Page 23 of The Billionaire's Contract Baby

I spun round and faced her. "Make this better? Rewind time and get back the lost time I didn't get to be with my son because of your selfishness…"

"I wasn't selfish!" she retorted.

"Then what do you call it? Because it looks that way to me!" I bellowed, my anger rising to the surface again.

"I was protecting him. I would have given him a simple and ordinary life free of…"

"Don't give me that bull, Crystal. Alfred is my son, my blood. He is a Rosii and that's his birthright. He can't live a simple life! All I have would be handed over to him. He is not a child picked up on the street; he has my blood flowing through his veins… a line of great legacy he would live up to. There is no way you…" I was now in front of her, poking her chest with a finger, “could ever protect him alone. I am his father, and I can do that. Do you think you can protect him from disease by having access to life saving healthcare? Give him the life of opulence and comfort he deserves? Tell me, Crystal. Prove me wrong!"

"No! I cannot, but I can give him love and a meaningful life beyond fame and money. He deserves that at least." She shot the words back at me, showing her defiant side.

"That's laughable. You mean to say that I can't show love to my own child? In what world of delusions are you living in? I know what's best for him and you…are nothing. You could never give him what he really needs," I scoffed and looked away. I was rather harsh with my words. There was pain in her eyes. I hated what my anger made me do.

Tears streamed down her face, and she clutched her chest. “Don’t say that! He is also my son, my own blood. I went through the pain of surgery just to have him come into this world. I know the pain I went through just to recover and take care of him. You have no right to stand in front of me and say this. You've only known him for what?... Five minutes and already think you can dictate how he'll live his life. Stop dreaming, Lorenzo. I'm tired of begging and feeling sorry for doing nothing evil. So what? I hid him from you, but I never had any bad intentions. I have been the best mother to him, so what can you boast, huh?" Her voice echoed eerily in the room.

I clenched my jaw, biting back the cruel words I was about to say. “You never gave me the chance, remember? Take a minute to look at yourself before you point an accusing finger at me." My words stopped her in her tracks. We stood face to face - anger in my eyes and something like shame in hers. We said nothing, taking sharp breaths.

"Mama?... Mama!" Alfred's voice cut through the tension. I immediately walked to the door and opened it. Crystal rushed out before I could. From Alfred's voice, I knew he was crying. I followed a step behind her.

When we entered his room, we saw that Alfred had made it out of the crib and was crying on the floor. Crystal got to him, scooped him up, and consoled him. I stood behind, watching them. I didn't know what to do or say; I felt like an intruder in an intimate moment.

Alfred stopped crying and laid his head on Crystal's shoulder. It felt warm and homey, and I wanted that too: to have a family that I could wrap my arms around and feel contentment. To be a shield as a father and lover for my family. I felt hurt, seeing as this chance had been taken away from me. What would it have been like if I had Alfred with me now and… I looked at Crystal closely…and Crystal with me in my home. She would be my wife and I'd be her husband, and more than that - man with a family. I already had all a man could ever want - except a family - something Luna made sure I never had due to her greed.

Crystal turned to face me with guarded eyes. At that moment, I made my decision. My chance with her was gone, but I still had a chance with my son, and I'd do everything for that. I swallowed, steeling my heart. I must do this. "Crystal, Alfred is my son and… I think it's high time he came home with me. He'd live a better life away from here." I didn't extend the invitation to her. I could not bring myself to trust her around me. What if there were other lies, she was hiding. How could I trust such a person?

I saw the shock and pain in her eyes. She understood the importance of what I said. “Lorenzo, please don't. You can't take my son away from me. You just can't." She pleaded, tears in her eyes. She spoke in a low voice so as not to startle Alfred. I felt like a jerk, but I didn't care.

"I can and I will. Expect my lawyers to call very soon. It will be quick and short, and then I'll have no further interaction with you ever again." I turned away and walked out of the room. My shaking legs somehow took me to the door. She did not follow, and I was too numb to look back or care what she thought or felt. I'd have my son back, and then I could forget she ever existed.

