Chapter 16 Episode 16

My heart thuds and I sit perfectly still, as though her last words held the power to turn me to stone.Could it be true? Could I have a son? We only had s*x one time, but one time is all it takes. I consider having Vinny bring her back in, but I can’t show any sign of weakness. She’s playing withmy emotions. There probably is no son. No baby. After what happened with my father and Felicity, Iknow better than to trust a woman’s word when she is only trying to get her way. Still. With legs as heavy as lead, I rise from my desk and walk to the window. Outside, cars the size of antsweave between each other. Lights in the building across begin to flick on as the afternoon sun fallsbehind the crest of the buildings and long shadows creep through the city. It is a rare moment of quietfor me. For the first time in years, I think neither of my business nor the Family. I am thinking ofmyself, of what I feel and what I want to do, and I am so out of practice that I don’t know where tostart. If Alexis is telling the truth, this could change everything. A variable has emerged that I have nocontrol over. The prospect of that is terrifying but also, somehow ... not. The sounds of the city below come back into focus. I shake my head to dislodge the cobwebs. I amgetting ahead of myself. I walk back to my desk and call Vito. If it turns out I do have a child, he is the only one I can trust withthis information until I know what to do with it. “Boss?” he answers. “I have a job for you,” I say. “I need you to investigate a reporter for the New York Union calledAlexis Wright. Specifically, I want to know if she has a son, and if so, how old he is.” Vito doesn’t ask any questions. He is good like that. “Will do. When do you need to know by?” “As soon as possible.” We end the call and I try to get back to work, but the revelation that Alexis is the woman I have beenfantasizing about for the past two years hits hard. And a child. Jesus Christ, a f*****g child. I don’t yet know what to make of that possibility. I find myself staring at the phone, waiting for Vito to call. The minutes tick by, and I soon realize I ambeing ridiculous. This is exactly what she wanted. I am not going to let this damned woman get in theway of my work. I push thoughts of Alexis out of my mind and focus. The call comes in on my cell just as I am about to leave the office that evening. My hand is on thedoor, but when my cell flashes with Vito’s name, I pause. I answer, jaw tight. “So?” “I did some digging, and Alexis Wright has a son,” Vito confirms. “He’s just over a year old.” Shit. The timeline adds up—there is a chance that Alexis was telling the truth. “Thank you, Vito.” “Uh, yeah,” he says. “And, uh, that’s not all I found.” “That’s quite enough for now,” I interrupt. My mind is whirring at a million miles a minute, fightingthe rising tide of nausea in my stomach. “Thank you.” I hang up and walk back to my desk, sinking into the chair and sliding my phone across the desk. I might have a son. The realization hits me like a bag of bricks and knocks all other thoughts from my brain. I have spentthe past few hours convincing myself that Alexis was just trying to get under my skin and that, whenVito called, it would be to tell me that the child didn’t exist. Then I would get back to my work with aclear head and I would never let myself entertain thoughts of that temptress again. As it stands, I don’t know what to do with this information. I stare blankly at the desk as I struggle togather my thoughts, but they spin faster and faster with every second. I never thought about having children before. My relationship with my own father was so screwed upthat it never occurred to me to continue that legacy. Who’s to say I wouldn’t f**k things up with myown kid just as bad as he f****d things up with me? I never prepared for this. Never planned for it. Each step of my life until this point has beenmeticulously drafted with intention, and this bombshell could throw everything into chaos. I need toget on top of the situation and reclaim control. I’m getting ahead of myself again. I still don’t know for certain that this child is mine. I reach for myphone to make one more call. It is hard to concentrate on work after the morning I had, especially since I still didn’t get anythingusable from Gabriel, so the only thing I actually have to work on is a puff piece about a charity musicfestival. How am I supposed to focus on anything while the image of Gabriel cruelly ordering me out of hisoffice constantly replays in my brain? For all of a half second, he looked like he might do the humanthing and sit me down, ask me about Harry. Then he dismissed me with a wave of his hand. It washumiliating. I somehow get through the day and head to my apartment in Queens. Clara is waiting for me there withHarry. A couple days a week, she picks him up from day care after lunch and babysits him for theafternoon in exchange for using my apartment to film the yoga videos she posts online. She claims myapartment has a better aesthetic, but I suspect Clara just knows that I find it hard to accept help. In anycase, the arrangement saves me a little money, which is always welcome as a single parent. I also likethat Harry gets to spend time with his Aunty Clara. “There’s Mommy!” Clara coos as I walk in. She and Harry are sitting amongst a pile of blocks in the living room. She waves his little hand at me. “Here’s Mommy,” I echo with a sigh. “And she has had one hell of a day.” Clara wrinkles her button nose. “Did Debbie chew you out again?” “Yes, she did,” I reply. “She basically bullied me into breaking into Gabriel’s office. And that wentso well that I ended up dramatically revealing to him that he’s Harry’s father as I was being draggedout the door.” The color drains from Clara’s face. “Alexis!” “I know, I know.” I slouch onto the sofa. “First of all, you don’t even know that he’s definitely Harry’s dad,” she points out. “It’s just as likelythat Grant’s the father.” I have kept Clara apprised of the situation since I stumbled out of Gabriel’s office in a daze after ourfirst interview. She is of the firm opinion that I should stay as far away from Gabriel as possible, which I would have loved to do if Debbie hadn’t needled me so much. “I couldn’t help myself.” I lean over and stroke Harry’s silky hair. He giggles and reaches for me, andI lift him gently into my arms, cradling him against my chest. “I wish I could put into words howarrogant Gabriel is. I wanted to shock him. I didn’t want him to win again.” Clara opens her mouth to respond, but there is a knock on the door. “Did you order food?” I ask Clara. She shakes her head and I hand her Harry, walking over to the door. I gaze through the peephole andsee a tall, slender man in a black suit. He wears a sour expression. “Who is it?” I ask. “Ms. Wright, my name is Daniel Greer. I am here on behalf of Gabriel Belluci.” I glance at Clara and she shakes her head. I turn back to the door. “Why?” I ask. “I have a proposal for you,” he says. “Please let me in.” I stand back and undo the latch, opening the door to admit the dark-haired stranger. He steps into theapartment, clutching a black leather briefcase, and looks around distastefully. Spotting Clara, hestiffens. “Can we talk in private?” Daniel asks. I shake my head. “Anything you can say in front of me, you can say in front of my friend.” “Very well.” He smiles tightly. “Mr. Belluci is willing to offer you one hundred thousand dollars incash, as well as an exclusive interview in his home, if you will consent to conducting a paternity teston your son.” One hundred thousand dollars? That’s an outrageous amount of money. I wonder if that’s what’s in thebriefcase. I look to Clara, whose eyes are bugging out of her head. “Can you give us a minute?” I ask Daniel. He works his jaw from one side to the other, and I suspect he has been told not to leave withoutgetting my approval. Typical Gabriel move. “Just go!” I snap. “I will be right outside the door,” he says, ducking out of the apartment. Clara rushes over to me. “You’re not seriously thinking about doing it, are you?”