I produced the highest yield of crystal of my career. I handed it off to our distributors then told my cooks to get back to work. With Maddox out of the picture and my power unrivaled, I intended to eliminate all other competition and kill anyone that got in my way.
Life was good.
I wasn’t as relieved as I’d thought I would be that Maddox was gone. I hated to admit it, but I’d learned a lot from him. I understood how to delegate to my men, how to terrify my enemies, and how to get shit done with precision. His demise was great news because he couldn’t control me anymore, but in terms of great businessmen, he really had been one of the best.
Now I was the best.
I’d acquired all of his men and tripled my force. Now I sat in my office with my feet on the desk, an invisible crown on my head. Getting rid of Damien was the last thing on my list, and I considered how to kill him.
But I knew I couldn’t do it. Maddox could’ve…but not me.
My phone started to ring on the desk, and I glanced at the screen.
It was Sofia.
That name used to send vibrations into my heart, make my stomach tighten with both excitement and unease. But now, I felt nothing…except a sprinkle of annoyance. I’d made it clear I didn’t want her anymore. I hope she took that seriously. My days of being a pussy-whipped little bitch were over.
She could find some other asshole to torture.
But she was the mother of my son, and of course, I would always care about her. Even if I didn’t love her anymore, I would help her in whatever way I could. I took the call. “Yes?”
“Don’t talk to me that way unless you want to get slapped.” Her tone of voice was so different, I almost didn’t recognize it. She wasn’t the clingy, whiny woman she was the last time I saw her. Now, she was stern and hard, reminding me of the woman I’d originally met years ago.
“You don’t know where I am, so how will you accomplish that?”
In a dead serious tone, she said, “I’ll hunt you down.”
I was quiet because I was surprised by her response.
“I’ve had Andrew for two weeks. I think it’s time you took him for a while. There’re some things I have to take care of, and it’d be nice to have a break.”
I was curious about these plans she had, but I didn’t ask. I’d had Helena make up a room for Andrew down the hall from me because I knew I would be watching him on my own at some point. Having a kid interrupted my bachelor life, but he was so special to me that I didn’t mind. “That’s fine.”
“You want me to drop him off later? I’m going out anyway.”
I didn’t ask what she was up to. “Yeah. Any time after six.”
She didn’t even say goodbye before she hung up.
I listened to the line go dead, and I raised an eyebrow. “Did she just hang up on me?”
I’d just gotten out of the shower when there was a knock on the door. I left my towel on the bathroom counter and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before I opened it.
Sofia stood there holding a car seat with Andrew inside. He was so small that it was easy for her to carry him with one arm. On her shoulder was a blue baby bag with his favorite toys and blankets. “I packed enough bottles of milk to last you three days.” There was no desire in her eyes when she looked at me shirtless. There was no affection either, like she was taking our separation well. “I got his favorite stuffed animals and other stuff he might need.” She was dressed in a tight black dress with little straps over her shoulders. Her tits were bigger than they used to be, and they were proudly displayed in the sweetheart top. Her body wasn’t thin and hard like it once was, but she had a lot of extra curves to make up for it. With silky, shiny hair and painted lips, she looked like a hot piece of ass.
It didn’t look like she’d had a baby at all.
I thought I would want to stare only at my son, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Where was she going dressed like that? Did she have a date? Was it too soon for that? “Thanks.” I took the car seat from her and carried him into my bedroom. I placed him on the top of the bed so he could have a look around. It was the first time he’d been in my bedroom since he was born.
She set the bag beside him before she leaned down and kissed him. “I’m gonna miss you so much, baby. But I’ll be back in a couple of days.” She cupped his cheeks and rubbed his nose with hers. “I love you, sweetheart. Have fun with Daddy.” When she bent over like that, the curve in her back was more noticeable, her ass stuck out, and her tits were practically falling out of the front of her dress. She stood up straight. “I gotta go. I’m already late.”
Late for what?
She ran her fingers through her hair and walked past me. “Call me if you need anything. Even if it’s in the middle of the night, I’m happy to help.” Immune to my muscular attractiveness, she headed to the door.
