Chapter 7
CHRISTOPHER
The anger inside me boils so hard I can only see red.
A part of me is afraid I might lose control and slap the woman standing in front of me.
Wouldn’t that be the cherry on top? After everything that happened, I could slap her.
That would be the end of everything. My career, my reputation, my relationship with Athena.
I bare my teeth, and if I could, I would roar. “You’re fucking insane,” I spit. “How could you treat your own daughter like this?”
She pulls her shoulders back, tilting her chin up.
Vera wants to act insulted, but she doesn’t care enough, not when she’s too busy being the center of attention.
“I know what’s best for her. I made great sacrifices to raise her well, and she has immense advantages because of the things I’ve done.
Because of the name I built. She might not see it right now, with a predator looming so close, but one day she’ll be grateful. ”
“God, Vera, how can you be so self-centered?” I spit, shaking my head.
It’s amazing how blind she is. She can only see herself.
“Athena deserves to live her life. She doesn’t want the weight of your name.
Can’t you see that? Your name is famous, yes, and that creates prejudice.
People think Athena is only getting things because of who her mother is, not because of her own set of skills. ”
Vera bats a hand in dismissal. “Nonsense. No one thinks that.” But she can hear the whispers; she knows what these people think. She just doesn’t want to face it. “Besides, how is that a bad thing? Starting in a new field with a helping hand should be everything everyone wants.”
She doesn’t get it. She doesn’t get it, and she doesn’t want to.
This woman is a lost cause. I’m yapping at her as if she were a wall—blind and deaf and unable to understand other people’s feelings, even her own daughter’s.
This is useless. “You shouldn’t have come,” I tell her, my shoulders dropping in defeat.
“You ruined her day. She wanted to find out about the contest herself.”
Vera opens her mouth to say something, I bet a snarky reply, but I don’t care anymore. I show her my back and shove my way into the crowd, gaze combing the place after Athena. God, I do not know how she’s lived this long with her mother. Lack of options, I’m sure.
“You’re not going after my daughter, I hope,” she calls from behind. “She’s too young for you!” Her voice diminishes. It’s obvious she’s not following me. No, she wants to stay in the spotlight, in the middle of the crowd, the place she loves best.
“Someone has to fix the mess you made,” I shoot back over my shoulder. “And I love her for who she is, so I am going after her.”
The crowd seems to take a breath. If Vera has heard me, she doesn’t say a thing.
I stride out of the hall toward the elevators, then ride up the floors to the one we’re occupying.
Things were supposed to go differently today.
Athena was going to meet me downstairs for the first couple of panels.
We’d have brunch together in that place she said she wanted to go to.
I would tell her about my feelings over a glass of champagne and ask her to give us a chance.
She would be all happy and bubbly by the time they announced the contest winner—her—and that would be the crown of our day.
A perfect beginning to our relationship.
Instead, her mother ruined the whole thing. It’s up to me now to fix it.
Striding down the corridor, I make a beeline to her door, ignoring the people calling out for me. I knock twice. She doesn’t answer. I press my forehead to the wood, hoping I won’t have to tell her what’s in my heart in public. She wouldn’t like it. A minute later, the door opens.
Athena stands on the threshold, her eyes red-rimmed, her lips pursed. The sight of pain on her face breaks me. I almost drop to my knees.
“Oh, God,” I breathe out, shoving inside and taking her in my arms. Athena flings her arms around my waist, and a new wave of sobs takes over her. “That horrible woman. I’m so sorry you had to live with her, my love.”
I pick her up in my arms and enter the room, kicking the door shut behind me.
Athena hides in the crook of my neck, crying her heart out.
Every quiver of her shoulders makes me want to go back to the lobby and slap her mother.
Shit, I shouldn’t be daydreaming of slapping a woman, no matter the shit she’s done in life.
Sitting down on the bed, I put Athena on my lap and hug her close. I stroke circles on her back, brush her hair away from her face and let her put all that pain out. Once her sobs slow down and she catches her breath, I turn her face up and kiss her tears away.
“She’s awful,” Athena murmurs, her voice broken.
“She is,” I agree, cupping her cheek. “But you won’t have to see her again if you don’t want to.
I’ll make sure of it. The second we’re done here, I’m calling my lawyer to set up a restraining order.
This woman only thinks of her reputation.
She loves power too much, and she doesn’t care if she’s hurting you in the meantime. ”
Athena frowns. “A restraining order? We don’t need to go that far.”
I kiss her eyes. “First, we curse her, then when we’re calmer, we’ll think of a solution.
Together.” Restraining order is still way up on my list. It would guarantee she can’t go anywhere near Athena and give me the chance of calling the cops on her.
“I’m so sorry you had to live with her for so long. ”
Athena takes a deep breath and releases it. “Not an option when you’re young and unemployed. Now I have a job, so I can pay for my rent. It has been a while since I last saw her.”
“And not long enough, I bet.”
Athena tilts the corner of her lip up. “That’s true.” Her eyes dance up my face to lock with mine. “Thank you. You didn’t have to defend me.”
“Of course I had. Any sane person would.”
“But she was openly calling you a predator for being with me. You didn’t have to get mixed into it. You could have stepped away.”
And I hear the unsaid. She thinks I could have stepped away to preserve my reputation and let her get burned by herself. She doesn’t think I take this as seriously as I do. Athena is afraid of getting hurt after being wounded so many times by her own mother.
I cup her face in my hands. “Athena. I would never let you get burned like that without doing something.”
“Why?” And she presses her brows together. “We’re not really a thing. Are we?”
“Do you really think I could let you walk away after this week?” I let out a chuckle.
“Athena. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.
You’re perfect. We have fun together, and you make me want to be a better man for you.
You’re smart and the most gorgeous and hottest woman I’ve ever seen.
A man would have to be mad to let you go. ”
Her cheeks tinge pink, but her eyes glow with the compliments. “So, you want to stay?”
I would drop on one knee and propose right now if I had a ring, but that might be too fast for her. “I don’t think I could walk away, even if you kicked me out.”
She laughs. God, she laughs. The sound of it makes my heart swell. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
“Good.” I press our foreheads together. “Because I’m in love with you, and nothing would hurt me more than that.”
Her eyes go round. “You are? But isn’t it... too early?”
“I don’t care. You had me from the moment we met. I knew you were special, and the more I learned about you, the more I was sure we were meant to be. What’s the point of postponing if I already know what I want?”
She smiles. “And you want me?”
“More than anything.”
She tilts her chin up, and I press our lips together in a sweet kiss. Fuck, she tastes amazing, like every other time. There’s something so inherently her about the way she tastes that gets me a little more addicted every time I kiss her.
Athena parts her lips to say something and I press my forefinger to her lips, stopping her. “You don’t need to answer,” I say. “Don’t force yourself. I’m in love for the first time in my life, but you can take your time. I’ll make sure you’ll never want another man.”
To my surprise, she wraps her lips around my finger and sucks on it, letting it pop free after a moment. “No need. I love you, too. You already have me.”
I hiss. “Fuck, woman. You have no idea what you just started.”
She circles her hips over my hardness, her eyes growing darker with lust. “Oh, but I think I do.”