Chapter 10 - The Uninvited Guest
Three days later,
Vance Corp was hosting its annual charity gala at the Driskill Hotel.
It was the event of the season,
a gathering of the tech elite and political power players of Texas.
I was dressed in a gown of midnight blue silk,
my hair swept up in an elegant knot.
I moved through the room with the grace of a veteran diplomat,
shaking hands,
securing donations,
and maintaining the image of the invincible CEO.
Dana leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"We have a problem."
I didn't stop smiling at the senator I was talking to.
"What is it?"
"Marcus Reynolds is at the door,"
she said,
her voice tight with anxiety.
"He’s not on the list,
but he’s making a scene.
He says he’s the father of your children."
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine,
but I didn't let it show.
"Excuse me,
Senator,"
I said smoothly.
"I have a small matter to attend to."
I walked toward the foyer,
my heels clicking like a countdown.
There he was.
He looked disheveled,
his tie loosened,
his eyes wide and wild.
The security guards were holding him back,
but he was shouting.
"Kesha!
Kesha,
look at me!"
The room went quiet.
The music seemed to fade into the background.
Dozens of the most influential people in Texas turned to look at the man who was claiming to be a part of my life.
I stepped into the light,
my expression calm and cold.
"Mr. Reynolds,"
I said,
my voice carrying across the silent hall.
"You seem to have lost your way.
Boulder is a long distance from here."
"Tell them!"
he shouted,
gesturing to the crowd.
"Tell them who I am!
Tell them why those children have my face!"
I took a slow,
measured breath.
This was what he wanted.
A public spectacle.
A way to force his way into my narrative.
"I don't know who you are,"
I said,
each word a sharp,
precise strike.
"I remember a man with your name who abandoned a pregnant woman eight years ago.
I remember a man who called her a liar and vanished.
But that man was a coward.
And you...
you’re just a stranger making a scene at a charity event."
"I'm their father!"
he screamed,
struggling against the guards.
"I have rights!"
I walked closer,
until I was only inches away from him.
The smell of scotch was heavy on his breath.
"You have nothing,"
I whispered,
so low that only he could hear.
"You signed away your rights when you filed for divorce and listed 'no children' on the documents.
I have the papers,
Marcus.
I have the history.
You are a legal non-entity to them."
I turned to the head of security.
"Remove him.
And call the police.
I want a permanent restraining order filed tonight."
As they dragged him away,
Marcus looked at me with a mixture of shock and utter defeat.
He had tried to use his name as a weapon,
but he had forgotten that I was the one who had spent eight years sharpening my own.
I turned back to the room,
smoothing my dress.
"I apologize for the interruption,"
I said to the crowd,
my voice steady.
"Now,
shall we get back to the business of changing the world?"
The applause was instantaneous,
but as I walked back into the ballroom,
I knew this was only the first battle.
Marcus was desperate,
and a desperate man was a dangerous one.
May you like
But he had made one fatal mistake.
He thought he was the protagonist of this story.
