All Chapters of My Best Friend’s Uncle… and My Baby Daddy: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The maids were busy at work, their hands fluttering around me like frantic birds as they helped me get ready for the party happening downstairs. I sat there, stiff and silent, feeling utterly done with rich people and their endless cycle of celebrations. Tonight’s event was a gala for Eric’s father’s birthday, yet another excuse for the elite to flaunt their wealth while I felt like I was suffocating in silk and lace. The only thing that rang out in my mind, drowning out the chatter of the maids, was the knowledge that the DNA results would be out in a few hours. My escape from this world was crumbling. All of this—the secrecy, the quiet life I built in the shadows—was being ruined just because I had wanted to support my best friend. Now, I was being dragged back into the light, and I feared the burn. I stood in front of the full-length mirror, staring at my reflection. It took me back to those months five years ago, when I was decorated in the finest clothes like a living doll for E

The party had ended in a jagged, uncomfortable silence after Eric had punched the heir to the Blackwood family into the polished floorboards. The music had died, and the guests had gone home, unhappy and buzzing with the kind of scandal that would be the talk of the city by morning. Chloe, exhausted from her mother’s constant chastisement of both her uncle and her best friend to her grandfather, finally found a moment to breathe. She headed upstairs, her mind racing; she needed to speak to Autumn. She needed her side of the story because she refused to believe the whispers. Autumn didn't seduce men like Christian Blackwood; in fact, Autumn had hated men of that caliber for as long as Chloe could remember, despite what the other socialites said about her being a calculating social climber. As she walked, Chloe couldn't help but dwell on the strange energy between her uncle and her friend. She had noted the subtle shifts in their relationship recently, but she had tried to brush it off

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, mocking the darkness I felt inside. I hadn't slept a wink after leaving Eric’s study; the image of his tear-filled eyes had haunted me through the lonely hours of the night. Needing a distraction, something to ground me, I grabbed my phone and video-called Sarah.I needed to see my son."Mommy!" Finn’s cheerful voice filled the small screen, a stark contrast to the heavy silence of the Kingston estate.They were having breakfast together. I watched hungrily as Finn shoveled a spoon full of cereal into his mouth, milk dripping down his chin. He looked happy. He looked safe. Sarah was smiling in the background, but there was a confused furrow to her brow as she waved at me."Autumn, you won't believe what happened last night," Sarah said, wiping Finn’s chin with a napkin. "A team of stylists just showed up at the house. They took Finn’s measurements and then, a few hours later, delivered boxes of high-end clothes. Winter coats, boots, suits

THE KINGSTON ESTATEThe morning sun streamed through the high arched windows of the main dining hall, illuminating a scene of calculated perfection. Because of the upcoming wedding—though most guests assumed it was merely a gala—numerous family members from different states and branches of the Kingston empire had traveled in and were currently residing on the estate grounds.The dining table, a massive slab of polished mahogany that could seat thirty, was buzzing with the low, refined hum of quiet conversations. Cousins discussed mergers and acquisitions over poached eggs; aunts critiqued the latest Parisian fashion trends while sipping herbal tea; uncles debated the shifting political landscape of London. It was a tableau of wealth and power, undisturbed by the common problems of the world."Someone turn the news up," came a gruff, gravelly voice from the head of the table.The chatter died down instantly. Elijah Kingston, the patriarch of the family, did not ask for things twice. He

"Are you alright?"I heard Eric’s voice, low and rumbling, but it sounded like it was coming from underwater. My mind was somewhere else, replaying the look of pure hatred on Chloe’s face. The slamming door echoed in my ears, louder than any thunder.How could I lose the one most important person in my life—my sister in everything but blood—due to my own selfishness? I had traded a friendship for a marriage I didn't ask for."I am fine, Eric," I lied, my voice hollow. I was gripping the hem of my shirt so tightly my knuckles had turned white.He didn't believe me. He stepped into my personal space, his scent of sandalwood and rain enveloping me. He placed a large, warm hand on my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear I hadn't realized had fallen, guiding my gaze up to meet his intense gray eyes."Hey. Listen to me," he commanded, though his tone was unusually soft. "None of what she said is true, okay? You are not a whore. You are a mother doing what is best for her child.""But she h