FORTY THREE

Ryder

There were a lot of factors contributing to why Samantha's visit was so distressing.

To begin, I am proud to say that I have never lied to my daughter in the past. Now I did nothing else. The answers to even the most basic questions had to be lies.

Where have you been that you are now so dressed up and so late?

Toil and trouble.

Who among these actresses would like to play the role of my stepmother this week?

No one special.

Don't you love Lexie?

It is fine with her.

As a result of her visit, I was unable to see Lexie for a period of three days. Not really see her that often, anyway. On Friday, while I was in the middle of negotiating a contract, I couldn't help but look at the back of her head instead of the document. Because I was accustomed to spending Friday night and the entirety of Saturday with Lexie, those days now feel depressingly empty to me. Then there was the time that we all went out to dinner on a Sunday night, and it was a terrible experience. I hadn't seen her since she left work on Friday, but I couldn't look at her now even though it had been that long. Not how I had envisioned things going. It was the same as telling a man who was hungry that he couldn't eat from a buffet that was right in front of him.

We went to Samantha's go-to steakhouse for lunch, which was also the first place I took Lexie. It was a memorable experience for both of us. We only exchanged glances, but in that instant, we both realized that there was a link between us. Her lips began to pull into a gentle smile. After that point, things went from bad to worse. Samantha and Lexie shared the same side of the table when they sat down to eat. I sat on the opposite side of the table from them during our conversation. I was surprised to hear myself saying such foolish things as, "Place your order for whatever you'd like. It's all on me."

Samantha gave me a sarcastic look, which was appropriate given that the joke was on me. After all, I was the parent in charge.

Lexie appeared to be in an excruciating amount of discomfort, but for Samantha's sake, she attempted to hide it.

The two of them wouldn't stop talking about other people they knew from college, but I wasn't the least bit interested in hearing about them. I asked for another beer and made an effort to avoid staring at Lexie for an extended period of time. I yearned to be with her. I yearned to have her back in my space, particularly in my bed. the bright ring that her hair created around her head as it encircled it. My chilly legs became entangled with hers as we cuddled. However, it wasn't all about sexual encounters. That could have been located in another location. It hurt to admit it, but I was really lonely after she moved out of the house. Since Samantha left for college three years ago, I haven't had a single moment where I missed having anyone else in the house. I have always been an introvert who never had the opportunity to spend time by themselves.

Now the empty penthouse was laughing at me as I walked through it. I wanted to place our food order together and then vent to her about the most recent business decision I made. I felt like throwing a party to commemorate the fact that I had at long last secured Sienna Birch a role in a movie. Even more than that, I was curious about the events of her day, which had been unlike mine.

However, I was unable to do so because Lexie was not located in my penthouse, which was her proper dwelling. She and Samantha were probably either partying it up at nightclubs or spending the evening curled up on that pink couch watching movies and applying face masks or something. I had the impression that she had to lie quite a bit as well. I believe that she enjoyed it about the same amount that I did. Both of us were honest in our statements. I had never cared about another person enough to intentionally mislead them, and Lexie was far too honest.

The fact that it was Samantha's last night in town was the only thing that saved what otherwise would have been an awful dinner. The following day, after I had finished my consultation with my attorney in the morning, I was planning to drive her to LAX. We would have approximately four more weeks together with Lexie before Samantha returned for the Thanksgiving holiday. I suppose a part of me was hoping that by that point, whatever conflict had been brewing between us would have been resolved. It was heartbreaking to think about how much I missed Lexie, and it was heartbreaking to think about how much I wanted my daughter back from the other side of the country.

As it was Samantha's birthday the other night, Lexie and Samantha celebrated by going out. It was important for Samantha that Lexie get to know someone. Lexie made an effort not to look at either one of us, and she stated that she did not want to talk to anyone.

"Do you still have nothing in your life but work and no fun?" Samantha's anger manifested itself as a tongue click. Please relay to Lexie the message that she can't buy back her youth by getting a job.

When they announced that they didn't want dessert, I was relieved because it meant that we could finally put an end to this act. "I actually highly recommend it," I said. "You are correct, I did that."

When Lexie's eyes briefly landed on mine, I caught a glimpse of amusement in those deep blue pools. Samantha rolled hers up like a cigar. "And look at you now. Going home to your plants by yourself each and every night."

"Haven't you been envious of every single one of his girlfriends?" When Lexie turned her attention back to the table, she questioned.

It was Samantha who gave her a little push. "Yeah, well, I had my reasons," the speaker replied.

Both Lexie and I stopped talking while we waited for her to proceed with the conversation. However, Samantha's interest had waned completely. She was texting, and her thumbs were moving around the keyboard at a rapid pace as they navigated the screen. Lexie's eyes again passed over mine. I felt like someone touched me. I was able to deduce what she was thinking simply by observing the way her eyes looked at me.

We both had the idea that it would be the same time tomorrow.

After we left the restaurant, I was going one way, and Lexie and Samantha were going the other way.

I got a quick hug from Samantha before she left, and she said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Dad." When you go outside, be sure to give me a call.

I made sure not to look Lexie in the eye as I assured her that I would, adding that I would see her first thing in the morning the next day. I should have known that Samantha would misunderstand the comment and take it to mean that her manager was giving her instructions rather than what it actually meant.

My daughter let out a loud groan. "I'm in a hurry, Dad. Let Lexie live a little."

