Chapter 17: He Claimed My Son

Hailey's POV

I barely slept.

Everytime I closed my eyes, I saw Maxwell's face when Gio asked if he was still his daddy. He'd been furious last night. The kind of controlled rage that meant someone was going to pay. I just didn't expect that someone would be the entire media.

My phone started buzzing at 6 AM, texts, calls, notifications pouring in so fast the screen couldn't keep up. Still half-asleep, i grabbed my phone.

Breaking: Maxwell Kingston Claims Gio Langford as His Son

"He's Mine." : Billionaire CEO's Explosive Declaration

Kingston to Press: "Come Near My Family Again and Face Consequences"

My stomach dropped. No. No,no,no,no.

I was out of bed in seconds, throwing on the first clothes my hands found. My hands were shaking as I pulled up video after video, each one worse than the last.

Cameras were flashing everywhere. Maxwell in a perfect suit, his expression deadly.

"I'm only saying this once," his voice came through my phone speakers. "Gio Ramsey is my son. Not biologically, I'm not delusional. But in every other way that matters, he's mine."

"Mr. Kingston, what about your half-brother, Floyd Langford's paternity claim..."

"Floyd Langford is a sperm donor. Nothing more." Maxwell's eyes were ice cold. "I'm the one who makes Gio breakfast. I'm the one he runs to when he has nightmares. I'm the one who will personally destroy anyone who tries to hurt him."

The reporters exploded, but he wasn't done.

"And to be clear, yesterday, members of the press terrified that five-year-old child. Screamed questions at him about paternity while he was trying to go to school." His voice dropped. "If anyone comes near my son again, there will be legal and financial consequences. I don't make empty threats. Are we clear?"

He'd walked off without taking questions, leaving total chaos behind.

I stared at my phone, rage building so fast I couldn't breathe.

He'd done this. Without asking me. Without even telling me.

Just decided to claim my son in front of the entire world like he had the right. I stormed out of my bedroom, ready to release hell.

Maxwell was in the kitchen, perfectly calm, drinking coffee like he hadn't just dropped a nuclear bomb on my life.

"What the hell did you do?" My voice came out deadly quiet.

He looked up, his expression unreadable. "Good morning to you too."

"There's nothing good about the morning." I slammed my phone on the counter hard enough that it made him shake. "A press conference? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking," he set his coffee down slowly, "that someone needed to handle the media. So I did."

"You handled it?" I laughed, but it sounded unhinged. "You publicly claimed my son without consulting me!"

"Our son." His eyes met mine. "As far as the world knows."

"That's not..." I sucked in air, trying not to scream. "You had no right. Zero. To make that decision for me."

"Someone had to protect him." His voice was way too calm. "After what happened yesterday..."

"So you decided to go full possessive psycho on national television?" My voice rose. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Floyd's lawyers are going to destroy us. The custody case..."

"Doesn't matter." He straightened himself. "Public opinion shifted overnight. You're not the manipulative heiress anymore...you're the devoted mother. I'm the protective stepfather. Floyd looks like the absent father trying to buy his way in."

"I don't give a damn about that!" I was shaking now. "This is my son's life! You don't get to make these calls!"

"I just did." Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "And I'd do it again."

The audacity in his voice made me want to throw something.

"You're unbelievable." I paced, trying to control my rage. "This isn't some corporate takeover. This is Gio. My child. Mine."

"Ours." He moved closer, and my pulse spiked. "He asked me yesterday if I was still his daddy. You heard him."

"That doesn't give you the right..."

"It gives me every right." His voice was low and rough. "That boy was terrified. Strangers screamed at him about his 'real father' and made him think you lied to him. So yeah, I went on television and told the world exactly who his father is. Me."

"You're not his father!" The words burst out. "You're my fake husband. A six-month contract. That's it."

His jaw tightened. "Is that what you think this still is?"

"Yes!" I was breathing hard. "That's exactly what this is. Business. Nothing more."

"Nothing more." He repeated it slowly, closing the distance. "So yesterday, when Gio asked if I was still his daddy, that was business?"

"Stop..." My voice broke.

"When you kissed me, was that business too?" He moved closer.

My breath caught. "That was a mistake."

"Was it?" He was close enough now that I had to look up. "Because it felt pretty fucking intentional when you grabbed my shirt and pulled me closer."

"It wasn't..." I tried to step back, but the counter trapped me. "We have rules."

" Fuck the boundaries." His hands came down on either side of me, caging me in. "You felt that kiss. The way your hands were in my hair. The way you moaned when I...."

"Stop." My voice was shaky.

"Why?" His eyes burned into mine. " Because admitting it means this isn't fake anymore? Because it means you actually feel something?"

"I don't..." The lie died in my throat.

"You don't what?" He leaned in, and I could feel his breath. "Don't want me? Don't think about that everytime? Don't lie awake thinking what would've happened if you hadn't run?"

"This isn't real!" I shoved his chest, but he didn't budge. "You don't want me. You want to win. To prove you can break me down and make me..."

"Make you what?" He cut me off. "Fall for me? Trust me? Admit this stopped being fake weeks ago?"

"It hasn't stopped..." I said, trying to reassure myself.

"Then why are you shaking?" His hand came up to cup my jaw, and I hated how I leaned into it. "Why does your breath cut every time I'm close? Why did you kiss me back like you needed it?"

"Because I was scared!" The words came out desperate. "Because I was weak and you were there and it didn't mean anything..."

"That's Nonsense." The words was harsh. "You kissed me because you wanted to. Because for one second, you stopped lying to yourself."

"You don't know what I want..." My voice was barely above a whisper.

"Don't I?" His thumb traced my lower lip, and heat flooded through me. "I know you want me to kiss you again. I know you're terrified of what happens if we cross that line. I know you compare me to Floyd every time you start to feel something..."

I shoved him hard enough that he stumbled back.

"Just stop." My voice cracked. "Don't act like you know me. And don't you ever make decisions about my son without asking me first!"

"This isn't about being a hero." His voice went low. "This is about protecting what's mine."

"I'm not yours!" I backed away, voice breaking. "Gio isn't yours! We're fake..."

"Then why did you kiss me like you were mine?" He followed me, step for step. "Like you needed me to breathe? Like you..."

"STOP!" I practically ran down the hallway.

His voice followed, wrecked: "Running doesn't change what's happening between us."

I made it to my bedroom and slammed the door, locking it with shaking hands.

My back hit the wood. My heart hammered so hard it hurt.

I slid down the door, burying my face in my hands.

Because he was right.

And that terrified me more than anything.