Chapter 98 #98
Chapter 98
~Dante's POV~
I pull into the fun park parking lot, my phone buzzing for the fifth time in ten minutes.
Unknown number. Again.
I answer, already irritated. "What?"
"We need to talk." Her voice. That fucking voice.
"I told you not to call me anymore."
"And I told you we need to talk. Face to face."
"I'm not meeting you."
"You will if you want this to go away."
I grip the steering wheel. "What do you want?"
"Money. What else?"
"I already gave you money."
"Not enough. Meet me at the fun park. East entrance. Thirty minutes."
"I can't—"
"Thirty minutes, Dante. Or I will call your wife."
She hangs up.
"Fuck!" I slam my hand against the dashboard.
I should never have answered that first text. Hi Dante. Remember me?
Of course I didn't remember her. I barely remembered that night. The VIP strip club. The private room.
The investigator found her easily enough. Ava. Twenty-four. Works at three different clubs. And apparently pregnant with my child.
Or so she claims.
I don't even know if it's true. She could be lying. She could be scamming me.
But what if she's not?
What if there's a baby out there with my DNA?
I check my watch. Twenty-five minutes.
"Get it together," I mutter. "Pay her off. Make her disappear."
I get out of the car and head toward the east entrance.
She's waiting by the cotton candy stand, wearing jeans and a hoodie. She looks different from that night. Less makeup. More... real.
"Dante." She smiles. "You came."
"What do you want, Ava?"
"Can we at least pretend to be civil?"
"Civil? You're blackmailing me."
"I'm protecting my child."
"Your alleged child."
"Our child." She pulls out her phone, showing me an ultrasound. "See? Twelve weeks."
I look at the image. It could be anyone's baby. "This doesn't prove it's mine."
"DNA test after the baby's born. I'm happy to do one."
"Great. So we'll wait until then."
"And in the meantime, I need money."
"I already sent you ten thousand."
"That was a down payment. I need more."
"How much more?"
"Fifty thousand. To start."
"Fifty, are you insane?"
"That's what it costs to keep quiet about Dante Belmar's illegitimate child."
"Keep your voice down."
She leans closer. "Then pay me what I'm asking."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I go to your wife. Your family. The press. Everyone."
I look around, paranoid suddenly. "You're recording this, aren't you?"
"No. I'm not stupid."
"You're blackmailing me. That seems pretty stupid."
"It's only blackmail if I'm asking for something I'm not owed. This is child support."
"For a child that might not be mine."
"It's yours. I haven't been with anyone else."
"I'm supposed to just believe that?"
"Believe what you want. But the baby's coming in six months, and I need money to prepare."
I pull out my phone, opening my banking app. "Fine. Fifty thousand. But this is the last time."
"Until next month."
"Excuse me?"
"Child support is monthly, Dante. Fifty thousand a month. That's the deal."
"That's insane. No one pays that much in child support."
"Rich people do. And you're very rich."
"I'm not giving you fifty thousand dollars a month."
"Then I'll see you in court. We can let a judge decide how much you owe."
"There won't be a court case because there's no baby. Not mine, anyway."
"DNA doesn't lie."
"Neither do paternity tests. And when it comes back negative, you'll have nothing."
She smiles. "You seem very confident for someone who definitely slept with me."
"I was drunk."
"So was I. But I still remember it. Want me to describe it for your wife?"
"You're disgusting."
"I'm practical. You have money. I have a baby. We can make this work."
"Work how?"
"I don't mind being your mistress. Your secret. As long as you take care of us."
"My mistress? Are you serious?"
"Why not? You clearly don't mind sleeping with people who aren't your wife."
"That was before—"
"Before what? Before you got caught? Please."
I transferred twenty-five thousand to her account. "That's half. You get the rest when you agree to a DNA test."
"Fine. But if it's yours, and it is, you owe me."
"If it's mine, we'll figure something out. But this blackmail shit stops now."
"It's not blackmail. It's a negotiation."
"Call it whatever you want. But if you contact me again before that baby is born, the deal is off."
"You can't just ignore your child."
"Watch me."
I turn to walk away, and she grabs my arm.
"Dante, wait."
"What?"
"I'm not trying to ruin your life. I just want what's fair."
"Fair would be you not trapping me with a pregnancy you can't even prove is mine."
"I'm not trapping you. I'm asking for help."
"By threatening to tell my wife."
"Because you won't listen otherwise."
I pull my arm free. "Stay away from me. And stay away from my family."
"Or what?"
"Or I'll make you disappear."
She laughs. "You can't threaten me."
"Can't I? You think I don't have resources? People who handle problems?"
"Now who's making threats?"
I lean in close. "This conversation never happened. That money was a donation. You have no proof of anything."
"I have the texts."
"Anonymous number. Could be anyone."
"I have the bank transfer."
"From an offshore account. Also untraceable to me."
She pales slightly. "You planned this."
"I plan everything. Remember that."
I walk away before she can respond, feeling eyes on me the whole time.
Someone's watching. I can feel it.
I get back to my car and call Frederick immediately.
"Dante," he answers. "What's up?"
"I need your help."
"With what?"
"A problem. Female problem."
"Say no more. The usual fee?"
"Double it. This needs to go away completely."
"Done. Send me the details."
"I'll text you everything. But Frederick? This stays between us."
"Always does, brother. Always does."
I hang up and sit in the car, breathing hard.
This is fine. Everything's fine.
Ava will take the money and disappear. And if she doesn't, Frederick will make her.
I got an email to formally inform me of the project extension.
"Fuck!" I throw my phone on the passenger seat.
February. That means more time. More chances for Dwayne to fuck this up for me.
I need to beat him. Quickly and cleanly.
Which means I need Shailyn's help.
She's organizing the New Year's party. Perfect. I'll push her to make it spectacular. Exceed expectations with both the party and the project.
Show Gramps that I'm the competent one. The one who gets results.
And Shailyn will do it. She loves me. She'll do anything for me.
I start the car and head home, already planning my next move.
Gramps is cunning, but he hates Dwayne. Always has.
I can leverage that. Use it to my advantage.
And if I need to get my hands dirty? So be it.
Frederick knows people. Underground people.
People who can make problems disappear without questions.
I'm ready.
Whatever it takes to win.
Whatever it takes to destroy Dwayne.
I'll do it.