Chapter 7
That night, Nick finally couldn't hold back and came to see me.
I was going over the company's financial reports when the doorbell rang at Sophie's place.
I peeked through the peephole and saw Nick standing outside, looking like he'd just been through hell.
Sophie rolled up her sleeves, ready to give him a piece of her mind.
I stopped her. "I'll go."
When I opened the door, Nick looked at me. He seemed worn out and a little pissed off. "Emily, let's talk."
"Let's talk here," I replied.
He shot a glance at Sophie. "Can we talk in private?"
"You don't deserve that."
He held back for a moment, then finally said, "I know I messed up with Claire and Leo. But you know, that all happened when I was still in college. She disappeared on me back then, and I only found out about Leo recently."
"Recently?
"How recently?" I asked.
Nick paused. "Six months ago."
Six months ago. Back then, I was busy putting together his fundraising documents, staying up past midnight every single day.
He'd hold me close and say, "Emily, once this round of funding is over, I'll give you the grandest wedding ever."
Turns out, he already knew he had a son six months ago.
While he had me trying on wedding dresses, he was secretly making arrangements for Claire and Leo to leave.
"So you kept this from me for six months?" I asked.
"I didn't know how to tell you," he said.
"So you just brought the kid to our engagement party?"
"Claire was a mess, and I was afraid she'd just take Leo and disappear. Leo's my son so I couldn't just turn my back on him."
"Of course you can take care of him," I said, meeting his eyes. "But you can't make me pay for your mistakes."
Nick closed his eyes for a moment. "Emily, you never used to be the type to fuss over things."
"That's because no one ever threw their love child in my face before."
His face darkened. "Watch your mouth."
I laughed. "What, can't stand to hear it?"
"Leo's innocent."
"I'm innocent too," I stared at him. "Nick, I'm innocent too."
He went quiet. Those words hit him like a dull blade, finally making him realize, even if just for a second, that I wasn't here to take the fall for everything.
But that realization didn't last long.
The next second, he said, "About the shares, you need to withdraw the legal letter. The investors are coming tomorrow. If they find out the shareholders are in turmoil, it'll mess up the valuation."
I looked at him, and my heart just froze.
He wasn't here to apologize. He was here to save the company.
Actually, he was just here to save his own skin.
"Nick," Emily asked, "have you ever, even for a single second, genuinely felt sorry for me?"
He stared at her, looking stunned, like he'd been caught off guard.
After a long silence, he finally said, "I'll make it up to you."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Compensate me? How? By making me your kid's stepmom? Or giving me some shady contract to hold your shares?"
His face darkened. "Emily, don't make it sound so nasty. I've given you more than enough."
"What exactly have you ever given me?"
Nick blurted out, "I gave you a future."
I stared at him coldly.
Turns out, there's no limit to how shameless some people can be.
He claims he gave me a future. A future stuffed with his old flame's kid, my shares siphoned away, and me chained to a marriage as his free nanny and walking ATM.
I nodded. "Alright, then I'll give you a future too."
He froze.
I pulled out my phone and called Mr. Rivers. "Mr. Rivers, go ahead with step two."
Nick's expression shifted instantly, a flicker of panic crossing his face. "Step two? What are you talking about?"