The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 797

Back then, Casper thought leaving Gary and Julia would fix everything. But they always acted like they'd have no way out and might as well be dead if the company collapsed. That guilt trip always got to Gary, and he stayed stuck.

Now that he thought about it, Casper wondered what good it had done him to listen to them. All he got out of it was a broken marriage and a son who didn't even see him as his father.

Out of the blue, Casper felt an unexpected urge to see Cody. Cody was his only child and the only one who wouldn't bring him down.

Julia picked up the phone. "Yeah?"

"You're saying I dated Ruby?" Casper's voice was ice-cold. "When the hell did that happen? 'Because I sure don't remember it."

Julia had him on speakerphone, and the way he fired off those questions left her speechless. She had no idea how to respond.

Gary took over. "Oh, so now you're just going to deny it? Back then, everybody knew Ruby was your girlfriend!"

"But I never dated with her," Casper said, enunciating every word.

"If you didn't date her, then how the hell did she end up pregnant with your kid?" Gary snapped.

Casper felt like Gary was getting way out of line. "She got pregnant with my kid? You've got to be kidding me! I never even laid a hand on her!"

This time, it was Gary who froze.

Casper continued, "So you guys actually believed she was my first girlfriend and that she was carrying my kid? And that's why you went after Jessica and Cody so hard?"

This was ridiculous.

Gary still wasn't convinced. "I'm not going to believe Ruby's kid isn't yours without a paternity test."

"That's your problem," Casper said, putting extra stress on every word. "It's got nothing to do with me."

Julia heard the call disconnect and felt a wave of panic. "If what Casper said is true, does that mean we'll never have a grandkid?"

"Let's start with the test," Gary said, unwilling to accept the outcome. "We'll just get Casper another girlfriend if the kid's not his."

Julia knew Casper still had strong feelings for Jessica. Even if they were no longer together, there was no way he'd just move on that easily.

Gary caught the look on Julia's face and tried to reassure her. "Casper's never listened to a damn thing we've said, but we've always gotten him to cave, haven't we?"