by Alicia Rae
“You. Are. Not. My. Mother.” Damien’s voice was frightening low. His loathing and pure hatred for this woman before me was apparent in every single word.
Damien’s powerful legs crossed the room with four long strides in an effort to get to me. “Let’s go, Raelyn,” he ordered.
The moment he set his eyes on me, I got a clear read on him. To others, his expression might be one of uncontrollable fury, but I knew the real Damien, just like he knew me. I could see beneath the shield he wore, beneath his visible rage, that he was desperate. He needed to get out of here, and he wasn’t leaving without me.
My body automatically kicked into gear. I grabbed my purse from the floor and leaped up. My hands came to his biceps, and I gazed at him with understanding.
The two of us turned around where he guided me forward en route of the door. From the corner of my eye, I saw Annabelle rise from her chair.
She stared back at us with glossy eyes. “It’s not my fault that my son refuses to acknowledge he has a mother.”
Damien shifted his hold on me while advancing toward Annabelle. “Shut the fuck up, Annabelle!” His entire body vibrated along my torso. “And don’t you ever call me that again! I’ll never be your son, and you’re sure as fuck not my mother.”
My heart painfully cracked and splintered for the man beside me.
“I won’t ever be quiet, Damien,” Annabelle whispered, her voice cracking. “Nor will I ever concede until you give me the chance to make things right between us.”
“You want a chance?” Damien laughed menacingly. “You had fifteen years of them. It’s too fucking late now.”
“You need to move past that and forgive me, Damien! That was out of my control,” Annabelle cried, stepping forward.
I instinctively took one step in the opposite direction, shoving my frighteningly pissed man backward with me to keep the space between us all.
Annabelle continued to speak, “You can’t blame me forever!”
“The fuck I can’t!” Damien argued, causing me to flinch at his homicidal tone. “You sat by and did nothing!” He leaned into me, and I pushed against him. “Nothing!” he roared. “There is no forgiveness for a heartless, selfish person like you. And I’ll gladly take my fucking hatred for you to my grave.”
Damien grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door as he warned Annabelle, “Don’t ever contact me again, and you’d better not ever come near Raelyn again, or you’ll be fucking sorry.”
Then, we were gone.
Now, here I was, at Heathman Enterprises, sitting next to the woman Damien despised with every bone in his body, and Damien had no clue that his mother was here to see him. It would undoubtedly set him off. Every muscle in my body coiled with tension.
I swallowed the thick lump in my throat before I finally acknowledged her presence. My tone was desolate as I said, “Hi, Annabelle.”
“Jeez,” she huffed, “please don’t sound so overjoyed to see me.”
“Sorry, but that’s because…well”—I shrugged—“I’m not.”
“That is truly a shame.” She laughed humorlessly under her breath before releasing a long, troubled sigh. “I only want five minutes with my son. Five. Is that so much to ask?”
“Considering Damien doesn’t want to see you, yes, five minutes is a lot.”
“That’s ridiculous.” She snorted quietly and crossed her legs. “He is being ridiculous.”
I tightly clutched my bag, noting my hands were clammy with nerves. I needed to remove myself from this situation, and at the same time, I feared it would cause a scene.
What is Annabelle doing here?
I looked around for help. There was no one, except for the gentleman to my left. He seemed to be skimming a document as he recited some kind of business proposal to himself. The corner of Cathy’s desk was barely visible. I leaned forward to see that she was on the phone, paying no attention to us.
I sat back in my chair and told Annabelle, “I’m sure Damien has his reasons.”
“Outdated reasons,” she argued, rotating to face me. “All I want is for him to speak to me. He and I need to put our past behind us.”
At her words, I felt incredibly protective of Damien. My spine lengthened as I met her gaze with a stern one of my own. “I believe Damien has made it quite clear to you that he doesn’t want any contact with you,” I stated, keeping my voice low but serious. “And showing up here, at his office, unannounced, is not the proper way to attempt to mend your relationship with him. You’ll indubitably upset him. I think you should go.”
