14. Suddenly Daddy

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I've been trying to call Ashton Knight's personal number, leave him a voice message, and even text him, but I haven't gotten a single response from him. Once I can get a hold of Andy, he says that his boss has been tied up in the meeting with Mr. Remington and the team. For dramatic effect, he whispers ominously on the phone, "If you still want to have your soul intact, you'd better not bother him now."

Honestly, I don't care. He can bite me all he wants later, but first, I want his blood.

It's already lunch break when I reach the thirteenth floor. Once the elevator doors slide open, the delicious aroma coming from the pantry invades my nostrils, making my stomach growl like a mad dog. But food can wait because my daughter's life is on the line. Noticing that the executive assistant's desk is empty, I march directly to Mr. Knight's door. Andy told me that our CEO didn't have any lunch appointments, which means he's probably having his lunch inside his room right now.

Once standing in front of his door, I take a deep breath while gathering my courage to announce my arrival. It's when I hear a male voice murmur and a female giggle behind the door. He's having company, and whatever they're doing at this very moment, it doesn't sound like a work-related visit. Is he doing funny business in his office room right now? During lunchtime?

The latest gossip about him getting back together with his ex pops up in my mind. It must be her then; it must be the faceless woman. If it wasn't for Chloe, I would just turn around and leave, but what needs to be done needs to be done.

The laughter stops once I knock, followed by a brief silence before his familiar voice echoes across the room. "Yes?" He must think I'm Andy.

Feeling unsure about how he will react to my unexpected appearance, I clear my throat and reply, "Mr. Knight?"

I hear footsteps approach the door and before I can respond, the door is swung open, revealing the face that has been giving me conflicted feelings in the past month. "Charlotte?"

"Sir," I greet, forcing myself to smile.

His eyes graze down observing my appearance which I'm sure looks like total shit right now. "What's wrong?"

"Can I have a word with you, sir?" I ask, glancing at the office room behind him but the door is blocking my sight.

"Can't it wait until the lunch break is over? I'm busy right now."

I shake my head while fiddling with the phone in my hand. "I'm afraid not, sir. It's urgent."

"Who is it, Ash?" asks the female voice before a red-haired woman emerges from behind him. Then our eyes meet.

She's pretty. No, she is stunning. Her ivory skin glows against her auburn hair, bringing out her breathtaking grayish-green eyes. Faint freckles adorn her high cheekbones, sprinkling over her pointed nose. She's not as tall as I am, but the way she carries herself reminds me of a catwalk model.

Mr. Knight turns his head to her and smiles, making me realize that he never actually smiled during the time I was working for him. Nothing like this. "It's my new account executive, Charlotte. She said she needed to talk."

The now not-faceless woman breaks our staring contest and looks up at her boyfriend, slightly frowning. "Does it have to be now?"

"Yes, actually. It has to be now," I interject.

Mr. Knight furrows his eyebrow as he tilts his head to me, showing a mix of surprise and annoyance; the expression he gives when someone answers for him. His lips twitch and the glint in his eyes throws me back to the first days I worked for him. The challenge glare. "Okay. You have sixty seconds to talk."

I stand still, gaping at him and then at his girlfriend, not sure how to deal with this situation. "I...need to talk in private."

"Now you have me curious. What kind of private thing that can not be spoken in front of me?" asks the woman, looking amused, contrasting the frown on Mr. Knight's face.

Feeling my agitation grow every second, I refrain from taking the bait. "Please, sir. This is very important."

Mr. Knight sighs. "Ms. Garnett, I gave you a chance to talk but you didn't take it. And this isn't a good time. Please come back after the lunch break." With that, he pushes the door closed, swallowing the sight of his girlfriend's curious face.

I see red. His wooden door has now turned crimson in my eyes as fire ignites in me. Before I can think of any consequences I will face later, I shout at him. "I swear if you don't hear me out, I'm not gonna forgive you. Ever!"

The next few seconds are thick with silence. All I can hear is my raging breathing and my heart thumping hard against my chest. Then the door in front of me is pulled open again.

"I beg your pardon?" he asks, his eyes as sharp as a knife, ready to chop me into pieces.

"For the whole month, sir, I worked for you against my will, abandoning my kid, and sacrificing my free time. Never ever did I complain or humiliate you for mistreating your staff. And when I really, really need you for once, you don't give me this," I growl, my hand clutching my phone furiously, holding the urge to bash someone's face, preferably the face that is gawking at me right now.

