puckered up for a kiss. He caught her by her shoulders and shoved her back before her mouth even came close to his.
“What the hell are you doing?” he growled.
Sydney blinked, surprised, as if she had expected him to kiss her. She ran her hands over her wool skirt and tilted her chin upward.
“I came to see you.” Her lips curled up in a seductive manner.
How had he ever been attracted to her, he would never know.
She took a step toward him and reached for him again. “I missed you, Victor. I figured now was as good a time as any to—”
“Stop.” He clenched his jaw and held his hand up.
She paused, and a momentary look of confusion crossed her face, then it disappeared.
“You do not show up at my house. Not ever. Not uninvited.”
“What? I used to live here.” She smirked.
“This was never your home.”
She ignored his comment and sashayed past him and seated herself in one of the leather chairs as if she owned it. She crossed her legs and gave a hefty sigh.
“You’re being dramatic,” she whispered. She flung her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Let’s talk like adults.”
Vic moved to stand before his desk. He folded his arms and stared at her. Disbelief filled him as he took her in. She had some nerve to show up here and act like she had done no wrong. Hell, in her eyes, she probably felt as if she hadn’t.
“You have exactly five minutes,” he said.
“Five minutes?” she scoffed. “Victor, come on. I’m here because we need to discuss what’s best for us. Your image.”
“My image?” He narrowed his eyes on her.
“Yes,” she breathed. A calculated glint appeared in her eyes.
“You can finish having your fun with your baby momma, but the media needs to see a reconciliation between us. Think about it. They love seeing us together. We are the power couple people root for. It’s practically a disservice for us not to be together.
This will help with your company’s brand. ”
His fury turned sharp and deadly.
“You did not just say that,” he bit out through clenched teeth.
How dare she come into his home and not only insult Tachina and render her to a stereotype but she tried to get back together with him when he’d expressed many times before that he wasn’t interested.
Tachina had always been more to him than a ‘baby momma’. She was his son’s mother.
“Don’t pretend you’re not aware of what you represent. You’re Maxwell and Sons. You run a billion-dollar company, come from a strong family with long ties, a community pillar. You don’t need someone dragging your reputation down. You need someone with pedigree. With name value. Someone like me.”
She leaned back with a wide smile as if pleased with her pitch to him.
“You are talking about the mother of my child.” His voice hardened. He clenched his fists together and kept them against his body.
“Oh, please.” She gave a dramatic eyeroll.
“She trapped you once and she’s trying to do it again.
Don’t be na?ve. You know she wants your money.
I’ll compromise with you. If you want to keep her on the side—fine.
Just don’t bring any more bastards into the world with her.
Once we get married, only our children will matter and be your true heirs. ”
“What?” He couldn’t believe his ears.
But Sydney ignored him and kept going.
“You think she’s not using you? Victor, darling, wake up.
You deserve someone who will add to your worth.
Just think how much it will mean to have our two families merge.
I’m the better choice for you. Not someone who’s climbing into your life just to use you as a ladder.
” Her tone was very condescending and arrogant.
It represented everything she was. A rich woman who thought she deserved to get what she wanted.
He drew in a slow, deep breath. He sat on the edge of his desk and leveled her with his cold gaze. Many men could barely hold it when he locked in on them. The rage that burned inside him was teetering on a level he had never experienced before.
“You really think you’re the one who adds value to me?”
“Why of course, darling. You know I do, and I forgive you. For sleeping with her. I’m sure you were doing it while we were together. I mean, I know a man like you has certain needs and I was very busy with my work. We’ll just keep her tucked away for you.”
“Sydney, look at me.” He leaned forward slightly.
She did with a smug smirk on her lips. She thought she’d won.
“I don’t want you. I will never want you. You are not good enough for me.”
Her eyes widened slightly. He could see her scrambling to find something to counteract what he was saying, but he didn’t let her speak.
“You will never be able to measure up to her,” he continued. “Not in class, not in heart, not in purpose. Everything about you is shallow, and everything about her is worth protecting. She is the mother of my son. She is the mother of my unborn child. She is who I want.”
Sydney’s nostrils flared. The mask was beginning to crack.
“Victor—”
He slashed his hand in the air and cut her off. He wasn’t done with her yet. She’d come to his house uninvited, then he was going to let her have everything that was on his mind.
“You think this is a game? I’ve told you over and over to keep her name out of your mouth, to respect Kian’s mother, but you don’t listen. You think I’m the ticket out of whatever you’re drowning in? I know exactly why you want to marry me. I know why you are so damn desperate.”
“You don’t know anything.” Her spine went rigid as her eyes narrowed on him.
“I know your family has debt deep enough to sink every one of your father’s business interests.”
The color slowly faded from her face. Her eyes grew wider.
“And marrying into money is your only chance at staying afloat. You’re not fooling anyone—me—anymore.”
Hmmm…she hadn’t thought he would find out.
It had taken only a few calls after he’d got off the phone with his mother to look into Sydney’s family and their financial affairs. What he’d found explained everything.
She stood abruptly, the chair scraping backward a few inches. No longer was she the woman who was picture-perfect and in control. This woman looked as if she’d just lost everything she had banked on.
“You wanted access. You wanted power and you thought I was stupid enough to give it to you because we were together.” He snorted. “And you had the nerve to label her a gold digger.”
“If you say one word about my family to anyone…” She clenched her jaw.
“I’m going to say plenty if you keep poking around into my life.” He let his voice drop low and cold with an unspoken promise. “Stay away from my family or else.”
“Or else what?” she snapped. Her eyes blazed with fury. The mask was gone, and this was the real woman standing before him.
“I’ll ruin you.” He stepped forward and stood toe to toe with her. “I’ll drown you so deep and let the media do what they do best. You want to be in the limelight so bad, I’ll make sure you are front and center.”
“You can’t threaten me,” she spat.
“I just did.”
Their eyes locked in a battle of wills, then without another word, Sydney spun on her heel and stormed to the door. She ripped it open with such force it banged against the wall.
A few seconds later, another slam echoed through the house.
Vic exhaled slowly. He walked to the entrance of his office and stood in the doorway. He gripped the doorknob to steady himself. He needed to calm down before he joined Tachina and Kian. He didn’t want his son to see him angry.
He went and checked to make sure the front door was locked, then he went into the family room. He found Kian on the floor with his blankie watching one of his favorite shows while Tachina sat on the couch.
“Dad! Is it movie time now?” Kian perked up when he saw Vic.
“It is, but it’s getting late. We may not be able to watch all of it. You have school tomorrow.” Vic forced a smile.
Kian nodded and grabbed the remote. It always amazed Vic how his son knew how to work all the electronic stuff in the house at such a young age.
Vic crossed the room and sank onto the couch next to Tachina. Her eyes were shadowed with worry. He didn’t give her a chance to ask anything. He pulled her gently to him and wrapped an arm around her. He pressed a kiss on her hairline.
“She won’t be bothering us anymore,” he murmured.
The relief in her gaze nearly brought him to his knees. Had she been worried that something was going on between him and Sydney? She nodded slowly with nothing but trust in her eyes.
The movie started with animated music filling the room. Kian giggled at the opening sequence, but Vic didn’t see a single part of the movie. His mind wasn’t on the television right now.
It was on the woman in his arms, who was warm and soft and carrying their future.
He rested one hand on her stomach. He needed to feel Tachina right now. Being with her grounded him.
He didn’t need any of what Sydney said he did.
This was what he needed.
His family.
The woman he loved.