Birth Mother

‘Oh, you know,’ Kieran flecked a speck of non-existent dust from his pristine suit. ‘Money talks. Or, in this case, it silences.’ I stared at him and wondered how much money it had cost to buy the silence of an entire city. It wasn’t just Lisbern Daily. The city boasted at least half a dozen other newspapers, seven magazines, eleven TV stations, and nine radio stations, not to mention the ubiquitous online media. My heart was flooded with gratitude as Kieran flashed one of his killer smiles at me. ‘It was easy, partially because Landon was holding back,’ he frowned, tapping a thoughtful finger on his chin. ‘He didn’t go to any of the paparazzi accounts online, or there’d have been no way to stop the news from getting out.’ I was prepared for the news to go out, prepared for the torrent of unkind, nasty, abusive comments from trolls. I didn’t care for any of their opinions since I already knew the opinion of the one person who mattered the most. But I was still grateful, incredibly so,