“I won’t shy away from my fatherly duties if the child is truly mine. I just hope that Amelia will not give me a hard time when the time comes.”
He made a sour face at the mention of her name. “I’ll support you all the way.” He made a long, dragging sigh. “I just wished, you know, you did things differently… instead of agreeing to everything she and your mother orchestrated.”
How did I explain the dark cloud that hovered above me? There were no words to exactly explain the ceaseless numbness I was going through... “I’ve regretted it more than anyone would know, but as much as I would like to dwell on this enormous mishap, I’d rather focus on moving forward.”
There were moments where I wanted to keep berating myself and ponder about all the “what ifs”, but I had realized that doing that wouldn’t achieve anything. I could at least be thankful for having enough sense to get out of it as early as possible, and before things got even more complicated.
Chad looked thoughtful a moment. “You’re right, boo. You’re a good man. As much as you would do the right thing, it’s killing you inside. If it were another woman, I wouldn’t agree to this, but since we’re talking about that Spanish tramp, I’d even go as far as serving those papers to her just so I could bask in her discomfort,” he said with no ounce of jest in him. He meant each word, of that there was no doubt.
I smiled at his serious face. “I appreciate the offer, but my lawyers have it handled.” Chad was a passionate man, and when someone crossed him or anyone he cared about, he launched with all of his claws out.
“Good.” He sipped his coffee before he slammed it back down on the counter. “Now, Mighty Knightly mentioned something about you starting a Hedge Fund firm. Let’s get to that, shall we?”
I smirked, grateful for this bugger in my life. “Yes, sir.”
He gave me a scathing look. “Madam, Toby. Duh.”
Of course, how dare I forget about that teeny bit. “Apologies, kind, bitchy Madam.”
He simply rolled his eyes at me before I saw him gather his laptop from the nearby sofa.
My friends, they were an awesome breed for sure.
After hours locked in the study, Chad somehow became my assistant, willing to call, email and fax whoever was needed. It was surprising to know that Blake had made sure that this chap was here to help out since the very man himself wasn’t available to give his intellectual insight. I supposed it was an amazing thing I had gotten a financial whiz as my best friend. He certainly came in handy when I needed answers to my trivial questions.
Though my life was shit and my love life in the gutter, my friends were always there to count on. The small blessings in life were the kind of positivity I could focus on.
I was just in the process of shutting my laptop off when I heard a loud thud coming from outside. Chad and I gave each other a knowing look before we abruptly stood up to check what the commotion was about.
Striding next to me, Chad was giving a less subtle grunt as we reached the foyer. The loud banging kept on as I yanked the door open. When I did, why wasn’t I a bit surprised that it was Amelia?
Sighing at the sight of her small, protruding belly, I gave her a tired look. “Need you bang my door as if you’re calling on death?”
I had known this was coming, but I hadn’t expected it quite so soon.
She sucked in her breath before spitting a nasty look towards Chad then at me. “I am not signing those damn papers!” she screeched before she brushed past me and strode inside my home, uninvited.
Shutting the door, I barely heard the click before I spun around and felt the heavy slap of her palm smacking against my unprepared cheek. I riled from the sharp pain. Though I knew she was going overboard, I had to consider that she was hormonal and irrational. Touching the hot, tender spot of my cheek, I gently rubbed it as my temper started to build nicely.
“Aw, hell to the motherfucking no! Don’t you fucking dare touch him, you stupid, little shit!” Chad growled behind me. I gave him a pleading look to step back.
Amelia’s dark eyes looked possessed as she shook with fury. “What? You left me to be with a man? Are you gay now? Is that why you left?” she screamed into my face. “I don’t fucking care! No man is leaving me again, you understand? I won’t fucking let you!”
Oh, she really was taking it there. “Amelia, you must control yourself,” I gritted out as I mentally coached myself to remain calm.
She gave me a scathing snort. “Fuck you. Fuck all you British, cold men! I made one fucking mistake, and now I have to deal with all this bullshit!”
I was almost sure she was referring to Blake Knightly. “Hence the divorce.”
She went berserk with that comment. “There will be no divorce! I’d rather die than make that happen. You won’t leave me—i won’t let you!”
Some said that the Spanish temper was something to admire. That at times, women deemed to be sexy, like how Penelope Cruz had been in Vicky Christina Barcelona. That might be true for some, but I assure you, there was nothing sexy about a raving banshee that was going out of control.
It took every ounce in me to sound calm and patient since I was raving mad within, however I knew lashing out wouldn’t solve anything. “Well then, I suppose we should let the courts decide that, won’t we?” I gave her a stern, undeterred look. “Can I get you some water? You look like you’re about to faint.”
She fumed silently, sending iced daggers at me.
We were in for a long battle, I supposed.
+++
“Dude, that bitch is crazy!” Chad could hardly contain himself as he took short breaths, shaking his head.
I couldn’t agree more. Her visit had only served to seal my fear that she wasn’t going to give up without a fight. Amelia would rather drag it out, maybe out in public to seek sympathy, thus making my family pressure me further. It was what she had done in the beginning. And since my mother was all for fame and fortune due to Amelia’s family connections and common aspirations as my family, the two had gotten along more than well. They had become best buds, even to the point where my mother had called her the daughter she’d never had.
Slumping on the nearest sofa, I slung my head back with my eyes closed as I felt the heavy throb of my pulse on my temples. My blood pressure was skyrocketing because I was beyond mad, yet I couldn’t do much about that. As Knightly’s close friend, I had learned to keep my temper after I had witnessed the bastard get in trouble with that fiery Italian blood running through his veins. I had only ever witnessed him lose it completely with Sienna—it was like a champagne bottle being shaken before the cork popped, blasting all the contents out in one big explosion. He and I were so much alike, but the only difference with me was that I sort of knew how to pull back and control my temper when need be.