Page 58 of Tarnished Queen

He rightly takes my silence as a concession and smiles. My heart flips at the sight. I shift on my feet and change the subject. “So when will you be going back into the office?”

“That depends on you.”

“On me?”

He nods. “On what you decide to do. About Howard.”

“I already decided what to do about him. He’s not coming near Elise. He doesn’t even know her, for God’s sake. He abandoned her. Why should I let him come back now?”

“Because he’s her father,” he says. As if it’s that simple. As if anything is ever that simple.

“Allegedly,” I snort. “With my mother, who the hell actually knows? Elise could belong to some random dealer or a guy at the bar.”

“Which is why Howard left here today and went straight to a company that could provide a paternity test.”

I freeze. “What?”

“You said you wanted a DNA test.”

“And you refused!” I snap.

“And I’d refuse again,” he says with zero remorse. “But Howard decided to take things into his own hands. You said you wanted a test, so he said he’d get one.”

“I didn’t hear him say that. When did he say that?”

“Yesterday, when I escorted him out.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What do you think I’m doing now?”

I know he’s done nothing wrong, but I need someone to be angry at. And since Howard isn’t here, Nikolai is the easiest option.

“You could have told me earlier.”

“And you would have taken it so well if I’d done that,” he drawls sarcastically.

“So you decided to lie to me instead?”

“I decided to keep information from you that I thought would upset you. The same way you told Elise her dad was dead rather than a deadbeat. We all make choices, don’t we,kiska?”

I stare at him for a few seconds, trying to muster up a glare. But I can’t. Because he’s right.

“Fine. You win.”

He smiles. “Surprise, surprise.”

I fold my arms over my chest. “So do you expect me to call Howard and set up another meeting with him or something? I’m sure that’s why he left his business card.”

“I don’t expect you to do anything,” he says. “This is your decision, not mine.”

My eyes widen. “Wow. Has Mr. Control Freak ever said those words before?”

“Start making choices with your head instead of your heart, and you’ll hear them a lot more often,” he growls. Then he tucks his hands behind his head. “He left an address where he’ll be for lunch tomorrow. He’ll have the results by then. If you want to talk to him, all you have to do is show up.”

“Did he want me to bring Elise?”

Nikolai shakes his head. “I don’t think he has any expectations where Elise is concerned. You made your feelings about him pretty clear.”

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