Chapter 7 - The Ex-Fiancé’s Revenge
Winter turned to early spring, and the Pierce estate blossomed into a paradise.
The romance between Julian and Maya flourished quietly away from the prying eyes of the media. Julian was a changed man. He worked shorter hours, spent his afternoons in the gardens helping Maya, and had grown utterly devoted to little Emma.
Emma was now a year old, taking her first wobbly steps across the plush rugs of the mansion, calling Julian "Ju-Ju"—a nickname that brought an unashamed grin to the young billionaire's face every single time. Julian had even installed a handcrafted wooden swing set near the orchard for her.
They were a family in every sense that mattered.
However, dark clouds were gathering on the horizon.
One sunny April afternoon, while Maya was near the iron entrance gates inspecting the blooming hydrangeas, a dusty rental car pulled up to the gate.
A man stepped out. He wore a rumpled leather jacket, cheap sunglasses, and had an arrogant, oily posture.
Maya froze, the brass shears slipping from her hand, clattering against the stone pavement.
It was Brandon—Emma’s biological father. The man who had emptied her bank account and abandoned her in a dingy apartment eighteen months ago.
"Well, well, well," Brandon drawled, taking off his sunglasses, looking at the breathtaking estate with greedy, wide eyes. "Look at you, Maya. Living like a queen while I've been struggling in Chicago."
Maya’s voice went icy cold. "What are you doing here, Brandon?"
"I saw the news," Brandon smiled, stepping closer to the iron bars. "A picture of you dancing with billionaire Julian Pierce at some fancy gala made the front page of the tabloids. 'The Cinderelly Gardener,' they called you. I realized my daughter was living in a palace."
Maya felt a sudden, terrifying surge of rage and fear. "She is not your daughter! You abandoned her before she was even born! You took every cent I had and left us to starve!"
"Legal papers say otherwise, sweetheart," Brandon sneered, pulling a crumpled paper from his pocket. "I’m her biological father. My name is on the birth certificate. And if I file for full custody, alleging that you're an unfit mother living out of wedlock with a wealthy man... well, a judge might decide Emma belongs with me."
Maya felt as though the ground had opened up beneath her feet. "You monster... you don't care about Emma! You don't even know her!"
"I care about money," Brandon said flatly, dropping the mask. "I hear your billionaire boyfriend has deep pockets. Five hundred thousand dollars, Maya. Tell him to wire five hundred grand to my account, or I file for custody tomorrow morning and drag your sweet little fairytale through every sleazy tabloid in the country."
"She won't be giving you a single penny."
A door slammed, and Julian walked down the driveway, his posture terrifyingly cold, flanked by Marcus, his chief of security.
Brandon flinched slightly at the sight of the tall, powerful billionaire, but quickly forced a confident smirk. "Ah, Mr. Pierce. The savior. I was just telling Maya about my legal rights as a father—"
"You have no rights here," Julian cut in, his voice dropping into an octave that made the air freeze. "You are a deadbeat parasite who committed grand larceny when you stole twenty-four thousand dollars from Maya’s account eighteen months ago."
Brandon turned pale. "That... that was a private matter between partners!"
"It was a criminal offense," Julian corrected coldly. "My legal team spent the last three weeks investigating your background, Brandon. We know about your gambling debts in Nevada. We know about the arrest warrant for fraud in Illinois. And we know that Harrison Vance paid you twenty thousand dollars to come here today to try to ruin Maya’s reputation."
Maya gasped, looking at Julian in shock. "Harrison Vance?!"
Julian nodded looking at Brandon with pure contempt. "Harrison thought he could use you to break us. But you made a fatal mistake coming here."
Marcus stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Brandon’s shoulder. "State troopers are waiting down the road, sir. You're under arrest for interstate fraud, extortion, and outstanding warrants."
Brandon’s arrogance vanished into sheer terror. "Wait! No! Maya, tell them! I'm Emma’s father!"
Maya stepped forward looking Brandon straight in his coward eyes without a single trace of fear left in her soul.
May you like
"You were never her father, Brandon," Maya said with fierce, absolute conviction. "Julian is."
As the police pulled up and dragged Brandon away in handcuffs, Julian wrapped his arm around Maya pulling her tightly against his chest as she wept tears of relief.
