This isn't happening! #wattys2017

you want to meet whom?

Miranda was already at her office, looking at the screen, she only took a peek at Will's project that her father gave her, another housing project, like hundreds she had looked over the years, the thing barely raised any interest on her part.

She had more pressing issues to worry about.
At the other side of the screen, an array of webpages about babies.
Miranda was now obsessed with becoming a good mother, and since she could not ask anyone, specially not nanny or her father, the internet seemed like the obvious choice.
Still, she found a myriad of information, more philosophies than she could count, many different approaches, so much information that was giving her a headache, and she was someone used to look at spreadsheets with endless numbers on them.
And she hadn't even begun to look at schools, she planned to. But figured popping the baby out safely was the first order of business.
And yes, this too, was approached by Miranda as a deal, she had little to no interest in such things before, never did, she was the kind of girl that preferred a set of building blocks than the latest doll, that preferred to watch the Looney toons than any Princess movie.
But now her maternal instinct had kicked in, and she chose to deal with it in the way she felt more comfortable with, which was how she dealt with most problems.
Business like.
And gathering information was the first step, which was what she was busy doing.
"Miranda" she head in the intercom.
"What is it Stacey?" She asked.
"Your father is asking for you" she said "he wants you in his office"
"Tell him I'll be there in a sec" Miranda replied.
"I hope it's not more work" she thought "I need to concentrate on the baby research"
She headed to her father's office.
"Come in" she heard after a couple knocks.
Once inside, she found him looking at his computer, as usual.
"Stacey told me you were looking for me" she said.
"Have a seat" her father said with a serious tone.
Miranda knew that tone, although her father rarely used it on her.
It was her father's tone whenever he was about to scold her for something.
And Miranda had no idea what was it that he wanted to scold her about.
She obeyed and sat down.
"What is it father?" she rarely addressed him formally, only when the subject merited it.
"When am I going to meet him?" He asked, while directing an inquisitive look at her.
"Meet whom"? She asked in honest confusion.
"Your boyfriend, of course" he answered.
Miranda went pale instantly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about" she declared.
"Don't play dumb with me, Kiddo" he said "I know everything"
Miranda started to get nervous, but she had ample experience faking, so she maintained the unfazed demeanor.
"I have no boyfriend" she declared.

Technically, she wasn't lying.

"Then you mind explaining to me why you assigned a bodyguard, which you won't take for yourself, to a young man you have nothing to do with?" Her father inquired.
Miranda kept silent for a few seconds, she was too busy with her research, that forgot to make an excuse for that one.
She looked at her father, he kept her inquisitive stare, which for the first time in a long time, Miranda found unsettling.
"One of these days" she finally conceded.
"And when will that be?" He pushed.
"I'm not sure" she whispered.
"How about next Saturday night over dinner?" He said.
"Not a chance!" She spatted.
"You do realize I'm not asking" he countered "or should I ask him miself about my daughter spending the night at his place?"
Miranda's face was red as a tomato, half out of anger, and the other half out of embarrassment.
"How?" She asked.
"I have my sources" he said with a malicious smile.
"who told on me?" she whispered.
"certain someone was just kind enough to confirm my suspicions when I was informed about your unusual assignment for Marcus, all I had to do was interrogate James about what he saw, and confirm with her" he explained.
Once more, Miranda was learning from the master, Christopher Hawthorn was a prodigy at cornering people, and she had nowhere to run as soon as she walked past the door.
"Daddy, I just think it's not a good idea right now, just give me some time" she pleaded.
But pleas never worked with her father.
"About seven p.m. sounds good to you?" He asked.
She glared at him, and his smiling face made her even more angry.
"Fine" she finally surrendered "just try not to embarrass me"
"You think your own father would embarrass you?" He said "I'm offended!" her father finished, while taking a hand at his chest, dramatically, but keeping the amused smirk in place.
"I bet you will call Nanny as soon as I leave and ask her to dust off my baby pictures and growth tapes" she spatted.
"Don't deny a dying old man this one indulgence" he said still smiling.
"Dying old man my butt" she scoffed "at this rate you'll be the one lowering me into the ground" she declared.
Her father let out a loud laugh, he always had a sense of humor, and he certainly wasn't going to let this chance to torture his only daughter slip him by, not everyday he learned about her daughter's private life, specially when things seemed to have gotten serious.
He figured if it was no big deal, his daughter would have just told him so, he was just after a quick laugh at her expense.
But one look at her face, and how hard she tried to hide her nervousness, told him that whatever it was, was no small matter to her.
He did get the information from James, and asked Stella about it, but, as expected, she refused to say anything, Miranda, however, didn't need to know that.
All he had to do was act like she did, and Miranda would fall for it.
And she did, now, to his surprise, his daughter agreed to the meeting, rather quickly so, which in turn, could only mean that  she had already been considering it.
This was serious, way more than he had imagined, and now he was curious beyond words as to who was the man that caught his daughter's heart.
That was the reason he would not budge at all upon her pleas, he figured the less time he gave her, the less likely she would find a way to dodge the appointment.
"Is that all?" She asked annoyed at her fathers smirk.
"Seven p.m. don't be late, and for God's sake, don't forget to bring him along" he smiled.
Miranda glared at her father one last time before leaving his office.

