His eyes, so much like Ivy’s, look at me.

“Your sister is back, Willow,” he tells me, not looking up from the papers he’s shuffling. Uh, yeah Captain Obvious, I noticed.

“Yes, sir,” I reply evenly.

“I’m going to need you to finish out the work day by getting Ivy up to speed on where we are with upcoming shoots and new model acquisitions, but then I would appreciate it if you cleared out all your personal shit and left by the end of the day.”

Wait. What? “Excuse me?”

His head tilts slightly, and I hold my gaze with my father, Dominic Logan, and pray this is some sort of a joke.

“Really, Willow. You didn’t think I would keep you on after your split with Bradley, did you? I did him a favor by employing you while you were married, and I did Ivy a favor by keeping you while she and Bradley enjoyed some time together as newlyweds. But now she’s back from her honeymoon and ready to take her rightful spot, so there is no need for you here.”

“Excuse me?” I repeat a little more forcefully.

My father’s eyes narrow, and his meaty fist slams down on his desk. The coffee I had so carefully prepared sloshes at the force of his fist and splashes over the edge, causing him to curse.

“Fucking hell!” he booms. “How much more clear would you like me to be? Catch Ivy up and then get out. I gave you a job out of respect for your mother, Willow, but even that duty has come to a long-awaited end. You were no use to me when I married her, the bastard daughter always attached to her hip, and you damn sure aren’t now. We have certain standards here at Logan. Standards you never have and never will be able to excel at.”

“Excuse me!” I yell and lean forward to slam my own hands on his desk. Surprising us both, his coffee tips over from the coaster it was resting on and rains brown liquid over his desk, soaking everything in its path. “You can’t fire me! I’m your daughter!”

“Stepdaughter, Willow. Let’s not forget that. And I believe I just did, little girl,” he seethes.

Feeling the carefully constructed control over my emotions snap after years of mastery, I finally ask him the one question that has been burning in my mind since I realized my father … no, stepfather hated me. “Why does my very presence bother you so much, father? Do you have no concern you’re essentially taking away my livelihood? My income? The fact you’re throwing your own stepdaughter away doesn’t concern you at all?”

He doesn’t move, doesn’t give a single emotion away with his cold stare. But his words, those do all the damage of a thousand knives piercing my body at once.

“You, Willow, will never be a daughter of mine. I have an image to withhold here, and for the last five years you’ve worked here, that image has been tarnished. The Logan Agency is about perfection and that, Willow, is just not something you have. You’ve been nothing but a waste of space since you started to let yourself go.”

“Let myself go?”

“That’s what I said.”

“You freaking bastard! I didn’t let myself go. Maybe if you acted like you actually cared about me for one second since Mom died, I wouldn’t have let myself go!”

“Do not mention your mother.”

“Why? Because I’m right? You stopped caring about me the second you walked into the hospital to find out Mom had died and I lived. Is that it? You hate me because I lived?”

Floodgates open. I can’t and won’t stop now. Everything I wished I could say to him for years is finally coming to an ugly head at our confrontation.

His face gets beet red and I watch as his nostrils flare a few times before he responds through thin lips. “Yes, Willow. Are you happy now? The wrong woman died that day, and every time I have to look into your eyes, the same eyes of your mother, I hate you more and more. So do what I fucking said. After today, do me a favor and don’t turn back up. It would be nice not to have to see you again. Then maybe I could pretend it was you and not her who died!”

I hear a shocked gasp from the doorway and spin around; my anger dies instantly when I see Kirby’s tear-streaked face. But where that anger was before, burning mortification has now replaced it. When I look behind Kirby, I see the pissed-off face of none other than Kane Masters himself.

Of course. That makes sense. Fantasy meeting nightmare.

“ARE YOU OKAY?” KANE ASKS, his eyes not leaving my father.

“Uh …” I stammer, my anger dying with the shock of seeing him here.

“Right.” He smiles slightly, his gaze colliding with mine, and I watch in fascination as his softens just a breath before looking over my shoulder and becoming a mask of anger. What is that about? He doesn’t lose the hard look of anger until he looks back at me. His eyes roamed over my face before moving down my body. I shift, uncomfortable, and pull my dress at the waist, hoping it isn’t sticking too tightly to my body. Those cerulean orbs narrow at my movement and only cause me to pull a little more. God, this is embarrassing. “Stop that,” he commands harshly, and I instantly drop my arms.

I hear my father clear his throat before addressing the witnesses to our heated fight. “Kane, you’ll have to forgive me. I thought our appointment was later today. Willow was just leaving.”

Dismissed.

Again.

By the man who I have called my father for my whole life. The only one I’ve ever known, even if he wasn’t the one who helped give me life. Instead, he’s always been the one who has resented the fact I existed. Hello, Daddy issues anyone?

Kirby moves into the room and clasps her hand in mine, giving my father a clear f-you by making her stance at my side known. I try to pull my hand from hers, knowing my father won’t hesitate to reprimand her for butting in. She digs her fingers in, grasping hold of my hand until the strength of her hold is bruising and her nails are biting in warning.

“Kirby, stop,” I plead.

“No. Not this time, Willow.”

I try, once again, to remove my hand, but she holds strong.

“Is this how you treat your own family, Dominic? I would hate to see how you treat someone outside that bond.”

My eyes widen as Kane speaks. His voice is strong and true as it rumbles around us like thunder. I watch in rapt fascination as he stands up to my father. For me. I haven’t had someone other than Eddie and Kirby go to bat for me in close to ten years. In fact, the only person I remember ever doing it before was my mother.

Why is he doing this? He doesn’t even know me.

My relief that he obviously didn’t hear everything is short-lived when my father speaks.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that, Kane. It’s unfortunate, but it seems like my stepdaughter needed a firm hand. You’ll understand one day when you have kids of your own. It’s necessary to be hard. Please sit. I’ll have Ivy set up the conference room.” He clears his throat before continuing. “Willow?”

I move my eyes from the detailed study of Kane’s body and glance over at my father. Maybe he’s changed his mind. Perhaps this was all just a daydream … yes, I’m sure it’s all a big misunderstanding. “Sir?”

“A word?” He walks around his desk and flicks his hand toward the doorway. I’m sure this is when he’s going to admit it was a big prank—admittedly, not funny in the least, but I’m sure there’s a reason. However, I’m not sure that would matter now that the verbal damage is done.

Kane doesn’t move as my father attempts to get through the door. Not surprisingly, he radiates a dominating presence that leaves no room for argument. He slips his gaze from mine to look down at where my father is standing in front of him before looking back just as quickly.