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I looked at Emilia, surprised. She hadn’t indicated she’d made a decision either way, and judging by the expression on Janet’s face she was as surprised as I was.
“Don’t say that, baby girl. It’s taken me so long to find you again. I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished. Look at you! Running your own company with several successful businesses and a charity that’s doing good work. You’ve done so well.”
She’d clearly done her homework. Good for her. But she didn’t know her daughter at all, and once Emilia made up her mind about something she couldn’t be swayed.
“Yes, Jason and I have done very well. That’s because we’ve worked so hard to achieve everything we have, despite what happened to us as children. So I guess I should thank you for being such a poor example of a parent, because if I hadn’t been in foster care, I wouldn’t have met Jason. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Janet flinched as though Emilia had physically struck her. “Please, Emilia. Don’t be that way, baby girl, I—”
“Stop calling me baby girl. You have no claim over me. I know exactly why you’re here now, and it’s not to get to know me or form any type of relationship with me.
“I’m willing to bet that any money your husband left you in his will is now gone, and you just want me to give you some money until you can find the next poor man who’s sucked in by your charms.
“Let me tell you something right here and now, Janet. You will never get a dime from me, do you understand? So if your endgame is to get money from me, you’re wasting your time and mine. You may as well leave now and not ever come back. You may have given birth to me, but you will never be my mother. Do I make myself very clear?”
The smile slid off Janet’s face, and her eyes narrowed, her fury obvious. “You ungrateful little bitch! I spent over twenty-four painful hours in labor with you. I fed and clothed you, put a roof over your head.”
“Until I was taken from you when I was four because you decided being a hooker and taking drugs was more important than your own child. Tell me, Janet. Which john was my father? Or was it your pimp? Do you even know?”
“You owe me!”
Anger emanated off Emilia in waves, and I nodded at Connor, who edged closer to our very unwelcome guest. “I don’t owe you a fucking thing. You’re a poor excuse for a mother and a human being. We’re done.
“You come anywhere near me again, you try to contact me in any way, and I’ll get a restraining order against you. I’ll also reach out to our friends in law enforcement and see if they can find out if you have any outstanding warrants in other states. If you do, I’ll be sure to let the police know where to find you.”
“You fucking bitch. I should have known you wouldn’t be worth the effort anyway.” Janet sneered at both of us. “You’re going to regret this, Emilia, as much as I regret not drowning you at birth.”
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out the door.
I nodded at the other man in the room. “Connor.”
“I’ll make sure she leaves.”
He disappeared out the door behind her and I turned to Emilia. The look on her face would haunt me for days to come. She was completely frozen in place, and tears had started to pour down her cheeks. Her jaw moved, but no sound came out of her mouth.
It took her a few tries to be able to speak. “She should have drowned me at birth?” Her tone was devoid of any inflection, but I knew those words had cut her like a knife, and pain lanced my heart.
“Fuck, Emilia.” I pulled her into my arms and held her when she broke down. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. She’s a fucking oxygen thief.” I stroked her long, dark hair softly. “I should never have told you about her.”
Regret swarmed over me like a hive of angry bees, and what I wanted more than anything was to follow Janet and punch her for saying what she had. But the woman in my arms was far more important, and by the time Connor arrived back in the room her tears had stopped, but she made no move to step away from me.
Connor’s expression softened in the face of Emilia’s distress. “What can I do?”
“Distribute photos of both women to the security team. Neither of them is to be given access to this building or the clubs. They are not to be permitted to approach or contact us in any way, shape, or form. Keep tabs on both of them, and if they try anything, notify the appropriate authorities.”
“Consider it done. I’ll leave you two alone.”
He left the room. Emilia sighed in my arms, and I pulled back just far enough to tip her chin up so I could look into her eyes. “I know this is going to be hard, but please don’t pay any attention to what she said. She’s a selfish, spiteful woman who obviously doesn’t care about anyone but herself. She doesn’t deserve any of your time.”
I kissed her. “What’s important is that you’re a beautiful, intelligent, hard-working woman who deserves everything she’s achieved, and I worship the ground you walk on. We’re going to get married, continue making money, and enriching the lives of as many foster children as we can.”
“You know what I could use right now?”
“What’s that?”
“A stiff drink. And a massage.” She raised her eyebrows at me a couple of times, and I grinned.
“One drink and massage coming right up. If I’m to do it properly, though, you’ll need to take off your clothes.”
“I think I can manage that.” The corners of her mouth curled up in a small smile, but then her expression sobered. “Thank you for being here with me. I don’t know if I could have gotten through that without you.”
“I’m always by your side, Em. You know that. Forever.”
