Aidenâs pov Iâm marching down the lengthy staircase, cursing every living thing I can think of.
Iâm frustrated. Iâm confused. Iâm hurt.
Thad not expected something like this from Sophie. Not the innocent girl I painted in my head years ago.
But then I remembered how she abandoned me in jail and then I realized Sophie was never the innocent girl I portrayed her to be.
I opened the old door, shouldering a woman who was just entering. Iâm too angered and frustrated to apologize. She curses me and I ignore her as I march over to the SUV waiting for me.
Mitch is ducked in a way that youâd not notice him at first glance. And though the sight is rather amusing, I donât laugh nor smile.
The only thing I feel is anger. Towards Sophie. Burning rage.
Mitch notices me and fixes himself on the seat and unlocks the door. I open the door and got in. Iâm breathing heavily and literally breathing out fire.
Mitch looks at me through the rearview mirror and looks confused and worried. âAre you okay Mr. Xavier?â
I ran my shaky hand through my nose and looked at the apartment. I shake my head in disbelief.
âI have a son.â I breathed out slowly in disbelief. Now saying it out loud, I canât help but think that maybe I had gone mad.
Maybe I didnât have a son and this was all an illusion.
I shake my head. That was impossible.
Ashton was as real as anyone. I felt him, I held him in my arms. Heâs mine. Heâs my son. Heâs not a hallucination and a fragmen of my imagination.
He was real.
I groan in frustration and anger. Him being really made it all the more hurtful that Sophie didnât tell me about him.
âPardon Mr. Xavier?â Mitch asked, looking at me confused.
I shake my head and passed a hand over my face. âI have a son Mitch. A fucking son that I didnât know about.â I groaned.
Mitch looks stunned by my revelation and then winces. âYou didnât know about him?â
I shook my head no. âI didnât. She kept his existence from me.â
Mitch shakes his head. âWell thatâs not good. What are you going to do about it, sir?â He asked and then rushed out. âIf you donât mind me asking sir.â
I shake my head and looked at the apartment one last time and then looked at Mitch. My eyes met his but they also met the familiar old car that she owned through the mirror rearview mirror.
Itâs so old that the poor thing looks ready to collapse at any time.
There is no way in hell Iâll have her driving around with my son on that old death trap everywhere.
Iâm getting her a new one tomorrow morning as soon as possible.
Maybe by tomorrow or tonight, Iâll have a functioning brain and know what to do. Because right now, all I want to do is punch a damn wall.
âI donât know. All i know is that Iâll never let her keep him away from me any longer. Whether she likes it or not, Iâm now in my sonâs life. And thereâs nothing she can do about it.â I said and after a few more words passed between us, I told him to drive me over to the closest hotel from here.
Sophieâs pov Tears are trailing down my cheeks like a river. Ashtonâs head is on my shoulder and by the soft little sounds that came from his lips, I knew he had fallen asleep.
I wouldâve been a sobbing mess if I didnât want him to have that nap. When Iâm sure he had fallen asleep completely, I put him to rest.
He shifts a bit but goes right back to sleep.
My heart aches.
Aiden was right, I was a demon for keeping Ashtonâs existence away from his knowledge.
My fear of him rejecting Ash the same way he rejected me and hurt me messed me up enough to make the worst decision in my life.
And now I was about to pay the price.
It was clear that Aiden would try to take Ashton away from me. He had the money and clearly, he had the links to do whatever he pleased.
I can not compete with him. He was superior in every way.
I was nothing compared to him and Iâll lose the case. Not only was I clearly not financially stable enough to care for Ash and me, but I also couldnât afford a lawyer.
I sobbed lowly, playing in Ashtonâs soft curls.
My baby boy.
My heart.
My everything.
Would your father be this cruel to take you away from me?
Flashbacks of how Aiden treated me when we were still in high school rang through my head like a storm.
My heart is tearing apart the more I realized that Aiden could be this cruel enough to not care about me and take Ashton away.
âSoph?â Mila called out softly.
I lift my head at the sound of her voice and turn toward the door. Sheâs standing in the doorway, her gaze on a sleeping Ash in worry.
Ria creeps up behind her, peeking behind her head to look around.
âIâm sorry.â I whispered, shaking my head. âIâm sorry you two had to hear all of that.â
Milaâs brows raised in shock. âYouâre apologizing?â She gasped as if in disbelief that I actually was. She steps into the room and walks over to me.
She crouched beside the bed, her hands going to my knees.
Mila shakes her head. âYou have absolutely nothing to apologize for Soph. If anything, Riaâs the one who should apologize to you for allowing that asshat to enter our home.â
Mila turns around to give Ria a pointed look.
Ria is quick to defend herself. âHow was I supposed to know he was Ashtonâs dad? The guy was brooding and Ash is cuddly and cute. I didnât think they could be related.â She waved her hands at her sides frantically.
Milaâs eyes narrowed on her face. âThe two look exactly alike. Youâd be a fool to not put two and two together quickly Ria. Ash is the exact replica of Aiden.â
Mila rolled her eyes over Riaâs frame and snorted. âThen again you were always the dumbest one out of the three of us. Iâm guessing his handsome features distracted you enough for you to not use your brain the correct way.â
Ria blew out a breath, leaning against the doorframe. âStop slut shaming me Mila. Sure I found him handsome but youâd be fucking blind to think otherwise. In fact, Iâm more than a hundred percent sure even a blind person can see how hot Aiden is.â
Ria turns to face me and then narrows her eyes. âYou really didnât look like the kind who could fall for that bad boy type Soph. Iâm not going to lie, you surprise me.â
âWhat are you implying here Ria? That Sophie canât score a guy like Aiden?â Mila seethed lowly.
I rolled my eyes. Great. Those two will be at each otherâs throats in a few seconds. In fact, they already were.
âOf course not you prude! All I meant is that Sophie gives off that innocent and doll-like personality. Sheâs cuddly like Ash while Aiden seems.....cold and calculating. Itâs strange sheâs with him.â Ria shrugged.
âI was never with Aiden Ria. And you two need to stop your arguing. Itâs not going to help the situation.â I sighed heavily.
âAnd I donât blame you for letting Aiden in Ria. At some point, I shouldâve known that my karma for doing this to him would catch up to me. I just didnât know it would be this soon.â II sighed, moving my eyes away from the two of the girls to stare at my little boy I thought I was protecting his fragile little heart from his father but turns out I had made him miss out on that special bond with his dad.
What would he feel or say when he grows up and hear of what I had done? Would he resent me for ruining his chance with his dad before it even began? Or would he understand that I thought I was protecting him?
I shook my head.
I should not have been so hasty with my decision to not have told Aiden about Ash.
Maybe if I did, things would have been different than how they are now.
The Girl He Craves novel (Sophie and Aiden)
ï¤Chapter 58 The Billionaires Mistress ï¤Epilogue The Alpha and The Fool ï¤Chapter 30 âSo what youâre going to do now Soph?â Mila whispered, squeezing my leg.
I sighed heavily not knowing how to respond.
How can I when I donât know what happens now?
Aiden being Aiden has already started the game of chess with me. I didnât know his next move which had me terrified. How can I counter his move when I donât know where heâll move first?
The Billionaires Mistress The Alpha and The Fool