Chapter 5

Bridgett

"Steal your legacy?" I choked out, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. “I was trying to keep you from taking them away from me!”

Jordan didn't budge. His large hands tightened on the edge of the ping-pong table, trapping me. "From me? Am I a monster, Bridgett? Is that what you think?"

"You're a billionaire Alpha," I whispered, tears finally spilling over. "I was a waitress living in a studio apartment. If I had told you... you would have taken them. You would have crushed me. You have to understand me—"

"You decided to play God," he snarled, pushing off the table. He turned his back to me, running a hand through his hair. The tension radiating off him was enough to crack the walls.

He paced the small room like a caged tiger. "Three of them. Three." He stopped in front of the beanbag chair where Belle was hiding behind her sketchbook.

He crouched down.

"Don't touch her!" I cried out, lunging forward.

Jordan shot me a look that froze my feet to the floor. "Be silent," he commanded. It was an Alpha command, laced with power. My mouth snapped shut against my will.

He looked back at Belle. She lowered her sketchbook slowly, her wide green eyes filled with fear.

"Hi," Jordan said, his voice surprisingly soft. Rough, but soft.

"Hi," Belle whispered.

"I like your drawing," he said, pointing to the messy charcoal lines. "Is that a wolf?"

Belle nodded. "It’s a daddy wolf. He’s looking for his pack."

Jordan flinched. The pain that crossed his face was raw and naked. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

Theo marched forward, shoving himself between Jordan and Belle. He was so small compared to his father, a tiny ant facing a mountain, but he didn't tremble.

"Go away," Theo growled, his little fists raised. "We don't have a daddy. Mommy said he died."

The silence that fell over the room was suffocating.

Jordan slowly lifted his gaze to mine. The betrayal in his eyes shattered me.

"Dead?" he repeated, his voice devoid of emotion. "I was dead?"

"I... I had to tell them something," I sobbed. "They asked about their eyes. They asked why they were different from the other kids."

Jordan stood up to his full height. The softness was gone. The hurt was gone. All that remained was cold, hard determination.

"Well, I have good news, Theo," Jordan said, looking down at his son. "Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

He turned to me. "Get their things."

"What?" I blinked.

"Get their backpacks. We are leaving."

"Leaving? Where? I can't leave work, I—"

"You don't work for Moonlight Corp anymore, Bridgett," he said coldly. "You work for me. Personally."

He didn't wait for my agreement. He grabbed Theo’s backpack with one hand and scooped up a squealing Abby with the other. He looked at me, waiting.

I hurriedly helped Belle with her coat, my hands shaking. I had no choice. He was their father. He had more money than God. If I fought him here, I would lose.

Jordan unlocked the door and threw it open. He strode out into the hallway, carrying Abby like a football, with Theo marching angrily at his heels and Belle holding my hand.

We looked like a circus parade.

"Jordan?"

The sharp voice cut through the air like a whip. Evelyn stood at the end of the corridor, holding a tablet. Her perfectly manicured jaw dropped as she took in the scene.

She looked at the messy children. She looked at me, red-eyed and disheveled. And she looked at Jordan, holding a child.

"What... what is this?" Evelyn sputtered, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "Jordan, the Japanese investors are on the line. You can't just leave. And why is the cleaning lady following you with those... urchins?"

Jordan stopped. He turned slowly to face Evelyn.

The temperature in the hallway dropped ten degrees.

Abby, sensing the hostility, buried her face in Jordan’s neck. Jordan’s arm tightened around her instinctively.

"Evelyn," Jordan said, his voice calm and deadly. "Cancel the meeting."

"But—"

"Cancel everything. The investors, the board, the dinner tonight."

"For her?" Evelyn pointed a long, red fingernail at me. "Jordan, she’s a nobody! Look at these kids, they’re dirty! You can’t be seen with—"

"Careful," Jordan warned, a low growl rumbling in his chest. His eyes flashed gold, making Evelyn step back in fear. "You are speaking about my blood."

Evelyn gasped. "Your...?"

"These are my children," Jordan announced, his voice ringing through the silent office floor. Heads popped up from cubicles. Everyone was listening. "And Bridgett is the mother of my heirs."

He grabbed my free hand, interlacing his fingers with mine. His grip was possessive. Painful.

"We are going home," Jordan declared. He looked at his personal assistant, who was gaping nearby. "Call my lawyer, Stone. Tell him to meet me at the mansion in an hour."

"Lawyer?" I whispered, panic rising again. "Why?"

Jordan looked down at me, and his smile didn't reach his eyes. It was the smile of a wolf who had finally cornered his prey.

"Because I want full custody, Bridgett," he said, pulling me toward the elevator. "And I always get what I want.”