Gifts

Chapter 15 – A Pawn in their Game–1

Alden narrows his eyes at me and looks back at Kent. I’m a little shocked, I admit, that he hasn’t addressed me yet. I stand awkwardly in front of him and Daniel quietly takes my hand, giving it a squeeze of support.

“Is this for real, Lippert?” Alden asks, a threat behind his glare.

Kent nods slowly. “We did a test. It’s a 99% genetic match for paternity. I can show you the paperwork upstairs, and you can have it verified by your own doctors. But, with that kind of proof at hand, Alden.” He spread his hands out, hoping Alden takes him at his word. “Why would I lie?”

Alden nods and returns his gaze to me, staring for a moment. Then, he shocks me again by breathing out a huge breath of air and rubbing a hand down his face. “Damnit, but you look like your mother,” he mutters.

eyes.

My mouth falls open when I see the glimmer of tears in his My heart goes out to him, then. He’s a solid rock of a man, but I can see that deep feelings run beneath.

“Where is she?” he demands.

Surprised, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “She died,” I say, grimacing inwardly at my bluntness. Alden’s face falls minutely. Surely, after all these years, he knew it would be unlikely that she would be alive, but still – he’s upset by the

“When?” he asks.

“Years ago,” I whisper, sorry to be the one to tell him. “I was young – I had just turned six.”

I feel horrible – I had no idea that he cared for her as much as he clearly does. I had assumed she was

what had Fiona called

herself? a goomah. His mistress, or his girlfriend, not someone he really I cared about.

arms over

say, my voice hardly more than a whisper now. “They said…they said she

away, gathering himself together. “And where has

cemetery by our home – in the churchyard. I can take you there,

his burning eyes to me. “In a churchyard?” He shakes his head. “He didn’t respect her, then, the man

find my own emotions turning, then, from pity to anger. How dare he suggest that David was anything but an angel

Daniel holds my hand tighter, in a warning that comes too late –

nothing,”

“He raised me

the words rip from

back, my eyes going wide. Alden takes a heavy step towards me, intimidation in every

he says, taking another step. “Did he know about your parentage? Did he know where she came from, who your

deny it, I stay silent, keeping my face still.

you from me, my daughter, not his! And he should

I can’t imagine the kind of things my mother must have gone through. She must have

B

Write your comment

Gifts

15 – A Pawn in

Game–2

she’d so desperately left. Why did I let myself get so wrapped up in this world? I cower away from my

behind me,

to him

is only a formality. He nods pointedly at the ring on my hand, “that our agreement, years ago, to unite our families through marriage is holding strong. Your daughter is engaged to my son. I anticipate that the wedding will be swift, in the next few months, if it can be

throat. “This is a trick,” he says. “How can they be engaged, when you just found

miracle,” he says, giving Alden a small but earnest

fact that

his father carefully planned this meeting, this conversation. In one swoop, they gave

or not I want to marry Daniel. Because Daniel, too, is

open my mouth to protest, but

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255