My eyes glanced down to her ass. “I know how to take care of my son.”
She turned around at the door. With one hand on her hip, she gave me a stare ripe with attitude. “But you don’t know how to talk to a woman.”
I took Andrew to the bank with me during the day. He sat in the car seat in one of the chairs facing my desk. As long as he had a toy or a bottle, he was usually fine. His cries were at a minimum. The only time he got upset was when I left the room. He hated being alone, so as long as I was nearby, he felt comfortable.
I would look up from my laptop from time to time just to stare at him. He was only six weeks old, but he’d grown so much in such a short amount of time. His face was more defined and less chubby, and his hair was starting to come in. I could see his distinct similarities to me, but I could also see so much of Sofia in his expression. He was a perfect combination of the two of us.
Damien stormed into my office. “That fucking prick Thomas is being a little bitch. He just gave us his money, and he wants to pull it out already. The guy expects results overnight, but he doesn’t have a fucking clue—”
“Watch your mouth.”
Damien straightened in front of my desk and gave me a quizzical expression.
I nodded to Andrew on the chair. “Don’t want him to be a potty mouth like his father.”
Damien glanced over his shoulder and stilled when he noticed my son. He hadn’t seen him before since we had no personal relationship at all. He stared for a while before he leaned down and looked at him. “Hey, little guy. Your daddy must be somebody else because you are way too cute.”
I let the insult slide.
Damien squeezed Andrew’s foot before he turned back to me. “Sofia did a good job.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I fucked her, didn’t I?”
“Whoa, watch the language.”
I rolled my eyes.
“She was the one who had to carry him for nine months. She literally made him and then pushed him out of a tiny hole. I think she gets all the credit.”
No argument there.
“Are you gonna bring him to work often?”
I nodded. “I can leave him with Helena, but then I’ll never see him.”
“True.” He set the papers on my desk. “You want to talk to Thomas?”
The last time we spoke, I’d tried to buy Damien out of the company, but he wouldn’t go. It was a little awkward, but Andrew’s presence seemed to smooth it over. It was hard to hate each other when there was a baby in the room. “Yeah, I’ll handle it.”
“Can you still do the meetings with Andrew?”
“Yes. He’ll be fine.”
Damien clearly didn’t have anything else to say, but he continued to linger at my desk.
I turned back to him and stared. “Yes?”
He slid his hands into his pockets. “You and Sofia are done for good?”
He must’ve spoken to Sofia if he knew that. “Yes. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“She’s not gonna be on the market for long…”
My eyes narrowed. “Don’t stick your nose in my business.”
“I’m not.” He stepped away from my desk. “Just wanted to give you a heads-up before I go after her.”
Andrew liked the changing colors and shapes of the TV, so I held him in my arms as we sat on the couch. He rested against my chest while he held his favorite plastic keys. A blanket was over both of us.
There was a cartoon on and I was bored out of my mind, but I was also grateful I got to spend time with him. I had no experience with children, and I hadn’t thought I would be a father so soon, but it was a lot easier than I’d thought it would be. All you had to do was pay attention to them…and love them.
My phone was on the table beside me, and it rang with Sofia’s name on the screen. It’d been three days, so she probably wanted him back.
I kept thinking about the last thing Damien said to me, that he wanted to go after my ex-wife. Of course, that annoyed me because friends didn’t do that to each other. But then I remembered we weren’t friends…and Sofia didn’t owe me anything.
Damien obviously heard about our falling out from Sofia herself, so it made me wonder if they’d already started to see each other. When she dropped off Andrew, she was dressed like she was about to hit the town. If she was fooling around with Damien, it was just a rebound.
But it made me uncomfortable anyway.
I wasn’t jealous… I just didn’t like it.
Or did me not liking it mean I was jealous?
I didn’t want to be with Sofia, so I didn’t know how that could be true.
I took her call. “Yeah?”
It was obvious in the background that she was driving. “What did we talk about?”
“It’s not personal, I just—”
She hung up.
I heard the line go dead then stared at the phone incredulously.
She called again.
