"I'm sure she does. This hotel is crawling with people who know my mother. Someone definitely reported back."
Sebastian looked down at his sleeping daughter. "I don't care what Catherine thinks."
The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor. They walked to Nora's room in silence, the weight of unspoken things heavy between them.
Inside, Nora pulled back the covers on the bed while Sebastian carefully laid Lily down. She stirred slightly, mumbling something about Ellie, but didn't wake. Nora tucked the stuffed elephant beside her and drew the curtains, dimming the room.
They stepped into the small hallway near the bathroom, leaving the door cracked so they could hear her.
"She'll sleep for about an hour and a half," Nora whispered. "Sometimes two hours if we're lucky."
Sebastian nodded, suddenly aware of how close they were standing. Close enough to see the flecks of gold in Nora's whiskey-colored eyes. Close enough to smell her shampoo, something floral and familiar.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "For this morning. For letting me—"
"You don't have to thank me for letting you meet your own daughter."
"Yes, I do. You could have made this so much harder. Could have demanded things, set conditions, treated me like the absentee father I've been."
"Stop." Nora pressed her fingers briefly to his lips, then pulled back like she'd been burned. "You weren't absent by choice. I know that now. You were blocked. By me not being able to reach you. By your life. By—"
A sharp knock on the door interrupted her. They both froze.
Another knock, harder this time.
"Sebastian, I know you're in there. Open this door immediately."
Catherine Hale's voice carried the authority of someone used to being obeyed. Sebastian's jaw tightened.
"You don't have to let her in."
"She's your mother, and she'll make a scene in the hallway if we don't." Nora moved toward the door.
"Nora, wait."
But she'd already opened it.
Catherine Hale stood in the corridor, perfectly dressed in a cream suit despite the early hour. Her expression was cold fury, barely contained beneath a veneer of civility.
"Mrs. Hale," Nora said evenly, "would you like to come in?"
" tarjetas I would like," Catherine said, stepping inside without invitation, "to speak with my son. Alone."
"This is Nora's room. If she wants to stay, she stays." Sebastian positioned himself between his mother and the bedroom where Lily slept.
Catherine's gaze swept the space, taking in the scattered toys, the portable high chair, the pile of shells in Sebastian's ruined sweater. Her lip curled slightly. "I see the rumors are true. You've been spending the morning playing house with your old flame and her illegitimate child."
The word hit like a slap.
"Don't." Sebastian's voice was dangerously quiet. "Don't you dare call my daughter that."
"Your daughter?" Catherine's eyebrows rose. "Based on what? The word of a woman who conveniently disappeared two years ago and has now resurfaced with a baby? Really, Sebastian? I raised you to be smarter than this."
"You raised me to do what you wanted," Sebastian countered. "There's a difference."
"I raised you to understand your responsibilities to your family name, to your company, to your position in society, not to throw it all away for—" She gestured dismissively toward the bedroom.
"For what, Mother?"
Catherine's expression hardened. "For a child who may or may not be yours, conceived by a woman who worked as a waitress and has nothing to offer except—"
"Except she's the mother of my child." Sebastian stepped forward, his voice sharp as broken glass. "Except she raised Lily completely alone for 17 months because I was too much of a coward to take her calls. Except she's more genuine and kind than half the people in your social circle combined."
"This is exactly what I was afraid of." Catherine turned to Nora. "What do you want? Money? A settlement? Name your price and let's be done with this charade."
Nora's face had gone pale, but her voice remained steady. "I don't want your money, Mrs. Hale."
"Everyone wants money," Catherine scoffed. "Especially people in your... situation."
"My situation?" Nora's tone cooled. "You mean being a single mother? Working full-time while raising a child alone? Managing just fine without help from anyone?"
"I mean being the kind of woman who traps a wealthy man with a pregnancy."
"Stop talking." Sebastian's words cut through the room like a whip. "Right now. Before you say something we can't come back from."
Catherine turned to him, genuine surprise crossing her features. "Excuse me?"