Loving the Ice Queen

Chapter 9

Ryan

Barbara had been quiet ever since I picked her up. It wasn't the familiar silence I was used to with her.

Her hand fidgeted with the strap of her purse. That in itself was a sign that something was wrong. Barbara Owens did not fidget. At least, not in the presence of other people.

"Where to?" I asked when I stopped at a red light.

"Do you know any martial arts?" she asked.

I raised my brow with a smile. "Now why would a delicate flower like you be interested in that?"

She sighed and looked out the window. "Delicate flower? Really?"

"Mhm." I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. "To answer your question, yes. I learned wrestling and jiu jitsu in high school. I also did some boxing in college. Still do. Why?"

"You'll do," she said, and told me the address of the place she wanted to go to.

"Your orders are my command," I said.

"You're really not busy?" she asked.

"No, Jeremy is in school," I said.

"Is he the reason why you stopped working?" she asked.

I had been a young CEO, famous for coming into dying companies and bringing them back to life. I had been great at it, and I did it mainly for the challenge, though the salary did not hurt.

Right now, I handled my investment portfolio with the aid of an assistant, but that was it.

I nodded. "I quit when Jeremy turned three. You see, my grandparents basically raised me. Dad and mum were... absent. They were always busy with their projects. As a child, and even later, I felt that I wasn't important enough to them. They had me just to have an heir.

"I never want Jeremy to feel that way. And with the way his mother is...well, I couldn't leave him with someone else. He was my son."

Barbara nodded. She was a good listener. "Jeremy is lucky."

I hummed. "I don't know. In a way, I guess he has it better than a lot of kids his age. He has me. He will always have me. Still, having a mother in one's life is a gift."

Barbara tugged on her sleeve. Then she smoothed her hand over her lap.

"I didn't know my father until I was eleven," she said.

I froze. It took all my effort not to look at her. I acted casually, as if her speaking about herself was nothing new. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I knew about him. Mainly from my mother cursing his name, but I haven't met him until I was eleven." She blew out a shaky breath and tugged her sleeves down further.

I swallowed. How difficult was it for her to speak about her past? From what I gathered, her childhood wasn't a normal one.

"I'm guessing your mum didn't like him much," I said.

"That's an understatement," she said. "She dealt with him because of the money he sent her way. My existence was something she held over his head. She made good use of it, too."

I didn't bother hiding my surprise. "She must have had guts to threaten Graham Owens."

Barbara shrugged and pointed. "Take a left here."

I did. "Eleanor and you don't share the same father, right? Just your mum?"

"No, we have different parents."