Chapter 2

(Pamela)

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MY MOUTH FALL open at what I’d just heard.

I can’t believe my ears. Did he just say full custody? Or had I heard wrong?

“Excuse me?” I ask, just to be sure.

A mask passes over his face and he watches me closely, as if he’s trying to figure out my reaction. He’s still standing over me, his tall frame casting shadows over me against the bright overhead lights. 

“Excuse me?!” I repeat, my voice sharper now.

His gaze narrows slightly, but I don’t care. The audacity of his words hangs in the air, suffocating me.

“You think you can just waltz in here, claim ‘full custody,’ and walk out with my sister’s baby like he’s some kind of prize?” My voice trembles, but I press on.

I rise to my feet, ignoring how small I feel compared to his towering figure. “Where were you when my sister was struggling? When she needed support? And now that she’s gone, you—” My voice cracks, but I force myself to continue, “you think you can make decisions about her child without even considering me? Without even knowing me?”

My hands ball into fists at my sides, trying to steady myself. “You have some nerve.”

“I’m sorry you see it that way, Ms. Brown, but it’s in the baby’s best interest to have me as a father figure,” he replies, his voice laced with authority. “Especially given the fact that his own father doesn’t want him.”

The baby’s best interest? I almost let out a bitter laugh,

“I won’t let you take Erik away from me,” I cry. “He’s better off with me.”

“Erik?”

“That’s his name,” I snap.  “His mother, my dear sister, has always wanted to name him Erik. But of course, you wouldn’t know that, would you? You don’t know anything about her.”

Massimo’s jaw tightens at my words. He inches even closer to me, so that I can easily make out the exact shade of his grey eyes. They seem to darken as his frustration grows, and right now they are staring furiously at me. 

“I might not know much about your sister,” he says in a clipped tone, “but I do know that ‘Erik’ is a D’Amato. And that makes him the heir to our family bloodline. He belongs with his own people, not as a charity case.”

I shake my head when I realise that this man doesn’t even want this baby because he genuinely cares. This was about power, legacy, and appearances, like it always is with wealthy people.

“No…” I start, a lump beginning to form in my throat.

“Tell me, Ms. Brown, how exactly do you intend to raise this child?” He interrupts, his voice cold. “You’re just a mere teacher at some local high-school, earning barely enough to take care of yourself, let alone a baby. Be honest, how can you give him the life he deserves as a D’Amato?”

Oh, he definitely did his research. How does he know so much about me already, despite meeting me for the first time? I’m impressed, but at the same time I’m also scared. I’m scared that he is right.

I don’t earn enough to foot my own bills, and adding a baby into the mix is not going to look good for either of us. But this was what Anna wanted before she passed on. It was her dying wish; for me to look after Erik until he was all grown up. And I am going to respect that wish no matter what.

I square my shoulders and look Massimo straight in the eye. I won’t let him see that I’m terrified of him. Or even worse, that I find him very attractive. Despite our on-going banter, my heart still skips a bit each time our eyes meet.

“I don’t care what you think of me or my job,” I say, my voice trembling but steady. “Anna wanted me to raise Erik, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

****

“Oh, the nerve of that man,” Bonnie blurts out, her eyes narrowing into thin slits.

She’s angrier than I am, which is saying something, because my best friend is hardly the type to get angry. She stirs her coffee so aggressively that it almost spills onto the table.

“I mean, who does he think he is? Just because he has a billion-dollar last name, he thinks he can bully you into giving up your nephew?”

I shake my head and sip my tea, though it does nothing to calm the storm raging inside me. “He’s not just bullying me, Bonnie. He’s threatening to take me to court. He said—” I pause, the words catching in my throat. “He said I’ll never see Erik again if I don’t let him take custody.”

Bonnie’s eyes widen in disbelief. “He said that?”

I nod. “He called me a charity case and said I couldn’t provide for Erik.” My voice cracks. “And he’s not wrong, Bonnie. I don’t have the resources he has. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love Erik or that I can’t give him a good life.”

Bonnie reaches across the table and squeezes my hand tightly. We've been best friends for almost twenty years now and I always feel a sense of relief whenever she holds my hands.

“You have every right to fight for that baby, Pam. You're his maternal aunt! Don’t let that man intimidate you.”

The words are comforting, but they don’t erase the image of Massimo’s cold and calculating stare as he delivered his threat a few days ago.

“And you know what really gets to me?” I continue, bitterness creeping into my voice. “It’s not even about Erik. It’s about their stupid legacy. He doesn’t care about Erik one bit. He just wants to keep up appearances.”

Bonnie leans back in her chair, her arms crossed. “Well, you’re not going to let him win, are you?”

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “No, I’m not. I promised Anna I’d take care of Erik, and I’m going to fight for him, no matter what.”

Bonnie nods approvingly. “Good. Then you need to start preparing, Pamela. Get a lawyer. Gather evidence. Show the court that you’re the better guardian.”

Her words ignite something inside me, but then I am hit with a dose of reality. “A lawyer? Bonnie, I can barely afford groceries right now, let alone legal fees.”

Bonnie’s face softens, and for the first time, she looks uncertain. She squeezes my hand again.

 “We’ll figure something out, darling. There has to be a way.”

I want to believe her, but Massimo D’Amato isn’t just any opponent. He’s powerful, ruthless, and, worst of all, he's right.