All Chapters of What Daddy Left Behind: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

~ Stellan’s POVI sat in the backseat, the engine idling softly. I checked my watch. Right before she could get in I turned to Gibbs."Gibbs," I said, my voice low. "Take a walk. Give us twenty minutes."Gibbs didn't ask questions. He never did. He simply nodded, and stepped out into the dark, wet street, leaving me alone in the leather-scented cavern of the car.Thea stood there, breathless, clutching a jacket around herself. Her hair was a mess of damp waves, and beneath the jacket, I caught a glimpse of her nightdress, black, short, and entirely too thin to be worn outside.I didn't scoot over. I remained in the center of the seat, my legs spread, claiming the space. Thea hesitated for a fraction of a second, her eyes darting to the empty spot on the floor, but she knew better.She climbed in, shutting the door behind her, sealing us in the dark. With nowhere else to go, she moved to sit on my thighs, her knees bracketing my hips. She felt light, fragile almost, but the heat radia

~ Thea’s POV"OH MY GOD!"Maya’s scream was so loud it probably shattered windows on the third floor. She grabbed my arm, shaking me violently, as if she wanted to pull me out of my disbelief."THEA! IT’S YOURS? IT’S ACTUALLY YOURS?" Maya spun around to face the crowd, throwing her arms out wide like a ringmaster presenting the main attraction. "DID YOU HEAR THAT? IT’S HER CAR! MY BEST FRIEND OWNS THE BATMOBILE! SHE IS THAT GIRL!"I felt a flush creep up my neck, but strangely, it wasn't shame. Stellan had done this, as if he knew there would be some kind of event that would happen because of this, he sent Gibbs to give me the keys. He had dropped a nuclear bomb of wealth right on my doorstep, and looking at the stunned faces of the people who had just been sneering at us, I realized exactly why he did it.You aren't meant to blend in.Lexi Diamond, I learned her name was through the paparazzi’s whisper, however, wasn't ready to concede the spotlight. She stepped forward, her perfe

~ Stellan’s POVThe screen of my phone went black, but the image was seared into my retinas.The flash of pale skin. The curve of a breast. The rosy peak of a nipple, offered to me with a shy, defiant nod in a dressing room mirror.I slammed the phone face down on the mahogany desk, letting out a breath that hissed through my teeth. My suit trousers, usually tailored to perfection, were currently a torture device. The heavy, throbbing pressure against my zipper was painful, a reminder that I was a thirty-five-year-old CEO being brought to his knees by a twenty-one-year-old girl in a silk robe."Fuck," I muttered, leaning back in my leather chair and running a hand through my hair.She was dangerous. I had given her the black card to buy clothes, to distract her from the questions about her uncle, but she was using it to tease me from three miles away.A knock registered a second through my haze. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, fighting the urge to throw something at the door.

~ Thea’s POVI walked away from the vanity, moving toward the massive window that overlooked the city. Behind me, I could hear the spritz-spritz of Maya applying finishing spray and humming a pop song, blissfully unaware that the mood in the room had just dropped."I’m listening, Aunt Carol," I said, my voice cool. I pressed the phone tighter against my ear. "But I don't have much time. I’m on my way to the university.""University," Carol scoffed, the word sounding like an insult. "Is that where you’re driving that... monstrosity? I saw the news, Thea. The whole city has seen it. 'Mystery Heiress.' Is that who you are now?"I looked down at the streets below, imagining the blue McLaren parked in the VIP garage, waiting like a loyal beast."It’s just a car, Carol.""It is not just a car," she snapped. "It’s a three-hundred-thousand-dollar declaration of excess. Where did you get it? Did you access the trust? Did you go behind our backs?""Stellan gave it to me," I said simply. I didn

~ Thea’s POV"Thea Mercer, right?"I blinked, taking a half-step back as I looked at the guy standing in front of me. He didn't suck the oxygen out of the hallway the way Stellan did. Instead, he seemed to brighten it."I... yes," I said, a little confused. "Have we met?"He smiled, and it was devastating in a completely wholesome way. It was a smile that promised cookies and study dates, not NDAs and handcuffs."Not officially," he said, adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses. "I’m Lance Jefferson. I’m the Department President for Economics and the head of the Student Council. I saw your transfer file on the Dean’s desk this morning when I was dropping off the budget reports."Lance Jefferson.The name rolled off the tongue like honey. It was soft, rhythmic, and undeniably sweet. He looked like old money indeed. He had an energy that was eager to please without being desperate."Oh," I said, relaxing slightly. "So you're the reason Dean Oxi knew my blood type before I walked in the door?