"She's my daughter." Bryan turned around and walked away from the crowd. Only his silhouette was visible in the dim light just as the ballroom doors slowly closed.
The guests who had been challenging him now looked like tame animals. Some bowed their heads and held back their embarrassment. The fear on their faces was clear. But not for one person.
"How is it possible that the daughter of the Hart family is involved with two men at the same time?" said the old man.
"Why not? Don't you also have many mistresses? If men can do it, why can't women?" she said sarcastically.
Alexa walked closer to the old man and whispered to him.
"You know Hanna." The corners of her lips curled upward when she saw the man's fear at hearing that name.
His body felt cold, he swallowed before speaking. "How do you know?"
"Get out of here before I expose all your secrets." She said in a threatening tone. The old man immediately ran away, he didn't want the reputation he had built over the years to be destroyed overnight.
Alexa took a deep breath and stared at Sean, who was standing in the middle of the crowd. Their gazes locked, but were soon broken by Liora's presence. She snorted. She turned her face away to look at El, who was walking towards her.
"This child is the heir to the Pierce family. El is this child's dad." Alexa said, putting an end to all the chaos that had ensued. They then left with their hands intertwined. A pair of eyes stared sharply. Her hands clenched into fists.
"S-Sean." Liora grabbed Sean's arm, but he immediately pushed her away. Sean also left.
Alaric immediately climbed onto the podium to apologize for the chaos that had occurred. He also condemned anyone who had insulted his daughter in law and future grandchild.
***
The mansion door opened, and she heard the cough of a man she knew very well. Alexa closed her eyes, then acted as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, so you still remember that this is your home. Haven't you become Mrs. Pierce?" he said mockingly.
"Oh, really? At least wait until this child is born." she said, glancing briefly at her interlocutor.
"You!" he growled.
Ignoring Sean, Alexa chose to lean back in a chair and eat some biscuits on the table.
Sean took a deep breath, then spoke. "How many times have I told you to stay away from El. AND HE'S NOT THE DAD OF MY CHILD!"
"Why? Didn't I already tell you that El is more suited to be the dad of the baby I'm carrying? Where have you been all this time? Even when people thought it was wrong, where were you? You didn't even know how he was developing each month. Only El truly loves this child. You don't care that much! You're just saving your reputation! You coward!" Alexa poured out everything with intense emotion. There was only a fierce glare this time.
Hearing the last word made his hands clench. His tone rose slightly. "THIS IS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU, LEXIE. If only you hadn't trapped me back then. Maybe…"
"Maybe this child wouldn't exist! Maybe you'd be happy with Liora and love her child. You don't care about this child because I'm the mom, right? Because I'M NOT LIORA, THE WOMAN YOU LOVE." Alexa interrupted.
Sean shook his head slowly. "Lexie. It's not like that. I love my child very much."
"After this child is born, I promise I won't bother you anymore." Alexa walked up the stairs one step at a time, her heart feeling very heavy.
She tried to take a deep breath, looking up to hold back her tears. Then she spoke. "If you don't love and accept me, I beg you, love him. Be the best father in the world to him."
Sean felt as if his body had been cut into pieces. Shattered. He leaned his head back against the chair, staring at the ceiling. Alexa's face kept flashing before his eyes. Followed by her voice echoing in his mind. Sean rubbed his face roughly. His hand reached for the whiskey bottle, then took a sip. Hoping he would feel better after this. His gaze now shifted to the photo hanging on the wall. Two people wearing high school uniforms, both laughing freely. They were very happy. Sean and Alexa were happy, unlike what was happening now.
Footsteps were heard entering a room, his body fell onto the king size bed. Next to him was a woman who was fast asleep. His hand moved to touch the woman's stomach where the child was, he pressed his body closer and hugged her. It was something he did routinely in the middle of the night after Alexa fell asleep. Sean really liked this, it felt very strange. Maybe this was what they called blood ties being thicker than anything else. He didn't like it when El touched his property.
***
Alexa got into the car with some files in her hands. Today she had a prenatal check-up scheduled. She was already six months pregnant. Her hand gently caressed her belly, which felt bigger than before. She frowned when she realized the car hadn't started moving yet. Soon, the car door opened. Sean got in wearing a different shirt than usual.
"I'm not going to the office. Today is the check-up, right?" he said, noticing the look of confusion on Alexa's face. She simply nodded in response.
After thinking about Alexa's words, Sean realized she was right. He had been too careless as a dad, especially regarding his child's monthly development. He had never even listened to the baby's heartbeat. Maybe today would be the first time.