Chapter 22:  Paternity Fraud

A deep voice broke the hush inside the car. “She’s doing exceptionally well, but your wife won’t give up.”

Another voice answered, tense and low. “My hands are tied, Mark. If I try to shield her, my wife will go to extremes. I’m being careful. I don’t want her ending up like her mother.”

A third voice warned, “Your wife may stop at nothing to get what she wants.”

Silence settled in the car before the deep voice said, “Drive.”

From the company balcony, Alicia watched the car pull away. She had noticed it lingering for a while. Kane stepped up behind her and said, “That’s your father.”

“I know,” Alicia replied.

Kane wasn’t surprised she’d figured it out. Alexander might be acting secretive, but if he understood how powerful his daughter really was, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to snoop around.

Alicia turned and headed back into her office. Kane followed, talking about the letter he’d received from his brothers. “The field is a brutal mess right now. International politics is worse than ever. Even my brothers’ lives are at risk. With drones everywhere, they’re moving targets—no matter how good they are.”

Listening to his lament, Alicia asked, “Do you feel lucky you left?”

Kane fell silent, thinking. He let out a rueful sigh. “I miss the field, but I’m glad I’m out. My life now may not be thrilling, but I have a family, and I can provide for them. It’s better than waking up every day expecting death—or delivering it.”

Alicia studied his face and chose not to reprimand him. Instead, she shifted the topic. “How many positions were you able to fill?”

Kane’s expression turned odd. “The CVs we received are… unusual. These people are overqualified. Honestly, they shouldn’t be working here. I’m not sure this branch’s payroll can handle them.”

Alicia’s lips curved. She knew exactly who had sent them. “Let them start immediately,” she said. “Don’t worry about the salaries. I’ll handle it.”

She buried herself in work until it was time to leave. She was reaching for a taxi when a familiar car rolled up. Without hesitation, she opened the door and slid in.

She glanced at her fiancé—Andy—immaculate in a blue suit and white tie, unfairly handsome. “Aren’t you too handsome to be my regular chauffeur?”

Andy pulled a face. “Tired of seeing my pretty face already?”

Alicia laughed. “I might get tired of living, but I’ll never get tired of that face. Got it?”

Andy’s mouth tipped into a satisfied smile. “Drive,” he told the driver.

As long as his wife-to-be was dazzled by his face, he was content. If Kennedy were here, he’d be stunned: the big brother who wore a mask to keep women from fighting over him, utterly pleased to be loved for the very face he once hid.

Andy drove off the moment he dropped Alicia at the gate. Winnie had seen them together. As Alicia approached the house, Winnie snorted, “Show some decency. Gallivanting around the city with him is a bad look for you. You two aren’t even married yet—don’t ruin the Alexander name. Luckily, the cripple is impotent and can’t even perform his duties as a man. Who knows? He might have already knocked two kids into your womb by now.”

Alicia acted as though she hadn’t heard a word. To her, Winnie was an inconsequential clown; responding would only demean her.

Being blatantly ignored enraged Winnie. She hurried after Alicia, ranting, “Catherine, don’t be so proud. You’re just a wild girl Dad brought home. I don’t know why he hasn’t done a DNA test yet. I doubt you’re even his real daughter. Your mother is a known hoe who sleeps around with men—”

Alicia stopped the instant those words left Winnie’s mouth. She turned slowly. Winnie shuddered and fell silent under Alicia’s cold gaze—like a tiger had locked onto its prey.

Alicia then turned away and walked off. Only then did Winnie dare breathe loudly. When she looked back and saw a few maids staring, she snapped, “What are you looking at? Do you want me to gouge your eyes out of their sockets?”

The maids scattered at once. Winnie stomped her foot, fuming, then stormed into the mansion and headed straight to her mother’s room. The moment she saw her, she blurted, “Mom, is Catherine’s mother really a known hoe?”

Beatrice sneered. “Of course she is. Your father was so blinded by her beauty he couldn’t see anything wrong with what she did.” She shook her head and cursed, “That woman does nothing but seduce men. She’s a calamity to humanity.”

Winnie frowned, thinking hard. “Mom, what if Catherine isn’t Dad’s real daughter? What if one of those men her mother slept with is her real father?”

Beatrice’s face went pale. She grabbed Winnie and sat her down on the bed. “Don’t you dare say those words outside,” she warned, voice low and stern. “If your father hears that from you, he could disown you.”

“Why would Dad do that?” Winnie protested, aggrieved.

Beatrice’s expression turned icy. “Listen to me, Winnie. You’re not a child anymore. If you make baseless claims like that, I won’t protect you from your father’s punishment. Don’t let anyone hear this. And stop thinking along those lines. Catherine is your father’s biological daughter. Don’t ever bring this up again.”

Realizing her mother was deadly serious—and frightened—Winnie muttered, grumbling, “Fine. I won’t talk about it again.”

Alicia had no idea the mother-daughter pair were discussing her paternity—not that she cared. She sat in her room, idly scrolling through her phone, lost in thought. Then her lips curved into a smile: she’d remembered someone, someone who had once been special to her.