Chapter 2

The next morning he woke up hoping for another round before they swapped details. But was both disappointed and angry, to wake up alone – but mostly disappointed.

Maybe she’s downstairs?

He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. Not surprisingly, he found at least a dozen people still hanging around. Most just waking up.

“Henry,” He heard a familiar voice call. He turned in the direction of the kitchen and found his old friend, Sally stood sipping coffee. Surprisingly she was alone.

“I didn’t see you all night. I thought you went home,” She wore a knowing look. “Hook up?”
“Have you seen Rie?” He asked not answering. “Beautiful girl, honey coloured eyes, long dark hair and about eighteen?” He added seeing her confusion.

“Haven’t seen anyone like that. But Carol – John’s daughter – had a few friends around. She is eighteen – a senior in high school. Why?” She stared at him as if trying to work something out.
“Oh my God! Don’t tell me the king of the players is in love?” She teased.
“None of your business. Just tell me where Carol is so I can ask her.” Back was his cold self.

“She went out. She won’t be back for hours.”
“Call her.”
Sally frowned. “She is that important.”
“Are you going to do it?”

She answered but denied knowing anyone called Rie. But they both knew she was lying from her tone.

**

Four months later…

It was a busy Friday afternoon, and Henry was on his dinner break.
He was back in his usual routine. The first month he almost obsessively called Sally or to her house to ask her soon-to-be stepdaughter about Rie. But he never got his answer.
He has since calmed down on his visits but only because of work. He didn’t know why he was so obsessed with the girl, but he wanted her bad. He was beginning to think he would never hear from her when Carol accidentally let the girl’s name slip in conversation with her – Sally.

This only renewed his need.

But all his thoughts of her were interrupted when his office phone began to ring.
He cursed under his breath but picked up the call knowing the staff only let important calls through to him.

“Hello?”
“Hello, Sir. There is a Henrietta Clark on the line,” The woman on the other end says.
“And?” He was frustrated, he had never heard of the woman.
“She said to tell you she is Paige Clark’s daughter.”

He recognized the name instantly. She was almost seventeen, and he would have been about the same around the same time as… But anyway, they had dated for a couple months before his father got a promotion and they moved away. He wasn’t overly in like with her, but he remember her for several reasons. One being she was one of his only ever girlfriends, ever. But that wasn’t the main reason.

“Put her through.”
He had no idea why the girl was calling. She couldn’t be very old because Paige was only about thirty now. What could the girl possibly want?
“Hello, this is Henry Chambers?” He answered.
“Hello… Umm, sorry. I was looking for Shane Chambers,” The strangely familiar girl’s voice replied.
“My name is Shane Henry Chambers. But I use Henry for business proposes,” He explained.

“Is this the same Shane who attended Kennedy high school and dated Paige Clark?”
“Yes. We had dated for a couple of months before my family moved. What is it you want?” He asked impatiently.

“Oh. Sorry, sir,” She sounded scared. “I.. I just… I’m sorry.” He could hear the tears in her voice and for some unknown reason, he felt bad.
“No. I’m sorry for snapping.” He was surprised by himself. “What can I do for you?”
There was quiet for a moment, and he wouldn’t have thought she was there if he didn’t hear her breathing.

“You’re my father.”
He froze in his seat. He had a daughter. Worse of all he knew she wasn’t lying.

“I know you didn’t want me, but-” He quickly cut her off.
“What? Why would you think that?”
“M..Mom said you left because you didn’t-“
“Your fucking mom! I should have known,” He mumbled to himself.
“She was always a manipulative little bitch. That’s one of the reasons we only dated two months. The second is because she got pregnant, I wanted to keep the baby, share custody but she told me she aborted it… You.”

“But… But why would she do that? She said she loved you but you didn’t love her or me.”

He grew more and more angry. Not at her but her mother.

“No, I didn’t love her. But I did you. I was only sixteen. But the thought of my child… Grr!” He growled. “Fucking bitch this is all because I said I wouldn’t marry her, that I wanted main custody of you.”

“If it makes you feel better she named me after you,” A sweet, scared voice said, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“And for that one reason, I am grateful. But I will never forgive her,” He said honestly.

“Put your mom on, I want to have a word with her.” He was planning on telling her that he was sueing her and filing for custody of his daughter. He didn’t care why she did what she did. Losing his child was one of his biggest regrets. He told himself, maybe if he had pretended she wouldn’t have aborted. Because truth be told, the player wanted children, dozens of them and a beautiful little wife. And not just any, he wanted Rie.

Sobs broke him from his daydream.

“That’s why I’m calling,” She began to explain. “Mom ran off with a guy a few months ago.”

She and Rie had that in common, they both have good for nothing moms.

“She only gave me your name because I harassed her with messages.”

“How old are you? Where are you staying?” He grew to hate Paige more and more.

“Fifteen. I have been crashing at friends because I don’t have any other family.” His heart broke at the pain in her voice. “But they won’t let me stay anymore,” She cried. Not fake, the pain was raw in her voice.
“I’m so scared. Please let me stay with you until I find somewhere else? I’ll work if I need to. I’ll-“

“Shh, Princess. You’ll never have to work, I want you to stay with me forever. I was planning on filing custody the moment I learned of your existence,” He told her honestly. It was crazy how he felt instant love for the daughter he had never even met.

