Page 30 of Daddy's Accidental Babies

I heard another rustle and a few swear words. Graham was up now, probably dressing as he spoke. “We talking sabotage? Or carelessness?”

I turned to face the window, jaw clenched. “Well, this was deliberate. It isn’t the first time something didn’t add up, and the second time Marla’s name is in the access chain.” I paused a beat and noticed the orange and pink hues of sunset and thought of Savannah and what she would think if she knew someone on her team might be responsible for trying to sabotage the merger by spurring shareholder mistrust.

“Then we pull her in,” Graham said. “Closed-door conversation tomorrow morning.”

I tapped my index finger against the edge of my phone, then leaned back and let out a slow breath. “Fine. But we need to be careful. If Marla’s working alone, she’s sloppy. But if someone’s feeding her instructions and we tip our hand too early, whoever’s behind it gets away. And I don’t believe for a second she’s in it alone.”

Graham didn’t argue, but he didn’t speak for a second, and that pause said more than anything he could have put into words. He was uneasy, even if he wouldn’t admit it outright.

“She’s a low-level coordinator,” I added. “She wouldn’t have a reason to resist the merger unless someone made it worth her while. And people like that don’t usually act on principle.”

“Got it,” Graham said. “I’ll let HR know to keep it neutral. You’ll have your sweep by morning.”

“Good,” I said, and ended the call.

I set the phone down and stared at the documents again, though I wasn’t really seeing them anymore. A line had been crossed somewhere, and now I had to figure out who had walked over it—and why. The merger couldn’t afford shadows.

If someone inside Raven & Rhodes thought they could slip something past me, they hadn’t thought it through. I wasn’t in this for guesswork. I wanted names, proof, leverage. And before this was over, I’d have all three.

The next afternoon,I stepped into David Bennett’s office without knocking. His assistant barely had time to stand before he waved me through the thick glass door that left nothing to the imagination. The door clicked shut behind me, muffling the outer office and locking us into an atmosphere already crackling with unspoken tension.

David stood behind his desk, hands planted wide like he was bracing himself against an earthquake. He didn’t offer a seat, and I didn’t bother asking for one.

“This thing with Savannah,” he bit, “is reckless. It’s a disaster waiting to happen, and you know it.” The glare on his face was one I found all too familiar. The man liked his control, and when things weren’t going according to his script, he demanded change.

I kept my stance easy, but I met his eyes without flinching. “She’s not a child, David. She made her own choice.”

“She made a choice based on bad information,” he snapped, stepping around the desk now, as if proximity would add weight to his argument. “And you let her walk right into the crosshairs.”

So I hadn’t been wrong on one iota of detail. David was out for blood because his daughter was seen in the headlines as dating me. Whether it was about the age gap, or perhaps the bad press Knight Holdings was getting over the financial data leaks wasn’t clear, but what was crystal to me was how angry he was.

“You think I coerced her?” I raised an eyebrow. “You think she’s so naive she doesn’t know how this business works?” I chuckled, which only made him angrier. He put a finger in my chest hard and almost growled his response.

“I think she’s a vulnerable woman who needs her job,” he shot back, “and I think you’re leveraging that. You’re using her to humanize yourself while you steamroll this merger through the press.”

I stepped forward deliberately, closing the space between us to a few inches. “Don’t confuse your discomfort with her autonomy and her inability to make good decisions for herself. Savannah doesn’t need your permission to stand next to me in a photo.” I didn’t know how much he knew about the publicity, but the way it appeared, he thought this dating thing was genuine.

I wasn’t going to correct him, because this natural response told me what I needed to know about his reaction to how I felt for real. Savannah wasn’t just a stunt to me; she was becoming more and more every day, and maybe I was a fool, but I hoped what we had could transition into something more permanent.

His jaw tightened. “No, but she’ll be the one they drag through the mud when this falls apart. Not you. You’ll have PR firms and attorneys and spin campaigns and millions of dollars to back it. She’ll have her name on gossip blogs and her face torn apart by headline vultures. I’ve seen what happens to women in the fallout, Dominic. And I won’t let her be collateral.” His finger pulled back, and I had to stifle a wince of my own.

He was right, and I knew it. The words hit me in the gut—hard. For a moment, I didn’t respond. Then I shook my head. “You’re underestimating her.” I had no ground to stand on so I argued on principle alone, weakly though.

David’s expression didn’t waver. He moved behind his desk and tapped the keyboard to wake his monitor. “No. I’m underestimating you.”

That was it for me.

I turned and walked out in a huff. I didn’t slam the door, but I didn’t close it gently either. My footsteps echoed on the tile as I made my way toward the elevator. But I didn’t wait for the carriage. I was too steamed up, so I took the stairs down five flights, needing the motion, needing the air. The chill outside cut the heat still coiled beneath my skin. I pulled my keys from my pocket as I crossed the lot toward my car.

My phone buzzed in my hand. Thinking it was already a new message from David riding me about the situation, I almost ignored it, but I had to get my mind off things, so I caved and swiped to read it. It was from Savannah.

Savannah: 3:17 PM:Thanks for making yesterday’s shoot bearable. That could’ve been ten times worse.

It was the first message she’d sent me that wasn’t about work. It was short and casual, but it felt sincere. I stood by the car door and reread it twice, thumbs hovering over the screen. I could respond. I wanted to. Something dry and light, maybe. Something that wouldn’t scare her off.

But before I could type a word, the screen lit up again with a call from Graham.

I answered with a clipped, “What now?”

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