Chapter 50 Someone Else's Son
Serena stared at him coldly and said nothing.
Chase opened his mouth to try again, but his phone rang. Pamela. Again. He hung up. She called right back.
He answered, voice sharp with irritation. "If you're not feeling well, go see a doctor. I'm not a doctor." The words came out dripping with barely contained anger.
Pamela's voice shook on the other end. "Chase, you need to get back here now. I already called an ambulance—Brie's bleeding, a lot of blood. I don't know what's happening. Just come straight to the hospital."
Chase went silent.
In the end, he chose the hospital. Two lives were on the line, after all.
Before leaving, he turned back, wanting to say something to Serena. But she'd already locked the gate and gone inside. She made sure to lock every door—bedroom, living room, all of it—so Chase couldn't pull another fence-jumping stunt.
Finally, she got a decent night's sleep.
The next morning, Serena made herself a simple breakfast. She'd just finished eating and was about to get changed when her phone rang. No name in her contacts, but she recognized the number instantly. It was burned into her memory, impossible to forget.
For several long seconds, she just stared at the screen, expression cold. Right before it went to voicemail, she swiped to answer.
A voice she hadn't heard in seven years came through the speaker. "Serena, it's Dad. I got into Sweetwater City yesterday. I heard you're getting married in a week, so I wanted to come see you. Do you have time? I'd like us to meet—father and daughter."
That kind, affectionate tone. Familiar and foreign all at once. It made her sick.
Serena's response was immediate. "I'm busy."
Alan's voice got even warmer, more paternal. "Come on, sweetheart, are you still mad at me? I came all this way just to see you. How can you say no? I've already booked a room at Hotel Dawnbreak. I'll wait for you there. If you don't come, I'm not leaving."
Serena frowned. Hotel Dawnbreak. That was where she was supposed to meet Adrian.
Their meeting was still over two hours away. She could squeeze this in. Fine. Might as well find out what Alan wanted.
She changed clothes, did her makeup—simple and natural—and drove to Hotel Dawnbreak. After giving Alan's name at the front desk, a server led her to a private room.
The man sitting in the head chair wore a casual suit that looked relaxed but screamed designer labels. He'd aged well—no balding, no beer gut. If anything, he'd developed that distinguished, scholarly look that came with money and time.
Serena dropped into the seat across from him, tone flat. "What do you want?"
Alan reached into his bag and pulled out a credit card. He slid it across the table toward her. "You're getting married. How could I not give you something? Consider this my gift. Take it."
Serena raised an eyebrow. Really? Free money?
Not that she'd accept it. When she and her mom left the Rothwell family over a decade ago, her mom had walked away with nothing. Serena wasn't about to take Alan's money now.
She didn't even touch the card. Just leaned back in her chair, posture relaxed but expression cold. "Cut to the chase."
Alan watched her for a long moment, then sighed like he was the long-suffering parent. "You're more and more like your mother every day. Fine. Since you asked—yes, I do have something I need to discuss with you."
'There it is.' Serena's inner voice was bitter. 'Of course he does. He'd never think of me otherwise.'
"When your grandfather passed, he left you twenty percent of Rothwell Group shares. You haven't been with the family in years, and you don't work for the company. Those shares aren't doing you any good. I think you should transfer them to me."
"I already handed them over to my sister. She manages them."
No negotiation. Just a flat refusal.
Alan kept up that benevolent facade, his voice oozing fatherly concern. "You handed them over for management, not ownership. Your grandfather gave the whole company to Sarah—he never really treated you like part of the family. And Sarah hasn't exactly been sisterly either. She's kept every penny of profit locked up tight, never given you a dime in dividends. If you're going to trust someone, trust me instead."
Most parents tried to bring their kids together. The Rothwell family patriarch did the opposite—actively poisoning the relationship between his daughters to get what he wanted.
Alan pushed the card closer. "You're about to get married, start your own family. You'll need money. Those shares aren't doing anything for you. Sell them to me. I'll make it worth your while."
Serena gave him a lazy look. "They're useless in my hands but suddenly valuable in yours?"
Alan's patience was starting to crack. When had this daughter gotten so difficult? So impossible to manipulate?
The mask of fatherly love slipped just slightly, though he fought to keep his composure. "They're not doing much for your sister either. Otherwise, why would Rothwell Group have been in decline ever since your grandfather died?"
'That's because of you, you bastard,' Serena thought. But she didn't say it out loud. She'd already wasted too much breath on him. One more word and she'd be sick.
She stood to leave.
Alan rushed to block her path. "Serena, you and Sarah are both my daughters. I'd never hurt you. Your sister has been struggling to keep the company afloat for years—it's been so hard on her. I just want your brother to help her out."
"Brother?" Serena actually laughed at that. "Sorry, but my mom only had two daughters. And this 'brother' of yours doesn't even have the Rothwell name, does he? What was it again? Jason... Jason Lane?"
Alan's tone turned scolding. "He changed his name. It's Jason Rothwell now."
Serena's smile was razor-sharp. "You can change a name, but can you change DNA? Your mistress had another man's kid, kept it, and you raised him. Are you really that addicted to playing dad to someone else's son?"
That hit the nerve she'd been aiming for—the one thing Alan couldn't stand anyone mentioning. Serena twisted the knife on purpose, wanting to get under his skin.
Alan's face went red with rage. His hand flew up to slap her.