Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Chapter 25 Dante’s POV.
There wasn’t much that bothered me about pretty much any thing. The reality of my life was that | was either too busy to worry about what ever was secondary going on around me or | simply could not be bothered by any thing else enough to show greater interest in it
But this was different.
After spending about over an hour with Sophia and her interesting daughter, Hayley, some thing just did not sit right with me. The child bore no resemblance to Adam Huxley what so ever and the bull shit excuse fed to me defending that was just as laughable.
Sophia may have taken me for a fool but | was familiar with Adams family. Many people were. They were influential in their time and managed to keep one of the most profitable companies running. Adam’s mother’s side possessed looks on the lighter side. From the hair to the eye colour and even their features.
| tried to get a hold of Frederick. There were things that | needed him to find out for me before 1 made a proper approach or confrontation but | was still waiting for him to give me a call back.
“Dante, sweetheart.” The voice called me as it approached and | immediately became irritated.
| was yet to confront her about the lies and deceit that she kept up for years. The timing wasn’t right and | needed to figure out bigger things at present.
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| reluctantly shifted my attention from the phone in my hand to find Pheobe stand in front of my. sitting figure. The bright red wrap dress she wore used to be one of my favourites until she started wearing it at every turn she could when we were alone at home causing it lose its luster.
“There you are. | thought you’d left already. She settled herself in my lap and | quickly turned my phone over and gently placed it to my thigh.
“My mother called last night when you were out on your meeting. She thinks that we should have dinner this weekend at the Lamshire estate.” Phoebe pressed her I*ps against my jaw and | resisted. the urge to turn away.
“You can go if you'd life. | don’t think I'll make it.” | responded not being able to keep the impatience out of my tone. Her eyes immediately stared me up and down before her I*ps contorted in to a disapproving line. Here we go. “Now that is unfair. You don’t ever attend any gatherings with my family! She whined but her eyes. were slanted in a fiesty angle.
“Exactly so they won't be disappointed when they know that I can’t make it to this one, too.” Pheobe’s family were not people | liked being around.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
They pretended to be sophisticated around me but | knew better. Her father was known to be an avid gambler that was so engrossed in his filthy habit that he thought nothing to gamble away his
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entire lifes earnings until he had become a pauper. As for her mother, the woman looked at me as if | was a walking gold mine. Their pretense was feeble and | could see right through it, more clearly so, now that | knew the truth.
“You are being such a brute recently and | have some idea as to why that is.” She leaned away from me until she was at the edge of my knee.
“It is just work, Pheobe. Things are changing and require my full attention. | simply have no time at present to relish in social gatherings when | could occupy myself with more beneficial matters.” | tried to diffuse the situation before she ran with her wild assumption.
Knowing Pheobe, Sophia was already a problem in her mind. Regardless of what | did, she would use her as the reason should it not be favourable for her.
“And these changes don’t have anything to do with the reappearance of your ex-wife frolicking about in the arms on Adam Huxley?” My jaw tightened immediately, almost like an instinct that was triggered by the imagery her words illicited.
My hands gripped the side of her waist and moved her until she was of of me and back on to her feet. “| will see you in the evening, Pheobe.” | muttered sternly before leaving the living room and house. altogether.
My phone buzzed just before | reached my car and | looked at it to see an incoming call from Frederick. We agreed to meet at his offices in about thirty minutes and | didn’t make any other stops. instead, | went straight to him.
His office was nothing fancy let alone up to date with modern interior and colour schemes and, had | not known first hand how good he was at what he did, | wouldn’t have even considered his services at all based on his location.
The chair beneath my weight creaked but it felt secure. There was no desk but a medium sized coffee table between where he had sat and |. | didn’t care if it got me the answers | was looking for.
“| hadn’t been expecting to see you so soon again, Mr Crawford.” He crossed his one leg over the opposite knee.
“| need to know if you have any more information about Sophia’s daughter? Any DNA samples or paternity proof. | clarified cutting right to it.
| didn’t come here to waste any time and | didn’t want my time to be wasted.
Frederick looked at me blankly before shaking his head. “That is information | don’t have access to because those are documents that do not exist for me to get my hands on.” He explained but | didn’t want to hear it.
“Well, | need it and | want you to get it for me. I’ll pay you double what | normally do.” His brows lifted knowing that was a hefty sum but they fell slowly and back on to place.
“Tempting as that is, | can’t do it. Unless | have access to the child or Sophia actually agrees to a paternity test, I'm afraid | can’t do a thing for you in this regard.” He said with finality not event
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giving me any hope.
| swore under my breath before running a hand through my hair. | couldn’t ask Sophia for a paternity test urider the current
circumstances. She wouldn't agree and it would be a challenging ordeal trying to request such a thing with no evidence or reasoning.
“Unless...” Frederick rose from his chair and paced the boundaries of the carpet. “What?” | persisted.
He stopped pacing and tapped his fingers against his cleanly shaven jaw. “Unless you bring me some sort of DNA sample from the kid. | could run the necessary tests and you would have an answer. Frederick's I*ps spread in to a satisfied smile, proud at what he had just thought of
“It could be hair or saliva.” He spoke and | knew that | needed to force another encounter which could p get me close enough to Hayley for me to get a sample. “| think hair would be easier to retract.” He suggested but | already blocked him out.
Barging in to her home may not be the easiest of tasks yet again. Sophia was protective of her daughter and it was evident that she did not want me any where near the kid but something didn’t sit right with me. If Adam was not the father based on genetical appearance, then who the hell is?
Did Sophia have more than just one lover during the time we had been married? Is that the reason. why it was so easy for her to walk away and leave me all these years ago?
My hands balled in to fists and | sprung up and out of the chair. | needed to think of some thing. | needed to get that DNA sample to prove just who Sophia had thought she was toying with.
Regardless of my refusal to attend dinner with Pheobe’s family this weekend, | might as well make use of the kids common. interest and like in chocolate as mine. | knew the owner of a luxury chocolate store and securing a private tour and tasting would be a piece of cake.
| hopped in to my car and immediately worked on setting up the plan for this weekend. Sophia will be furious but I can handle her. As for the kid, she was fond of me in an acquaintance level way and that was enough.