Paternity Payback
Auteur
Sophia Singh Sasson
Lezers
15,6K
Hoofdstukken
24
One
“He’s pimping you out, darling.”
Willa tossed the empty Coke can in frustration, barely missing Rogerio’s head. He caught it with ease and attempted to toss it into the nearby trash can, but it bounced off the rim and rolled across the floor.
Willa let out a heavy sigh, stood up from her rickety chair and picked up the can. She looked around the cramped office, shared by three other beat reporters. The gray walls and brownish carpet reflected her dark mood.
“David is not pimping me out. He’s asked me to get close to Jack Chowdhry to get dirt on him. It’s no different than getting close to a source to get information.”
Are you trying to convince Rogerio or yourself? She didn’t want to discuss this with Rogerio. It required her to think about what it would mean to see Jack again. The only way she was going to get through this assignment was to pretend that Jack was just another story.
Rogerio raised his brows. He was only slightly taller than her at five feet four, with black hair, brown eyes and one of those stocky builds that came from too much time spent on the weight machines in the gym. “He’s your ex and your baby daddy. It’s a lot more than working a source.”
“Shhhh.” Willa stood and quickly went to the office door to make sure no one was in listening range.
“Relax, everyone on this side is gone for the day. There’s no one here to hear your deep, dark secret.”
She rounded on Rogerio. “Listen to me. Only you and my sister know who Priya’s father is. Jack Chowdhry doesn’t even know I have a daughter, let alone that he’s the father. I want to keep it that way. Understood?”
Rogerio stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” He dropped his voice. “Seriously, Willa, I don’t think going to Royal is a good idea. David only cares about one thing—ratings. And he doesn’t care who he uses to get them.”
So what’s new? It was her lot in life to have bosses who took advantage of her. At least David wasn’t stabbing her in the back like Jack had; his slimy intentions were perfectly clear. “I don’t have a choice. If I want to get out of the gossip beat, I need to get this story. I made a deal with David.”
“You’re a talented journalist. If it weren’t for Jack, you’d be David’s boss today. Give it time—the right story will come along.”
She retook her seat behind the desk. She didn’t need to be reminded of what Jack had done. Her last piece was on the best Christmas craft markets in the city. She’d gone from exposing dirty politicians to writing fluff pieces about New York socialites.
“I can’t keep waiting for that. I’m thirty-seven years old. I’ve got to get my career on the right track. How hard can it be? A man like Jack has to have plenty of skeletons in his closet. I just need to find one good one and get out of there.”
“That might be true, but I’m afraid that while you’re looking in his closet, you’ll end up in his bed.”
A knot formed in her stomach. “That’s something that will never happen.” While she wouldn’t have chosen to do a story on Jack, revealing his underhanded ways wasn’t such a bad idea. The media loved him; he was the shrewd businessman who had built a media empire and had now turned into a philanthropic rancher. She didn’t believe it for a second. If he was in Royal, it was to work on a scheme that would make him richer and more powerful. She couldn’t wait to pull the curtain from the show he was putting on for everyone.
“Are you sure? Have you seen the guy?” Rogerio tapped on her laptop and held it up for her to see. Jack Chowdhry’s face filled the screen. Damn him. She’d been following the Diamond Gate story but had avoided looking at Jack’s images from the latest stories. He’d been instrumental in brokering peace in the infamous feud between the Del Rio and Winters families. The Del Rios had accused the Winters family of stealing their family’s heirloom necklace—an accusation that had ignited national attention when the impressive diamonds were found on the ancestral Winters estate. Jack had orchestrated a deal between the families that included the return of the glittering necklace and compensation for the theft. The necklace would be going on display at the Texas Cattleman’s Club soon and a sneak peek press conference was happening tomorrow for the public to not only see the famous necklace, but to also show the feud was officially over. Jack was expected to be there and it was Willa’s job to use the ruse of the diamond story to get close to Jack.
Get close but not too close, she reminded herself. The goal was to reestablish herself as a serious journalist by exposing his farce. Destroying him was a side benefit. She stared at the screen. How was it possible that he’d gotten more handsome in the last five years? He still had that cocky half smile that showed off his dimples, the stubble that she could still feel on her skin if she closed her eyes, and the slight curl in his hair that twisted perfectly around her finger.
“I mean, look at that perfectly bronzed skin, those bedroom eyes, that...”
