All Chapters of Yes, Alpha Daddy: Chapter 281 - Chapter 290

MAX POV Cloe groaned in frustration when she noticed what I was doing. “What?” she said. “Why are we stopping?” “We’re stopping because I want to say something. Because it’s important.” I turned to face her. “You have nobody doubting you, nobody trying to knock you down, or see you fail. The only person you have to prove anything to is you, Cloe.” She shook her head, scoffed at me. “Me, right. Sure. And Verity, and Ryan sperm-donor Macau and their whole fucking family, Max.” “Why so?” “Because they expect me to fail,” she said. “They want me to fail. That’s why I’m even in this internship programme.” I raised my eyebrows, but she shook her head. “Don’t look at me like that, it’s true. Not for you, who wants the best for everyone, but for them. For them it’s all a stupid game. One silly gold envelope and an awkward hug doesn’t change the facts, Max. He’s laughing at me, I'm set up to prove she’s better than me. Just like always.” “That really isn’t true, Cloe.” “That’s why my id

CLOE POV She nodded. “Don’t think I did it lightly. It didn’t feel good, Cloe. Not one bit did it. He looked so hurt, when I told him. But I was hurt, too.” I blinked the tears away. “Is that what you were planning? To get rid of me? Did you want to get rid of me, Mum?” She reached for my hand, squeezed it hard. “No, of course I didn’t. I wanted you so much, Cloe. You were everything to me, from the very first moment I knew I was pregnant.” She smiled, but it was a sad smile. “I didn’t want to need him, not when I was pregnant, not when you were a baby. I thought I’d tell you when you got a bit older, but it never felt right. We were happy, sweetheart. Weren’t we happy?” Her tears fell. “We were happy. You were happy. We didn’t need anything from him. Not a single thing.” I shook my head. “No, we didn’t need anything. I was happy. But Mum, he was my father. He was my dad.” She nodded. “I know. I know, Cloe. Believe me, I know.” “I thought he didn’t care. I thought he didn’t want

MAX POV I busied myself with work emails, but my efforts were half-arsed. My motivation was lacking, and my nerves were heightening. An hour turned to two, and two turned to three. The warm evening drew on and still there was no sign of my blue-eyed girl. I just hoped she was alright in there, hoped she was getting the answers so long denied. I’d abandoned both my phone and tablet by the time Cloe reappeared, enjoying the last of the sun as twilight closed in. She hovered on the doorstep, exchanging parting words with her mother, and they seemed ok. Smiles. A big hug. I sat up in my seat, watched her approach the car with my heart in my throat. She slipped into the passenger seat, and her cheeks were puffy and tear stained, even though her eyes were dry. “Alright?” I asked. She nodded. “Let’s go.” Her mother waved as I pulled the car away, and Cloe held up a hand in farewell. I waited until we were away from her estate before I considered talking, but Cloe beat me to it. She

CLOE POV It was that same snooty receptionist at the Stroud office, the same one who’d judged me on interview day and found me severely lacking in my 4uk me, baby t-shirt. She didn’t give me any such look this morning, not in my posh little suit and my posh little heels. “Ryan Macua,” I said, and my tone was confident, demanding. She dialled him without hesitation. “Mr Macau, your daughter for you.” A pause. “No, sir. Miss Stephen…” She gave me a smile as she disconnected. “He’ll send someone right down.” “I’ll find him.” She didn’t even try to stop me. I checked out my reflection in the elevator mirrors, so different from the girl who’d stared back at me last time around. Had I really changed so much? Inside as well as out? I wasn’t sure anymore. I wasn't sure of anything. I took a breath and willed my heart to calm itself down as the doors pinged open, and I was back on the executive floor, back amongst director’s offices and board level meeting rooms and all that crap. A

MAX POV Bagels were off the lunch menu today. I felt uncharacteristically nervous as I gave the training suite a final onceover.It had come around so quickly, the end of the telemarketing phase of the internship programme. As of Monday, my group of twenty would be fractured into smaller teams, assigned to different departments of their own choosing. Some into the account management teams, some into back office support, Ben was heading for the field sales division, shadowing one of our Northern Territory sales managers.Cloe and Verity had both opted for the marketing team, and there would be just four of them heading in that direction.Maybe it was their shot to find some common ground, without the background noise of a busy calling regime.I hoped so. As much as Verity Macau had been a self-righteous, bitchy little pain in the ass for the vast majority of the time I’d known her, I still hoped they’d find some way to forge a relationship of sorts. Verity had surprised me, and as muc