When I answered, she spoke immediately. “Let’s try this again.”
I was annoyed with her pissy attitude, but I didn’t antagonize her. “Hello, Sofia.”
“Ahh…much better.”
My eyebrows furrowed at her condescension, but I was also intrigued she didn’t let me push her around.
“I’m in the neighborhood, so I wanted to see if I could pick up Andrew. If you want another day with him or whatever, that’s fine. But I thought I’d ask.”
“Yeah, you can come get him.”
“Great. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“He and I—”
She hung up.
I set the phone down hard and noticed that Andrew had turned to stare at me. He held my gaze for a while before he reached for my phone.
“Yes, that was your mother. I hope you’ll be a better conversationalist than she is.”
This time, Sofia let herself inside my bedroom. Like last time, she was oblivious to my rock-hard chest and my chiseled abs. She used to melt into a puddle at the sight of my tanned skin, but now she seemed completely indifferent to it.
All she cared about was Andrew.
She walked over to him in the car seat on the bed because I’d already packed him up to go. “Oh my god, did you get cuter in three days?” She picked him up then brought him into her chest. Just as she had been a few days ago, she was dressed in a tight dress with heels, her hair a curtain of silk. Her eyes were smoky, and her lips were red as a ripe apple. She cradled him against her breast and gently bounced him from side to side. “I missed you so much, baby. I missed hearing you cry in the middle of the night. I even missed changing your diapers.” She kissed his forehead and ignored me because all she cared about was him.
When she was done getting reacquainted with him, she put him back in the car seat. “I was so afraid you were gonna forget me.” She grabbed the bag and put it over her shoulder.
“He definitely didn’t forget you.” I put my hands in my pockets as I watched my ex-wife dote on our son. “When you called a while ago, he recognized your voice.”
“You did?” She turned back to Andrew and gently tickled his stomach. “You didn’t forget your momma, huh?” She leaned down and smothered him in more kisses. When she was satisfied with his affection, she stood up to leave. “Was he good?”
“I took him to work every day, and he was great.”
Her eyes lit up in flames. “You did what?”
“The bank.” She should have assumed I wouldn’t take him to the factory or anywhere else dangerous.
“Oh, thank god.”
“Give me more credit than that.”
Her look turned cold. “I’ll give you credit when you deserve it.”
My eyes narrowed. “You’ve been hostile lately.”
“You get what you give.” She grabbed Andrew and made her way to the door.
As much as I hated myself for doing it, I glanced down to her ass.
“Let me know when you want him again.” She opened the door.
I came up behind her. “I can carry that for you.” She had two flights of stairs to manage with the car seat along with the baby, which was a burden.
“I don’t need you to carry anything for me.” With her head held high, she strutted in her heels like she was walking on air.
I watched her ass shake from side to side. Her behavior was so different from how it was the last time we spoke that it was disconcerting. I found myself confused…even a little annoyed. “Sofia.” I walked after her before she reached the landing.
She turned back around. “Yes?” She cocked her head slightly and gave me a spiteful look. “Annoying, isn’t it?”
I ignored the way she got back at me for answering the phone like that all the time. “Are you fucking Damien?”
She stepped back slightly like I’d pushed her in the chest, seeming truly surprised by the question. That either meant she was surprised Damien said anything to me, or nothing was going on at all. “I can’t believe you just asked me that.”
I stepped closer to her. “And I can’t believe you haven’t answered the question.”
She put one hand on her hip and looked at me with nothing but disgust. “You made it clear you don’t want to be with me. So how dare you stick your nose in my personal life. You told me you didn’t love me anymore. You watched me break down in sobs. Who I let inside me is none of your fucking business.” She grabbed the rail and started to descend the stairs without looking back.
I stayed on the landing and watched her go, pissed at myself for caring in the first place. I wasn’t sure what bothered me about the situation. Was it the idea of Sofia with somebody else? Or was it the fact that my former best friend was screwing my ex-wife?
When she was at the bottom of the stairs, she stopped and looked up at me. “And just so you know, Ash was the one who helped me. Not Damien.”