5

The silence in the classroom was suffocating. Jaden gripped my hand, his small fingers warm against my cold skin. He looked up at Leo with curiosity, unaware that the man standing before him was the same father who had once ordered his end.

Leo’s eyes didn’t flicker. They stayed pinned on Jaden’s face, tracing the curve of his nose and the set of his brow. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Jaden, go find Uncle Daniel," I said, my voice shaking. "I’ll be right there."

Jaden hesitated, looking between us. "Is this the man from the big bird in the sky?"

"Yes, honey. Go on."

As soon as Jaden ran out the door, Leo stepped forward. The air in the room seemed to vanish. He was a wall of cold fury and expensive cologne.

"Explain," he commanded. The word was a low growl.

"There is nothing to explain," I replied, forcing my chin up. "You told me to handle it. I handled it. I raised him."

Leo’s jaw worked, a muscle jumping in his cheek. "I told you to get an abortion, Rose. I didn't tell you to hide my son for four years."

I let out a sharp, jagged laugh. "Your son? You gave up the right to call him that the moment you chose Clara over your own flesh and blood. You sent that text, Leo. 'Abort it.' Do you remember?"

He flinched. It was a small movement, almost invisible, but I saw it. For the first time in the years I had known him, Leo Robinson looked uncertain.

"I was angry," he muttered, though the excuse sounded weak even to him.

"You were cruel," I corrected. "And now you are a stranger. Thank you for the ride, Mr. Robinson. But the school day is over for us."

I tried to walk past him, but his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. His grip wasn't painful, but it was firm—unyielding.

"He looks exactly like me," Leo whispered, his voice losing its edge and turning into something more dangerous: obsession.

"Everyone thinks he looks like me," I said coldly, wrenching my arm away. "But he has my heart. And my heart has no room for you."

I walked out of the classroom without looking back. I found Daniel and Jaden near the playground. Daniel looked at me with concern, his hand resting protectively on Jaden’s shoulder.

"Is everything okay, Rose? Who was that guy?" Daniel asked.

I looked back toward the classroom. Leo was standing in the doorway, watching us. He didn't move. He just watched as another man stood in the place he had thrown away.

"Just an investor," I lied, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Let's go. Jaden wants ice cream."

As we walked away, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was an email from the office.

From: Director Mike Walter Subject: Project Update

Rose, Mr. Robinson has requested that you be the sole point of contact for the new investment project. You are to report to his private office tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM for a briefing. This is mandatory.

I stopped in my tracks. He wasn't going to let me go. He was going to use my career to chain me to him.

The Robinson Corporate Tower was a monument to Leo’s ego. It was glass, steel, and shadows. I stood in the lobby the next morning, wearing my best professional suit, trying to hide the fact that I hadn't slept a wink.

The elevator ride to the top floor felt like a descent into a trap. When the doors opened, Leo’s secretary, Sarah—the same woman who had once helped Clara hide from me—greeted me with a tight, fake smile.

"He's waiting for you, Ms. Miller."

I walked into his office. It was vast, overlooking the city. Leo was standing by the window, his back to me.

"Sit down," he said without turning around.

"I’d prefer to stand, Mr. Robinson. Let’s discuss the project so I can get back to my team."

He turned then. He looked tired, but his eyes were sharp. On his desk sat a folder. It wasn't the project file. It was a private investigator's report. I saw Jaden’s birth certificate peeking out from the edge.

"His name is Jaden Leo Miller," Leo said softly. "You gave him my name as a middle name."

"It was a moment of weakness," I snapped.

"I’ve spent the last twelve hours thinking," Leo said, ignoring my remark. He walked toward me, stopping just inches away. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating from him. "I realized I made a mistake four years ago."

My breath caught. Was he apologizing?

"I shouldn't have let you sign those papers so easily," he continued. "I let a valuable asset walk away. And you stole something from me."

"I stole nothing! You threw us away!"

"He is a Robinson," Leo said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, silky tone. "And Robinsons stay together. I’m offering you a deal, Rose."

"I don't want your deals."

"You’ll want this one. Your brother, the one who’s been struggling with those gambling debts in New York? The ones you’ve been secretly paying off with your savings?"

I froze. My blood ran cold. "How do you know about that?"

"I know everything. I can make those debts disappear today. Or, I can make sure the people he owes come looking for him—and you. And Jaden."

I felt like I was suffocating. "You’re blackmailing me? To do what? To be your wife again?"

Leo leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear. "No. I don't want a wife who hates me. I want a mother for my son who is under my roof where I can see her. You will move into the estate. Today."

"And if I say no?"

Leo picked up his phone. "Then your brother gets a very unpleasant phone call. And your company loses its biggest investor, meaning you’ll be unemployed by noon."

He was the same man. He hadn't changed at all. He didn't want love; he wanted control.

"I hate you," I whispered.

Leo smiled, but there was no joy in it. "I know. But you’ll still move in. Pack your bags, Rose. The car will be at your apartment at five."

As I turned to leave, the door opened. Clara walked in, looking radiant in a red dress. She stopped when she saw me, her expression shifting from a smile to a mask of pure hatred.

"Rose? What are you doing here?" Clara asked, her voice high and tight.

Leo didn't even look at her. "She’s moving back into the house, Clara. Arrange for the guest suite to be prepared."

Clara’s face turned pale. "What? Leo, you can't be serious! We were supposed to look at engagement rings today!"

"The plans have changed," Leo said coldly.

I looked at Clara, seeing the desperation in her eyes, and then at Leo, the man who used people like chess pieces. A dark thought crossed my mind. If I was going into the lion's den, I wasn't going to be the prey. Not this time.

"I'll see you at five, Leo," I said, my voice steady. "But Jaden and I come as a team. If you touch a hair on his head or try to take him from me, I’ll burn your empire to the ground."

I walked past Clara, intentionally brushing her shoulder. The war had just begun.