Chapter Five

Nevada's POV—

"Grey," I said, tensing up.

I stepped back from him staring down at him with a frown as I sized him up.

My mind raced with an onslaught of emotions as I wondered what the hell he was doing here and, more importantly, why he was next to Alicia. I held her close, protective, trying not to glare at him. There had to be a reason he was here.

And he had a perfect time with ever. It was hard to believe that he's just happened to be here, in the middle of a toy shop talking with Alicia. What does even doing in a toy shop in the first place? My eyes narrowed.

Unless you have been keeping an eye on me from the beginning. That wasn't entirely inconceivable. After all, my sudden reappearance must have really rilled him up.

Yes, that was the effect that I wanted, but now, it seemed to be backfiring back to me.

He wasn't supposed to find Alicia. That wasn't part of the script.

"Oh, there you are," Kelly said, breaking the silence that hung in the air.

My eyes moved over to her for a brief second, but I made sure to keep Greg in my peripheral vision. I was wary of him, that was for sure.

Kelly smiled faintly as she looked between the two of us, sensing the rising tension in the air.

"Well, I'm guessing this isn't a happy reunion," she said, stepping back a little, almost as if she was trying to keep herself safe from the danger that was about to surface.

She made it seem like I was about to erupt in anger or start fighting, which wasn't entirely pleasant.

"Well, I guess our thoughts weren't that different when you consider the way I was glaring at Grey."

"Who is she?" Grey asked, his deep voice breaking through the tension as his eyes narrowed on Alicia in my arms.

"Not yours," I said, wrapping a protective arm around her. "So, back off."

"That's not an answer, Nevada," Grey spoke, his voice placid.

I shrugged. "Maybe not the one you want to hear, but definitely the only one you will be getting."

"It was nice meeting you again, CEO Grey Claremont," I said in a dismissive tone that suggested we were done talking. There was nothing left for us to discuss anyway.

I nodded at Kelly. It was time to go.

"Nevada," Grey called out in a warning voice as I turned around.

I paused but didn't turn back to look at him.

"What do you want, Mr. Grey?" I asked, being overly formal with him on purpose.

"Who is the child?" he continued, his voice seeming unaffected by my distant demeanor.

"Oh, don't worry about it," I turned back to him with a fake smile. "After this, you won't be seeing her again."

"You don't know that for sure," Grey stepped forward, a dark look flashing across his eyes.

"No?" I asked. "Then I'll just have to make sure of it."

With that, I walked away without bothering to look back at him. Kelly followed me as we walked out of the toy shop. I could feel Grey's intense gaze on me, but I wasn't intimidated. He could stare and glare all he wanted, but he wasn't going to force me to speak, and my decisions were already made.

We rounded up at the driveway, and the chauffeur stepped out of the car and opened the passenger seat for us. I settled Alicia inside the car and got in beside her.

Kelly looked at me for a moment, a strange look in her eyes. As her gaze bore into mine, she seemed to be silently asking questions, trying to wrench out the answers from my soul. We were so close to each other that it was nearly hopeless to try and hide something from her.

"I'll see you later, Nevada," she finally said, closing the car door for me.

I knew softly that she wasn't going to pry—at least not yet. I knew I would have a lot of explaining to do the moment I got back to the mansion.

"Drive," I instructed the driver, leaning back in my seat.

A soft tug on my sleeve caused me to look down, and I saw Alicia staring up at me with her big brown eyes.

"Who is the big scary man, mommy?" she asked, her lips forming an 'o'.

She looked so innocent that it made me sad inside.

"Shhhh," I said, smoothing out her straight blonde hair. "You shouldn't be scared of him," I said softly, "and don't worry; you won't have to see him anymore. I'll make sure I keep him away."

And I meant every last bit of my words. The last thing I wanted now was for Grey to come back into our lives. I didn't know what he was planning, but I knew one thing for sure: I wasn't going to wait around to find out.

"But who is she?" Alicia asked, still tugging on my sleeve.

I hesitated, conflicted. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to tell her that he was her father.

I frowned at the thought; that wasn't right. He wasn't her father; he had no attachment to her whatsoever. After all, he left us back then; he didn't even care if I lived or died.

I made a comeback now, and I was going to rub it in his face for sure. And I would also make sure that he stayed away from my daughter. Yes, mine, and only mine.

"Don't worry about it, baby," I said, sitting her on my lap. "I'll tell you, maybe when you're older."

"Promise?" she asked, looking up at me hopefully.

I nodded. "Sure."

The car stopped in front of the mansion as the big metal gates opened automatically for us to enter. We drove inside and parked in the lot.

As I stepped out of the car, I spotted Kelly not far away. It turned out she had meant every word she said.

I walked towards her with a tired smile. I already knew I was not bypassing her.

"Go on inside, Alicia," I said, urging the little girl forward.

She nodded, her hair bobbing up and down as she ran into the hallway.

"It seems like Grey is back in your life," Kelly began, watching my reaction closely.

"Oh no, he isn't," I said, my gaze hardening. "I will make sure that will be his last appearance."

"Are you going to tell him about Alicia?" Kelly asked me.

I scoffed, finding the question brazen and outrageous. "Nothing, even if the world is on fire."

I knew I would rather watch it burn than tell him with my own mouth that he had attachments to the kid. What if he tried to take her away from me then? He was this big bloody jerk, and I really wouldn't put it past him.

"If he's going to be an ass and go through all that trouble, then I'll make sure not to make it easy for him either. It will be the clash of the century."

"Well, I gather that you won't have to tell him," Kelly said meaningfully.

My eyes snapped back to her, and it took me a moment to realize what she was talking about.

Alicia had a startling resemblance to Grey. All that's needed is for them to stand next to each other, and the whole world would conclude that he is the father.

Grey wasn't blind either. He didn't even have to read between the lines to know the truth.

I bit my lower lip, seeing that there was a problem.

"I'll deal with him. Leave him to me," I said, walking into the hallway.

Greg had my sister also himself, didn't he?" I thought. She would have his last name. He had better stay close to her and keep away from me and my business; otherwise, I couldn't assure him that things would be all chocolates and roses between us.

I took the staircase up to the left wing of the building. Once upstairs, I made my way through the wide corridor. Heavy chandeliers hung in the air, casting a glow and adding a royal air to the building.

I paused in front of one of the locked doors and pulled out a tiny key.

I unlocked my office and stepped inside. I hadn't been there for long when Fiona walked in, carrying a bunch of files under one arm.

"Thank you," I said, taking the files from her and placing them on the table.

"I did the research on all the popular companies in the city," Fiona began.

"The strongest of them is the Claremont company. If you want to establish our branch in the city and do it as fast as possible, then creating ties with the company is our best shot," Fiona analyzed.

I gave a sigh, leaning against the table. "And I seem to recall the very person who is the CEO of the Claremont company."

"Grey Claremont," I hummed softly. It's just had to be you didn't it?