“I'll think about it,” I said to Crystal.
She smiled and hugged me.
“But if he doesn’t reciprocate, then it’s all your fault.”
Crystal sat on the couch, grabbed the remote, and turned on the television.
“Deal,” she said. “Now, let’s watch a movie. I need to see Channing Tatum strip.”
22
Richard
All four of us sat at the large conference room table on the top floor of Heather’s attorney’s office. Of course, Heather was wearing another designer suit. She had no problem flashing her money in front of me while simultaneously demanding mine. Her lawyer, Donald, was going over his notes while Danielle was reviewing hers. Heather kept rolling her eyes and scrolling through her phone.
I had a feeling that she would accept my final offer, even though it killed me inside to know that she would stoop so low. She was an evil woman through and through, and I couldn’t believe I’d ever dated her.
“Can we please hurry this up,” Heather said, tapping her Christian Louboutin heels against the table leg. “I have a hair appointment in an hour.”
New York City was her home, and she flew back here as soon as she heard that I was here on business. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but I suspected that she had Addison ride in coach while she sat up in first class. She probably had a flight attendant watch her while she drank champagne.
“Here’s our final offer,” Danielle said while pulling out some forms.
“Does it include back child support, too? How will future child support payments be sent?” Danielle glared at Donald.
“Please review our offer first, Donald.” Heather and Donald looked at each other, a bit confused as to what was happening. “In addition to this one-time payment, Heather will relinquish all parental rights. She will have the right to contact Richard if she wants to speak with Addison, but that will be up to Richard.”
“Excuse me,” Heather said. “Are you asking me to give up full custody of Addison?”
She wasn’t expecting me to pull such a drastic move, but I had no other choice. Addison didn’t deserve to be sent away to some boarding school so that Heather could dote on her fiancé. Plus, she was a horrible mother. It pained me to think of the life that Addison would live if she were to stay with her.
Heather looked at her attorney, who appeared just as dumbfounded as she did. They pegged me as a life-long bachelor who was more concerned with losing money than having a daughter, despite my apparent attempts at seeing her more often.
“If you think for one moment that I would do such a thing, you’re out of your mind Richard Truman. One of the reasons I never told you about Addison was that I knew you wouldn’t be a good father. Do you think I’d let her see you with all of your sluts, like that yoga instructor?”
Danielle slid the piece of paper across the table, and both Heather and her attorney stared at the dollar amount. If what I was offering wasn’t enough to have Addison to myself, then I’d offer even more money. I’d also consider giving her some of my collectible cars, or even buying her a piece of property, just so long as she wasn’t Addison’s caretaker anymore.
Yet something told me she’d oblige.
Her eyes bulged out, and I could see her getting excited. Without even looking at me, Heather grabbed a pen from the table and signed the agreement. Even though I was getting what I wanted, my heart still sank into my stomach. Addison did have one money-hungry bitch of a mother who only cared about her fiancé and material possessions. I suspected that he was paying for her lawyer, too.
“I’m not leaving here without my check,” Heather said, looking at me.
I could tell that she wanted me to say something, to start one final argument between us, but I refused to stoop to her level.
I pulled out my business wallet, wrote out a check, and handed it over to her. She snapped it out of my hand so quickly that I almost got a paper cut.
As her lawyer had her sign some papers, she whipped out her phone and started texting someone.
“Where am I going to meet you to pick up Addison?”
Heather waved her hand in the air at me. “I’ll be back in fifteen minutes with her. Relax.”
I watched as she left the office, leaving all three of us at the table. It was an awkward few moments of silence, and I could tell that even her lawyer couldn’t believe she was so cold and heartless.
“Well, it was nice doing business with you, Donald.” Our attorneys shook hands, and then he left the room.
“I can’t believe she would just give Addison away like that,” I said to Danielle. “Did you see the look on her face? She had no emotion or remorse. How can someone treat a child that way?”
