"Any chance he's my actual Dad?"

"The dates line up better than usual." Mom shrugged, putting on her makeup. She missed my frowning, but noticed my sigh. "You won't have to lie about your age at least! But who cares? He'll run for the governor's office! That's a gold mine... Squeeze him just a little, and I can retire."

"You said that the last time..." I noted, pulling my knees up.

"I know Sweetheart, it was my bad!" She said, reaching for me but I pulled away. "This guy can't have anything incriminating on him during his campaign, you'll be safe! In fact, you should throw yourself in a little... Show some cleavage, you know! You're sixteen, you have what it takes!"

"I'm fine!" I swept her hand away. "Didn't inherit your big boobs, but don't plan on becoming a prostitute anyway..."

Her slap surprised me, and stung a lot more than I expected.

"Your nice elite school or the lessons I paid for weren't free! You get to eat! Have your little clothes to wear! And all I get is you calling me names?!" I had to force back my tears. Even knowing how she manipulated people, couldn't decide if the slap or her words hurt more. She was a Catfish, a Gold Digger, but also my Mother. "My parents together couldn't pay for any of this, and I'm alone! You should be more grateful!"

And with that, she went back to finish her makeup.

Her next victim showed up right on time. No idea where she got her information, but we parked right in front of the restaurant he went to. Stepping out of the car, she hit him with the door. Like a stuntwoman, she tripped right into his arms. He caught her firmly.

He was tall, kind of bulky, yet elegant in a casual suit. I wouldn't recognize him from Mom's description or the pictures they had in the newspapers. He had to be in his mid thirties, and was rather handsome.

"Sorry, Dear, did I hit you?" Mom started her show. "George?! What a surprise! I was looking for you, you know! How is it going?!"

"Sue?" He had a deep voice. For someone he met ages ago, it didn't take him a split second to recognize Mom. "H-how long has it been?"

"Seventeen years!" She said regaining her composure. It was my cue to enter the scene. "See, I have a reason to know exactly..."

Eyes red, and face still stinging, it was my time to act. Only looking up for a second, then staring at my converse shoes, I waved at him.

"Let me introduce you to my daughter, Dora!" Textbook acting.

In five minutes, we were all inside, and he treated us to dinner, while Mom explained the situation. The place was plain, but the food smelled great. My loose black crop tee and denim shorts were way less out of the ordinary than the guy's suit. Mom gave up on dressing me. Decided to wait until my phase is over. But she put her own goods out, somewhat casually.

For a drug addict in her mid thirties, she still had a decent figure. Big boobs. With enough makeup, she could even hide all the damage of aging.

"So I have a daughter now." He looked like he saw a ghost. But his reactions were cold. He gave me the creeps. "And we coincidentally meet right after the news talk about my nomination..."

"What can I say? It did help me find you." Mom smiled.

"You had my number all along." He noted, taking a sip of his drink. I expected him to throw us out any moment. Although rarely, it did happen before. "I just had this conversation with my campaign manager. She warned me about people from the past, that will show up and ask things."

"Dear, I didn't ask anything! If I wanted money, I would have gone to a reporter right away." Mom answered with a poker face. I was trying to disappear in plain sight. "We're fine, the two of us. But I saw you on TV, and wanted her to know you. Thought you might be interested too, but I'm not forcing it. Can also arrange a test, though they aren't exactly cheap."

"I see, very considerate of you." He said. "How much would it cost?"

"A thousand bucks, maybe." She lied without batting an eye. It was around a hundred. She usually asked more, but this was a new record.

"And why now?" He asked, looking at me. Fishing his wallet out, he didn't look angry, but disappointed. And I couldn't stand it! He handed the money over like it was nothing. He was either stupid or stupid rich.

"I don't know. She was curious, and then I saw you in the news, and it all aligned." Mom acted, starting the I just want my daughter to be happy routine. "I'll be busy next week. Wouldn't want to leave her home alone. You'll have your campaign starting soon... The test takes about ten days. Until it's done, you could take her somewhere! I won't butt in! You could figure, if you like the idea of a daughter or not... No pressure, Dear!"

"And the next thing I know, the FBI is breaching my front door for kidnapping a minor, right?" He raised an eyebrow. "If you sign a paper, that she's with me legally... And you won't have any demands after the test is done, regardless of the results! Then I'm happy to take her somewhere."

"I... guess I can do that." Mom answered, her poker face crackling. It seemed like she didn't expect legal documents to be involved. And now that she played this card, it was too late to dance back. "I need a second in the restroom, and we can sort the details out!"