Read Online Battling Destiny (The Piper Anderson Series Book 6) by Danielle Stewart - Free Book Online

her power business suit to her over-styled blond hair. She was not a person; she was a persona.
    “Is that what brings you here this morning? Hunting a hot story? I have to warn you, I’m not some kid anymore. I know my way around a libel lawsuit these days.” Michael pulled his phone from his pocket, and checked for a response from Jules, and when there was still nothing he busied himself with scrolling through email. He wouldn’t give his mother or Isobel much of his attention if he didn’t need to. His flight was in four hours, which was all he’d focus on.
    “I am writing an article, but I’m sure you’ll like this one. It paints you as the prodigal child returning to swoop in and take the helm after your father’s unexpected death. It might also mention something about you being the most eligible bachelor in the city.” Her smug smile had Michael clamping his jaw down so tight his teeth ground together audibly.
    “Your accuracy is as astounding as usual,” Michael hissed as he began to walk away, no longer caring about keeping up appearances. Let them call him a jerk. Let people start asking questions about the perfect Cooper family falling apart. Once people started digging into his father’s illegal business practices and embezzling, the house of cards would fall anyway. Why should he bother trying to hold it up in the meantime?
    Before he could reach the hallway the loud chimes of the doorbell rang. The doorman, Ben, a man he’d known since he was five years old, scurried obediently past him toward the door. It was enough to slow Michael down, though he had no intention of stopping. It wasn’t until he heard his mother’s greeting that he froze in his tracks.
    “Jules, you’re here,” she squealed, and Michael thought for sure he’d heard her wrong. It couldn’t possibly be his wife here in his parents’ home. His mother couldn’t possibly know her name or have invited her here. But he knew full well, with his mother, anything was possible. When he spun around he saw Jules’s fire red hair glimmering in the sunlight that streamed in behind her from the open door. Then in stepped Piper, holding Frankie in her arms. This was his worst nightmare come to life. With all his might he’d tried to keep these worlds from colliding, and now he could see he’d failed. His attempts had been no match for his mother’s reckless selfishness.
    “Hello Tabitha,” Jules replied, and it nearly took Michael’s feet out from under him to know his wife was on a first name basis with his mother.
    “And who’s this?” Isobel asked, her journalistic inquisitiveness taking over and ignoring any regard for privacy.
    “This is my daughter-in-law, Michael’s wife, Jules. And this,” Tabitha cooed as she scooped Frankie into her arms, “is my granddaughter, François. Isn’t she gorgeous?”
    At that sight, the ringing in Michael’s ears stopped and his seething anger took over. He marched toward his mother and plucked his daughter away. It had been hard to send Jules away last night, damn near impossible. But staring at the plump cheeks of his daughter and her red ringlets of hair, he knew he’d be sending no one away this morning. The smile that spread across the baby’s face at the sight of her father was undeniably sweet. Though everything felt like it was crashing down around him, there was shelter beneath his daughter’s little laughter.
    “How in the world did you keep this quiet?” Isobel asked, punching something into her phone as she spoke. “You’ve fallen off the radar here and reemerge with a wife and daughter. People are going to go mad for this story. You’ll be on the cover of the paper tomorrow. I can get a photographer here in an hour.” Like a shark who’d gotten a whiff of blood across the ocean, the reporter was racing toward her prey.
    “No,” Michael boomed. “We’re not posing for photographers and becoming tomorrow’s gossip. We’re eating lunch and leaving. My family