All By Herself Page 4

“No.” Amanda shook her head. “I wish I could tell you something else, but I’m a junior partner in this firm. There is only so much I can do and I’ve seen it all before. However hard you try, your place here is going to suffer if you become a mother. I admire you for trying and I get why you’re doing this, but the damage it’s going to do to your career is the reality that you have to face.”

  They were both silent for a while. “What about the father, is he willing to get involved?” asked Amanda.

  “No, not really,” said Zoe.

  “Can he pay child support?”

  “The father is Michael de Winter, and yes, I think that he can afford to pay child support.”

  “Wow, that’s a hell of a guy to land as your baby’s father,” exclaimed Amanda.

  “Have you heard of him?”

  “Heard of Michael de Winter?” Amanda looked surprised. “Honey, everyone in the city has heard of him. And his father.”

  “Yeah, he’s been around the block, hasn’t he?” said Zoe.

  “You should be flattered, he usually beds supermodels.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes.

  “So is it true, is he great in bed?” asked Amanda.

  “Amanda!” said Zoe, before relenting. “Yes, he is great in bed.”

  “Hung like a horse?”

  Zoe nodded.

  “I wonder what I’d have to do to get in bed with a hunk like him?” mused Amanda.

  “Amanda!” exclaimed Zoe. “You have a boyfriend.”

  “I know, I know. Still, a girl can dream.” She giggled, before getting serious again. “You are looking at some pretty big child support payments, but Michael is not going to shell out easily and his father has quite a reputation as a bastard. They are going to use all the tricks in the book to stop you and as a single mother, you’ll have a long fight on your hands.”

  “There is nothing they can do, right? If I prove that the child is his.”

  “There’s plenty they can do,” replied Amanda. “They have the money to get the best lawyers in the business and there are enough loopholes for them to exploit. It could take months if not years before you start seeing those payments. And I’m guessing the chances of this Michael guy being a hands-on father are close to nil.”

  Zoe nodded. “Just not father material. And it looks like I shouldn’t plan on getting any additional money coming in. Still, at the end of the day, I don’t need that. I am okay financially and I have a good job. My mother raised me with a lot less.”

  “Sure, as long as you know the cons involved, give it a shot,” said Amanda. “But be prepared to let your career sit on the back burner for a while. And there is a chance you’ll never make it back to partner track.”

  “That’s a chance I’ll have to take,” said Zoe.

  “I’ll do what I can to help you,” continued Amanda. “But there’s only so much I can do.”

  “I know,” said Zoe getting up and giving her a hug. “You’ve done a lot to help me already. Thank you for that.”

  “That’s okay. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we can get through this.” She regarded Zoe with an exasperated smile. “You do manage to get into the most complicated situations.”

  Zoe rolled her eyes. “Trust me, I know.”

  She left Amanda’s office feeling even more conflicted about the decision she had taken. There was no doubt that having this baby was going to be a stiff challenge. There was little likelihood of Michael getting involved and Zoe didn’t need to Amanda to tell her that he would do his best to resist paying child support. It would take a long time for the case to find its way through the judicial system and there was no doubt that Michael would have the best lawyers in the business at his disposal.

  She sighed. Had she bitten off more than she could chew?

  Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing. She checked it and was surprised to see a message from Michael. “Please meet me tomorrow at 10 am. My office.”

  The note was short, verging on the brusque. She wondered what it could be. It was unlikely that the results had come in so soon. On the other hand, what could Michael have to discuss? Was she going to get an early charge from his lawyers?

  She shivered. Although she was a tough lawyer herself, she didn’t relish the prospect of taking on Michael’s legal team. He had the wherewithal to hire the best and she could have a great deal of mud thrown at her. And a man of Michael de Winter’s clout could also find ways to jeopardize her career. What had Amanda said about his father? She was getting the sense that Michael was an effete playboy and that his father was the driving force behind the de Winter business empire. He could easily pull a few strings and make things very unpleasant for her.

  Whatever was going to happen, she had the distinct sense that she was in for a bumpy ride.

  Chapter6

  “Ms. Williams? This way.” The PA who ushered her into Michael’s swanky office floor was young, beautiful, and immaculately groomed. He seemed to like them pretty and blonde, mused Zoe. She seemed to be a bit of an anomaly.

  She sank into one of the comfy chairs in the foyer and waited to be summoned. She had arrived at the office feeling nervous and that had not done any favors for her morning sickness. The workers went about their work and largely ignored her. She wondered if any of them knew why she was here. They certainly gave no inkling of it.

  The PA returned and escorted her into the main office. She saw Michael sitting in one of the chairs, looking strangely subdued and quite pale. At the head of the table was a tall, thin man with a hard, pinched face. He regarded her with cold, dark eyes. As she approached, he rose to shake her hand, a sardonic smile on his face.

  “Edward,” he said. The way he looked at her was almost mocking.

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. de Winter,” said Zoe, trying to sound as calm as possible.

  “No doubt you are,” said Edward. “When Michael told me that some young lady was claiming to carry his child, you can imagine my surprise. Not at having bedded you, of course. I am well aware of Michael’s proclivities. Truth be told, I’m quite fond of a bit of tail myself. Though I generally prefer them to be blonde and pretty. Though I suppose there’s no accounting for taste.” He grinned wolfishly.

