8

ALEXANDER

I loosened my tie the second I crossed the threshold of my home, tension knotted so deeply in my shoulders it felt like a band threatening to snap. I’d finally closed the deal with the Grahams. It was a victory I’d been working toward for years, and yet, standing here, it was the last thing I wanted to celebrate. No, that triumph was hollow now, muted by the sight of her—Raina. The way she looked at me, daring me to challenge her, defy her. She had the audacity to show up so casually, like she hadn’t abandoned everything, like she hadn’t walked out on our son.

And she wasn’t the woman I’d once known. Gone was the softness, the eagerness to please, the quiet smiles. She stood before me with all the poise and confidence I’d grown to despise, cold and cutting as a blade. And yet… it was almost invigorating, in a way that tore me up inside.

I was barely two steps in when my mother’s shrill voice tore through the silence. "Alexander! Are we now among the elite, or did we just waste five years chasing the Grahams?”

I wanted to ignore her. I wanted a moment of peace to process everything, to sort through this mess in my head. But my mother never was one for silence.

"Yes, Mother," I replied, tersely. "We signed the deal."

Her face lit up in satisfaction, as if our entire future now rested in the lap of luxury. To her, this wasn’t just a deal; it was security, validation, the status she had craved for decades. But I didn’t share her delight. For me, this was about something entirely different now.

"I'm calling off the wedding to Eliza," I said abruptly. I met her gaze, feeling the weight of her shock as I threw down that verbal gauntlet.

“What?” Her expression tightened, her voice becoming a sharp hiss of frustration. “Don’t be a fool, Alexander! This is the second time you’re calling off a wedding with her family! First for Raina, and now that Raina’s back, you’re just tossing Eliza aside? Think of our connections, think of your future!"

"This isn’t about connections,” I replied flatly, though the irony of that statement wasn’t lost on me. “It’s about Liam. Raina is back, and that means she’s his only chance now.”

She folded her arms, glowering. “You think she’s just going to drop everything to save the son she abandoned?”

A bitter laugh escaped me. If only she knew. Raina had changed, maybe as much as I had, if not more. The old Raina would’ve fallen over herself to apologize, to make things right, to do whatever I asked of her even though she never truly abandoned Liam, since I took him away from her. But this Raina? She was ready to negotiate, to manipulate, to demand her own pound of flesh.

“Raina’s going to help Liam,” I said coldly, dismissing the part of me that wondered just how far she would make me go. “That’s all that matters right now.”

The fury on my mother’s face was palpable, but I didn’t stay to watch it simmer. I went up to my room, the echo of her anger chasing after me. But it wasn’t my mother’s voice that haunted me through the silence of the night. It was Raina’s—her words, sharp and cutting, biting down to the core of every reason I’d told myself I was in the right.

What right do you have to ask this of me?

Her voice lingered, heavy with resentment, almost daring me to justify myself. Maybe she was right. But she was also his mother. What kind of mother wouldn’t be willing to save her own son, regardless of her grievances? And yet, her last words to me—those words she’d left hanging in the air like a warning. You know what I want. Custody.

The thought of her taking Liam away twisted something in my gut. She wanted custody? Fine. I’d fight her. I’d make her do the procedure, save him, and then I’d make sure she never got within ten feet of him again.

---

The next morning, I didn’t even get the benefit of my anger cooling off. I was still groggy when I heard Eliza’s shrill voice shattering what little peace I’d managed to scrape together. She stormed into my room, her face flushed, eyes blazing, and I knew exactly what this was about before she even said a word.

“Are you really calling off the wedding, Alexander?” she demanded, her voice trembling with disbelief.

I took a steadying breath, willing myself to remain calm. “Yes.” I said curtly, not sure of the explanation to give her. Her face crumpled, and for a fleeting second, guilt prickled through me. Eliza had been nothing but patient, loyal even, in her own way. But this wasn’t about her. It never was.

"This is about her, isn’t it?" she spat, her eyes narrowing, voice thick with accusation. “Raina. It always goes back to her.”

I stayed silent, knowing any response would only dig the knife deeper.

A bitter, mirthless laugh escaped her. “You’re pathetic, Alexander. She left you. She left your son. And yet you still—”

“Eliza, enough,” I cut her off, my voice low and unyielding. “This isn’t about us. It’s about Liam.”

“Then go to her,” she snapped, barely able to look at me. "Throw everything away for the woman who walked out on you. I hope you regret it.”

She left before I could say anything else, her heels echoing down the hallway, the heavy thud of the door marking her departure. Alone, the only thing I could do was get ready and head to the office, dreading what the day held.

----

The last person I expected to see sitting in my office was Raina. She was there, standing by my desk, flipping through documents with the same composure that had taunted me yesterday. My space—one I’d gone to great lengths to keep entirely separate from her—felt invaded, marred by her mere presence. And yet there was a certainty in her gaze that made me feel like the intruder.

“What are you doing here?” I snapped, unwilling to mask the hostility in my voice.

She looked up briefly, her eyes meeting mine with that maddeningly cool indifference. "Dominic wanted me to personally deliver these to you.”

She handed me a stack of documents, and I flipped through them as she stood silently. Detailed funding projections, partnerships outlined, the backing of powerful companies. It was all there, confirming that the Grahams were as committed as I’d hoped. For a moment, I felt a sense of relief, but Raina’s presence overshadowed it.

I set the papers down. The question burned on my tongue, one I tried to swallow but couldn’t. “Are you really going to refuse to help him?” I asked, surprising even myself with the softness of my tone.

She straightened, her shoulders tense. “You know what I want,” she said, her voice cold and firm. “That’s the only way I’ll do it.”

Her conditions—custody, access, all the rights I’d stripped from her in one swift motion. I didn’t want to give in, to let her see that she still held that power over me. But damn it, she was serious. She wasn’t bluffing.

“Custody, Raina?” I scoffed, more to keep myself grounded than to taunt her. “You think I’ll just let you walk back in and take him? After everything?”

 “You stripped me of my rights to him, Alexander. You, and your family, you made sure I couldn’t even be there for him when he needed me. And now, you want me to just roll over and agree to your terms?”

Her words felt like ice, each one stabbing deeper. But I wouldn’t let her win. “You’re saying this is my fault?” I shot back. “After you left, you never looked back. Do you even really care about Liam?” I had to do all I could to make her feel guilty, to make her save Liam. Hoping her conscience still remained.

Her expression softened slightly, though the anger didn’t leave her eyes. “You don’t know anything about what I went through,” she said quietly. “You took my son from me. You made it your very aim for me to lose him, yet you speak of me leaving him? I don’t expect anything better from you Alexander.” 

With that, she turned, her heels clicking as she walked away, then she paused at the door, her fingers gripping the handle, before turning back to face me. There was a look in her eyes I hadn’t seen in years—fierce, unyielding, the defiance simmering just beneath the surface. I hated that after all this time, she could still look at me like that, like I was the one who’d broken every promise. But before I could say anything, she took a step forward, voice low but steady.

“If you want me to save Liam,” she said, the words slow and deliberate, “you’ll have to give me what I’ve always deserved. Custody. Full access to him. I want my rights restored, Alexander. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you have no choice but to agree.”

My jaw clenched, the air thick with her ultimatum. She was challenging me— for the second time, demanding what I had taken away, and the fierceness in her tone left no room for negotiation. She met my glare, unflinching.

“Those are my terms,” she finished, her gaze unwavering. “Either you let me be his mother again… or you lose him.”

Then, without waiting for my response, she turned and walked out, leaving me standing in the silence, drowning in the certainty of what she had just made clear.