He tapped his fingers against his arms. "I am disappointed in Zachary for letting you get involved with that doctor. This is a big mistake. "
"Zachary had nothing to do with this. " How could he even think such a thing?
"How long, Simone? How long before you are back on my phone begging me for my money again? "
Her heart squeezed painfully. "That is not what I have done. "
"No? You think there is more to it? "
"I wanted my family. "
His lips pursed as if he didn 't understand her need. That was usually how it went. He thought about his money and his empire long before he took his daughter into consideration.
Just as she took a breath to give her father a piece of her mind she could hear a commotion in the hallway. Her father stood from behind his desk.
"Sir, you can 't go in there. " The housekeeper 's voice echoed down the hall.
Simone 's heart thumped in her chest. He 'd come. He 'd come for her. He 'd come for them.
"Let me into the office. " His voice was muffled.
He did love her. He wanted them. She was ready to cry. Curtis Keller had come for her.
Simone 's hands shook and she clenched them as the door to the office opened. The housekeeper stepped inside.
"I told him "
A moment later he walked through the door. Simone sucked in a breath, let it out slow, and turned toward the door to see her savior 's face.
Her father stood from behind his desk. "Zachary Benson, I do not have time for childish games. "
"Monsieur Pierpont, it 's not a game, " he said as he walked into the room, not even offering his hand for her father to shake. Zach looked at her. "Are you okay? "
She couldn 't speak, she could only nod.
Her father walked around the desk to face Zach. "She is always playing games. Now they have caught up to her. Look at her. I am disgraced. "
Zach did look at her, and he smiled. "She is beautiful. "
Her father chuckled. "You cannot always rescue her when she is mad at me. "
"I always will. She is as close as I have to a sister. I will always protect her. "
"And you think I am a threat to her? "
"No, sir. I don 't mean any disrespect. But she 's a grown woman, having a child. She deserves some respect for that. "
"I blame you. " Her father 's finger came up in accusation. "You involve her in these common people and now she has disgraced my name. "
Simone 's hand slipped into Zach 's and he gave it a squeeze. "I 'm very proud of this child she carries. You couldn 't find a better family to be born into. "
"Her family should have been good enough. Someone who was of the same cloth as her. "
"I think she 's done just fine. " He shifted his yes to her. "C 'mon. You are part of my family. You have always been part of my family. "
He started toward the door, her hand still in his.
"Zachary, if you leave with my daughter I will no longer help fund any of your builds. "
Zach stopped and turned. "Again, I mean no disrespect, and you have been of great help over the years, but my firm is doing well. I will be fine without your investments. "
"You are hurting yo1urself. I have an investor in Nashville. "
Zach 's hand tightened around hers and she wasn 't sure he knew how hard his grip was. "I will never build for any organization that deems Alexander Hamilton as a worthy investor. "
Her father 's lips pursed. "Simone, if you walk away you do not come back. "
"Good bye, father. " She released Zach 's hand and walked out of her father 's office for the very last time.
Somewhere over the Atlantic Simone finally felt as though she could breath. Zach had sat very quietly in the first class seat next to her.
For the first hour of their flight back to America she was sick to her stomach. The second hour her hands shook until she tucked them under her to keep them still. She 'd tried to sleep for the next few hours, but it was no use. She couldn 't rest, there was a new world ahead of her again, and this time there was no turning back. There was also the realization that she sat next to Zachary on a flight back to the states and not Curtis.
Zach waved down the flight attendant. "Can I get a bloody Mary and a cup of tea for my girl? "
The flight attendant nodded and walked away.
"Your girl? "
He patted her arm with his hand. "You 've always been my girl and always will be, mon ami. "
There was a sadness in it for her. "And Regan? "
"Is my life. "
Why she ever thought there would be any different answer, she wasn 't sure. She didn 't love Zachary, in fact now that she 'd felt love she realized she never had loved him in the way that she loved Curtis.
The flight attendant returned with their drinks. Zach lowered the tray tables and set the drinks atop of them as the flight attendant walked away.
"I know what 's wrong with you. "
Simone shifted in her seat. "Something is wrong with me? "
"You 're upset that Curtis wasn 't the one who walked through your father 's office. "
It would figure she was that transparent to him.
"I am sorry. I am glad you came for me, I truly am. "
"I thought you 'd like to know you still have your job at the clinic. "
"I do not deserve that. I walked away from my responsibilities. "
He was smiling at her. "You changed lives while you were there. Did you know Regina has been working steady? Her son has been in day care at the firm and I checked up on him. He 's a cute little guy. "
Tears began to well in her eyes. "That was your doing. "
"No. Without you stepping in to help her she would have been home when that man of hers was released and probably would have been beaten again. You gave her a new start. You gave her hope. You gave her the chance to move on with her life. You, Simone, have a gift and Marsha knew that. Curtis made sure she knew. "
Her lips began to tremble. "Curtis made sure I still had my job? "
Zach nodded.
She found that hard to believe that Curtis would stand up for her at all. It only made the tears begin to fall. "What am I going to do, Zachary? "
"You 've taken the first step. You 've managed to almost make it through your thirties and now have become an adult. "