“You’re wrong.” Annabelle licked her lips and linked her fingers together, clearly irritated. “Damien needs to admit that it’s time to move on with his life. He needs to put his ill feelings about his family to rest, once and for all. I refuse to leave him alone until he agrees to do so. I don’t expect you to understand, but this is something I have to do.”
My heart rate spiked to dangerous levels at her stubbornness to get her way and to carelessly blindside Damien when he stepped out of his office. I might not have all the details of why Damien hated her so. However, it’d only taken witnessing his profound anger and deep hurt for me to feel his emotions, as if they were my own. That day at my office would forever be ingrained in my memory.
I didn’t want to argue with her anymore, so I redirected my attention to the artificial tree in an effort to end our conversation.
Annabelle mindlessly tapped her hand on her handbag as the clock ticked by—too slowly for my liking.
“You know, Damien was an irate child, completely wild and out of control,” Annabelle began, breaking into my thoughts. “He had no regard for authority. When his actions deserved a form of punishment, his anger would lash out at those around him. He’d punch holes in my walls, break doors, wreck my valuables beyond repair without a single ounce of remorse, and he’d yell and scream at me, his own mother. He’d even go as far as disgracing me in front of others. It was terrifying to witness that side of him.”
I inwardly wondered what Annabelle had done to Damien all those years ago to drive him to such lengths.
She kept speaking, “Damien makes up his mind for himself. He does what he wants, when he wants, without thinking of any repercussions. His negligence was the final nail driven into the coffin that ripped our family apart.” Annabelle released a grave sigh. “Yet I’ve forgiven him for everything. After all that deranged child put me and our family through, I still love him and his brother.”
At the back of my mind, I guessed she must be referencing Damien’s stepbrother, Drake, because Damien didn’t have a biological brother.
“Drake has done everything in his power to move forward and have a relationship with Damien, as have I, yet Damien still chooses to push us all aside, like we are trash on the curb.”
My body trembled with anger. I’d had enough of this woman pushing all the blame on Damien. I held out my palm to silence her and began to rise from my seat on shaky limbs. “Annabelle, I don’t want to hear this. Stop. Just stop, please.”
“Why?” she scoffed as she rose to confront me. “Why don’t you want to hear the truth about the man you’re about to marry?”
“I thought you were here to make amends with your son,” I countered, unable to keep my fury in check.
“I am.”
“I’m having a hard time believing that’s true when you’re over here, venting to me about Damien and all his wrongdoings over the years. It doesn’t seem like you’ve put the past behind you.” I pointed an accusing finger at her, and my voice rose. “It sounds like you’ve come to stir up trouble.”
Footsteps padded toward us until Cathy came into view. She gazed at me. Her eyes widened with pure shock when she saw Annabelle.
“Ms. Faye, how did you get in here?” Cathy rushed toward Annabelle and lightly grabbed her arm. “You’re not supposed to be here. You must leave at once.”
Annabelle shook Cathy off. “I’m not going anywhere until I see my son.�
�
“Ms. Faye, please,” Cathy pleaded discreetly. “You are well aware you’re not supposed to be within one hundred yards of Mr. Heathman. I’ll see you out.”
The distinct sound of a door opening sounded at our right. Cathy, Annabelle, and I all glanced in the direction of the noise to see Damien stepping into the room with a gentleman at his side. And that was the very moment my heart stopped beating, solely out of fear of Damien’s reaction to seeing Annabelle once again.
five
Damien
“It was great to see you, Damien,” Tryston Kingsley told me as I paused outside my office door once our meeting had concluded. “Let’s not wait nearly two years before it happens again.” He grinned and extended his arm toward me for a handshake.
Tryston was an old friend and one of the few good men I’d crossed paths with in life. He was a well-respected businessman, honest to the bone, and funny as hell to be around. He owned Kingsley Construction and Kingsley Commercial.
