<b>Chapter </b>145
Reba mmed the car door and ran toward Amelia’s hospital room. With every step, her chest tightened, <i>a </i>storm of emotions she didn’t understand swirling inside her.
Two minutester, she <b>was </b><b>at </b>Amelia’s door. A man in a suit sat beside the bed; his profile was good–looking. Reba stepped in and fought to keep her voice level. “Who are you, and what are you doing in my mother’s room?”
The man turned at the sound of her voice, and Reba finally saw his face.
Compared to what she’d seen on the surveince camera, he looked even moreposed and cold. His eyes <b>were </b>steady, carrying <b>a </b>calm that came from weathering countless storms, and his entire presence radiated the power and confidence of someone used to holding sway.
Reba had met all sorts of people growing up, so it only took a nce to know this man was far from ordinary. She thought, ‘He must be a tough person to deal with.
“I’m your mother’s friend.” He looked at Reba and hesitated, something unreadable shing in his eyes. “You’re Reba, aren’t you?”
Reba tensed. “You know who I am?” She’d never seen the man before, and Amelia had never mentioned him. The only way he could know her name was if he’d been digging into her mother’s life.
“Your
mentioned you before,” the man replied casually, his eyes still locked on Reba. “Has she ely<b>?</b>”
my mom talk about you,” Reba said, moving to the other side of Amelia’s bed. She nan standing behind her. “She never said anything about having any old friends, either.”
and </b>I <bst </b>met.”
tca furrowed her brow. The secretary leaned in behind the man, lowering his voice for only the man to
<b>Boss</b><b>, </b><b>you </b>and Reba really share a resemnce. Is she your daughter with Amelia?”
<b>The </b><b>man was </b>startled and thought, ‘So that’s why Reba looked familiar; now it all clicks.
As a mix of thoughts ran through his head, he suddenly asked in an almost probing tone, “Do you mind if 1 ask what year you were born?”
“You still haven’t answered me,” Reba shot back, refusing to reveal anything personal until she knew his identity. “Who are you, and why do you keep turning up here?”
Reba epted that the man might be her mom’s old friend–she couldn’t figure out what he wanted from
her.
“Amelia can tell you herself when she wakes up,” the man said, dodging again. His gaze settled on Reba, heavier now. “I promised her I wouldn’t reveal what went on between us unless she agreed.”
The secretary was speechless. He thought, ‘Way to make it sound even stranger.
Reba felt confused and thought, ‘If May’s right, this man has some serious history with Mom. Otherwise, why would Mom lose it when she saw that photo I sent her? And his actions seem like he’s hiding something.‘
“I’ll be back in a few days,” the man said, gaze still locked on Reba. “Maybe we could have dinner together then?”
“No thanks,” Reba shot back without hesitation. “We’re not exactly familiar enough for that.”
A tight ache spread across his chest. The man thought, ‘If Reba is my daughter with Amelia, trying to patch things up as father and daughter is gonna be seriously tough. Didn’t Amelia say she’d lost the baby?‘
“Is your birthday in August or September?” he asked.
Reba lied without missing a beat. “No.”
“Here’s my number,” he said, pulling out a sleek business card. His long fingers looked untouched by time. “If anythinges up, just reach out.”
Reba didn’t take it. She wondered, ‘Are we even that close?‘
“I’m not bad,” the man said, still holding out the card. There was a softness in his eyes that he tried to hide.
“May says Mom hates you,” Reba said, watching his face for any reaction, testing him. “She said I should keep my distance from you.”
The man slipped the card into her hand. “Don’t let other people’s words cloud your judgment. Trust what you feel.”
Reba lowered her gaze, staring at the string of digits for a moment, her expression unreadable. With both of them watching, she dropped the card straight into the trash without the slightest hesitation.
They all fell silent. The secretary thought, ‘If Reba really was the boss’s daughter with Amelia, winning her over was clearly going to be one hell of <i>a </i>challenge.’
“If there’s nothing else, you guys should just go,” Reba said, her tone firm and cold. She trusted May and Amelia–they were the only ones who’d truly ever looked out for her. “My mom doesn’t want others hanging around. Don’te here anymore.”
The man stopped; he hadn’t expected Reba to reject him. “I’m your mom’s friend.”
“Real friends don’t vanish for twenty years,” Reba retorted, voice iced over.
The man opened his mouth to try to say something, but when he caught Reba’s cold, distant stare, all the words died in his throat. “Smart not to trust strangers, Your mom taught you well.”
Reba just ignored him, staying silent. She thought, ‘Whether Amelia did a good job or not is none of this guy’s business.
The man wanted to say goodbye, but Reba had already turned away to tend to Amelia, not giving him another look. Knowing he’d leave no good impression if he stayed, he headed out with his secretary.
September,” he said.
<b>‘</b>Got it, the <b>secretary </b>replied.
“And run <b>a </b>DNA test for me,” he added. The man thought, ‘She really does look like me, but her personality is like Amelia’s. <b>It </b>was getting harder for him not to think <b>Reba </b>really might be his daughter.
“That’s gonna be difficult, the secretary said, turning in his seat, his eyesplicated. “Jeffrey’s people are protecting Reba everywhere she goes. Getting a sample from her is pretty much impossible.”
The man’s eyes darkened and fell into thought.
At that moment, Jeffrey <b>was </b>up in the hospital’s office, reviewing the surveince camera from Amelia’s room. He caught every second of what happened between Reba and that man. He nced at Riley. “Did you find anything?”
Riley leaned back, tilting her head in thought.
Jeffrey <b>was </b>confused.
“Amelia blocked his information online,” Riley replied.
Jeffrey said, eyes locked on Riley. “I won’t force you to look into Reba’s mom. But I want the basics of this man; give it to me in half an hour.”
Riley’s fingers flew over the keyboard. She could definitely dig up the info. But she was afraid Jeffrey would end up finding that Amelia was her mentor.
“I won’t use him as a lead to dig into Amelia,” Jeffrey lied.
I
<b>AD </b>
Comment