Chapter 136 Mystery Man
Mystery Man's P.O.V.
After my driver puts Maria into a dumpster in the alley, we head home. I never told her my name, and I kept referring to my twin brother because I knew she'd run her mouth. When I met with Dustin and Colton, they told me what Dakota did to Aubrey. I saw Dakota at the benefit and the twins’ dinner. I pretended not to care about her one way or the other while everyone else was falling all over her.
My driver pulls up to my house, and I groan when I see the woman standing by the front door. I'm a 45-year-old bachelor and don't want to change that. One drunken night, I slept with a woman I met in a hotel lobby, and three months later, she called to tell me she was pregnant with my child. I honestly can't remember if I wore a condom or not, but that doesn't mean I'm going to take responsibility until I get DNA results.
"What are you doing here, Ginny?" I ask as I get out of the car. She's not even that attractive, so I know I had to be really wasted to stick my dick into her. A man of my status only has the most beautiful women. She puts her hands on her hips and glares at me.
"I'm here because you need to either put a ring on my finger or start giving me money for our child. I can't afford to take care of this thing on my own." I grab her chin and squeeze hard, tightening my grip when she tries to move.
"I'm only going to tell you this once. Fucking you was the biggest mistake of my life. If that child is mine, I will take care of them, not you. I will get custody of him or her and toss your sorry ass to the curb. If that child is not mine, you can crawl into whatever gutter you crawled out of." I'm an asshole, and I'll admit it, but I won't hurt a child. Especially one that may be mine.
"Maybe I'll just have an abortion." Ginny tries to walk away, but I grab her arm.
"You will not kill that child." She snatches her arm away from me and walks toward her car.
"That's not your decision. Last time I checked, it was a woman's right to choose. If this thing isn't going to get me any money, then there was no point drugging you and having sex with you that night." Her eyes widen, and she puts her hand over her mouth. I walk toward her, and she tries to run to her car, but my driver stops her.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Ginny tries to get free, but he doesn't let her go.
"I slipped something into your drink and then talked you into letting me go to your room. I knew I was ovulating, and we had sex all night long, so I ended up pregnant. I was tired of picking up old men who just wanted a night with someone younger than them. I wanted a real payday, and I thought getting pregnant with your child would give it to me. Now let me get the fuck out of here so I can get rid of this mistake." Not only did she trick me, but she's now using this child as a means to get money out of me. It's the same thing my mom did to my dad.
"You're not going anywhere. You're staying here until that baby is born, and then you can kill yourself for all I care. A child is not something to use as a bargaining chip. Take her to one of the guest rooms and lock her in. You are not to leave that room, or I will put a collar and chain on you like the fucking dog you are." She looks at me in fear.
"You can't do that. You can't keep me hostage and force me to have this thing. That's against the law." My driver pulls her up the steps to the front door.
"You should know that breaking the law is not a concern of mine. I will gladly break every bone in your body after you give birth. So don't test me." I walk to my office while she screams at me. I don't want her here, but I'm not going to risk that child's life. Now, I need to figure out what to do about this Dakota and Ari situation. I know others are trying to drive a wedge between them, but I'm trying to be more discreet and place the blame on the other families. If those two families join forces, that won't be good for anyone.
I sit behind my desk and look over the pictures of Dakota and Ari. I'll admit she is a beautiful woman. If she weren't a Kondrati, I would try to get her into my bed. I don't mess with women from the other families. I know Ari's history; he screws everything in a skirt, so I thought he would have already moved on to the next one by now. My source says that he and Dakota are actually in love. They're still young, so I thought that by having Maria give him a blowjob while he was in the hospital and sending Dakota a photo, she would feel betrayed, and that would split them up. Apparently, it won't be that easy. Dakota may be small, but that woman can fight. Since separating them has become a challenge, there's only one option: Ari or Dakota must die.
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Dakota's P.O.V.
With Galdino's house destroyed, we decided everyone should stay at my house. I called the security men and told them all to leave until further notice. I also called the house staff. I don't want anyone there until I know who we can trust. Xavier is taking his place as head of security, and Galdino took his men who were with us today. They have been instructed not to let anyone else on the grounds. Sarah, Xavier, Noah, and Shea have all been discharged. They wanted to stay at the hospital, but I sent them home. Luka is the only one who is still admitted besides Ari. He had a rough patch, and I brought his bed into Ari's room. It's huge, so there is plenty of space, and I'd like to have them together so I can keep my eye on them both.
They sleep as I sit in a chair and stare out the window at the dark night, while stroking Ari's head. It feels like people are coming at us from all sides. I'm beginning to question who I can trust, even in my own family. I don't like feeling like this. We need to identify all of our enemies so we know how to fight them. I'm tired of being on the defense. It's time to get things under control. If it means more bloodshed, so be it. I will fight for my family. I just hope they do the same for me.