Chapter 40

Kingston

Daisy always had a way of showing up when I least wanted to see her.

This time, it was outside my office, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed like she owned the damn place. Casual and calm, collected and cruel.

I had just been thinking about how relieved Cora looked today when I told her Zach wouldn’t be harassing her any longer. This cloud of pride was floating me throughout the day when Daisy appeared to put an end to it all.

She wore a smile that never quite reached her eyes, sharp and calculating. The kind of smile you brace for like a blade.

“Don’t you have better things to do?” I asked

“Nothing’s more important than my son’s well-being,” she said sweetly, then stepped inside before I could slam the door.

I hated this. The pretending. The warped games she played under the thin veil of motherhood. But as much as I despised Daisy, Billy was still my son and that changed everything.

“What do you want?” I asked, keeping my voice cool.

She dropped into the leather chair across from me like we were old friends catching up.

“I’ve been reviewing our child support agreement,” she said. “And I don’t think it reflects the level of... luxury Billy is accustomed to these days.”

My jaw clenched. “Luxury?”

“You live in a manor, Kingston. With private chefs and imported wines. Meanwhile, Billy’s stuck with basic-level health care and public schooling now that you kicked us out.”

I glared at her. “We agreed to the terms together.”

“That was before I realized what an effect staying with you had had on Billy,” she said with mock sympathy. “And before I learned that Cora’s son gets the Alpha King’s personal attention.”

Ah. There it was.

This wasn’t about Billy. It never had been.

It was about control. Jealousy. Spite.

Still, I leaned back, forced myself to look unbothered. “What exactly are you threatening, Daisy?”

She pulled a folded legal document from her purse and slid it across my desk. “If we can’t renegotiate, I’ll file for a formal increase. You know, courts tend to sympathize with single mothers these days, especially when they hear how much you’re spending elsewhere.”

I didn’t touch the document. “You want more money, fine. But make no mistake, this is for Billy. Not you.”

Her smile widened. “Of course.”

I signed the new agreement without even reading it, aware it was a bribe dressed in legal jargon. I didn’t care. I’d sell half the estate if it kept Daisy away for just one more weekend.

Then, just when I thought she was done, Daisy stood and smoothed her skirt. “To show there’s no hard feelings… I’d like to invite you to a small dinner. A co-parenting celebration.”

“Right,” I muttered. “You don’t host dinners unless there’s a dagger under the table.”

She laughed. “Don’t be dramatic, Kingston. It’s just dinner. You’ve already given me what I wanted.”

I should have declined. I meant to decline.

But something in her smugness made me want to see the game through.

---

The dinner was at a private dining room in a fancy restaurant on the east end of town, polished and expensive-looking. Honestly, I was shocked that Daisy was even aware that the place existed what with her supposedly commoner lifestyle now.

Daisy stood at the center of the room looking radiant in red and ordering about a small cluster of well-dressed servers

She spotted me instantly and glided over.

“You made it,” she said, voice syrupy sweet. “Come, we’re just getting started.”

I followed her toward a long mahogany table set for more than just “a small dinner.”

And then I saw her.

Cora.

She sat near the head of the table, looking as uncomfortable as I felt. She was dressed in a dark green dress, elegant and understated, her hair swept to one side like she hadn’t quite meant to dress up but somehow managed to steal the room anyway.

For a beat, she didn’t see me. But when she did, her eyes widened. Not in delight.

In confusion. In dread.

That’s when it hit me.

She hadn’t known I’d be here either.

Daisy smiled between us like a cat who’d just tipped over a birdcage. “Surprise!”

“What the hell is this?” I asked, my voice low and cold.

“Oh, just two responsible adults who mean a lot to me,” Daisy said brightly. “You know, we need to spend more time together if they’re going to keep orbiting the same people.”

Cora stood quickly, her chair scraping against the tile. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Don’t worry, I’ll leave.”

Daisy laughed. “No misunderstanding at all. Sit back down! You both keep acting like our lives aren’t tangled. Well, tonight I thought I’d make things… easier. Transparent.”

Cora looked at me, her face pale. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“I didn’t either,” I said tightly, shooting Daisy a glare. “This was never about co-parenting, I suppose.”

“Everything’s about parenting,” Daisy said smoothly. “Especially when one of you can’t seem to keep your distance.”

I stepped closer, lowering my voice enough that only Daisy could hear. “If you think this little ambush earns you leverage, you’re more desperate than I thought.”

“Oh, Kingston.” Her voice oozed amusement. “This isn’t about leverage. It’s about reminding Cora she’s not the only one who knows you.”

“You don’t know me, Daisy,” I snarled. “Not like that.”

“Careful,” Daisy said with a sickeningly sweet grin. “You wouldn’t want to hurt the mother of your child, would you?”

I turned away before I said something I couldn’t take back.

Cora had already grabbed her clutch. She had hastily risen and was already halfway to the door.

I followed.

Outside, the air was cool and sharp, a welcome contrast to the oppressive perfume of the restaurant. Cora stood by her car, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have come. She said it was a networking event. For Billy. I wanted to support my nephew but… I should’ve known.”

“She set us both up.”

“I don’t want to be part of her games,” she said, her voice cracking. “I don’t care what she thinks she knows about us. About me.”

I stepped closer. “She knows nothing.”

“She knows how to twist things,” she whispered. “And I can’t do this again, Kingston. I can’t be someone’s pawn. Not now, not ever.”

“You’re not,” I said firmly. “You never were.”

She looked up at me, the flicker of doubt still in her eyes. “Then why did you agree to come and see her in the first place if this isn’t all some elaborate game between the two of you?”

“I thought I could control the situation.” My jaw tightened. “I was wrong.”

Silence stretched between us, tense and fragile.

But beneath it, something else stirred. The thing we never named. The thing we both kept pushing aside.

Her eyes met mine. Uncertain. Raw.

“You’re not alone in this, Cora,” I said softly. “Not with Zach. Not with Daisy. Not with any of it.”

She nodded faintly, then sighed. “Fine. Let’s go back inside and face her wrath together, then.”