“Likewise, Kingsley.” I shook the man’s hand with a strong grip. “And, later this week or next, I fully intend for us to grab a beer and talk more when I have the contract ready for us to sign to finalize the merger of our commercial companies. I’m confident we can do extraordinary things together in the near future.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more, and I’m looking forward to it.”
“I’ll see you soon then.” I offered a genuine smile.
Tryston pivoted toward the reception area, and I followed suit with the intention of bringing in my next client early, so I could get the hell out of here at a decent hour. I wanted to spend time with Raelyn before the night was over, and I was eager to get home to check in on her. I had been stressing out over the possibility of her overexerting herself today with Iris and over our argument this morning.
My movements came to a dead fucking halt when I glanced over and took in the scene unfolding before me.
Raelyn stood to one side of the waiting room, looking nervous and distraught, as Cathy spoke firmly to Annabelle.
Fucking Annabelle Faye. The very same woman I used all my powers to avoid at all costs.
Cathy and Annabelle’s conversation ceased when their eyes landed on me while my gaze locked on one person.
All the pure fucking rage, irrepressible anger, and undeniable hate for that despicable woman instantly boiled in my blood. It pumped through my veins with an unstoppable vengeance. As I fought to breathe, feeling my animosity for her blackening my heart, my hands curled into fists. I was infuriated with Annabelle’s audacity to show up at my work.
Raelyn stepped forward and blocked my view of Annabelle. “Damien”—she rushed toward me—“I need a word with you, please.” She wrapped her arms around my center and reached up on her toes, peering up at me. “Let’s step into your office for a minute, so we can speak in private.”
I gazed down and tried to focus solely on her warmth enclosing me. Her green eyes were offering me comfort while also pleading with me. Normally, this was the point where I’d flip my shit to make Annabelle leave. It was evident Raelyn was attempting to help me maintain my composure at Heathman Enterprises, a place where a CEO should remain calm and in control.
God, I fucking loved my gorgeous girl all the more for her efforts, but this was one of those instances where nothing could save me from losing my temper. Annabelle always made me see red, and she needed to be dealt with.
I brought my hands to Raelyn’s hips and softly kissed her cheek before whispering, “Go into my office, Raelyn.”
She didn’t need to see this. I wouldn’t risk stressing her out, and I was a ticking time bomb, ready to blow.
“What?” She drew back. “No way. Not unless you come with me.”
“Go. Now.” I urged her in the direction of my office with a light push of my palm. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Absolutely not, Damien.” Raelyn spun around to face me, standing her ground. She murmured, “I’m not leaving you out here to face her alone.”
I contemplated literally picking her up and carrying her into my office until I remembered there was no way to lock her in there once I got her inside.
Fuck.
“Damien, I need to speak with you,” Annabelle demanded, closing the gap between us.
I turned to face her and shot her a cold, murderous stare. My knee-jerk reaction was to tell her to get the fuck out of here.
Raelyn set her hand on my back and began to stroke it. The tenderness of her touch impacted me in a way that I couldn’t express. My heartbeat calmed a fraction.
It was then I noticed Gordon Mendosa, a prospective client, had arrived early for his meeting. He was a young man who wanted to sell an engineering company with several patents to make a quick buck. It had the potential to be worth millions if it landed in the right hands.
I strained to relax my expression and keep my voice even as I said, “Ms. Faye, my schedule is jam-packed today. You can take up any concerns you have with my receptionist, Cathy. She’d be happy to help you.”
I redirected my attention to Gordon. “Mr. Mendosa, if you’d be so kind as to step into my office, I’ll be with you shortly. There is something I must attend to first before we talk.” It was the best way to get Gordon out of earshot.
“Not a problem, Mr. Heathman.” Gordon gathered his papers and put them in his briefcase before rising to his feet.
I then glanced at Cathy and told her, “Please see to it that Mr. Mendosa is comfortable while he awaits my arrival.”
