Chapter 7: Whose Child

I stood up.

"I'm not asking your permission," I said.

Conrad's smile stayed on his face.

"No one is asking you to be afraid, my dear."

"Then I'm leaving."

I walked to the door.

Gavin took a step after me, and Philippa said, without turning, "Darling, don't."

He stopped.

In the hall, a huge security guard filled the doorway to the elevator.

Marcy was behind him, red in the face, waving her phone.

"Lin! He won't let me up! I'm calling the cops!"

"Ma'am, the elevator is closed," said the guard.

"For who?"

"For you."

I stopped three feet from him.

"Move," I said.

"Ma'am."

"I said move."

"Ms. Marsden is leaving," said a voice behind the guard. "Step aside."

The guard turned his head.

Tobias Roswell stood at the other end of the hall with a leather folder under his arm.

He was out of breath from the stairs.

"Sir, your father said not to let her."

"My father said a lot of things today. Step aside."

The guard stepped aside.

Tobias held the elevator door for us.

He did not touch me, and he did not take my arm.

Marcy came in first, glaring at him.

I came second.

He came in last, and the doors closed on the sound of Conrad Roswell calling for his son.

We went down in silence.

I watched the numbers drop, and I thought about the way he had said sir, and the way the guard had obeyed him.

He had run up the stairs.

I filed that away and told myself not to.

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