BILLIONAIRES: Father or Son

Chapter Thirty-Seven

FLORA'S POV

Melissa kept staring at Jayden, her eyes practically willing him to pay attention to her, but he seemed oblivious to her looks. Then Alex reached out, leaning forward to help dab at the stain, but I quickly intercepted him, taking it from his hand.

"I didn't mean to ruin your dress," Melissa said with fake sympathy.

I forced a polite smile, refusing to give her the reaction she was looking for. "It's fine, Ms. Pembroke. Accidents happen." I turned to the rest of the table. "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

Without waiting for a reply, I hurried toward the restroom, heels clicking on the polished floor as I made my escape. Tonight had just turned disastrous, and I was boiling with rage. Once I got to the restroom, I stared at myself in the mirror, taking deep breaths to calm both my embarrassment and my anger. I wet a paper towel under the faucet and began to blot the stain, muttering under my breath, "Just breathe, Flora. She's not worth it."

The door swung open, and to my surprise, Jayden strode in, his gaze locked on me. I instantly straightened, pulling myself back from the sink.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. "This is the ladies' room, Jayden. Get out."

He smirked, that familiar arrogance tugging at his features as he ignored my words and stepped closer. "Since when do you get to decide where I belong?" he replied, his tone challenging.

I didn't take a step back; I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me intimidated.

Then his features softened as he spoke again. "Flora, I'm... I'm sorry." His words sounded almost foreign coming from him, and he ran a hand through his hair, looking vulnerable in a way I hadn't seen before. "I am sorry for everything that happened. Please, come back. I miss you so much."

His confession hit me like a sucker punch, but I managed to keep my composure. "No, Jayden, you don't miss me," I replied, each word clipped. "What you miss is having someone around to make your life easier. You miss your maid, not your partner."

He reached for my hand, his grip desperate, pleading. "Flora, please. I made a mistake. I've seen that now. I am ready to be a better man, for you, for us. Please, let's give us another chance."

I looked down at our hands, a pang of something close to pity stirring, but I shook it off. "I gave you chance after chance, Jayden. Three years of excuses, of believing you could change." I pulled my hand from his grasp, taking a step back. "We're done, Jayden. We're divorced. That's not changing."

As I tried to leave, Jayden's grip tightened around my wrist, his expression darkening with anger.

"Is it because of him?" he spat. "The man with three failed marriages? Is that why you wore this slutty dress? To impress him? Flora, you're better than this. You didn't have to sleep with him to land a job or get a better place to live."

His words were like a slap, each one stinging more than the last. My jaw dropped, and tears pricked at my eyes. But I refused to let him see me break. Jerking my wrist free, I faced him with a squared gaze.

"It's my damn life, Jayden," I replied, my voice trembling with rage. "And I'll live it however I please, just like you did—getting your ex-girlfriend pregnant while we were still married. What I do or who I see is none of your business." I turned to leave again, but he grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

"Come back here, Flora. I'm not done talking to you," he demanded.

"Let her go. Right now."

I spun around to see Alex standing at the entrance, his eyes sharp and blazing with anger as he looked at Jayden.

"Or what?" Jayden challenged, his grip tightening. "You don't have any right to be here or meddle because what I discuss with my wife is none of your concern."

"I am not your wife anymore, Jayden," I said, struggling but failing to keep my voice steady.

Alex stepped into the restroom. "I don't care what she is to you, but tonight, she is here with me, I am responsible for her, and I won't stand by and let you hurt a woman."

Jayden laughed, his tone dripping with bitterness. "Hurt a woman? This is rich coming from a man who couldn't keep three women in four years!"

"What's going on here?" a familiar female voice asked.

We turned to see Melissa standing at the door, her eyes flickering with irritation as she took in the scene. Her gaze settled on Jayden's grip on my arm, then shifted to me, eyes narrowing with disdain.

"I always knew you were a whore in disguise and a raving gold-digger, latching onto one loaded man after another. All that pretending to be the perfect little wife must be really exhausting. Isn't this what you really want?"

"Melissa, that's enough," Jayden said sharply, but she ignored him, her tone only growing sharper.

"That's enough? You came here with me, Jayden, and now you're clinging to the woman who left you barely a month ago and is now draping herself over a man old enough to be her father." She turned to me again with a scornful look. "How many times did you have to open your legs to him to get that dress?"

Alex took a step towards her, his expression darkening with fury, and Jayden's grip on me finally loosened. I quickly stepped away, placing myself between Alex and Melissa, though I knew Alex wouldn't actually harm her.

"Watch your mouth, young lady," he warned, his voice dangerously low.

I turned to Melissa. Since she wanted to sling mud, then so be it. I gave her a pointed look and said, "At least, I'm parading with a man who is single to the core. But tell me, Melissa, how many times did you have to spread your legs for a married man to get him to plant his seed in you? How hard did you work for that? It's a pity that with all your beauty, fame, and affluence, you still couldn't get your own man. Instead, you settled for being a homewrecker to feel worthy. A bloody homewrecker—that is what you are, and you should remember that for the rest of your life."

Melissa's mouth fell wide open, but I didn't give her the time to recover before I turned on my heels and walked out of the restroom with Alex right behind me. I could feel their shocked silence following us as we made our way back to the restaurant.

Tears blurred my vision as we reached our table. Mr. Milton was still there, staring quizzically at me, but I didn't care. I grabbed my jacket and walked straight out of the restaurant, Alex beside me, not saying a word.

I wasn't really crying because of what Jayden or Melissa had said to me. I was crying because Alex knew my secret now, and I doubted he would ever see me the same way again. No matter where I go, Jayden always finds a way to ruin my life.