Page 127 of Mr. Almost

“I took the girl so you would stop blathering on about her and that terror of a mother of hers. Did you know that I had her convinced you wanted nothing to do with the kid? Had she not walked through those doors again, you would be happily married to someone of my choice. Victoria wasn’t the first option. Not after the unusual circumstances that her first husband died, but you left me no choice. Not many of my upstanding friends wanted to trust their daughters to a man who had already spawned children. Women don’t want to raise their husband’s bastard children, dear.”

I grit my teeth as she speaks. I never thought I could hate my ownflesh and blood, but I do. I hate this woman with every ounce of my soul.

Turning, I force a smile. I walk to her, handing her the glass of whiskey.

“So what were you planning to do with Ari?”

“She’s your wedding gift, dear. Victoria will hire a nanny to raise the girl until she’s old enough to go to boarding school. Then you will see her when it’s time for family photos and things of that nature. No one would have to know she wasn’t Victoria’s. Since you wanted her so bad, I got her for you. It’s what any good mother would do.”

Deciding the police have already gotten enough, I end the call.

Then I look straight at my mother.

“By now, the cops are almost here. You are a vile woman. If I could get away with murder, I would kill you for touching my daughter. You don’t deserve the solace of being dead, though. Instead, I’m going to strip you of everything you love. Olivia and I will press charges to the highest degree that we can, and then I’m going to publicly state that you have suffered a psychotic break and are no longer fit to run the foundation. I will sell off your house, your car, everything, since it was never in your name anyway. Even if you get out sometime in this life, you will have nothing to get out to. I will ensure that no one will ever look your way again.”

Her hand is on her chest now, the one holding the glass is shaking. “How dare you say that to your mother? All I’m doing is taking care of you. You don’t have to be so nasty. Besides, I didn’t kidnap the girl. I merely picked up my granddaughter, and that is what I will tell the police.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Now you try to claim her as your granddaughter? I don’t fucking think so. You can try to buy yourself out of this, but just know it’s not going to work. I have more money and better motivation than you. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve already won the war.”

The front door bursts open then. In seconds, we are surrounded. I hold my hands up, glaring at her.

The police do their job, securing us both while they work through what is going on.

“My daughter is in the cellar. I’m not sure she will come out to one of you.” I let one of the police officers know.

He talks to the lead officer on scene, who agrees to let me go.

I rush down to the cellar, calling out for my girl. It takes a few moments, but when she comes out from behind a rack of wine, I finally take a full breath.

“Daddy!” she cries, running into my arms.

I pick her up, hugging her to me tightly as she wraps her arms and legs around me.

“Is she okay, sir?” one of the policemen asks.

“Are you okay, Ari?”

“I want Mommy.”

“I know, baby. We are going to see Mommy. Are you hurt, though?”

She shakes her head against me.

“I think we are fine. We can take her to the hospital to be sure, but she’s not going to leave my arms right now.”

“Understood.”

I ride with Ari in the back of the ambulance, grateful my mother had been put in a police cruiser before we had gotten out of the house.

It’s not until we get to the hospital and see Olivia that I feel like everything will be okay. As she runs toward us, crying, I make a vow. I will never let anything hurt these girls again.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

OLIVIA

My worst nightmareis finally over, but I can’t shake the way it made me feel. Ari is tired of my helicopter parent routine, but I can’t help it.

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