Her knees shook so badly they were practically knocking together, and her teeth were rattling in her head as shock caused her to quiver.
“You can’t fire me,” she whispered. “That’s completely unethical.”
“Not as unethical as what you’re trying to do right now. Don’t bother to work out a month’s notice either. We’ll pay you a month’s salary in lieu of notice. Using our past intimacy in this way is a complete betrayal. I no longer trust you to work for this company, I no longer believe that you are an ethical person, and I cannot have someone like you employed here.”
“I’m pregnant, with your baby,” she said adamantly, and he swore before picking up his phone and punching in a number.
“Send security up to my office, immediately,” he barked at whoever happened to be at the other end of the line.
“You need to hear me out, Dante,” she said earnestly. This wasn’t at all how she had expected this meeting to go. She’d known he would be upset, but this reaction was extreme even for Dante.
“I am Mr. Damaso to you,” he flared arrogantly, and she snorted.
“Fine. Mr. Damaso, one of your condoms failed, and one of your overambitious little soldiers found its mark and left me knocked up.” She spoke fast, aware that time was a limited commodity. He moved away from the desk and turned his back on her, staring out the window and refusing to acknowledge her words. But Cleo kept talking. “I’m keeping my baby. I don’t want you to be a part of his life, and I don’t want you to give me a huge amount of money.” He swiveled back to face her at that pronouncement, his expression insultingly skeptical.
“Not a huge amount, but some, right?” He mocked.
“Well, yes. Of course.”
“Of course.” There was a world of sarcasm in those two words.
“Not a lot, a monthly allowance that will go only to this baby’s health and well-being. I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t intend to get pregnant, but now that the baby is here, I can’t do anything else but keep it and love it. But I can’t afford to take care of a child without some sort of support from you.”
“If you don’t leave my office immediately, it will be rather embar-rassing for you when security drags you out,” he said coldly.
“Dante . . . Mr. Damaso, look-“
He held up a palm, and it shut her up immediately.
“Mierda! Enough! Enough of this now, Miss Knight. It was a good attempt to fleece me but hardly very original. I suggest you go back to the real father of your child-that blond giant, perhaps?-and hit him up for some cash. Unless the two of you hatched this scheme up together?”
He thought Cal was her baby’s father? She would have laughed at that if this whole situation weren’t so damned tragic.
She pulled an envelope from her shoulder bag and dropped it on his desk.
“Please read these documents I’ve had drawn up when you have the time. I understand that this has come as a complete shock to you, but maybe after you’ve calmed down, you’ll be able to approach this situation in a more rational and calm manner.”
“I am more than rational and calm, Miss Knight. I can see quite clearly what’s happening here.”
“Nonetheless, I’ll leave these here.”
Two burly uniformed security guards finally stepped into his office, and he glared at them.
“Your response time is appalling,” he gritted. “I could have been murdered up here while you dawdled over your coffee and doughnuts.”
The two men apologized profusely, and he shut them up with a wave of his hand.
“See Miss Knight back to her desk, wait while she packs her personal items, and escort her out of the building. I want her gone within the hour.”
“Yes, sir,” one huge guy responded curtly while the other slanted her a sympathetic sideways glance.
They approached her chair and flanked her, and one of them dropped a hand on her shoulder.
“Do not touch her.” Dante surprised them all by snapping out the command.
“Sorry,” the security guard mumbled awkwardly.
“You need to come with us, miss,” the other guy said, and Cleo nodded, feeling defeated and exhausted. Her hand dropped protectively to her flat abdomen; the gesture was unconscious and seemed to draw his eye and darken his expression even further. She pushed herself up tiredly and grabbed one brawny guard’s arm for support as she swayed slightly. She held on to him as they both escorted her out of his office. She could feel Dante’s eyes boring into her back as she left, but she refused to look back. If this was how he wanted it, then so be it. She would find a way to look after her baby without his help. Dante Damaso be damned.
Dante dragged both hands through his hair and gulped in a deep, semicalming breath. The nerve of her. The goddamned, absolute gall of her.
Who the hell did she think she was? Who did she think he was? Some na?ve fool who would fall for such a ridiculous and obvious ploy? He was absolutely livid. He wanted to wring her duplicitous little neck with both hands.
He leaped into action, jumping out of his chair and striding determinedly toward the doors. Halfway there he turned back and grabbed the envelope she left on his desk. He didn’t even want to look at it, but he’d need to show it to Mike Grayson, his personal attorney.
He glared at Mrs. Clarke on his way out.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.