I got to my feet and grabbed the crystal vase filled with expensive roses. For a moment, I thought about tossing it at the wall. Instead, I stalked out of my office and ran up the steps leading to the executive floor.
James’s office door was open and he was talking and laughing – laughing! – on the phone. Just the sight of him filled with me with rage. How dare he, I thought as I stormed inside and stood in front of his desk, panting and clutching the heavy vase.
“Hanna?” James got to his feet and frowned. “What’s the matter? Did you think of a restaurant yet?”
I stared at him, so angry that I felt frozen in place.
“Hanna,” James said slowly. “What’s going on?”
As hard as I could, I threw the vase of roses at his head. James yelped and ducked as the crystal crashed into the wall and shattered into a million pieces.
“Hanna!” James yelped. “What the fuck?”
“What the fuck,” I repeated angrily, stepping forward and putting my hands on his desk. “You seriously want to know what the fuck, James?”
James’s mouth was hanging open.
“There’s some woman in Britain – some Mary Smith in London! – who messaged the Magnate Group to say that she’s fallen pregnant,” I said hotly. “With your baby!”
“What?” James squinted. “Hanna, look, it has to be a—”
“Shut up!” I yelled. Tears sprang to my eyes and I shook my head angrily. “So, you really missed me over the year, did you? Enough to get another woman pregnant?”
“Hanna, I—” James pleaded, but I cut him off with a brisk wave of my hand.
“I don’t want to hear your pathetic shit,” I said. “I’m leaving.”
And before he could stop me, I turned on my heel and ran out of the office, sobbing the entire way.
Chapter Eleven
James
As Hanna stormed out of my office, I stood there blinking and trying to make sense of what had just happened. My heart was pounding a wild tattoo in my chest, and for a moment, I felt like I was going to pass out.
My secretary, Maggie, rushed in with her hands twisted in front of her. She gasped when she saw the shattered crystal vase on the floor.
“Oh my, Mr. West! What happened here?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I need you to call the cleaning crew, and please get me access to the company’s Facebook page.”
“Do you want me to call Ms. Parker, the social media girl?”
“No,” I said sharply. “I want it myself, Maggie.”
Maggie looked at me expectantly.
“And quickly!” I added sharply. “Move!”
Maggie darted out of my office with all the speed her geriatric body could handle. When she returned twenty minutes later, she handed me a piece of paper with the Facebook login information, a cup of coffee, and a fresh shirt.
“Here,” Maggie said. She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “You’d better change, Mr. West – your shirt got all wet.”
“I know,” I said drily. “Thanks, Maggie. That’s all for now.”
Maggie returned to her desk and I shut my office door before shrugging out of my wet shirt and pulling on the dry one. As I sat down at my computer, I was nervous. What the hell was going on?
It didn’t take long for me to find out.
“To whom it may concern:
I had a sexual relationship with Mr. James West from May through August of this year, and I’ve discovered that I’ve fallen pregnant. Mr. West and I have not been in contact since he departed London for the United States, and I wish to keep this baby at all cost. I am unwilling to terminate the pregnancy, and I demand a sum of six million dollars from Mr. West and Magnate Group for my silence, as well as regular child support payments totaling twenty million, all to be paid in a lump sum once the child is born. I have contacted my barrister and he is more than willing to aggressively pursue what I and my unborn child are entitled to.
Mary Smith”
I sat back in my chair and covered my face in my hands. There was no way this could be true – it was obviously bullshit. And even worse, as much as I wanted to run after Hanna and tell her just that, I knew I couldn’t. First, I was going to have to do damage control – major damage control – before anyone else saw the message, or else Magnate Group was in trouble.
My phone buzzed on the desk, startling me out of my dazed state. Without glancing at the screen, I swiped open the call and held it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“James, this is Andrew Barnes.” He paused. “Remember? The solicitor you hired in London.”
“Oh, thank god,” I said. “I was just about to call you.”
“Yes, well, I’ve received some rather troubling news,” Andrew continued. “A woman has come forward – at this time, she wishes to remain anonymous – but she’s begun spreading rumors that she’s carrying your child.”
A low moan of desperation escaped my throat and I closed my eyes, sinking against the leather back of my executive chair.
“And judging by your answer, I’m assuming that you knew this,” Andrew said. “James, is it true?”
“No,” I said quickly. “I mean, I don’t think it’s true, at least.”
Andrew sighed. “James, please,” he said.
“It can’t be true,” I said, shaking my head. “I only slept with a few women in London, and I used protection every time. I barely dated!”
“All it takes is one time,” Andrew said cautiously. “James, you’re going to need to lie low while we figure out how to deal with this…predicament. I don’t want you to do anything that will attract attention to the company, do you understand?”
I sighed. “Yes,” I said. “I understand.”
“It’s most likely a scam – either an attempt to blackmail you for an absurd amount of money, or to tarnish the reputation of Magnate Group.”
“I know,” I said crossly. “Trust me, there’s no way this woman is telling the truth.”
“Well, it will be nice when we have that certainty, won’t it?” Andrew asked sarcastically. “James, please – listen to what I’ve said.”
“I will,” I said. I sighed. “And how do you know this woman is even real? What if it’s some prank?”
“That’s a very likely possibility,” Andrew replied. “I’ll have a team of lawyers look into it in the morning.”
“Can’t you do it now?” I narrowed my eyes. “If it’s so pressing, I mean.”
Andrew cleared his throat. When I glanced down at the clock, I realized it was almost ten o’clock at night in London.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “Tomorrow is fine. Thanks for calling me, Andrew. I appreciate it.”
“Yes,” Andrew said stiffly. “And in the future, James, please be more mindful of the…company you choose to keep.”
I groaned. “Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
When we hung up, I folded my arms on my desk and rested my head on them. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this mess…but I knew that I had to, for my own sake as well as that of Hanna.
And god, Hanna! How on earth was I supposed to face her now, when she wouldn’t even feel like listening to me?
I swear, Hanna, I thought as thoughts of my own demise swirled around in my head. I swear, this isn’t the man I am.