Page 141 of Anti-Hero

Probably a custody agreement he had his lawyer draft.

“Thanks,” I reply, already headed for the stairs.

The higher I climb, the hotter my temper flares. I’ve never been so furious with my father. The constant comparisons to him get tedious, but I’ve always found a measure of pride in them too. Not now. Not about this.

The door to his office is shut, but I barge in without knocking.

My dad’s seated at his desk, scanning some papers. He glances up, saying my name with obvious surprise as he checks the clock above thefireplace mantel. “You weren’t supposed to land for another hour.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” I say snidely. “Were you trying to sneak in something else behind my back before I got back to town?”

He sighs. “Kit …”

“Her new job, Dad? You show up at her new job, on her first day? What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I was trying to grasp a better understanding of the situation. This is a time sensitive?—”

“It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you found out! And I’ve been in another state for half of them! You had no fucking right to?—”

“I hada responsibilityto. You’re not CEO, Christopher. Decisions concerning the company are not for you to make alone.”

“You’renot CEO, Dad. You never have been, and unlike me, you never will be.”

It’s a cheap shot, delivered way below the belt.

I don’t know all the details of what happened to cause Dad to leave Kensington Consolidated in the first place, but I’ve pieced together enough to know it was related to the CEO position and conflict with Grandpa and Oliver. Enough to know it’s a sore spot.

Dad rubs his chin before telling me, “I talked to Oliver this morning. He agreed with me speaking with Collins directly was a necessary step?—”

“Speaking with her? Youambushedher!”

“Is that how she described it?”

I say nothing.

“I was very impressed with how she conducted herself.”

A brief flicker of pride breaks through my anger, but not enough to douse it.

“She also signed an NDA.”

“Of course.” I scoff, shaking my head. “Of course you didn’t go over there for a social call. It was to make sure she keeps her mouth shut.”

“I’m just trying to protect?—”

“This family and this company. Yeah, I heard you loud and clear last night. I’m trying to protectmine, Dad.Myfamily. Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to show Collins she can trust me? That she can rely on me? I hadn’t even had a chance to tell her you knew about the baby, and you show up at her new job? You know that whole firm is probably speculating about why you were there, and that is the last thing she needs right now.”

“That wasn’t my intention. I’m trying to catch up, Kit. You’ve known about this for months, and I?—”

He pauses when I toss the envelope on his desk. “Those are the paternity test results,” I state. “I’m assuming that was next on your to-do list, after the NDA, right?”

“It’s sealed.” He holds the envelope up, as if I’m unaware of that fact.

“Because I didn’t need to look at the results. I know what it says. And if there’s anything else you need to absolve the company of any liability, askme. Don’t show up at Collins’s work again.” I spin on my heel and stalk out of the room.

“Christopher.”

I continue walking.

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