Build And Break novel Chapter 33

"What are you thinking?" Steven poured a glass of red wine for himself from the open bottle before leaning to the kitchen counter beside Angela.

After eating their dinner and Daniel was tucked in bed, Angela craved some wine. She had been in the kitchen for minutes by her lone self. Until Steven showed up, still in his suit pants and half buttoned white shirt.

"A lot." Angela admitted. "You were great today by the way."

"So were you." Steven hit his shoulder with hers playfully. "Thank you."

Angela only nodded, looking at her feet. It had been a while since the last she had heard those words from his mouth.

Lately Steven had been different. Different than she remember him from before their divorce. Even different than the man who had showed up in her life again a few days ago. First he was the tough brute man, then he went all Casanova on her, now suddenly he's soft and kind? He baffled her completely. She wondered if the reason why he wanted her living with him had changed for him. She hoped his reasons weren't any like her father's.

"I went to see my father." Angela gulped on the last of her wine.

"Want to talk about it?" Steven offered with kindly.

Angela refilled her wine glass. "He said he was sick. Is it true?"

"Yes. He's been sick for a while. Heart problems."

Angela remained silent. When her father had told her he was sick, she had only thought that he lying. Now that she confirmed he wasn't, she didn't know how to feel at all. She hated her father. Yet he still was her father.

"Doctors think that losing you, his daughter, it worsened his health."

That confused her feelings towards her father even more. "He was the one that sent me away."

"Is that why he asked for you? To tell you about his health?"

Angela shook her head. Thought twice before speaking her next words. "He said you're prolonging the merger. He wants me to persuade you in finalizing it."

Steven scoffed softly. "Finally he noticed."

"You're doing it on purpose? Do you want to cancel the deal?" Angela's wide-eyes locked at his.

"No. If I didn't want the merger, I wouldn't have started it in the first place." Steven set his wine glass on the counter, turned his body more towards Angela. "I wanted your father to do just what he'd done today. I wanted him to urge you in getting closer to me. I know you feared your father and would never say no to him. Just like you didn't when he ordered you on that first date with me eight years ago. And I've been using him against you since you came back. I made him bring you back. When I was informed of your arrest, I persuaded your father to bring you back here. Back to me."

"So you could seduce me?" Angela inquired in a low voice.

"Maybe... Maybe not."

That was the moment she dreaded would come. "He had asked for his father since he learned to speak. He asked for his father just this morning. If you're willing to explain why you showed up now, go ahead and tell him."

Steven had thought it would be easy to tell Daniel. At that moment, it didn't seem easy. "What did you tell him?"

"Today? Nothing."

"And before?" Steven gulped.

Angela shrugged lightly. "The truth. That you left us. That you didn't want anything to do with us."

He would have to give quite some explanation to Daniel. "He must hate me." Steven's voice was somber.

"I don't think he does." Angela placed a tender hand on Steven's arm.

"He would if I tell him." Steven's hands went up to cup her face. "Would you tell him, Angela? Would you tell him I never wanted to leave him? Would you tell him I'm his father?... Would you let me be his father?"

Angela saw the pleading in his eyes. Steven Morris never pleaded. "You have to convince me to. Prove you're worthy of being Daniel's father."

"Would you let me then?"