  Zoe felt faint. The insult was unmistakable. She tried to say something, but for once was at a loss for words. Edward waited for a few moments, then said, “Please have a seat.”

  Zoe sat in the proffered chair. Michael avoided her gaze and looked up at the ceiling. Edward settled in his chair with a sigh. “Forgive me if I seem rude,” he said. “But when a young lady such as yourself makes such an accusation, I feel that the time has come to dispense with decorum and get to the facts.”

  “What are you trying to say, Mr. de Winter?” Zoe decided that she had to take a firm stance though she was finding it difficult to do so. “That I’m lying about this child being Michael’s?”

  Edward shrugged. “Let’s consider the facts, shall we? From what I gather, you met my son at a nightclub and managed to wrangle your way to a private party where you seduced my son. Now you have come to us looking for a fat paycheck. Have I got the facts right?” He looked at Zoe.

  Zoe didn’t know what to say. She was too stunned to speak. “That is not what happened at all,” she snapped at last. “I didn’t wrangle my way into a private party and I certainly didn’t seduce your son. I would thank you to treat me with a little more courtesy. I’m a lawyer and an educated woman, not some piece of trash.”

  Edward threw his head back and laughed. “Well, well, you have spunk. And you do appear intelligent—at least as far as your type can be.”

  Zoe was again horrified by the implication and felt her temper rising. “My type? And what type would that be?”

  Edward raised his hand. “Don’t take it the wrong way. You are clearly an ambitious young woman who has come a long way. But what is it they say: ‘you can take a person out of the ghetto…’ Something like that. You saw my son and decided that here w
as your chance to spread your legs and hit pay dirt.”

  Zoe tried to control her anger. But before she could speak, Edward continued. “If this child is Michael’s, of course. The way your kind operates, it’s highly likely you don’t even know who the father is.”

  Zoe was not a woman who found it difficult to stand up for herself, but she was struggling to find words to express her outrage. She glanced over and saw Michael looking down. Does he share his father’s racist views? she wondered bitterly. “And what does Michael have to say about all this?”

  Michael sighed and mumbled, “I-”

  “Michael has nothing to say about this,” interrupted Edward brusquely. “As usual, he had made a mess, and it’s up to Daddy to clean it up.”

  Zoe took a deep breath. She was tempted let Edward have it, but she reminded herself that this was the grandfather of her child. “Michael told me that the tests were out. Are they?”

  Edward gestured. “Tests can be wrong.”

  “I imagine you wouldn’t have called me here if they didn’t prove that Michael was the father.”

  Edward regarded her with contempt. “You’re quite a sharp thing, aren’t you? What did you say you were, a lawyer? I don’t think you’d be much of a lawyer, but you sure know how to hustle don’t you?”

  Zoe stared back at him. “You don’t think much of me, do you? I don’t know if it’s because I’m black or because I’m a woman.”

  “Don’t think much of you?” Edward seemed surprised. “I think you are a black whore who’s trying to put the squeeze on my son. Would that be an accurate assessment of you, Miss Williams?”

  Zoe had heard enough. She stood up. “This meeting is over. You are one of the most hateful men I have the misfortune of meeting. I’m sorry you have chosen to become such a bitter, bigoted man. And I’m sorry your son doesn’t have the guts to accept responsibility for his child. Goodbye.”

  As she walked off, she heard Edward calling to her, “Leaving so soon, Miss Williams. Is it something I’ve said?”

  His tone was mocking and Zoe was determined not to give him the last word. “I have nothing further to say to you,” she said. “I’ll see you in court where your son will have to face up to his responsibilities whether he likes it or not.”

  As she stormed out of the room, she realized that she was shaking with anger. No one looked up to acknowledge her presence as she walked to the elevator. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. She was a strong woman and she was not going to let some racist bastard get her down.

  But as soon as she went to her office, she went to the restroom and burst into tears. She recalled vividly Edward’s mocking tone, the insinuating manner in which he had cast his aspersions. What hurt most of all was the way Michael had remained silent, while his father shamelessly browbeat her. She wondered if he shared his father’s racist attitude.

  She was furious now, and ashamed for having burst into tears. She had always thought of herself as a strong woman, who could stand up to anything life threw at her. That included racist bullies, whom she had encountered before. But there was something about Edward, a bitter, cold, animosity that threw her off balance. She shuddered at the thought of having such a man as a grandfather to her child.

  She dried her tears and tried to pull herself together. She was not going to let this hateful man get to her. Her mother had taught her, by word and example, that no obstacle was insurmountable. She would overcome this, although it was proving to be her greatest challenge yet.

  She thought over everything that had happened at the meeting. It was obvious that Michael was some sort of playboy living in his father’s domineering shadow. She still blanched at the way he looked away in the face of his father’s cruel, racist taunts. She realized that there was no way she could count on him to help her in any way.

  Zoe pondered her legal options. She knew she could sue Michael for child support, but she had little doubt that his father would prove to be a formidable adversary. Still, if Michael was determined to be an absent father, the least he could do would be to provide the means for his child.

