The Romanov Series Book #1: My Rogue Girlfriend

Chapter Twenty: Final Preparations

I squeezed his shoulder.

As I walked away, my heart felt heavy. It hasn't gone as I had hoped.

"Dad," he slipped his hand into mine. It must be the mere mention of the word that made me smile at him. He squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it when I said I hate you. It wasn't cool."

He tucked how s hands into his pockets.

I rested my hand over his shoulder. "It's alright. Take care."

"Bye." He waved at me.

I think this is the most painful thing I have had to do today. I didn't want this kid yet it hurts now that I have to walk away from him. I'm not sure how it will play out with the Russians but in case I don't come back, this is the last time I'll ever see his face.

When I turned to check on him he was gone.

I have one more stop before I wait for the taxi outside the hospital. I want to solve things with my father. We haven't spoken in a while. The last time he was at the hospital when I bought him breakfast, I was with one too many patients and I couldn't get back as soon as I had hoped. He left. I haven't seen him since. He left my receptionist a ln address.

I pulled up in front of the building under construction. I checked the address twice to be sure it's the right place. It's only when I saw him waving at me did I realize he works here.

"You came!" He clapped his hands. I don't remember any version of him being this happy. He was an angry violent man. "I'm so happy to see you!"

He peeled off his worn out gloves and took off his helmet. "How are you?"

"I'm happy to see you."

I can't say the same. I'm just trying to meet him quarter way. He can pull the rest of the weight. "I didn't know you work construction."

"I know you only remember me as a drunk fisherman." A drunk violent fisherman. "It gets me by. If I would have known you'll be passing by, I would have bought you something. Coffee maybe?"

He went through his wallet counting the little cash. From the frown on his face, it's not enough. I have been there before. It's the point where you are wondering which necessity to spend on.

"It's alright." I surprised myself when I touched his shoulder.

"Come meet my friends!" Ge suddenly exclaimed.

He had his fingers wrapped around my wrist before I could say no. "Maybe not today." I declined. "I just wanted to say we are good. You and I... we are good."

"Just like that? What changed your mind?"

"I don't have time for grudges. This isn't me watering down what you did or excusing your actions. No. This is me simply saying that I want to get past this. I have carried it with me for years and it's been heavy. I can't carry it anymore."

"Mijo," he addressed me in a tender tone. "I'm not going to deny the pain I have caused you. I wasn't much of a father to you. I hurt you often and I even took your mother from you when I took her life. The twenty years I served in prison are never going to be enough punishment for what I did. I'm prepared to beg for your forgiveness for the rest of my life. I'm ready and willing to. You and I will never really be okay. I can never truly make it up to you."

"Thank you for acknowledging your wrongs. I have to go now. I'm not sure when I'll see you again. Take care of yourself."

"Ferrer. Perhaps you may feel I don't know you but I can clearly see something is wrong. Do you want to talk about it?

The instruction was not to tell anyone.

"I'm just tired. Good day."

I left him.

I'm done.

I just have to go to the hospital and wait for the taxi.

Katya's POV
Anderson has resulted to childish techniques. She's giving me the cold shoulder and silent treatment. If I want to say something to her, I must tell her assistant who in turn communicates what she wants from me. It's making things awkward at the office. She went ahead and made up new schedules and purposely refrained from sharing them so that I miss critical meetings and I keep looking like the incompetent partner.

I want to say I hate her but I don't. I feel sorry for her because she's working hard to make me look bad.

Ferrer hasn't responded to my my call but he did text me saying he loves me. When I read the message I was pleased. It erased my bad morning.

I have tried calling him since but he's not answering.

"Miss Hall!"

There are days my ears aren't keen on the name I took up. It was when she touched me that I almost jumped. "What the... Don't sneak up on me like that!" I reprimanded Ferrer's lawyer.

"I'm sorry. I thought you heard me and you were just ignoring me."

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk about your son's father. Are you threatening him?"

I stopped in the hallway smiling at everyone who passed by. "In my office." I kept smiling. The moment I closed the door I stopped. "Did Ferrer tell you I'm threatening him?"

"I'm not supposed to be telling you this but lawyer to lawyer, what do you make of your client showing up out of the blue asking to set up his will?"

"I would think he knows he will die." I concluded. "Did you set up his will?"

"Yes."

"What does it say."

"I can't tell you that."

"I'll find out any way."

"It's unprofessional. If you care about him, find him. He was off. Something was really wrong with him."

"Who is his heir? Is it Terrence? Just nod."

She nodded on her way out.

I can only think of one person he may be scared of.

Leonid Romanov.