Scandalously Expecting His Child(64)
In the next second, a smile played on his lips. He marveled at how everything was conspiring to come together. Numair’s discoveries had led to Scarlett’s confessions, then to Antonio’s revelation. Now, from his usually courteous uncle’s coldness, this was leading to the confrontation Raiden had been expecting. But instead of placating his uncle and taking a slap on his wrist for his public indiscretions with Scarlett the past two weeks, he’d inform his uncle he was no longer his future father-in-law.
* * *
In half an hour, he entered his uncle’s office, found him standing behind his desk, leaning on it, palms down. From his wiped-clean-of-expression face, and that he didn’t meet him at the door and didn’t salute him now, Raiden knew the man was furious.
Good. It would make this easier. It was always harder giving people their marching orders when they were nice.
Takeo Hashimoto started without preamble. “We’ve found out about your illicit relationship with that foreign woman.”
Just as he’d figured. He was even wondering why this confrontation hadn’t happened earlier.
Raiden regarded his uncle calmly as he took a seat across his desk. It was regretful Hashimoto would not become family. He’d been starting to feel he was truly his flesh and blood. But this was probably the last time he’d see the man. Or if he saw him again, it would be as antagonists, at least on Hashimoto’s side. Breaking his honor-bound pact would be an irreparable insult. There was no coming back from that.
“We? You mean you’ve told Megumi?”
“She’s the one who told me.”
That surprised Raiden. Not that Megumi knew, for of course she’d have been the first to be made aware of his indiscretions. But he hadn’t thought she of all people would care, let alone run to her father with the information.
“It was that mongrel Hiro Matsuyama who set this up. And now he claims this woman carries your child.”
This straight-out flabbergasted Raiden. Had everyone realized Scarlett was pregnant before they did?
But he asked his uncle the question relevant to him. “What does Hiro have to do with any of this?”
Hashimoto looked at him as if he’d dropped a hundred points of his IQ. “He brought her to that ball, where he pretended to honor your and Megumi’s engagement. But he only did so he’d put that professional seductress in your way.”
Dread zapped through Raiden. Was it possible Hashimoto had found out about Scarlett’s past identity? No. He couldn’t have. But why would he say that about her if he didn’t?
Sitting forward, he picked his words with care. “She’s a humanitarian worker, and she’s Hiro’s best friend. How did you come up with the theory that Hiro threw her in my path so she’d seduce me? Why would Hiro want that anyway?”
“Because he covets Megumi,” Hashimoto barked. “He not only wants to stop your marriage, but he needs to do it with a scandal big enough that the ensuing disgrace would make it impossible for us to aspire to another worthy match. Then I’d be forced to accept someone like him as a husband for her.”
This was yet another surprise. Raiden hadn’t detected that Hiro was attracted to Megumi. But then, in the only time he’d seen them together, he’d been busy thinking that Hiro was besotted with Scarlett.
But now that he replayed that ball in his mind, he could see the whole thing in a new light. Hiro’s aggression toward him had been over Megumi. And Megumi’s agitation had been over Hiro.