The phrase "I don't want to live a little" was uttered by Lexie. After that, she gave me a look before saying, "I'll be there."

Despite the fact that we only had a few minutes to talk, the exchange felt very personal and significant; in fact, I found it hard to believe that Samantha did not keep switching her gaze between you and I the entire time.

However, she did not, and by the time I left, I felt significantly better than I had in days. This dinner that seemed to go on forever was finally over, and the next day, I would have Lexie back. Because she had thrown herself back into the elevator, I hadn't had the opportunity to talk to her alone, which prevented us from having to convey some very upsetting information to Samantha. The way that she appeared as the elevator doors closed, however, was something that kept coming back to me. Her eyes were widened not only due to the fact that she was startled and terrified, but also because she was in pain. At that precise moment, I became acutely aware of the fact that I had misunderstood her and that I had treated her in an unfair manner. For the past three days, I had been tormenting myself by wondering how many men in this city were capable of treating her the way that she deserved to be treated. After that, I reflected on the ways in which I could cause harm to all of them if they so much as glanced at her.

Despite this, I was aware that she had moved on and was no longer considering them. She communicated with her eyes things to me that I would understand later, such as the following day at this time.

As things worked out, I was not present when Lexie arrived at the office in the wee hours of the morning. My attorney, Jones, inquired as to whether or not it would be possible to schedule our appointment for an earlier time and then confirmed what I already suspected.

Kim's attorney was actively soliciting additional contributions from various parties. In the beginning, she informed me that she had already paid for Samantha's education and that I owed her fifty percent of what she had already paid.

It was all complete nonsense what she had to say. I was responsible for paying for everything, including my education, room and board, and food. During the summer, I was the one who footed the bill for the trips. I paid her dues despite the fact that I had no clue what drove her interest in joining a sorority in the first place.

Because she also provided him with a non-disclosure agreement that was cleverly written, Kim must have known that the first option wouldn't work. If I gave her enough money, she would never bring me up again in conversation. She refused to discuss the matter with the media, gossip bloggers, or even her own cat.

I told Jones that I believed he was trying to blackmail me.

He shrugged his shoulders as if that were nothing more than a semantic difference.

"She believes that there is a possibility that she could sell a book."

I snorted in disbelief. "You can't possibly be playing a joke on me. In contrast to George Clooney, I am the head of a talent agency."

Jones genuinely believed what he said when he said, "You'd be surprised." "She is capable of finding an interesting perspective. In your defense, you could say that they were an integral part of the Me Too movement. Compare and contrast that with what she's learned from co-parenting a child with a powerful man like you. The impact that your status had on the circumstance, as well as how unjust the legal system can be—"

"So you're saying it's beneficial for mothers?" I demanded. Back when I was trying to win sole custody of Samantha, which was almost twenty years ago, I went through the ringer. It didn't make any difference how many stupid things Kim did because she always did them. The number of times she drove while under the influence of alcohol or made a lot of noise. The court made numerous attempts to restore custody of my daughter to her. Samantha was seven years old when I was finally able to gain full physical and legal custody of her, and during that time, Kim was only permitted to see her in supervised settings.

Jones clarified his meaning while maintaining his calm by saying, "I mean how it helps money." "I'm not saying that's what took place, but it could make for an interesting story in a book," she said. It won't be a secret that your grandfather ran the travel agency because—"

I remarked that "he ran a small agency with seven clients and barely made enough money to cover the costs" (he did not make enough money to cover the costs).

"It makes no difference what it was because it doesn't matter. It was known then as The Walker Agency, which is also its current name. If Kim so chooses, she can make you appear to be a jerk who got everything he wanted and then used his father's money to take custody away from a mother who loves her child. Jones apologized by extending his hands to show his contrition. "I'm not giving you orders. I'm not trying to convince you that she should do it; all I'm doing is describing how I think it might turn out.

It made me angry to find out that Jones was right.

"What are your thoughts on this?" I asked grudgingly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that."

"We need to get moving, Jones. Not in the capacity of my legal counsel, but merely as a friend. Would you be willing to give her some money?

Jones came to a halt before giving a slight nod. "Yeah, I'd be willing to do that."

While I was driving to get Samantha, I called Andrew to talk about it and we continued our conversation over the phone. He believed that Jones was correct. You can make an effort to put things right, but you are aware of what my standard response is in these situations.

"It doesn't make sense. Once you've taken damage, you've lost control." I rubbed the back of my head and focused my attention directly in front of me on the numerous red brake lights. "The only real way to stop damage is to avoid getting hit in the first place," said a character in a video game.

Andrew remarked, "You have a point there." "Glad someone listens to me."

Do you think it's appropriate for me to pay her as well?

Even though I couldn't see him, I could almost hear him shrug his shoulders carelessly in the way that he spoke. "I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't believe it will be that detrimental to your professional life. It doesn't appear to be that terrible."

However, Samantha would suffer as a result of this.

Because I was so enraged, I smashed the window on the driver's side with my fist. In the car, the passenger who was seated next to me turned their head to look. Do you believe that will be enough to get Kim to back down?

"How does Samantha feel?" Andrew seemed funny. "No. I don't."

I heaved a sigh and responded with, "Yeah, the same for me." "I'll pay."

Andrew advised us to "look at the bright side of things." At least she won't have the private investigator tailing you anymore.

I then terminated the call after announcing that I had some good news to share. The most exciting part was going to be when Samantha arrived at LAX without incident and I was able to go back to Lexie.