“Alright. Well, some of what Patricia said was accurate, but then again, I never bothered to correct her. I met your mother before my father decided on this arranged marriage with the Cortez’s.”
He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.
“It was my senior year of college and I met Chloe at some stupid party. At the time, I didn’t plan on pursuing anything with anyone, knowing I would be coming home to take over the family business. She was a friend of a friend, but we instantly clicked. We started having meals together, studying together and eventually it progressed. I delayed going back to the Philippines for as long as I could because I fell for your mother.”
His gaze roams my face and I know he’s remembering my mom when they were young.
“I brought Chloe home with me during that last summer. We went travelling together, and that was when I proposed to her. At the time, I knew she was it for me. But before we got to the Philippines, your grandfather had already made the arrangement with the Cortez’s. They had connections that went beyond Asia that our business desperately needed if we wanted to go global. I couldn't very well just walk away when I was the sole heir. But when I explained this to your mother, she wouldn’t have it. She had no intention of being––”
He starts tugging at his tie like the words are choking him. “––the other woman. Then, after learning what kind of business the family actually did, she left me. She went back home to America without so much as a backwards glance.”
He looks back at me, venom shooting out of his eyes.
“Just like that--like we were never anything more than a passing fling.”
He continues to tug at his tie, his agitation starting to break the surface.
“Then she found out about you. We didn’t have cellphones or the internet at the time, so she didn’t have a way to let me know she was pregnant. When Chloe had you, I wasn’t there. I wasn’t even aware. I had no say in your doctor or even your last name. She didn’t even include me in your birth certificate, taking away any rights I had to even call you mine.”
He clucks his tongue, eyes moving past me to Noah. My father rakes his gaze over Noah, shaking his head.
“By the time I learned about you, you were almost a year old. If I had not tried to find your mother, I would never even have found out I was a father.”
He removes his tie, his gaze landing on my belly and then my face.
He raises his eyebrow before he turns to look at Aunt Patty on the floor next to him.
That’s when I realize: he knows about Adrian.
My eyes fly to Noah, both of us coming to the same conclusion.
Even though we both understand the stakes and what we need to do to ensure Adrian’s safety, I know he has a plan.
He’s not going to let me go without a fight.
My stomach churns, like a cocktail of fear-induced acid rising up my throat, almost choking me. I struggle to not look like I’m trying to catch my breath as I sneak a look around the room.
The two bodyguards have posted themselves on either side of Villegas. He still has his gun raised at Aunt Patty and Penny, who hold each other while sobbing.
My father is still staring at Aunt Patty, a faraway look in his eyes.
I clear my throat, needing to distract him and needing answers.
“Then what? Why do you suddenly want me around? What do you want from me?”
Santos turns to look at me.
A flicker of pain flashes on his face before he masks it with indifference.
“Make no mistake, daughter. I. Always.Wanted. You. Around.” He sounds out every word through gritted teeth.
“But why now? What exactlyis my role in all of this?”
He scoffs, like he can’t believe I even have the nerve to ask such a dumb question.
“Shortly after we were married, Patty discovered she was pregnant and so I moved her here while I conducted business. But I never forgot about your mother. I hired a private investigator. When the PI finally found Chloe and discovered she had a kid, it didn’t take me long to figure out you were mine. It took a lot of coaxing, but your mother finally agreed to meet up with me, but she was no longer the same woman. She didn’t want any help. She absolutely didn’t want me around you. Around her. I had to beg her to even accept any money. Chloe was struggling. You were living in a shoebox apartment. A fucking studio.”
He spits that last part out like the mere idea of living in a normal apartment was abhorrent to him.