Chapter 12

CRYSTAL

Hecouldn'tdothat.He shouldn't. "No! You can't take him from me," I screamed. That startled Alfred awake. I set him down in his crib and ran out of the room. Lorenzo was already leaving, so I chased after him. "Lorenzo, you can't do this." He ignored me, his back a wall separating us. Antonio was already opening the car door.

He got in the car and the door was about to close. I pushed Antonio aside and held the door open. Lorenzo stared back at me with cold eyes. For a moment, I couldn't say anything. Then I summoned the courage to speak, "Can you reconsider. This is not the right thing to do. Think about what Alfred wants. You can see him whenever you want; just don't take him away from me." He looked as if he was going to say something, then he pulled the door close, and I flinched. The car drove away and with it my hope.

Although it was dark, my heart felt darker. I trudged back to my apartment, nonetheless. Closing the door, I sank to my knees and let the tears fall. I could not console myself. Biting my lips, I suppressed the horrible sound I would have made. My mind was in turmoil. I was going to lose my son soon, and I had no power whatsoever to fight against the powerful Lorenzo. I could not begin to imagine what I would do without Alfred.

Suddenly, I felt weak. I pulled myself up from the floor and walked to my room. I peeked into Alfred's room and saw he was already sleeping. Sighing to myself, I reached my room and flopped on my bed. The ruffled sheets reminded me of what had happened between us about an hour ago. If only I had been wiser. I would have sent him out before Jen returned. That wasn't what happened. I was consumed by his presence and now this...

Laden with guild, I felt I deserved it. No matter what I said to defend myself, Lorenzo's anger was justified, but I couldn't begin to imagine a life without Alfred in it. I remembered nights I stayed up late just to take care of him, nights when I shared my dreams with him and he smiled, giving me his childish support. I was about to lose all that, and I was powerless to do anything.

The fatigue and jet lag hit all at once, making me drowsy. Since I was crying, my eyelids felt too heavy to keep them up. I breathed in the scent of Lorenzo, and even with what had occurred, I felt wrapped in warmth and safety. I fell asleep with a question on my mind.

I woke up the next day still tired and depressed. It felt even worse, knowing what was coming next. I slept fitfully - waking up every hour to check on Alfred. I had an irrational fear that if I didn't keep an eye on him, he'd disappear. I had woken up early, just a few minutes past six a.m. Although I was tired, sleep had eluded me. I rose to my feet about to go check on Alfred again when my phone rang. It was in the living room, so I swiftly ro. I imagined that Lorenzo was calling because he had changed his mind, and I could keep Alfred. When I picked the phone from my bag on the table, I saw it was Jen. I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew it would be too good to be true if Lorenzo called to settle up. Clearing my throat, I managed, "Jen, Good morning… how are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I ought to be asking you that. How are you, Crystal? Because from what I saw last night, it looked like you were faced with the worst nightmare of your life. What happened? Who was that man? Is he Alfred's dad? Because he looked a lot like him." Her voice was contemplative. Even a fool drew that conclusion - putting Alfred and Lorenzo side by side was like putting an older Lorenzo beside his younger self.

I sat on the couch and ran a hand through my tangled hair. “Yes. That's his dad. Jen, I'm fine… Or I hope I will be, if things go right." I trailed off, recalling that any minute from now I would be facing either Lorenzo's lawyers or him at the office. No. I would not go to the office. It would be best to avoid him for a few days. Hopefully, he might forget I ever existed…. or I could leave the state.That would make it worse for you, Crystal.The voice was right. In fact, where was I going to run to? Lorenzo would not let me go.

"Hey! Crystal!" Jen's voice was loud enough to snap me out of my thoughts and take my phone away from my ear.

"Sorry, I can hear you. What did you say again?"

"If something is wrong, you know you can tell me, right? No matter how hard it is, I will do my best to help you out of the situation." The genuine concern in her voice touched me. She must think I'm in an abusive relationship with Lorenzo.

"Thanks, Jen. I'm fine. Lorenzo is a good man… it's just that things are bad, and it's my fault. Remember that boss I told you about? Yes, he is the one you saw yesterday." I didn't know how else to tell her the truth. Jen was quick, and she understood.

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