Chapter 70 I need time

"Because she's family," Bernard said simply. "And family obligations transcend convenience."

His response hit me in an unexpected way. For all his trade-offs, Bernard appeared to have a genuine sense of familial duty.

"Would you take me to see her?" I heard myself asking. "Not right away. But when I'm ready."

"Of course," Bernard agreed immediately. "Whenever you decide the time is right."

I took another sip of coffee, trying to organize my thoughts. "I need a few days. To process all this. To figure out what it means for my life going forward."

"Take whatever time you need," Bernard said. "Your position at Morris Industries is secure, regardless of your decision about your family connections."

"That's very generous of you," I said, unable to keep a hint of sarcasm from my voice. "Considering you specifically sought me out and manipulated me into taking the job."

"The job offer was genuine," Bernard countered. "Your marketing skills are exactly what the project needs.

That part wasn't manipulation, Diana."

"And what about us?" I asked, finally addressing the elephant in the room. "What about... whatever was developing between us?"

Bernard was silent for a long moment. "That's entirely your decision," he finally said. "I understand if my legal relationship to you makes any personal connection impossible."

"Legal relationship," I repeated. "You keep emphasizing that there's no blood relation between us."

"Because it's relevant information," Bernard replied.

"Is it, though?" I challenged. "You're still my uncle in the eyes of the law. You're still my mother's brother, even if by adoption. That doesn't make this any less... inappropriate."

"I'm aware of the complications," Bernard acknowledged. "Which is why I tried to maintain professional boundaries initially."

"But you failed," I pointed out.

"Yes," he admitted. "I failed."

His straightforward acknowledgment of failure was oddly disarming. Bernard Jones didn't seem like a man who admitted failure easily.

"I need time to think about that too," I said. "About whether I can get past this... revelation."

"I understand."

"Do you?" I asked. "Because from where I'm sitting, it seems like you've known everything about me—about us—from the beginning, while I've been kept in the dark. That kind of power imbalance isn't exactly healthy for any relationship, Bernard."

"You're right," he said, surprising me again with his candor. "The situation has been fundamentally unbalanced. I knew who you were; you did not. I knew our family connection; you did not. Those facts can't be changed or undone."

"No, they can't," I agreed, a lump forming in my throat.

"What can change," Bernard continued, "is the path forward. You now have all the information I have. The choice of what to do with it is yours."

I wanted to be angry at how reasonable he sounded, but I couldn't fault his logic. The past couldn't be undone. What mattered was what happened next—and for once, I was the one with the power to decide.

"I'll let you know when I'm ready to come back to work," I said, making at least one decision. "And when—if—I'm ready to meet Gregory."

"That's fair," Bernard replied. "In the meantime, Tommy will maintain a discreet presence near your apartment for security purposes."

"Wait, what?" I sat up straighter. "You're having me watched?"

"Not watched," Bernard corrected. "Protected. Thomas Johnson's interest in our project has intensified recently. If he were to discover your identity and connection to the Morris family..."

"He might try to use me against you," I finished, the implications sinking in. "The man who kidnapped me as a baby might come after me again."

"It's a possibility we can't ignore," Bernard confirmed. "Which is why certain security protocols are necessary, Diana."

I wanted to argue, to insist that I didn't need his protection, but the evidence in the file had been convincing. Thomas Johnson had orchestrated my kidnapping once; there was no reason to believe he wouldn't target me again if he discovered who I was.

"Fine," I conceded. "But I want to know what's happening. No more secrets, Bernard. No more controlling things from the shadows."

"Agreed," he said immediately.

"I'll believe that when I see it," I muttered.

"That's a reasonable position, given past events," Bernard acknowledged.

I sighed, feeling emotionally drained despite having just woken up. "I should go. I need time to think."

"Of course," Bernard said. "One more thing, Diana."

"What?"

"If you decide to meet Gregory, I can arrange it at a relaxed location. It doesn't have to be at the office."

I hadn't even considered such a meeting. "I'll think about it," I promised.

After ending the call, I sat at my kitchen table for a long time, staring into my coffee cup as if it might contain answers to my impossible situation. My whole life had been upended in a single conversation, my identity fractured into before and after.

I didn't know who I was anymore. And the only people who could help me figure it out were the very ones who had kept me in the dark for so long.