Bound By Our Past

Chapter 4

l tipped my head to the side, l asked my PI. "Is this information accurate?"

The ugly looking man snorted smugly at me like he had brought me gold ,but his information was just the final piece l needed to bury my past.

"l've even brought you the proof to support my statement and better yet ,his death is all over the internet "

"Job well done Abrams ,you'll be compensated as usual "l said escorting the greedy piece of s**t out ,as much as l despised the man he hadn't disappointed me even once.

"Well you know where to find me when you need me" he said patting my shoulder and l halted in my steps.

l wrench my fingers on the man's neck, pulling him close. "We are not friends Abrams rather you work for me, know your place or l'll show it to you"l said squeezing tighter to prove my point, l could see the fear in his eyes as he tried to claw my hands away but he was no match to me.

He couldn't stop coughing for a good minute or so and l couldn't help but relish the fear in his eyes before l let him go.

l had changed. l no longer put up with anyone's nonsense. Time and circumstances had taught me that weak people don't survive in this people.

l hope our business relationship isn't going to be affected by a misunderstanding" l said patting his shoulder and he glared at me eyes blazing but he didn't say a word. l raised an eyebrow at him.

"No ,we're good" he said submitting and l laughed.

After he left l stared at the view of New York in my office with my scotch on the desk in front of me. Today was the day l would get answers to my questions and my past and l was both anxious and curious to find out.

Whatever is in this file could make or break the family my daughter and I have built but I also know how much she wants to know how and where her mother is.

My daughter has never asked much of me but last week she asked me to find her mother. She hadn't asked me about her mother in all those years. And when she finally asked I couldn't help but feel that maybe I should've been honest with her because she was probably afraid to ask me because she thought I would be angry.

Tessa is the opposite of me. She is talkative, warm ,fiery , sassy and bubbly wrapped up in one. l love my little girl though. She is the reason why l am what l am today.

I have worked hard to be at the level I am to date. I'm now considered one of the richest man in New York. I did all of this so that my daughter doesn't have to ask for anything, so that my daughter doesn't fall short for anything but turns out money can't buy a mother.

All this time I have tried hard not to think about Aria and why she did what she did. I get that we didn't come from the same level or that l couldn't provide her with the life that she deserved but l just wish she would have told me.

Why did she abandon her daughter. Tessa doesn't talk about it but I know that being abandoned couldn't be easy on anyone and worse a teenager. She has to deal with peoples questions about where her mother is and why she doesn't stay with her.

If I could then I would've made sure that she doesn't think about her mother but it seems pretty impossible. Every girl needs a mother and I know my mother tries to fill that gap but it will never be enough.

What I hope for is that when she does meet Aria again then she doesn't reject her or hurt her even more, as much as I hate Aria and as much as I don't want her in our lives

I feel like our daughter needs her. She needs to know that there's nothing wrong with her that her mother didn't abandon her because there was some fault in her because there isn't.

I know how it feels to be abandoned. I've had to live with that stigma for life. I have had to live with the fact that my father left us , and that he didn't love us enough to stay with us when he found out that my mother was pregnant with me.

"Penny for your thoughts " l turned to see my little girl smiling at me and l couldn't help but smile back. She may had all of her mother's characteristics but she is still all me.

From my blue eyes to my black hair and facially she is a female version of me.

"How was school "l asked signaling her to come closer to me and she dropped her bag on the sofa in my office, and sat on my desk facing me.

"School was just school, same old people, same old drama" she said frowning and l laughed.

"Maybe you should try improving your social skills" l said pulling her in my lap.

"Oh guess who's saying that" she said raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"l have friends "l said slowly because l didn't have any but l wasn't going to admit that to my 16 year old daughter.

"Yeah l know "she said unconvinced and we both laughed.

"Come on" she said standing up and pulling me along. She started packing my stuff in my briefcase.

"Where are we going "l said stopping her before she reached the file Adams just brought. l wanted to tell her when the time was right and she just looked happy right now and l couldn't bring myself to break the news to her as yet.