“But… Don’t you want proof I am who I say I am?”

“No, the age matches up, and I know despite everything, your mom didn’t sleep around… At least not back then.”

He knew his parents would probably ask for proof, but he didn’t care. He believed her. But there was one sure fire way to tell the truth.

“Just curiously, do you have any birthmarks?”

“Actually, I have a Cafe-au-lait birthmark behind my ear. It kind of looks like a heart. I really like it.” He could hear the smile in her voice.

And his heart instantly leaped with joy.
“That’s all the proof I need to know you’re my daughter, you see every child in the Chambers bloodline has the same mark.”

“Really?” She asked hopefully.
“Yes. Now tell daddy where you are, and I’ll have someone bring you home.” It was a secret only the family knew. So Paige couldn’t have told her the significance.

He learned that she lived a couple of hours away, closer to his apartment he had near Sally but she didn’t mind moving. Apparently, due to reasons she wouldn’t tell him over the phone, she had lost a lot of her friends. Having skipped a few years due to her outstanding academic standard she was already in her senior year. She could finish classes online, graduate and her and Henry would spend some time together being a real father or daughter. Or at least those were the plans in his head.

She was in school at the moment but finished soon, Henry made a called and arranged it so the driver would pick her up, collect her belongings and bring her straight to his large house – his main home. He has a few apartments around the country for work proposes, but this was his home.

He called the house and made sure they would have a room ready for his Princess. If it weren’t for her liking heads would roll.

He was so happy now, the only thing that could make it better is finding Rie. His cock swelled at the thought of her and for the third time that day he found himself jerking to the thought of his little sweetheart.

She will be mine. My Rie.

**

He decided to put off telling his parents and family until he had spent some time with her. Not because he didn’t trust her, but because he knew they would all come around straight away.

He had already canceled his work for the next two weeks and had arranged other chefs cover him. It was a big deal, but he didn’t care. He was a self-made millionaire in his own right.

First, though he had to finish this dragging day at work. If possible, he seemed angrier and more irritable with people after the call than before. He had everyone running scared – more so than normal.

He just wanted to go home to meet his daughter, who had now been at home a few hours by herself. He had spoken to her on a rare break, and she gushed about how much she loved his house and how it made her feel like a princess in a beautiful Castle.

This pleased him more than words could say. She even said she loved him, and that was before she got to the house.

If it were any other day, he would have called in cover, but everyone was busy at a course he sent them on. Thankfully he had cover for after today, but tonight he wouldn’t be finishing until late, probably close to midnight.

He had the housekeeper look after and cook his daughter a meal. The older woman in her fifties was only too pleased to help when he called her. She adored children.

Midnight came around and passed. He had forgotten the party he had booked which went on until close to two. Normally the place closed at eleven, he’d spend an hour cashing and then closing. Normally it was the managers job but when he was in he liked to do it. But tonight he surprised the manager by telling them to do it. He just wanted to go home.

His driver Jason arrived at the restaurant within minutes. Henry could drive but was normally too tired to do so.

“What’s she like?” He asked his forty-something driver, the same one who drove Henrietta home.

“Honesty, sir?”

“Of course.” He was ready to hear bad things. Maybe she was like her mom, but he’d soon straighten her out. She just needed a firm hand.

“She is lovely,” Henry raised his brows in surprise. “She is the sweetest girl. And stunningly beautiful. Despite her height, you wouldn’t believe she was only a child. You’ll have to watch boys around her,” The driver half-joked. He was a father with daughters of his own. He knew how much trouble they could be.

Henry tensed. “My daughter is never dating.”

The driver just chuckled and continued driving.

It was half past when they arrived, and he was surprised to find the living room lights shining through the window. Everyone should be at home or in bed. Only he lived here, now his daughter too, but is housekeeper and handyman – her husband – lived in a property on his land, for a couple of minutes walk away.

Saying goodnight to his driver, he walked into his home. It was too large for just him with ten bedrooms and eleven bathrooms, but he always wanted a family and saw this as the perfect house for that.

Mary and Fred – the housekeeper and handyman – greeted him.

“Sorry, I didn’t think I would be so late. Thank you for staying. You can take tomorrow off.”

“No problem, sir. She is a delight.”

He smiled feeling proud of the praises of his daughter.

“But, sir,” They spoke in judged voices, and he wondered why. “She wouldn’t go to bed,” Mary looked at the living room door, which was closed.
“She wanted to wait up for you.”

He thanked them again and showed them out, setting the alarm behind them. He had guards at the gates and patrolling, but you can never be too safe.

His heart was beating so hard, he was sure it would beat come through his chest soon. He was too excited and nervous at the same time. He never felt like this.

After a few deep breath, he finally walked over to the door and opened it. Inside the television was on and playing what he recognized as Sponge Bob – one of his guilty pleasures.

The couch had its back to the door, but he guessed she was lying in it because he couldn’t see her.

“Henrietta?” He called gently not wanting to wake her up if she was asleep.

He heard asleep mumble, “Who is it?” She had obviously fallen asleep waiting for him.