“You’re worried about me jumping his bones? I think I’m going to keep my eye on you,” she quipped. She didn’t need Rogerio pointing out how devastatingly handsome Jack was.
“That’s what I’m saying. A man as delicious as that, you’d have to be made of stone not to get all hot and bothered in his presence.”
“The only thing his face reminds me of is how he ruined my career. He knew how hard I’d worked on that story—I risked my life for it and he gave all the credit to another reporter.” She blew out a breath. “Jessica Danan is now a prime-time news anchor on CMG—her career took off after Jack handed her that story.”
Rogerio stepped toward her and gave her a hug. “Oh, honey, you’ve got to stop thinking about what might’ve been. You are going to get back on top.”
She nodded. Jack had tanked her career, and he would be the one to rocket it back to the top. “Let’s get back to the business at hand. All the hotels in Royal are booked. I’ll work on finding us a place to stay, you work on the air tickets. I need to get out of here and home to Priya.”
“How are you going to keep her away from Jack?”
“I’m not taking her. Kylie agreed to watch her for me.” Willa shared a brownstone with her sister, Kylie. Priya loved her aunt but she wouldn’t be happy with Willa leaving her for days. More importantly, Willa hated being away from Priya. The little girl was her whole world and she didn’t know how she was going to get through the next few days without her. She’d debated taking Priya with her. She had a babysitter who was always willing to travel with her, but there was no way Willa was letting Priya anywhere near Jack. He’d already taken too much from her.
Jack Chowdhry took a breath. This is going to suck. He handed his keys to the valet and looked toward the stables where the press conference was being held. The number of reporters with microphones and cameras was staggering.
“Are you ready to go into the fray?”
Jack turned to find Misha Law smiling at him. She leaned forward and he returned her hug. “Where’s your other half?” Misha had recently started dating Trey Winters from the infamous Winters family. “He’s already inside, I had a meeting about k!smet’s upcoming IPO.” Jack smiled down at Misha. She was an attractive woman with auburn hair that she wore in a wavy bob, hazel eyes and a kind smile. What Jack admired most about her was that she was a self-made woman. She had recently launched a social app with a successful dating platform that had taken Royal, and the whole country, by storm. There had been some hiccups along the way but Jack was glad to hear that Misha was ready to make the initial public offering—IPO. It would allow her company to raise some serious capital to take the app to the next level.
“You really should sign up for k!smet. Wouldn’t it be great for the stock price if the great Jack Chowdhry met his love match through the app?”
Maybe I should think about it. The app’s Surprise Me! feature had made some interesting matches that had worked out well. He hadn’t been serious about another woman since Willa St Germaine. It was time to settle down, start a family. He was forty-four years old. How much longer could he wait? The running joke in the family was that by the time Jack had children, he’d be mistaken for the children’s grandfather. “I don’t know if I’m ready for the app yet.”
Misha stopped and grabbed his arm. “C’mon, you are one of the most eligible bachelors in Royal. Plus, as I said, having you on there will really help with the IPO.”
“I’m not that great,” he said, somewhat embarrassed by the effusive praise. There was a time when he’d ridden high on such accolades but he’d learned that they didn’t mean much.
“Don’t be modest. The way you negotiated between the Del Rio and Winters families was masterful.”
Jack waved his hand dismissively. If he’d known that he would become the story, he’d never have agreed to play peacemaker for the Texas Cattleman’s Club. He had debated skipping the press conference but remembered that hiding made him all the more interesting. There were already reporters camped outside the gates to his ranch. He had a statement prepared for the night, and hopefully he could throw the limelight back onto the Del Rios and Winterses. There was a wedding and a baby in the near future. Surely that made for a more interesting story than him?
“You should take advantage of the media presence here to promote k!smet,” he said, changing the subject.
Misha looked thoughtful. “I try to promote it every chance I get. Could I remind everyone it’s tomorrow night?”
“I’ll get you some mike time.”
“Thanks! You look great, by the way.”
