18. Ryan

CHAPTER 18

Ryan

" T hey're ready for you now, Mr. Stirling," Caitlin, the receptionist, says.

As I round the corner to enter the trustee's office, I hear raised voices.

"What's going on here, fellas?" I ask as I enter.

"Do you have a date yet?" Abe asks.

"No, nothing's new since last time."

"Good. Then get out. We'll catch up with you another time."

I nod and leave quickly to make sure none of them has a change of heart.

As I exit the building, I notice a woman in her mid-forties with curly blonde hair leaning against the wall near the building's entrance. She looks familiar, so I nod hello to her.

She leaves her post and follows me to my car.

"Oh, this is fun," she says. "You have no idea who I am, do you? And we had such a nice conversation that day, too."

I hate admitting when I'm wrong, but I'm in a rush to leave and don't feel like waiting.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I can't place you."

"Now, isn't it interesting that I know who you are, but you have no idea who I am? I'm your girlfriend's mother," she says with a smug look.

"Oh right, we met that one time at?—"

"Cut the proper little boy act. I'm not having it," she says.

Her eyes narrow.

"Listen now, Mr. Ryan Stirling, Mr. billionaire bachelor. Yeah, that's right, I know who you are. I don't know why you insist on making my daughter look like an idiot, but it's going to stop right here, right now."

"What are you talking about? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, but what you're about to do is very right," she says. "You see, my daughter is a bit of an innocent moron."

"Don't talk about her like that. She's been very sheltered."

"Listen, potato, potahto, okay? I really don't care. But you do. You don't want her to know who you are, and you've been lying about it for months now. Do you have any idea what Carina thinks of liars? It's the worst. If she found out that you've been pretending to be someone you're not for all these months, she would never talk to you again. It wouldn't even matter how she feels about you. Your lying would override that."

I grit my teeth, hearing her.

"What do you want?" I ask.

"Only what I deserve. Let's say $100 grand."

"Are you insane?" I say. "You know what? Forget this. I care about your daughter, but I didn't lie to her for any kind of benefit. I just wanted to make sure she loved me for me and not just my money. Which I'm sure is what you'd prefer her to do."

She snorts, looks at her watch, then rubs her nose with the back of her hand.

"It's simple, lover boy. Wire me the money, or I tell her the truth."

As I get into my car she throws a business card at me that lands on my lap.

She is precisely the kind of woman I was hoping to avoid by having the masquerade balls.

I pick up the card and see it has her name and a bank's routing and account numbers. Who gets a preprinted card to make their blackmail easier?

How dare she try to blackmail me because I'm dating her daughter.

I don't know why I haven't told Carina the truth about what I do. Or why I've continued the ruse for so long. The last thing I want is to hurt Carina, but when we're together, I don't think about who I am or who I'm supposed to be. My only thought is that I found my spark, and I'll do anything to make her happy.

I need to buy time with Carina to keep her away from her mother. A weekend away where I tell her the truth sounds like the perfect idea.