Page 40 of My Ex’s Dad

I plan to head home, but before I can get up, Roman knocks and enters my office. It’s late, for him. This is the prime hour when he’d be gearing up to party and act like a moron.

I raise my brows as he comes in, all smiles, which doesn’t bode well for either of us. When he tries to look charming like that, it means he’s in the mood to ask for something. He’s not getting anything from me, which sucks for him. Meanwhile, I’ll have to endure his whiny presence, which already aggravates me.

“What do you want?” I ask it blandly, expecting it and beating him to the punch.

He chuckles. “Oh, come on. That’s not the only reason I ever come to see my father.”

“Right. What is it this time?” I can’t help my cool, dull tone. The sooner I get rid of him, the sooner I can go back to obsessing over how to approach Liliana.

He shrugs. “I was in the area and figured I’d stop in.”

I’m not asking him the same fucking thing three times in a row. I stare him down and he breaks.

He winces, then smiles too brightly. “I’m kind of hoping you could float me a little funding.” When I say nothing, waiting for him to elaborate, he frowns. “I’ve been working so much lately.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“And my girlfriend is so patient with me. Maeve is perfect. She’s not complaining about the long hours or anything, and I’d like to treat her to something special. You know? Get her a little something to show her off tonight at the club.” He tacks on another smile. Like that’s going to work.

On the topic of girlfriends, I am curious though. I tilt my head to the side and watch him. “How come you never brought your last girlfriend around? I don’t recall meeting her over the holidays.”

“Oh.” He chuckles awkwardly for a couple of seconds. “Her. Um, yeah…” Shaking his head, he smiles wider. “My ex was just in the background while I moved on to something better.”

Real classy.

“You wouldn’t have wanted to meet her. She wasn’t anything special.”

I clench my jaw slightly.

Liliana, nothing special?

“She was so simple. Not elegant or even…” He shapes his hands in the air while he grimaces. “She was overweight and frigid. Not really any fun. I was just with her to pass time.”

Silence spans between us as I watch him.

I’m seething. That he’s so cruel. So judgmental. Criticizing others is human nature, but the wicked righteousness he brings to it sickens me. He’s never done anything to deserve praise or wealth. He’s never tried to accomplish a single thing, just waited for it all to be handed to him.

Liliana is a sexy, sensual goddess, and I can say so with certainty after having her all to myself for those two nights. For Roman not to see what a good woman she is…

I let out a long breath.

Your loss, my gain.

Although that thought rings true, it doesn’t smooth out the irritation that my son had her first, and for longer than I have.

But that no longer matters because I’m determined that she will be mine. And unlike my son, I know when to appreciate something good and rare.

“No.”

Roman frowns. “What?”

“No.” I stand and grab my jacket to pull on.

“No…what?”

“No, I’m not giving you a single fucking penny to spend on your new girlfriend. Or anything else.”

He gawks at me. “Why?”