This Time He Pursues Me With All Chapter 67

I was at my desk when my phone buzzed. The number I'd been waiting for.

I grabbed my purse and practically ran to the restroom.

"Hello?"

"Miss Ashford, I've got what you asked for. She's got a kid. A daughter. Four years old."

My heart hammered. "You're *sure*?"

"Positive. Born in Cleveland. Currently enrolled at Sunny Days Community Daycare in Somerville. Never been married—single mother."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "And the father?"

"Couldn't track that down yet. It's tricky."

"I don't care what it costs. Find out who he is."

Pause. "All right. I'll try. I've sent everything else to your email—hospital records, photos, all the details."

"Perfect. I'll wire the rest of your fee today. Double it when you find the father."

I hung up and stared at myself in the bathroom mirror.

Maya Bennett. Sweet, innocent Maya. *Single mother.*

Oh, this was going to be fun.

---

I got home and immediately opened my laptop. The email was waiting.

I clicked through the files, scanning every line. Nothing special about her family—no father listed, a half-brother from her mother's second marriage, a mother who clearly didn't give a shit about her.

Maya had worked for a year before getting knocked up and having a kid.

The investigator had attached a photo.

A little girl looked like Maya—same delicate features, same small nose.

Maya had a *secret*. And secrets were leverage.

---

The next day after work, I drove straight to the Beacon Hill Estate.

I walked up to the intercom and pressed the button.

"Can I help you?" A man's voice. Clipped. Professional.

"I'm here to see Mrs. Sterling. It's Claire Ashford. I have something very important to discuss with her."

"Mrs. Sterling is not receiving visitors today."

"Please, just tell her I—"

"Have a good evening, Miss Ashford."

The intercom clicked off.

I stood there for a moment, staring at that goddamn brick wall. Then I turned and walked back to my car.

Fine. If she wouldn't see me, I'd find another way.

---

The next afternoon, I camped out in front of Sterling Global's headquarters.

I knew Mrs. Sterling sometimes visited Adam at the office. I'd seen her car pull up before—sleek black sedan with tinted windows and a driver who looked like he bench-pressed small cars for fun.

At 4:47 p.m., the sedan rolled up to the curb.

I started walking toward it.

Mrs. Sterling stepped out, handbag over one arm, that regal posture that screamed *old money*. Two bodyguards flanked her immediately.

"Mrs. Sterling!" I called out, walking faster. "Mrs. Sterling, please—I need to talk to you!"

She didn't even glance my way. Just kept walking toward the building entrance.

I broke into a jog. One of the bodyguards stepped in front of me, arm out.

"Ma'am, you need to step back."

"Mrs. Sterling, please! Just three minutes! It's about Maya Bennett—it's *important*!"

She was almost at the door.

Fuck it.

"*Maya has a daughter!*" I screamed. "*She had a baby out of wedlock! She's got a four-year-old kid!*"

Mrs. Sterling stopped.

She pulled her foot back from the car, turned slowly, and walked straight toward me.

The bodyguards parted.

She stopped two feet away, eyes sharp as glass. "What did you just say?"

I could barely breathe. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode. "Mrs. Sterling, Maya Bennett has a daughter. She's four years old. This is a photo of the child." I fumbled with my phone, pulling up the image the investigator sent.

Mrs. Sterling took my phone. Her eyes went wide. Her lips parted slightly.

"This child is really hers?"

"Yes. I had her investigated. She gave birth in Cleveland. I have her hospital records, prenatal care records, everything." I pulled a folder from my bag and handed it over. "Maya had this baby. The father's identity is unknown—I'm still working on that. But Mrs. Sterling, this woman is not suitable for Adam. I don't know if he's aware, but I suspect she's lied to him. She's got him completely fooled. You have to stop this before he does something he'll regret."

I paused for breath, watching her face.

Mrs. Sterling was staring at the photos. Her hands were shaking. Her lips were trembling.

I smiled inwardly. *Got you.*

"Mrs. Sterling, are you all right?"

She didn't answer. Just kept staring at the screen like it was showing her the end of the world.

Finally, she looked up at me. Her expression was unreadable. "I'm keeping these photos."

"Of course. I printed extras." I pulled an envelope from my bag and handed it to her. "Everything's in there."

"And you said you know where the child goes to school?"

"Yes, ma'am. Sunny Days Community Daycare in Somerville. The girl's name is Amy Bennett."

Mrs. Sterling gave a vague nod. Then she turned and walked to her car without another word.

The door slammed. The sedan pulled away from the curb and disappeared around the corner.

I stood there on the sidewalk, heart still racing, a grin spreading across my face.

*Done.*

Now all I had to do was wait.

---

Two days passed.

I texted Adam. No response.

I called him. He hung up immediately.

I sent him the information about Maya's daughter—photos, records, everything.

The messages stayed unread.

By the third day, I was ready to claw my phone apart.

What the hell was going on? Why wasn't he responding? Did he not care? Did he already know?

I tried calling again. He didn't even let it ring. Just hit decline the second my name popped up.

I wanted to scream.

---

Friday afternoon, I took the elevator up to the twenty-sixth floor.

James Cooper was at his desk outside Adam's office. He looked up the second the elevator doors opened.

"Miss Ashford." His voice was perfectly polite. Perfectly cold. "Mr. Sterling is not available."

I forced a smile. "James, I just need five minutes. It's important."

*Fuck you.* James Cooper was the worst part of working here—always blocking me, always standing between me and Adam like some kind of guard dog.

But he was Adam's Chief of Staff. I couldn't afford to piss him off.

"James, please." I softened my voice. "Just let me see him for a minute."

"I'm sorry, Miss Ashford. Mr. Sterling specifically requested not to be disturbed."

I bit down on my tongue so hard I tasted blood.

"Fine," I said through clenched teeth.

---

Back at my desk on the fourteenth floor, I stared at my computer screen without seeing it.

Why wasn't this working?

I'd given Mrs. Sterling the ammunition she needed. The proof that Maya was completely unsuitable. A single mother with a bastard child—there was no way the Sterling family would accept that. No way.

So why hadn't I heard anything?

By now, all of Boston should be talking about it. The Sterling family should have exploded. Adam should have realized what a mistake he was making.

But nothing. Why?