Page 146 of Rules

I narrow my eyes at her. “Then I guess he’ll have to make time…”

Without waiting for her response, I turn around and walk down the hallway.

“Miss, you can’t…”

She starts running after me. I know because I can hear the clicking sound of her high heels following behind, but I’m faster. Wrapping my hand around the cool metal knob, I pull the door open.

He’s sitting behind his big mahogany desk, phone glued to his ear as he goes over some papers. As soon as the door swings open, his head snaps up. His green eyes narrow in anger, but when he realizes who’s standing at the door, I can see them grow wide in surprise.

“We need to talk,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the doorway casually. In reality, I felt anything but casual standing on the opposite side of the room from the man who is my father. No, not my father, my sperm donor.

In my eighteen years on this planet, I’ve never been closer to him, and if I didn’t need him, I probably wouldn’t even be here now.

His throat bobbles as he swallows hard before speaking to whoever’s on the other end of the phone. “I’m sorry, George. I’ll have to call you later.” Then he hangs up without waiting for an answer.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Hill.” His secretary pants behind me. “I tried to stop her but… I’ll escort her out immediately.”

Her hand wraps around my upper arm, but I pull it out of her touch just as he says, “Miss Taylor will stay. You can leave us now, Natasha.”

Looking over my shoulder, I give her my best smug smile, before entering the room and closing the door in her face. The smile falls as soon as she’s gone, anxiety returning in full swing. What the hell am I doing? This was a mistake. One huge, stupid…

“Why are you here?”

Taking one deep breath to compose myself, I turn on the balls of my feet and face the man I came to see. He’s leaning in his black leather chair, his hands clasped on his stomach. His mask is back in place as he sits in his three-piece suit. His dark brown hair, streaked with grays, is still rich and neatly styled. A casual smile plays on his lips as those green eyes observe me carefully, almost like a predator.

Observing him like this, up close, I can see some resemblance.

Would I have noticed before? If I had ever gotten a chance to be close to him, would I have known he’s the guy who fathered me? The guy with whom I share DNA? Or do I see the resemblance now because I know who he is?

“I need your help.”

One eyebrow arches. “Do tell.”

“I… I heard your conversation with Josephine.” I push a strand of hair out of my face, looking away. “I know she’s been blackmailing you. Threatening she’ll tell everybody you knocked her up and left her be. Threatening she’ll tell the world about me being your daughter, and with your political career just starting…”

The words stay hanging in the air, silence stretching until I finally lift my gaze.

“What happened to your face?” His eyes zero on the right side of my face.

Lifting my fingers, I trace the cut on my cheekbone, feeling the tender skin underneath, and it makes me hiss softly. I almost forgot about that, as much as you can forget a shiner.

“I was a klutz,” I say, shrugging nonchalantly. “Crashed into a door.”

“Mhmm…” He doesn’t believe me, not that I expect him to, but he doesn’t probe further. “So what do you want? Your own piece of the pie? Because mommy dearest is already getting hers, and keeping her mouth shut ain’t cheap.”

Of course it isn’t. Financing her addictions is anything but cheap.

Coming closer, I stop right in front of his desk. “What if you didn’t need to pay her a dime anymore?”

This gets his attention.

Leaning forward, he pops his elbows on the desk, his chin resting on his intertwined fingers. “And how would that happen?”

I watch him, look into those green eyes that look so similar to my own. A million thoughts run through my mind, a million possibilities, yet I know there is only one option. One option, one choice, that I should have taken years ago. One choice that I was destined to make, but everything that happened, especially in the last few months, made me believe that maybe, just maybe, there was hope for me.

But I was only kidding myself.

There is only one option.

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