Cathy passed by me, and I heard her say, “Mr. Mendosa, right this way. Can I get you anything while you wait? A cold drink?”
“No, thank you. That’s quite all right,” Gordon replied, his voice fading, as Cathy took him into my office and closed the door.
All the while, my eyes had returned to Annabelle where they seared into her with such intensity that I feared the room might set fire. “My patience is running thin with you, so give this nonsense a rest. I want you to leave. Immediately.”
“But it’s urgent—” Annabelle protested.
I raised my hand and cut her off, “No fucking buts, Annabelle. If one more word so much as leaves your mouth, I’ll have you escorted out of here in handcuffs for breaking a restraining order. Our ties were severed long ago. End of story.”
Annabelle’s lips went into a straight line. Her toxic glare was threatening, almost as if to say that this battle wasn’t over yet. I returned her stare with a venomous one of my own.
I didn’t give a shit what she thought. This stalking bit was over. We were done.
Normal parents made mistakes every single day. They were human. I was perfectly okay with that.
Annabelle hadn’t made those same typical errors. Hers had permanently scarred me and fucked with my head for years, and there would be no forgiveness. She’d made her bed when I was just a kid, so now, she’d sleep in it through the rest of her days.
Annabelle spun on her heels, about to leave. She took exactly four steps before twisting to face me. My posture went rigid. Her mouth dropped open, and tears pooled in her eyes. They meant nothing to me, nor did she. Then, after a couple of seconds of us silently gauging one another, she snapped her lips shut and walked away.
Raelyn exhaled deeply with relief, and I found myself doing the same. I didn’t want to call the cops on Annabelle. It would draw attention to my past—the same one I’d spent a fortune to bury and keep out of the press. Nevertheless, I was a man of my word, and I’d follow through on my threat on the flip of a dime. Dealing with the press was far easier than being anywhere near that woman.
Jesus, my nerves were shot to shit.
Needing some time to breathe, I linked my hand with Raelyn’s and led her into a nearby storage room where I shut the door and flipped the lock behind us. I wanted a few minutes to gather my wits before my last meeting of the day.
I hoisted Raelyn onto a short double-wide filing bin and nudged her legs apart, needing to be close to
her. Her hands looped around my neck, and I leaned in, inhaling her fresh scent. I immediately began to relax. Coiled tension eased from my neck and shoulders.
“You always smell amazing”—I closed my eyes—“and it has the most calming effect on me. I wish I could keep you with me here all day, every day.”
Raelyn adjusted herself to raise her arms. She cupped my cheeks and softly caressed my face. “Whenever you’re near me, you do the same for me.”
I absorbed her touch, reveling in the feel of it. It was heady and intoxicating, and I fucking loved every second of it. It reminded me that the workdays were too long, and my time spent with her was too short.
I’d never have my fill of her, but after a while, I made myself draw back slightly to gaze at her. I pinched my brows together, suddenly worried she’d overexerted herself today.
“You should be resting at home,” I quietly told her.
“Damien, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, assessing the planes of her face. “You were out and about with Iris today. You must be exhausted.”
“I’m positive,” she reassured me with a smile. “I took a long nap when I got home. I didn’t feel like sitting around the house by myself, and I missed you, so I brought you dinner.”
“I missed you, too.” I tenderly kissed the tip of her nose. Then, I deliberated on the latter part of her statement. My expression lifted, and I looked to either side of her. “Where is it?”
“Your BLT sandwich is back in the waiting room.” Raelyn wiggled against me to free herself. “I’ll go get it.”
My hold on her tightened. “Oh no. You stay right where you are. It can wait.” I only had a few minutes with her, and I wanted to see her more than I needed food.
Raelyn tugged her lip between her teeth before gradually releasing it. She always did that when something was on her mind.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, unable to hold my tongue.
Her eyes searched mine. “Can I ask you something without upsetting you?”
Nothing Raelyn ever queried displeased me—except one topic, and it seemed to be the one she asked about the most.