seemed like paltry moves.
Instead, he did something substantial and called his lawyer.
“What do you say?” Kai asked after he had told Xander Carillo everything Diane and Brie had said.
“You know jumping to conclusions does no one any good,” Xander said over the phone.
“Yeah,” Kai grumbled. “I know.”
He turned his chair around to look out his window. The bright blue sky meant so little now. He’d lost Diane. He could be losing his reputation. His company, even.
He closed his eyes. If word of this ever got out, it would do Weiss Enterprises terrible damage. It didn’t matter that he’d always been as honest as possible in all of his exchanges.
“But,” Xander stressed, “my mind is where yours is. Someone could be working to undermine you.”
Kai sucked in a sharp breath. It was what he’d been thinking anyway, but hearing it said out loud gave it so much more power.
“Can you think of anyone who would do that?” Xander asked.
“A competitor,” Kai said. “That’s the only rational explanation.”
“Another investment firm, I imagine is what you mean.”
“Yeah.” Kai laughed bitterly. “That doesn’t narrow it down too much.”
“It’s something. It’s good to stay open-minded, though.”
Kai bit into his fist. “Uh-huh.”
“When can you come down to my office?”
“Right now, if that works for you,” Kai said.
Since he’d only just arrived back in town, he didn’t have anything scheduled for the late afternoon and evening. Not that he would have been able to commit to anything, anyway. Someone attempting to take down his company took precedence over everything.
“Great. The front desk will be waiting for you.” Xander hung up.
Drawing a deep breath, Kai checked his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and cell phone. The call with his lawyer had made him feel incrementally better—and that was something.
He now felt like he could handle whatever was coming his way. Hopefully, that included Diane.
That last look she’d given him… God, she really hated him now.
Had this been the reason she’d drawn away? She suspected he was a criminal?
If only she had talked to him about it. Then again, she must have been so afraid.
Walking across his office, Kai shook his head. What a mess. He wouldn’t be able to clean everything up all at once. It would be a bit-by-bit job, but he would get there. Eventually.
As he neared the door, a piece of paper against the wall caught his eye. Bending down, he swooped it up. He was so organized that it was strange that one of his papers should find its way onto the floor.
He turned the paper over to see what it was. It wasn’t a document after all, but a photograph. A black and white one, to be precise.
Kai frowned. It was an ultrasound image, showing a baby in a womb.
Quite a little baby, at that. It was definitely in the early stages of development.
What on earth was an ultrasound image doing in his office?
He didn’t have time to wonder any further, because he caught sight of the name printed at the top of the photo, right next to a birthdate. Diane Johansen.
“What the…” He looked around the room, as if someone might suddenly appear and provide him with a full explanation.
Of course, no one did appear. As obvious as it was, the truth slowly sank in. Diane was pregnant. And based on the estimated conception date, printed in the top corner of the image, Kai was the father.
“Oh my God,” he breathed.
And just like that, it all made sense. Diane was having his baby, and she hadn’t told him because she thought he was some kind of kingpin criminal.
It explained her hot-and-cold attitude; it explained the sense that she was always keeping something checked and unspoken.
Diane hadn’t wanted to push him out of her life. She’d figured she had to.
With that knowledge, he looked at the photo with new eyes. He was going to be a dad!
Unless he ended up in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
Kai’s heart raced, and he wanted to punch a wall. He saved the anger, though. He would funnel it into getting to the bottom of things.
Carefully, he tucked the ultrasound image into his front pocket. It rested there, a promise of the bright future he was fighting for.
First, he would take down whoever was trying to usurp him. Then he would put all of his energy into winning Diane over and giving her and their baby the best life possible.
Chapter 21
Diane
Diane rolled onto her side and stared out her bedroom window. She’d slept