  She called on her mother that night and told her of what had happened. Carla snorted. “So this is what we dealing with—some KKK guy and his spineless son?”

  Zoe nodded resignedly. “That’s pretty much it. What should I do?”

  “What should you do?” Carla rose to her feet. “I’ll tell you what you should do. You hit them. You hit them as hard as you can. You show that old sack of shit that black people don’t tolerate being treated like that and you teach that pimp of a son to consider his responsibilities the next time he decides to drop his pants.”

  Zoe smiled. This was more like the formidable woman she knew. “I thought you said this was a bad idea.”

  “I’ve changed my mind.” Carla glowered at her. “No one treats my baby like that.”

  “I wonder if they had gotten to the test results by now,” mused Zoe.

  “Oh, you’d better believe it,” said Carla. “That was the only reason Daddy decided to meet with you. You teach them a lesson. Take them to court and sue that son of a bitch for all he’s got.”

  “It’s not as simple as that,” cautioned Zoe. “There could be challenges.”

  “Challenges?” Carla scowled. “What sort of challenges?”

  Zoe shrugged. “You know, that I am a gold digging whore, that he’s not the father.”

  “Well, you fight him, you get the courts to order him to do a paternity test and prove it,” shouted Carla.

  “It’s not that easy,” explained Zoe. “It’s a civil matter and it’s up to the judge to decide.”

  “But we can give it a shot?” inquired Carla.

  Zoe nodded. “We can give it a shot.”

  Zoe reflected on what they had discussed on her way home. The subject of the paternity test had never come up. She decided to speak to Michael about it.

  “Hello, it’s Zoe,” she said when he answered the call.

  There was a silence. “Hello,” Michael stammered.

  Zoe got the impression that he was feeling awkward. After another silence, he finally said, “Look, I’m sorry about what happened. My father—he can be a little confrontational sometimes.”

  “Confrontational?” Zoe snapped. “I’m surprised he didn’t call me the n-word.”

  “Yeah,” said Michael resignedly. “He can go a little off the rails. Listen, I want you to know that whatever happens, I don’t share his views at all.”

  “Really?” snapped Zoe sarcastically. “I wouldn’t have guessed, given how silent you were the whole time.”

  There was another awkward pause. “Look, you don’t know my father,” said Michael. “You don’t cross him. I know what he can do.”

  “Great,” said Zoe sarcastically. “I have been impregnated by a fucking pussy.”

  “This is not a laughing matter, Zoe,” said Michael seriously. “My father is a powerful man. And he always gets what he wants.”

  “Okay,” said Zoe. “I see you have a valid reason for being such a coward.”

  “I know how this must seem to you,” said Michael calmly. “But if I go up against my father, I could lose everything. I wish things were different and we could sort out this matter on our own. But, as you can see, Dad has very strong views on the subject.”

  “So that’s it, you’re just going to give up because Daddy asks you to?”

  “It’s not as if I have much of a choice in the matter,” said Michael.

  “I notice you never mentioned the paternity test,” said Zoe. “I guess you got the results.”

  Michael didn’t answer.

  “Is that what sent Daddy off the deep end?” Zoe decided she could do a little taunting of her own. “The fact that he had a black grandchild?”

  “This is a serious matter, Zoe,” said Michael. “Don’t play games.”

  “I’m not,” snapped Zoe. “I know it was just a one-night to you and you just want me and this child to g
o away.”

  “No, it’s not like that at all,” said Michael earnestly.

  “It’s okay,” Zoe reassured him. “Truth be told, that was all it was to me, too.”

  “Oh.” Michael sounded a bit deflated.

  “But we ended up making a baby and I’m going to do all I can to make sure that child has a good future.”

  “I see.”

  “I’m sorry if this is inconvenient for you or something your white supremacist father finds uncomfortable,” she continued.

  “My father is not a white supremacist,” said Michael stiffly. “He just has definite ideas of what his family should look like.”

  “And why are you clinging onto his apron strings?” asked Zoe. “Is it so hard for you to tell him to go to hell and stand on your own two feet?”

  Michael sighed. “I know how I must seem to you. But before you sit in judgment of me, you should know that breaking free is not as easy as it seems, especially with a man like my father. It may not look like much to someone like you, but I stand to lose a great deal.”

  Zoe felt her hackles rising. “Someone like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that things may be different for someone who doesn’t have a lot to lose, but in my case my company is my life.”

  “For your information, I may have grown up in the projects, but I had love and respect and those are more important than any of your fancy toys. And we both know who the company belongs to.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply-” Michael paused then continued, “I just can’t kiss goodbye to everything I have, that’s all. And I happen to love my father. Yes, he’s not perfect, but despite his faults, he’s a great guy.”

  Zoe snorted. “Your father is a racist bully. If you can’t see that you’re dumber than I thought. Anyway, if you want to lead the rest of your life in your father’s shadow, go ahead. I take it you have seen the results of the test you wanted me to take.”

  Michael was silent again.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” said Zoe. “Now, what are you planning to do about it?”

  “What do you want me to do?” asked Michael defensively.