Once outside, and on her way back to her office, she was analyzing her options.
It was definite that she had to introduce Josh to her father, it would have been a little difficult to hide a pregnancy from him, and even more so a grandchild.
But she figured she had a couple more moths before it started to show, and even if she decided to do it before that, two days away was too close of a call.
Unfortunately for her, her father is not stupid, and pieced it together before she could devise anything to distract him.

She was only relieved that it was Nanny whom he decided to question, had it been Marcus, that talk just now would have been in a completely and a lot less amicable way.

"That bomb is dropping over dinner" she thought.
Still, among all the trouble that the situation was about to bring, there was one aspect that she thought of, and managed to put a devilish smile upon her face.
"I wonder what face he'll make once I tell him" was the thought.
"But I guess this also means I'm going to have to speed things up"
Once in her office, Miranda reached for her phone, looked in it for a number, and dialed.
"Skank?" She asked.
"Sup prude" Rebecca replied.
"I need a favor"
"Funny you remember us whenever you need something" she snorted.
"Yeah yeah, I know I haven't been in touch these couple of days, but I think you are going to like this one favor" Miranda declared.
"Oh yeah?" Rebecca inquired "if you say so, this must be good and juicy, now spit it out"
"I need you to dust off that rusty law degree of yours and help me with something"
"Whom are we suing?" She asked.
"Nobody, I just need you to help me draw up a contract"
"Do tell" Rebecca responded.
"I found the baby's father" Miranda declared "and I need to ensure that he will do as I say"
"How emasculating you plan to make it?"
"Extremely" Miranda replied.
"Then, my dear, you have reached the perfect lawyer for the job"
"I know, I've read all three of your divorce settlements"
"Precisely" she giggled "we need to discuss this in person, and draw a draft right away, what time do you get off from work?"
"I do own the company, so whenever it's good for you"
"I'm loving this new and improved devilish bossy prude girl by the second" she laughed.
"All I needed was the motivation" Miranda declared.
"And that motivation is gonna regret not wearing a rubber" she teased.
"Dam right he will"
"My place in an hour?" Rebecca inquired.
"Sounds good, see you there, bye"
"Bye" and both hung up.
Miranda reclined in her chair and turned to look at her window, something she almost never did, and smiled, she was determined to make him pay and the paying was just starting, and she was enjoying every second of it.
She reckoned, however,  poor Josh probably didn't deserved to be treated so harshly, he had only recently become a man, but still acted more responsibly than just about any guy in his situation, she was aware that he threw his pride out the window to keep her from leaving, and felt a little guilty for what she had done, and was about to do.
But as soon as she remembered what he had done, all the guilt was outweighed by her desire for retribution, and so, poor Josh would have to deal with all that was coming his way.