Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Her eyes widened as she leaned farther forward. “What?” The word was said so quietly I couldn’t hear it properly over the noise of the other people in the room with us, but I was able to read her lips perfectly as well as the horrified expression on her face.
“You heard me. A man called Harry Owens got his friend, Joshua Reagan, to date me to find out where his uncle’s money is. He wants it back. I mean, I’ll never have that amount of money, but if I were in his shoes, I’d be wanting it back, too. I also don’t know how I didn’t spot the bank statement when I was packing everything up, but I do know it’s never been in your bank account because I watch it and pay whatever needs to be paid out of it for the house and any repairs it needs.”
When we’d rented out the house, we’d decided to put the rental income into her account after the authorities had unfrozen it for any repairs and taxes, as well as any emergencies that me and my sisters and brother might have. I checked it regularly and knew exactly what had been paid into and out of it since the day she’d been locked up, and she knew this.
Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she slowly shook her head. “I swear, Eva, I’ve never had any of that money. I didn’t even know he’d taken twenty million from someone. I mean, holy shit, that’s…” she shook her head, looking almost sick. “I could never do that.”
“But you did do that. That’s why we’re sitting here right now,” I pointed out as I watched her, trying to gauge if I believed her or not. “And what account is the one hundred thousand in?”
Mom frowned. “He never gave me that money. The agreement was that I’d get paid when I got out of here.” The second the words were out, her mouth shut with an audible click as her teeth hit each other.
“No, don’t you dare do that,” I pointed at her mouth. “You’ve put us through hell with this whole shit show, so you explain what you meant by what you just said.”
Her bottom lip disappeared inwards as she chewed on it, and just when I was about to repeat what I’d said, she exhaled loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose, a move that brought back memories of her doing it when we were little.
“Okay. After Laura was born, I was struggling to make ends meet. You know I worked as a secretary for J.B. Browns law firm when I got pregnant with her, well, Roy was a friend of one of the partners, and that’s how we met.
“After I had Laura and went back to work, he came in one day and invited me out to dinner. I thought he was a nice guy and was charming, so I got excited and went.”
I hardly moved, keeping my breathing shallow, scared of missing one word that came out of her.
“After that first one, he asked me out again and again, and I thought we had a connection.” She huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. “How stupid was I. On the third date, Roy took me out to a restaurant with a private dining room. He told me he knew who your biological father was and that he’d sell the information to reporters if I didn’t do what he wanted.”
Dropping my eyes down to where her hands were tightly clenched together, I asked my first question. “Who’s my father? You said you didn’t know who it was.”
“Christian Kent.”
The name was familiar, but I wasn’t sure why. “Why do I know that name?”
“As in, Doctor Christian Kent, the man who was in the news and on the cover of magazines all around the world for going deeper than anyone ever has in the ocean and bringing back samples for scientists to analyze. You insisted I buy you copies and let you watch the interviews and programs on him.”
If I had been standing, I’d have likely fallen over.
“I-I- how?”
“All of his legal affairs were handled by the law firm I worked for at the time, the one I had to leave after I had you. We met when he came in to sign some contracts, and it all just grew from there.” She shrugged but had the good grace to look embarrassed. “I knew he was married, but he told me it was over.”
“Does he know about me?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “My boss correctly guessed that we were having an affair, and when I went on maternity leave to have you, they suggested that it’d be better for both of us if I didn’t return. I was told to think about what would happen to you if the story broke in the news that the man being praised and rewarded for what he’d done had an illegitimate child with a secretary who worked for his lawyer. When they phrased it that way, it made sense, so I quit.”