That’s where the similarities to her father ended. That asshole was nothing like his daughter. She was sweetness and innocence personified, and Hamilton was everything debased in the world, so similar to Tobias’s own parents.
He walked into the main office and tapped his knuckles on the reception desk three times. “I need to see William.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, tell him it’s Tobias Bennett.”
She picked up her phone and within a minute led Tobias to a glass-enclosed office at the end of the hall. He walked in, taking in the sights.
“Very nice,” he said, walking around the circular office. It was unique, if anything.
“You like it?”
“I can appreciate a good design. You’ve worked on a few of my buildings, or have you forgotten?” Tobias asked.
Hamilton leaned back in his desk chair, a pencil to his lips. “I appreciate all the business your family has given me. Your mother, especially, has excellent taste.”
“And your daughter?”
William groaned, sitting straight. “What do you want from me, Tobias?”
They were close in age, both big players in the business world. Their paths were probably on the same trajectory until Adora changed Tobias’s.
“My mother’s been here a few times in the past two weeks. Why is that?”
He chuckled. “It’s not my place to discuss private business matters.”
Tobias massaged behind his neck, looking out at the view of the city. “Don’t fuck with me, Hamilton. Your little girl’s warming my bed, and a few whispers in her ear and you’ll be looking at a paternity lawsuit so big you’ll wish you’d never met Maria Garcia.”
William exhaled. “It’s not what you think. They don’t even know she’s my daughter. I’m the one who requested the face to face.”
“Why?”
“Your parents went to the faculty and requested Adora be cut from all the elite lists. I put two and two together.”
“I’m listening.”
“Look, Adora doesn’t deserve to be punished because of you … or me. I’ve done a lot of shit in my life, and I have regrets, but that doesn’t make me a monster,” he said.
Tobias wasn’t buying it. “You’ve had twenty years to make amends, and that night at La Ballezza was the first time she’d seen you in the flesh.”
“I didn’t know about her.”
“Bullshit.”
“Does it matter? The past is the past. I can’t change it,” he said. “When the college contacted me, I wasn’t about to let your parents ruin Adora’s career. We both know how ruthless they can be.”
“Don’t tell me they actually listened to you.”
He scoffed. “Not likely. They mentioned a baby, and wishing Adora would disappear. They said she was a gold-digging little whore.”
Tobias ground his teeth together. “She’s your daughter. You own up to that? The kid they want gone is your grandchild.”
Hamilton had no balls. He always hid behind his women and money. Tobias wasn’t letting him off the hook so easily.
“Since when have you wanted to settle down, anyway, Tobias? It seems unusually cruel to force Adora to live the same life as her mother.”
“Don’t compare me to you. I don’t shirk my responsibilities. I’m with Adora because I … want to be with her. I want the best for that girl.” He realized he was about to use the “L” word but quickly stopped himself.