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“Athena, your missing model slash future daughter-in-law is here, and we have a huge question for you,” Ellen said into the intercom.
“Oh? What might that be?” came Athena’s response, crackling back at them over the speaker.
Kady spoke instead the next time Ellen pushed the button. “Did you know that Mia has been coming to this building for weeks, according to your secretary? You haven’t been meeting with her, right?”
“Why would I want to meet with that gold-digging, lying little trollop?” Athena demanded hotly. “Ellen, have you been letting her come in here?”
“I thought she was Archer’s girlfriend all this time,” Ellen apologized, still looking confused as she tried to untangle the story that Kady was telling, and the one all the newspapers and gossip rags were telling. “I assumed she was meeting with you.”
“Well, that’s what you get for thinking, then,” Athena said, and Kady could almost see her shaking her head, her French twist shaking back and forth. “Bring Kady into the shooting room, will you? Alfonso’s been waiting for her there. I’ll join you as soon as I am able, Kady, and the three of us can have an early lunch to discuss this matter. And Ellen, next time you aren’t formally introduced by me to a person, you should let me know they’re here and have me come down to make sure they are who they say they are. Got that?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she said, flipping the off switch again. “Come on, Kady—Ross, is it? I remember the name well enough after the search we were put through.”
“Really?” Kady asked curiously, remembering what Athena had mentioned about searching for her, but she had never heard the whole story.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I’m the one Athena sent out to your old apartment, but the landlady said you had moved out,” she explained. “I even called your mother as well. She called back here about a week ago trying to find you.”
“Why would she—“ Kady began.
“Sounds like her husband heard about your change in fortunes,” Ellen scoffed. “She said she’d heard you got a rich boyfriend, but I had no idea what she was talking about Archer. Well, come on, follow me. You’ll love Alfonso, he’s a real sweetheart.”
Kady’s stomach dropped at the news that Ellen had casually dropped. So that’s why her jerk husband had tried to call. She knew it was about the money, but she had held out some small flicker of hope that they cared about her, and were worried. She laughed cynically to herself. She guessed not.
When they entered the room, they found a bald white guy in a gold silk shirt and some tight-fitting white jeans. He wore jewelry everywhere but on his hands, which were noticeably devoid of rings. Curious, Kady stared for a moment as she tried to figure out why.
“Girlfriend, the rings get in the camera’s way,” he chuckled as he saw where she was looking. “But as soon as I’m done here, I guarantee they’ll all be right back where they belong.”
“I see,” Kady replied with a laugh, instantly like this man.
“Well, especially the one from David,” he added. “He hates it when I take it off, but I can’t stand anything to hinder my hands at all when I’m working. This room is my canvas, and you, sweetheart, you are my work of art. So, how far along are you anyway?”
“Twenty-two weeks,” Kady said with a smile.
Glancing at her body, he said, “You’re having a boy, I see.”
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, wrapping her hands around the swell of her stomach as she shook her head. “I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
“A conventional kind of girl, huh?” he smirked. “Well, anyway, all the clothes were selected for your size, and they are waiting in the dressing stall. Why don’t you go ahead and pick one out.”
“What, you don’t have a particular preference then?” Kady asked.
“No, honey, go ahead.” He grinned at her, “I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
With a nod and a chuckle, Kady did exactly that.
Chapter 30
Kady, Ellen, and Athena sat together in a booth at a nearby restaurant waiting for the waitress to serve their food. The atmosphere was a bit snarky but somehow also rather lively as the three discussed Archer’s problematic fan-girl in depth.
“I mean, the only time I ever saw Archer anywhere near that girl was at the restaurant one time, and Kady has already confirmed that he went home with her that night,” Athena pointed out. “Where does she begin to believe that she’s going to convince anyone that she’s having his child when she isn’t even showing—assuming she is pregnant at all?”
“How do you know she’s not just waiting for Kady to have her baby so she can steal it?” Ellen pointed out, not helping Kady’s frame of mind at all.
“Oh, I really did not need to hear that!” Kady protested. “I’m stressed out enough as it is.” She had to let out a forced chuckle as a thought occurred to her. “Besides, the baby will be half white, and half black. Not even a little bit Asian. Don’t you think people would notice?”
Ellen conceded the point with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
“You are right about the stressed part, though,” Ellen smirked, remembering what she’d done at the office upon her arrival there. “But the good news is that since you’re the one sitting here at this table with me and Archer’s mother, it’s pretty apparent which one of you is the real girlfriend, at least to my way of thinking.”
