Chapter 482

The Deal

Richard's POV.

I walked into Theodore's apartment with my hands deep in my pockets.

"You insisted on seeing me in my house, so I'm guessing the matter is serious." Theodore lifted a brow as he gestured for me to sit.

"Yeah, I want to know about your progress with Gotham. As it stands, I won't be helping Raina again, and I feel like without me, she might do something she's going to regret." I kept my voice even.

I had wanted to stay away from Theodore and his matter with Gotham, as well as help Raina take him down.

She alone was too irrational with her decisions, and Gotham wasn't someone who appreciated betrayal.

He lifted a brow. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he waited for an explanation.

"Your sister was angry as hell when she found out that I had known you were back in town. In addition to that, last night she found out about the secret I've been keeping for years." I dragged a hand over my jaw.

"She found out that her daughter isn't Aaron's child." I kept my gaze fixed on him.

"What? What are you talking about?" His brows shot up as he leaned forward.

"I am the father of Raina's child." I held his gaze. "We were intimate just before she and Aaron were drugged."

"You what... How? Did you?" His eyes widened as he stared at me.

"I had a paternity test carried out... without Raina's consent." I lowered my gaze briefly, my fingers tightening inside my pockets.

"That isn't the reason why I'm here. I want to know about your progress in stopping Gotham from supplying drugs to those immigrants' settlements." I shifted the conversation back to business.

"I have been able to get into one of his gangs as a distributor. Just as we agreed, I will give you all the evidence I can find." He nodded firmly.

"Of course..." I exhaled, some of the tension leaving my shoulders. "But you must remember the other parts of our agreement. You're meant to leave the country once Gotham has been dealt with."

When I learned Theodore had returned, I had done everything possible to keep it away from Raina.

I knew it would hurt her. It would reopen old wounds.

I approached Theo with the request for him to leave, but he told me about the woman and her child he had saved and how determined he was to protect people like her from Gotham and his schemes.

I let him stay on the condition that he would leave once that was resolved.

"Yes... I know. That still stands. I will leave when all this is done." He lowered his gaze, his fingers curling against the armrest.

"Good."

I stood up from the seat, my eyes immediately following the sound of clicking heels coming from the stairs.

A woman dressed in…

Walking down the stairs was a woman dressed in black.

Her facial features made me frown as I looked closely.

I had seen her before.

That golden blonde hair and heavy eyebrows reminded me of someone.

"She... Who's she?" I asked, my brows drawing together as I studied her.

"That's Melissa, the woman I told you about." Theodore replied calmly.

"I used my last string of connections to help her disguise herself as a doctor at the city hospital. I think we can get some information from there." He continued, oblivious to my unease as I continued staring at the woman, who had now become self-conscious.

"Hello there," I greeted warmly as she reached us.

She looked away, her fingers fidgeting as if she didn't know where to look.

Reluctant to stretch my hand for a handshake, I turned to Theodore.

"I will be leaving now.

"We do not have much time, so find as much as you can from the senator." I instructed, my tone clipped.

Glancing at the woman one more time, I forced a smile and turned away.

Why was she so uneasy? Had we really met before?

Not wanting to dwell on it, I shook off the thought and walked to my car.

I had other matters to tend to. I wanted to go see my daughter.

I sat on a stool in the bar, tapping my bottle of beer as I waited for Aaron.

I had gone to the Moranno mansion earlier, but the security wouldn't let me in.

The only way was through Aaron. If she hadn't told him about what she had learned the previous night, then I wasn't going to be held responsible.

"Did I keep you waiting?" Aaron's voice came from behind me.

"Yes, literally. You were meant to be here over an hour ago." I replied, keeping my voice casual.

He took the seat next to me, and my eyes immediately caught the heavy bags beneath his eyes.

"My bad for keeping you waiting, but I had to make sure she was stable before I headed out." He rubbed a hand over his tired face.

I lifted a brow. "Who? What do you mean?" I asked, leaning slightly toward him.

"Rain... She came down with a fever this morning and then passed out." His voice dropped.

"She returned to the mansion last night with bleeding feet. She is seriously injured, but she won't tell me how." He dragged a hand through his hair.

My grip tightened around my bottle as my jaw clenched.

"Is she... Is she okay?" I asked, forcing the words past the tightness in my throat.

"She's stable..." He paused, his gaze dropping to the counter. "But she's still unconscious. She lost a whole lot of blood, and her wounds got infected."

My lips parted as I stared at him blankly.

With an unsteady movement, the bottle slipped from my grip and shattered on the ground.

The sound of the glass breaking echoed through the bar, the tiny fragments scattering across the floor as the image of Raina bleeding and refusing my help flashed through my mind.