Chapter 7 - The Knock on the Door
The next morning, the inevitable happened.
A sleek, black SUV pulled into the rundown parking lot of the apartment complex.
I watched from the window as two massive bodyguards stepped out, followed by a man in a bespoke Tom Ford suit.
Richard Sterling.
My father.
He looked wildly out of place in Silver Lake, his nose wrinkled in disgust at the surroundings.
"Stay in the bedroom with Lucy," I told Valerie.
"Lock the door."
Valerie hesitated, her eyes filled with dread.
"Be careful, Carter."
"He's ruthless."
I kissed her forehead, a natural gesture that surprised us both.
"I know."
"But so am I."
A heavy knock echoed through the small apartment.
I unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open.
My father stood there, his eyes cold and calculating.
He didn't look like a man who missed his son.
He looked like a CEO dealing with a rebellious employee.
"You look ridiculous in this squalor, Carter," he sneered, looking past me into the apartment.
"Get your things."
"Chloe is willing to forgive this temporary lapse in judgment if you issue a public apology today."
I crossed my arms, blocking the doorway.
"I'm not going anywhere, Richard."
My father's jaw tightened.
He only hated one thing more than disobedience, and that was disrespect.
"You are making a monumental mistake."
"This woman is a gold-digger."
"She hid a child from you to use as leverage."
"She didn't hide her," I roared, my anger finally boiling over.
"You threatened her!"
"You intercepted her calls, you fired her, and you drove her out of the city!"
My father didn't even flinch.
He simply adjusted his tie.
"I protected the family."
"And I will do it again."
He gestured to the bodyguards behind him.
"I have an emergency court order."
"I am petitioning for temporary custody of the child, citing the mother's unstable living conditions and lack of income."
"The police are on their way."
My blood ran completely cold.
He was actually doing it.
He was going to tear Lucy from her mother's arms.
"You have no grounds," I said, my voice shaking with rage.
"I have money, Carter," my father smiled thinly.
"That is all the grounds I need in this world."
"Now, step aside, or I will have these men move you."
I didn't move.
Instead, I pulled my burner phone from my pocket.
"Before the police get here, you might want to check your email, Dad."
My father frowned, pulling his own phone from his jacket.
I watched his eyes scan the screen.
I watched the smug, arrogant expression melt off his face, replaced by pure, unadulterated panic.
"The Cayman files," I said softly.
"I sent copies to three different investigative journalists and the SEC."
"They are set on a time-delay release."
"If I don't enter a password every twelve hours, they go public."
My father looked up at me, his face pale and furious.
"You wouldn't."
"It would destroy the company."
"It would destroy our legacy."
May you like
I smiled, a cold, hard smile that I had learned from him.
"Watch me."
