For the Love of Ethan

Chapter 40 - Severed Ties

She glided over to him and placed her rump on the table positioning herself directly in front of him. "Mr. Knight, do you need me to assist you with anything?" She said weaving her fingers through her and twisting a strand down to the tip. "I'm Christine. I interned for you during my senior year at the university. I'm on your payroll now and I'm here to serve in any way that I can." She said in a way that implied much more than work.

Dane had been through this with at least a dozen employees. Only one had actually tempted him but it was work and he would never risk the liability.

"I'm glad you chose to stay on and build your career with us." He said keeping things diplomatic. "If it is extra work that you seek, check with marketing. I'm sure they could use a hand." Dane said politely as he reached to pull his jacket from the back of the chair.

She wasn't sure if Dane was getting what she was offering so she pushed again. "I was more interest in this department." She slid her fingertips along the corner of his briefcase before brushing them over his hand. Dane pulled away but Alan has seen the whole incident.

"Ahem." Alan cleared his throat sternly. "I'm not sure why you feel that is appropriate to disrespect this company by implying that we have unethical work relations in this office. I can promise you, we take issues such as this seriously."

Startled, she jumped to her feet in an instant as Alan continued. "If you wish to continue your employment, you will be happy to know that we have an opening at one of our small branches. I will speak with HR and let them know that you are looking to transfer unless you prefer to turn in your notice?"

"No, a transfer would be appreciated sir." She ducked her head in shame and hurried out the door.

"I had the situation under control." Dane complained.

"I'm sure you did. That girl is the least of your worries." "Let's take a walk down to my office. We need to talk." Alan said bluntly.

Dane cringed. When his father wanted to talk it was rarely good. Alan turned and went towards the elevator. Dane followed and they descended two stories before exiting the elevator into a corridor lined with wooden panels. In the center a large crystal chandelier sparkled above two facing couches. Dane hated this part of the building. As a kid, he spent hours out here waiting for his dad and daydreaming of the beach. The room had been updated a couple of years ago but one thing remained a constant, the ominous dark paneling. It gave Dane claustrophobia.

Once inside Alan walked behind his desk and motioned for Dane to sit across from him, another bad sign. If this were a casual meeting they would be sitting on one of the couches in the window overlooking the plaza below. At least Dane felt he could breathe in here and could feel the warmth of the sun even from this distance. Dane sat down and massaged the back of his neck with his hand.

Alan pulled open a drawer and pulled out a stack of tabloids. "I came across these at the airport yesterday. I confronted your mother with them."

Dane reached for the magazine on top. He knew personal life was about to unfold in the media once more. Unfortunately Berkley seemed to heighten the interest of the paparazzi from early on. There were multiple reasons why. One, she was very photogenic even when she was a mess and he had to admit, she looked good draped on his arm but it went deeper than that. She was an undiscovered mystery girl and everyone wanted to know who she was and where she came from. The third reason would be the rumors of her pregnancy that were growing faster than Lily. Dane knew what he would find in the pages. He almost didn't bother to look but human nature causes one to be curious.

The front cover included a grainy picture obviously taken from good distance. It was of Berkley and Ethan at the park. Berkley's dress was cupped beneath her belly cradled by her hands. The headline read Daddy Dane or Deadbeat Dad? He grumbled with frustration at the thought of anyone believing he would bail on Lily. He wasn't a monster. He flipped through to the inside story and there in full color and focus were four more pictures of Berkley but with Dane instead of Ethan and of course he looked like a jerk. Every photo pictured them in an argument. The next was a picture of Berkley going into an apartment with Blake. It made him angry but the look on Berkley's face was sad. There were several pictures of her and Blake at the mall. She wasn't smiling in any of them and neither was Blake for that matter. The captions were ridiculous. They spoke of secret rendezvous but the photos didn't support the claims. Dane simply saw two miserable people. But then he knew better than to believe the lies in the first place. He didn't care what they tabloids had to say. Before he dismissed the stack, he realized he hadn't looked at anything with George's name attached to it. He dug through the pile for one final look, knowing his father was studying him closely.