He’d opted for cowboy boots, boot-cut jeans and an untucked collared shirt with the first two buttons open for the night. Not many men can pull off an untucked shirt but you have the ass for it. He smiled as he thought of Willa, wondering how she was doing in New York. He had looked at the list of networks who were here to cover the party. Her network, NYEN—the New York Entertainment Network—had called his office for a comment but they hadn’t requested a media pass for the event tonight. Willa’s talents were wasted at that tabloid-like network but there was nothing he could do. He’d tried to get her a job after the debacle five years ago but she had disappeared from his life, refused to take his calls, emails, text messages or social media DMs. He’d even left paper messages at her building. How could he blame her after what he’d done? It had been five years and his guilt over Willa still burned deep in his heart.
“Hey, now, is my woman complimenting another man.” Trey Winters met them on their way to the stables and bent down and kissed Misha. At six foot one, Trey towered over Misha but was just a little taller than Jack. He stuck out his hand and Jack shook it.
“Jack’s going to join the app,” Misha said excitedly.
Jack held up his hand. “I will think about it.”
Trey placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve invested a lot of money because I believe in it. I certainly had my doubts about the Surprise Me! Function, too, especially after it matched Jericho and Maggie but—” he looked lovingly at Misha “—love is found in unexpected ways.”
Jack’s heart squeezed. Could he have what Misha and Trey had? Did he even deserve it, especially after what he’d done to Willa?
“Y’all better get inside. The press is getting restless to see the man of the hour.”
Jack turned as Preston Del Rio slapped him from behind. Preston had recently found out that he was about to become a father and since then Jack had only seen him smiling. He was engaged to Tiffany Winters, yet another Del Rio and Winters match that had worked out well.
“They want to see the diamond necklace.” Jack was scheduled to unveil the necklace to show everyone in attendance and for the press at large. As soon as proper security was in place, the necklace would be going on display at the club for the public to get a closer look. The TCC was expecting large numbers and wanted every precaution taken before allowing the necklace to be viewed. This was just a sneak peek.
Preston greeted Trey and Misha and they all chatted as they made their way to the stables entrance. Jack fell behind, letting Trey and Preston talk. Trey’s sister was having Preston’s baby; the two men were about to become family and it was nice to see them getting along. Not that long ago, the two would’ve crossed the street to avoid running into each other.
As he neared the entrance to the stables, he stopped. It can’t be. He closed his eyes. Not every five-foot-three woman with silky blond hair was Willa. He was seeing things because he’d just been thinking about her. He opened his eyes just as the woman turned.
His heart stopped. Willa! Their eyes met for just a second and her gaze seared him from the inside out. Then she turned and he wondered whether she’d seen him at all. He quickly walked toward her. She was in a heated conversation with Jared, the TCC staff member who was checking the guest list.
“I don’t understand why you can’t call the network and check our credentials,” Willa was saying. He looked at her. She was wearing a turquoise dress with knee-high boots. His heart beat wildly as he took in her blazing blue eyes and slim figure.
“What’s the problem, Jared?” He stepped forward. He was talking to Jared but his eyes were on Willa. He couldn’t believe she was really here. She met his gaze with a hard look and he flinched. It was the same way she’d looked at him the last time he’d seen her. When she’d walked out of his life.
“Sir, they aren’t on the guest list. I can’t give them a press pass.”
Willa was still glaring at him.
“How many people?” Jared asked.
“Just the two of us. Willa St Germaine and Rogerio Silva with NYEN.” A man stepped forward and stuck out his hand. Jack shook it, barely noticing him.
“It’s okay, I’ll vouch for them.” Jack said.
Rogerio nudged Willa, who finally seemed to find her voice. “Thank you.”
“It’s nice to see you again,” Jack said, his throat tight.
“Mr. Chowdhry, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Might we get an interview?” Rogerio chimed in.
Jack forced himself to look at Rogerio. He wasn’t planning to give any individual interviews. The whole idea of coming tonight was to turn the attention away from him.
“Jack, we’re ready for your statement,” one of the TCC staff called out to him.
He turned to Willa. “I’m making a statement for the press. After that I’d love to catch up with you. It’s been a while.”
Willa narrowed her eyes. “Mr. Chowdhry, are you willing to give us an interview?” Her voice was as icy as the cold look in her eyes.
“Two old friends can’t just talk?”
“We’re not friends,” she said. “If you want to talk to me, it’ll be through an interview.”
She hadn’t changed one bit—the same old cutthroat journalist that he’d first met. He smiled. “I’ll make you a deal. For every question of yours that I answer, I get to ask you a question.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve got a deal.”
Finally, he was going to get some answers.
