MasukI don’t tell Damon I’m meeting Charmaine.I text Nina instead, just so someone knows where I am, then take an Uber to the diner Charmaine chose. It’s one of those quiet places with booths and bad coffee, the kind of spot people pick when they want a private conversation.Except nothing about this is private.The second I walk in I see them.Charmaine is sitting on one side of a long booth. Next to her is Maurice. Across from them are his parents, and right at the end is Ciara, already smiling like this is a family reunion she’s been looking forward to all week.I stop dead for a second.Charmaine sees me and gives a small, awkward wave. Maurice keeps his eyes on the table. He won’t even look at me.Ciara beams. “Milly! Come sit, come sit.”I walk over slowly and slide into the only open space, which puts me directly across from Laura, Maurice’s mother. I feel constipated.Charmaine clears her throat. “I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to you alone. Mom insisted on inviting everyone
Millicent’s POV I got sick as soon as I hung up on Maurice. Who knew pregnancy could make you feel so miserable. I feel like my stomach is eating itself. If that’s even a thing.The doctor shows up a few hours later. It could be minutes, but I don’t care. I’m allowed not to keep track of time in this state. Damon helps me take the doctor’s test, when he says he needs to see the positive results for himself.He does the blood pressure thing, temperature, asks the usual questions. How long the nausea has been this bad. Last period. Have I kept anything down.Damon stands in the doorway the whole time with his arms crossed, looking like he’s ready to fire the man if he says the wrong thing.When the doctor is done he packs up and mostly talks to Damon.“Early stages. Everything looks fine so far. She just needs rest, small meals, and to stay hydrated. I’ll prescribe anti-nausea meds and prenatal vitamins. Call if it gets worse.”Damon just nods, and walks him out of the bedroom.
Damon’s POVAaron drops me at the front door and stays in the car like I told him. I’m not planning on lingering. I don’t even want to argue with Yelena tonight. Go in, deliver the news, give an order, get my shit, and get out.The house is quiet when I walk in. No TV, no music, just the air con humming. Yelena is sitting on the couch in one of those silk robes, phone in her hand. She looks up and smiles when I walk in. Like this is just a normal day, husband comes back from work.“You’re home,” she says. “Thought you would be sleeping at Millicent’s again.”Not going there. I stop a few feet away and don’t sit. “We need to talk.”Her smile slips. “About what?”“The divorce,” I say, and wait for the drama.She stares at me for a second like I just spoke another language. Then she laughs. “What divorce?”I raise an eyebrow. I know she’s not that dumb. “The one I told Kieran to file this morning.”The laugh dies. Colour leaves her face so fast it’s almost funny. She sits up, rob
He holds the door open as we walk into his office. He walks to his desk, loosens his tie, and looks at me with that same expression he had when he was on his knees.“Sit,” he says.I sit on the edge of the couch. My shorts feel useless and I have nothing to change into.He pours water from the bottle on his desk and brings it to me. I take it because my throat is dry and because I need something to do with my hands.“You good?” he asks.I laugh once, short and a little unhinged. “I’m fine.”The corner of his mouth lifts. “Okay.”I drink the water, keeping my eyes on him. I wonder how Yelena’s going to react to the divorce. I hope she doesn’t try to sue him for breaking their contract. Or work with Ciara to get back at him.Damon would go batshit crazy, and I wouldn’t put murder past him. His level of petty and bitter is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. He sits behind his desk and opens his laptop like the last hour never happened. “We have the vendor report to finish before f
Millicent’s POVI don’t stop walking until we’re around the corner and completely out of sight of the cafeteria. Then I spin on him so fast I almost lose my balance.“What the hell was that?”Damon leans against the wall, his eyes moving over me and he licks his lower lip slowly.“Lunch,” he says before meeting my gaze again. I fold my arms. “You can’t just sit down in the middle of the cafeteria like that. People are going to talk.”“They already are.” He tips his head. “Let them.”I make a sound that is half frustration, half panic, and step closer so no one walking past can hear. “Damon. I’m your assistant. Your niece. Do you have any idea how that looked?”He reaches out, catches my wrist, and pulls me in until I’m standing between his legs. I freeze for a second. Then I don’t pull away.“It looked like I wanted to have lunch in my cafeteria,” he says, voice low. “Which is exactly what it was.”I can’t be any more flustered. My mouth opens. Nothing comes out. Why do I fe
Her lawyer opens his mouth. “My client is not in a position to—”Ciara doesn’t let him finish. “It’s none of your business where I stay. And I’m not dropping the claim, Damon. My daughter deserves recognition. People need to know she’s someone to respect. She deserves the privilege. She’s Senior’s daughter. Your sister. Stop punishing her because of me.”Dumb ass. I’m not punishing that brat because of her. I’m punishing both of them for how they treated Millicent and never once showed remorse.“In that case.” I don’t raise my voice. I don’t need to. “I’d like to formally request that Charmaine take a DNA test.”The lawyer’s mouth opens and closes. His eyes dart to Ciara. Her face drains of colour so fast it’s almost impressive. Then the red floods back in.Her eyes narrow. “What the fuck did you just say?”I hold her stare. “A paternity test. Against my father’s samples. We settle the name question properly.”Her lawyer puts a hand on her arm. She shakes it off hard enough tha