Ashton Knight looks taken aback by my outburst. "What are you talking about?"

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, refraining from screaming at his face. "I've been asking you to talk in private and please, just trust me, you don't want this to be heard by anyone else."

"Wait!" This back-and-forth starts to get on his girlfriend's nerves. "In case you don't know, Ashton and I are very very close. I don't think you two need to find somewhere private to talk. You can start talking now or come back later. We're wasting too much time on you alrea--"

"Dee," Mr. Knight cuts her, his eyes never leaving my face. "You have five minutes. If this is all just some kind of bullshit, you will regret pulling off this stunt. To the main meeting room. Now."

"Are you kidding me?" the girlfriend asks in a high-pitched tone, glaring at Mr. Knight.

"She worked for me for a month. When she says this is important, then this is important. I'll be back in five," he says before striding next to me and heading to the room at the end of the hallway. Once inside, he closes the door behind him while eyeing me pacing back and forth across the room. "Your five minutes start now."

I press my palms against both sides of my skirt, rubbing them up and down. "I need your blood."

There is a few seconds delay before he responds. "What?"

"Okay, I'll rephrase. Chloe had an accident this morning. She lost too much blood and she needs to have a blood transfusion as soon as possible. My blood type doesn't match hers. Therefore, I need you to donate your blood for her."

Ashton Knight stares at me in bewilderment as if he has to solve the most difficult algebra case in the world. "I'm so sorry to hear about your little girl. I do hope she's alright, but I'm afraid I'm not following you. You need me to donate my blood for her? But, why? Don't they have supplies for that?"

"Unfortunately, no. Not for the time being. They're calling around now, but I need to be faster for this."

"But why does it have to be me?"

"Because you have the same blood type as Chloe's." A small voice in my head begins to spit out some doubts. What if it's not the case? What if he isn't the father despite all of the evidence?

"You don't even know my blood type."

"Yours is A negative, as well as Chloe's."

Ashton Knight drops his jaws. "How... what... how did you know?"

The moment of truth has arrived. "Because Chloe is your daughter," I answer as I close my eyes, feeling relieved, yet not daring to see his reaction.

One second, two seconds, three seconds, and I still haven't heard his response. I stop counting and decide to give him time to process.

"This...is a prank, isn't it? You know I won't appreciate any kind of bullshit, don't you?" he asks, prompting me to open my eyes, look him in the eye, and shake my head.

"No, sir, this isn't a prank. Why would I joke about something this serious?" I reply. "Chloe was conceived over eight years ago in a frat party before the Christmas break. I was drunk and not in the right mind when I crashed into the party. Then I bumped into a guy on the dance floor. He has a pair of beautiful emerald green eyes, and they drew me in. We then went up to one of the empty rooms and had sex. The next morning, when I realized what happened, I panicked and ran home. I believe I left my black scarf behind; the one that must have been used to tie me up. Well, I can't remember the details but I woke up with my scarf wrapping around my wrist."

The more I talk, the paler his face goes. He trudges back until he hits the door behind him. If I can make a movie out of what's going on inside his head right now, it will be like a fast backward scene until it stops on the night we met. The movie is now playing again, showing scene after scene in chronological order, exactly how I told him a few minutes ago. Then it pauses at the part when he woke up naked the next morning, yelping at the evidence of his broken condom.

"So, you're... fuck!" Ashton pinches the bridge of his nose before rubbing his face in disbelief. "I knew it. I've seen you before, and you're oddly familiar." He scoots to the closest table and plops down as if he has lost his ability to stand properly.

"Yeah," I reply, almost whispering.

A few minutes pass by in silence; none of us says anything. I know the clock is ticking but I also need to give him time to take this shocking news.

"How long has it been since you found out? Did you know it before you applied for the job in this company?" he asks when he can find his voice again, face facing down at the floor.

"No, I found out after I joined this company. I had a strong suspicion when I saw you for the first time in that Monday meeting. After that, I did my research on your background and my suspicion grew even stronger. Then when I brought Chloe to work, I heard you guys talking about having kids and the party when you broke your condom. It confirmed my theory that you're Chloe's biological father."

He turns his head slightly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Fear, I guess, and uncertainty. Look, I know I have a lot of explaining to do. But please, your... Chloe needs you right now."

Still looking baffled, he nods and slowly props himself up. "Alright."

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