Page 135 of Anti-Hero

At first, I think I’m in for another round of silent treatment.

When my dad speaks, his voice is dangerously low and even. A tone I haven’t heard since the whole Monaco police incident Collins loves to rib me about. “Collins? CollinsTate?”

I exhale. “Yes.”

He laughs. It’s incredulous, not amused. “You knocked up yourassistant, Christopher? An employee at the company?”

“She wasn’t my assistant at the time.” I doubt my dad’s bothered todo the math back from May yet. “And she’s not my assistant anymore.”

They’re both weak arguments, but technically true. It could be worse.

Dad frowns. “Not your assistant anymore? What do you mean?”

“Her last day was the week before Christmas. She’s working at a law firm now.”

Rather than appear relieved, my dad looks even angrier. “Youfiredher?”

I scowl, pissed off by the assumption. “What? No. Of course not. She wanted to leave. Changing jobs was her decision.”

“This is unbelievable. A lawsuit waiting to happen. You understand that, right? I can only assume that’s why you hid?—”

“I didn’t hide anything,” I retort. “I’ve just been waiting for the right … time to tell you.”

“You mean, you were waiting until she no longer worked for you.” My dad shakes his head. “That’s not a magical solution. How could you have been so …” My dad tilts his head back, staring at the ceiling.

“I get you’re upset, Dad. But a lawsuit isn’t something you need to be concerned about. Collins wouldn’t?—”

“You don’t know what she would or wouldn’t do. You’re not married to this woman, Christopher. You’ve known her for a few months! We’re not just talking about your trust fund, although your personal finances are a concern. You’ve opened theentirecompany to a massive liability. I thought you’d outgrown being this careless and irresponsible and?—”

“She. Wouldn’t. Do. That.” I emphasize each word my father doesn’t seem to be hearing.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket. “I need to let Oliver and the legal department know about the situation immediately. After she signsan NDA, then we can deal with?—”

“She’s not signing a damn thing, Dad. You want to know why I didn’t tell you sooner?This. We’re not talking about a business transaction here. We’re talking about the mother of my child.”

“If you hadn’t hired her at Kensington Consolidated, I’d agree this was your decision, albeit an ill-advised one. But your naivete is not going to be what topples a company worth billions, employing thousands, that’s been in our family for generations. And your recent choices have me second-guessing if you should be a part of that company at all.”

He strides past me, toward the elevator.

“Dad,” I snap.

“What?” He turns, focused on his phone. Probably emailing his legal team.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He glances up. “Forgetting what?”

“We can cancel dinner. But I thought somewhere between lecturing me and legal documents, it might occur to you to saycongratulations.”

My dad shakes his head. “Don’t try to turn this around on me, Christopher. You are the one who lied for months. If I hadn’t seen that”—he points toward the crib—“I’d still be in the dark. Keeping a secret like that? That’s not the son I raised.”

I stare, stunned and pissed, as my dad disappears into the elevator.

When I carry the crib into my penthouse, Bash is leaning against the entryway wall.

He raises an eyebrow. “Dinner’s off?”

I huff a laugh, yanking harshly at my tie. “Yeah.”

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