In Re Baby Q

15 - The Other Side of the Coin

He disappears into the spare bedroom, the heel of his foot closing the door with a bang. Since I'm not sure if he has dinner plans for us later, I postpone getting dressed and slide on my bathrobe. Absentmindedly, I scroll through my emails on my computer. I stop on a message from Patrick dated prior to the holidays which accidentally landed in spam.

'Hey Ashlynn, sorry we weren't able to connect yet. I lost my job and life has been a bit hectic, but hopefully, things will look up in the new year. Let's keep in touch.'

I stare at the words swimming in front of my eyes. This must be some type of a sick joke. Why would Felix fire him after I specifically promised I wouldn't see him again? A pang of guilt crawls up my spine—this had been Patrick's dream job and I had to ruin it for him.

When Felix suddenly squeezes my shoulder, I squeal. He rests his chin on my head. Before I can close the laptop, he has already read the email out aloud. The silence that follows is so thick it couldn't be sliced with a knife.

Deciding to stop tiptoeing around the issues that have been bothering me, I load my first torpedo. "Why did you fire Patrick?"

"Staff cuts. I'm sure he got a good redundancy package."

I gaze up at Felix who is looking down on me, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"No offense, but that's a bunch of crap. A week after he accidentally bumped into me at your office, he gets the pink slip. That's too much of a coincidence."

Leaning against the desk, Felix sighs. A hint of annoyance gleams in his eyes. "I don't make HR decisions for entry level jobs. We had to cut ten employees and the decision was based on seniority and family status. Patrick is young without a family to support and worked at Gamestoon Entertainment for less than two years. He just happened to fall into the redundancy pool, and I resent that you are accusing me that it was personal."

I arch a brow. "You know a lot about him for someone who was not involved."

"Truthfully, I don't have to justify a business decision to you." The disapproval in his gaze has multiplied.

"Fair enough." I smile sweetly at him as I load the second torpedo. "What about Deborah? As fifty percent owner, did you have to get her okay?"

His jaw drops, though the surprise is not reflected in his eyes. They have turned an icy shade of green. "Where did you hear that Deborah owns shares in the company? She's a silent partner and this information isn't public."

"She told me."

His jaw drops even further. "How?" He runs his fingers through his hair—that answer was obviously not what he expected.

"She invited me over to the house for a chat when I first got home from New York after the holidays."

All color leaves his face and he mumbles something under his breath that sounds very close to "fuck". "She shouldn't have. What else did she tell you?"

Too aware I'm stepping onto thin ice, I carefully prod around the surrogacy issue and her opposition. His face darkens the more I talk.

"That's bullshit. I swear the surrogacy was her idea. I admit, in the beginning, I only went along to make her happy, but now that you're pregnant, I'm thrilled to become a dad. Not sure if you can hold that against me."

"And all those presents under the tree, who bought those?"

"She did. You have to believe me, Ashlynn. What she told you was a lie. She's trying to break us up." Panic strains his voice and his wide eyes stare at me with desperation.