Chapter 4 - A FATHER'S VOW
The next few days were a whirlwind of tension and profound change. True to his word, Ethan canceled his engagement to Victoria. The fallout was immediate and explosive. The tabloids had a field day, speculating on the sudden rift between two of New York's most powerful families. But Ethan didn't care. He had transformed the west wing of the estate into a fortress for me and Leo.
He demanded a DNA test, not because he doubted me, but to legally cement his claim to Leo and protect him from any future legal battles his mother might incite. When the results came back 99.9% positive, Ethan wept. I found him in his study, holding the piece of paper, tears silently tracking down his face.
"I missed his first steps," Ethan whispered when I walked in. "I missed his first words. I missed three years of his life, Rosa."
"You're here now," I said softly, stepping closer.
He stood up and pulled me into his arms. It was the first time he had touched me like that since the night I left. The familiarity of his scent—cedar and expensive cologne—sent a jolt through my system.
"I'm never letting you go again," he murmured into my hair. "Either of you."
But our newfound peace was fragile. Victoria was not a woman who took rejection lightly. Humiliated and vengeful, she began leaking vicious rumors to the press. Headlines painted me as a gold-digging seductress who had trapped the billionaire with a falsified paternity claim. Paparazzi swarmed the gates of the estate, their camera lenses pressed against the wrought iron.
One afternoon, while Leo was taking a nap, Ethan called me into the parlor. His face was grim, a newspaper tossed carelessly onto the coffee table.
"Victoria is playing dirty," Ethan said, pacing the floor. "She's trying to ruin your reputation to force my hand. She wants me to cast you out to save the company's stock from plummeting."
"Is it working?" I asked, a knot of fear tightening in my stomach.
May you like
Ethan stopped pacing and looked at me, his eyes dark and resolute. "Let them try to sink the company. I will burn Caldwell Industries to the ground before I let anyone disrespect the mother of my child."
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