I raised a brow. “To what? What possible reason could you have for leaving Catherine pregnant with a house you knew damn well she couldn’t afford? And then stealing what little money she had left from her?”
He held up a hand. “Not everything is as simple as that. I made a few mistakes, but if you speak to Kit, you’ll know I’m trying to make things right. Kit and the baby will be coming here—”
“What’s her name?”
His mouth fell open. “What?”
“The baby. What’s her name?”
He stared at me, and I could practically see his brain trying to shake off a thick coating of dust so he could use it. But it was no help.
“I…don’t know. But that isn’t the point.”
“You’re right. The point is, you’re a deadbeat, and if you truly think for one second Catherine will be flying eighteen hours with her baby to see you, you’re dumber than you look. That will never happen.”
He crossed his arms, pouting like the toddler he was. “I have a right to see my child.”
“Then get your ass on a plane and go see her. But when you do, come prepared to be charged with theft and fraud and whatever other crimes my lawyers can find you’ve committed for what you pulled with her house. I have plenty of evidence to back up the claim, and I’ll find more.”
“There is no need for any of that.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “I’ll send her the money. It was a mistake. A huge mistake.”
I raised my hand. “I couldn’t care less about your useless explanations. What I do care about is your flimsy attempt to worm your way back into Catherine’s life. If you want in, you’ll have to work for it. Demanding she flies to see you isn’t going to happen.”
He pulled himself together, covering his nerves with self-importance. “Just who are you to tell me what will or will not happen? If I want Kit and the baby here, they’ll come. I also have the ability to make her life difficult if she doesn’t cooperate.”
“You already made her life difficult. You really don’t have any shame, do you?”
He raised his chin. “I want my daughter here.”
This was what I’d been expecting. I’d done my research. My background checks had been thorough. Liam didn’t surprise me with his answers, and he wasn’t going to get anywhere with them.
But I really didn’t like hearing him call Joey his daughter. It felt wrong, on a bone-deep level, despite not being untrue. His DNA had been used to create her, but she wasn’t his. If he wanted to change that, he had a long road ahead of him.
“At first, I thought it was strange that, after all this time, you decided to reach out to Catherine. Then I did some digging and discovered you’re newly engaged. Congrats, by the way.”
He dropped his arms flat on his desk. “I am engaged, and I’d like my fiancée to get to know my child. We can be a family.”
“Ah, there it is.” I wagged my finger at him. “Your fiancé, Stella, daughter of Tom Bergerman, the famously conservative owner of the superstore chain BergMart. From what I read, he and your father are about to enter into a pretty big investment deal for the new waterfront, aren’t they?”
Another twitch. “Whether they are or aren’t has nothing to do with anything.”
“Right.” I nodded sharply.
The thing about Tom Bergerman was he was a strong proponent of “traditional” family values. A married man and woman plus children. He was a regular donor to one of Australia’s most notorious and conservative superchurches and often supported politicians who campaigned to end gay marriage and strip women of their body autonomy. He’d also publicly disowned his own son after he came out as trans. Tom lived and breathed his ideals.
Liam picked up a pen, clicking the end of it. “Look, I—”
“I wonder what Tom would think about you deserting the mother of your child only weeks before she gave birth? Would your future father-in-law approve of that?” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Does Tom even know you had a child out of wedlock?”
His nostrils flared. “There’s no reason to tell him any of that.”
“Because he wouldn’t approve.”
“He has his own beliefs.”
I cocked my head. “Does Stella know what you did to Catherine?”
He stared back at me. “She’ll understand.”
“So that’s a no. What do you think she’d do if she found out?”
“She doesn’t need to know. Kit and I will make amends, then I’ll introduce Stella to the baby, and everything will be fine.”
“The baby.” I huffed a laugh. “You don’t know her name, Liam. How are you going to introduce her to your fiancée?”
He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I’ll have things sorted by the time I cross that bridge.”
“Will you? Do you think Catherine’s really going to lie down and allow you to play happy families with her daughter?”
“She’s my daughter too. I have every right—”
“You don’t. You’re not on the birth certificate. She doesn’t share your surname. On top of that, you can’t exactly tell anyone you deserted a child, can you? Tom wouldn’t approve, and do you think he’d allow Stella to marry you if he disapproves?”
I swiped my hands together. “So, there goes your marriage. And what do you think Tom will do when he hears the largest investor in the waterfront project is pulling out?”
Liam’s mouth dropped open, and his brow pinched in confusion. Clearly, he hadn’t heard about the newest investor. His father probably hadn’t felt the need to keep his idiot son abreast of company business.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I’m not only in Australia to see you. I flew in to sign some documents. As of yesterday, I am a thirty-percent stakeholder in the waterfront.”
He stared at me like he was trying to get a read on me. “You wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize your investment.”
I stared back, giving him nothing in return. “Wouldn’t I?”
Before looking into the van der Wycks, I hadn’t set my sights on Australia. But once I saw the waterfront plans, ideas churned. This project was a sound investment, and I got in early enough to be able to put my personal stamp on the construction and environmental impact.
However, I would let the money I invested burn to ashes if I needed to walk away. The fact that I was willing and able to lose millions without blinking was my trump card. I was certain Tom Bergerman and Edgar van der Wyck would not be as willing to lose a large portion of their fortunes if this project went down in flames.
“I urge you to think this through, Liam. Consider the widespread consequences if you choose to proceed with this line of thinking.”
His jaw was working now, grinding hard, and his hands were balled into fists. Whether he was angry at the thought of losing Josephine or pissed off at being backed into a corner, I couldn’t tell. Probably the latter since he’d shown no concern for her, even now. He hadn’t even asked her name.
He slowly opened his fists. “So, what am I supposed to do? Forget she exists?”
“No. I’m not saying that. If you want a relationship with her, you’ll do it on the terms Catherine lays out.”