Page 93 of Heart of Stone (Dark Billionaires)

“If I’m being honest, Kate, I grew up without a fathe—”

“Miss Charlton?” A blonde solicitor called from across the room, standing in an office doorway. “I’m Jennifer, your solicitor.”

With Rhys’s help, she struggled to her feet, approaching Jennifer’s office with a tired, bogged down waddle.

“Please sit,” Jennifer said kindly, gesturing to a plush seat in front of a sweeping grey desk. “Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

At that, the blonde woman sat, shuffling through the papers in front of her. “Rhys tells me you’re here to discuss the legal arrangements for your child, is that correct?”

Kate nodded. Between Jennifer’s perfectly coifed hair, impeccable nails, and designer shoes, it was easy to see she was paid well. No wonder the car park behind the building was full of Range Rovers and Audis. “Correct,” Kate said politely, trying not to think of the rumbling in her stomach.

Baby needs cheesy chips.

And baby also knew it was takeaway night tonight.

Which was a good thing, but Kate couldn’t deny she was slightly ashamed of herself. Not because of the food she’d been eating, but because of her behaviour last week.

Because judging by what Sarah had said to Kate before she left for the solicitor’s appointment, Sarah was once again inviting Warren over—both for dinner and to stay the night. And given that Mattie had changed the sheets in the bedroom opposite Kate’s, Warren would once again be sleeping across the hallway.

“So I’ve read the details of the file. Warren Stone is not the biological father but wishes to adopt the child anyway,” she recited, reading from the papers in front of her.

Kate blinked. “When was that, sorry?” Had the files gotten mixed up with another case?

The solicitor scanned the notes. “Four months ago. It mentions here you were waiting for DNA test results to come back, but Mr Stone believed that he wasn’t the father. There was also the possibility of you being incarcerated, but him still wanting to adopt the child.”

Swallowing her way into a nod, Kate replied. “Apologies, things have been a little bit hectic over the last few months.”

“I can imagine.”

But had Warren not mentioned having her child put into the foster care system? Kate would remember that until the day she died. “He mentioned still wanting to adopt even though he believed he wasn’t the father?”

Jennifer’s smile faltered somewhat. “Was that not something you were aware of?”

“No, it was,” Kate lied. “Things have moved on since then, however.”

“In what way?”

She winced slightly as the baby kicked her increasingly small bladder. “I’m not going to be incarcerated. I never did anything wrong. And Warren was always the child’s biological father. But after his behaviour I don’t want him to have anything to do with the baby. Can I still do that? Keep him away?”

“You can. In fact, if you were wanting to raise the baby alone then it would put you in a stronger position by not putting him on the birth certificate. Has he been reluctant to support the child in the months since?”

“Um… well, no. He pays for the house his family and I live in, actually.”

The solicitor’s eyes narrowed somewhat, as though she was trying to puzzle the situation out. Was that a hint of judgement she saw there? Or was that only what Kate expected to see? “Well even if he isn’t on the birth certificate, you would still be able to claim financial support from him. The onus would then be on him to prove that he isn’t the child’s father.”

“I don’t have any intention of…” Kate trailed off. She had been going to say,I don’t have any intention of claiming financial support from him, but she had to, didn’t she? It wasn’t like she’d be able to support her daughter by herself. Not in the way she deserved.

That thought was depressing in and of itself.

Jennifer gave Kate a moment to think before she spoke again. “Even if you don’t list him on the child’s birth certificate, however, he would be able to apply for parental responsibility. Either in an agreement with yourself or through a court order. And even if he was granted that, it doesn’t necessarily give him the right to spend time with the child.”

“It doesn’t? So even if the father pays for everything and has parental responsibility, he may not even get to meet his child?” Kate said incredulously. How was that fair?

“It’s important to remember that these rules apply to a wide variety of situations, including domestic abuse cases. It’s not simply a case of the mother wanting to keep the father away out of spite. Sometimes it’s to ensure the safety of the mother and child both,” the solicitor said, her voice gentle.

“Sorry,” Kate replied, duly chided. “I wasn’t thinking.”

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