Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 790

Julian leaned back in his chair and let out a short laugh. "If you're jealous, I'll throw you one myself next time it's your birthday."

"You son of a..." Raymond choked on a laugh and swore at him. "Forget it. Who wants you throwing me anything?"

Even so, he fell silent for a couple of seconds, as if something more serious had come to mind. "By the way, still no progress on Jeremiah?"

Julian's expression turned serious. "Elliot is still digging. Jeremiah's background in Malbrosia is too clean. So clean that it feels off. We'll go over the details when you come over tonight.

"He also went to the clinic to see Sydney today."

"What does Jeremiah want with Sydney?" Raymond's voice hardened. "What's he up to?"

"Hard to say." Julian tapped a finger against the desk. "But he asked about her due date."

The line fell silent for a moment before Raymond spoke again, his voice cold. "He's not thinking about making a move before Sydney gives birth, is he?"

If the man really was Flint Donovan, then given his history with Sydney's adoptive parents, he would never allow this child to be born.

"It's possible." Julian did not deny it. "I've already increased security. No one is getting anywhere near Delta Mansion."

"Then that's good." Raymond paused before asking, almost as an afterthought, "Is Tiffany coming tonight?"

Julian raised an eyebrow. "Call her and find out yourself."

"You really are an asshole."

"Sydney told me last night that Tiffany's coming." Whether out of a sudden pang of conscience or not, Julian added, "The real question is whether you've got what it takes to pick her up."

"Guess you're decent after all." Raymond's tone dripped with disdain, but the satisfaction beneath it was impossible to miss.

Then he hung up with a sharp click.

Julian stared at the darkened screen, and the corner of his mouth lifted before he realized it.

…

Just as she finished speaking, the sound of a car pulling into the courtyard came from outside. Twin beams of headlights sliced through the dusk and swept across the window.

Sydney looked up instinctively and saw a black SUV glide to a smooth stop beside the fountain.

The passenger door opened first.

Tiffany stepped out in a cream-colored coat, her curly hair falling loosely over her shoulders. She wore a pair of slender high heels that clicked softly against the pavement.

A moment later, the driver's door opened. Raymond walked around the front of the SUV to her side and said something.

Tiffany turned to look at him, apparently answering him, or perhaps reacting to his endless chatter with mild annoyance.

Their shadows stretched across the ground beneath the entrance lights as they walked side by side toward the front door.

Sydney watched them, and the corner of her mouth curved upward before she realized it. She pushed herself up with the arm of the sofa and made her way to the entrance to greet them, her gaze shifting between the two.

"Ray went to pick you up?" She asked the question hesitantly, but the teasing in her voice was unmistakable.