Lahat ng Kabanata ng Claimed By My Father's Best Friend: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

ASHLEY'S POV The speakers boomed through the walls, rattling beneath my heels as I moved through the crowd of familiar faces. My birthday party had officially started for over an hour, and Sophie, Jade, and Austin had already claimed their spots as the unofficial life of the party. With drinks in their hand, they were laughing at something Austin had just said, their bodies swaying in that unselfconscious way people do when the music is loud enough to swallow your thoughts.I'd already been hugged, spun around, and showered with so many gifts that I’d lost track.I'd excused myself to use the bathroom, but to be honest, I just need a moment alone. My father had to leave town for business when all I wanted was to celebrate with him, and now Micheal is late to my own birthday.I quickly shook the sad thoughts away and walked back into the living room. Sophie seemed to have taken over the playlist, Jade and Austin handled the drinks, and now my apartment smelled faintly of cocktails and

ASHLEY'S POV The first thing I noticed when I stepped onto the yacht was the way the water shimmered under the late afternoon sun, like someone had spilt liquid gold all over the ocean.“Wow,” Sophie breathed beside me. “This is insane.” Michael’s hand rested lightly on the small of my back as he guided me up to the polished deck steps. “Make yourselves comfortable. Drinks are in the lounge.”Sophie wandered off with Jade, already gushing about the bar, but I stood with Micheal.“You didn't tell me you had all this going on. Sneaky much.”He smirked. “If I'd told you, it wouldn’t have been a surprise.”I glanced around—the gleaming wood, the soft hum of the engines, the faint scent of salt in the air. “You’re just full of surprises today.”“That's the plan,”he murmured, and for a second, his gaze locked on mine in a way that made my chest feel too tight. “And spoiling you is part of that plan.”One of Austin's friends, Nate, appeared from the lounge side. “Nice boat, Mr Kingston. Wh

JAYDEN’S POV Three days. Three goddamn days of endless meetings in Paris. Lunch meetings, closing deals, and negotiations that dragged until early hours of the morning. My body was here, but my heart and mind were back in New York.Back with my daughter.Ashley’s birthday had come and gone, and I hadn't been there. The guilt gnawed at me every second I wasn’t working. I told myself it was for her— this business, these endless meetings and boardrooms war. But what good was success if I kept missing the moments that mattered?Today, I had to do something. Something small but meaningful.The Louis Vuitton store was my stop. If I knew my daughter—and I damn well did—she loved them in pinks. Bags, clothes, shoes, anything with that touch of softness against her fiery spirit. I pushed through the glass doors, greeted by polished smiles and polite bows.“Good afternoon, sir. How may we assist you?” One of the staff greeted me.“I need bags in pink,” I said, adjusting the cufflinks on my shi

MICHEAL'S POV It had been a week. One damn week of silence, and it was eating me alive.The last time I'd seen Ashley was the day after her birthday. Since then, all I got was excuses— “baby, I'm busy, or let's talk later.” I kept telling myself she needed space, but the truth was simple: I missed her. The ache of not having her near me was sharper than I care to admit.So, I did what I always did when something clawed at me—I buried myself in work. Meetings, contracts, late night at the office. But even in the middle of presentations, my thoughts drifted to her smile, her voice, the way she looked at me like I was the only one in the room.And still, despite everything, I couldn’t shake the unease. Tyler's little stunt on the yacht replayed in my head more than I wanted. That's why I still had Liam watching her. Not that I fully trusted him—hell no—but he'd saved her once, and that earned him a credit.Just as I was flipping through files on my desk, the office door swung open witho

AUSTIN’S POV I'd thought about this for days. Spent sleepless nights weighing it in my head, pacing my apartment for hours, telling myself to keep my mouth shut, and just watch them fall apart while I grab my chance with Ashley. But the truth was ugly, and I knew Micheal would never take it lightly. But the longer I kept it inside, the heavier it became, pressing on my chest until I could barely breathe.And it all came back to her.Ashley.The only reason I was here, sitting in Micheal’s office, staring him down while he glared at me like I was the last person he wanted to see. I hated the fact that he had her, that she looked at him in ways she never looked at me. That jealousy burned hot in my veins—but it was nothing compared to the fear that Simon Veltor's name carried.Her safety was more important than my pride.More important than my resentment.Micheal leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes cutting through me like blades. “Can we be fast about this?” He asked. “I have a si