Paul's POV
We are waiting for the CEO to arrive. I look at James and say, "I bet he is not as handsome as us."
James laughs as he looks back at me and says, "We will soon drive him out of town."
We were in a playful mood, and the two sisters went to stand in front so they could see whether the CEO was a handsome young man or an older man with a fat belly. I wish he is an attractive young man, so they will bother him all night and not us. I am really tired of these socialites we have been dating since we were sixteen. I am ready for a real woman, but women fall at our feet, and we hardly get any challenge at all. I am tired of this lifestyle. I am about ready to settle down and maybe have kids. I never wanted to settle down because I had not found the right woman yet, and for two, my parents are bugging me about having grandchildren, and I know I can be stubborn. Lately, I have been going against their wishes all the time. Finally, the limo pulls up, and a beautiful young woman gets out.
"Dips," I say to James.
He looks at me and says, "Unfair!" but then a little boy about five or six years steps out of the limo and takes her hand.
James laughs and says, "You can have her."
Another young woman gets out, and this time James says, "Dips" But I do not care as I can not take my eyes of the woman in the blue dress. She is a beauty.
Everyone waits for the CEO to get out, but the door closes, and James says, "Well, looks like he did not come."
The young woman in blue and the little boy walk to the podium, and the next moment I feel my world collapse around me as she starts her speech.
"I am Isabella Johnson, the CEO of Charlie's place." Her speech continues, but I stand there frozen. I look at the little boy, and I know he is mine.
He looks just like me. James is frozen to his spot as well, and I hear him say, "We are in big trouble, bro."
After her speech, I heard a reporter ask about her being part of the Johnson family and about being married to me, and if the boy was my son. I wait with a fast-beating heart for her answer.
She walks back to the podium, and I can see her blue eyes are as cold as ice and her face even harder as she answers, " "I once was the daughter of the Johnson family, and yes, I once was married to Mr. Stevens, but I am no longer part of any one of those families as for my son, he is only mine! I opened Charlie's place without any help from those two families, and I would appreciate it if you never associated my son or me with them again. Any other questions?"
"We are in bigger trouble than I thought," I hear James say.
"You think you are in trouble? My mother and father are going to skin me alive." I say.
James looks at me and says, "He looks just like you" There is chaos in my head and heart at this moment. I do not know if I should start running away or just go and confess to my parents what I did six years ago. Not only did I make a grandchild that night, but I also signed him away as well.
I do not know what to think as we all walk in. The sisters are disappointed it is not a man, but they can not believe it is the same Isabella from six years back, neither can I, but I say nothing. I need time to think. Of all the scenarios I have dreamed of, this was the last one I expected to happen. We walk in and see her sitting in the VIP section with the mayor and his wife. They are talking and laughing and drinking champagne. I see she only sips on hers. I can not look away. I can not believe that she has changed so much. I look at the little boy that sits there looking a bit bored, playing on a cell phone in his hand as she takes the last sip of her champagne. I got an idea. I want to see how she reacts when she sees me again. I call the waiter and order a glass of the most expensive champagne there is and send it over to her. I see his point in my direction, and I lift my glass as she looks up into my eyes. Her eyes are as cold as ice, and there is not even a smile on her face. I see her son gets up, and he and the waiter walk over to us. I will talk to my son for the first time, and I feel a warmth in my heart.
When he gets to our table, he looks at me and says, "Sorry, sir, my mother is a very classy woman. She is used to classy men. Please do not send her any more drinks or dare to talk to her. She will never be interested in an obvious playboy like you." Before I can say anything to the little brat, he walks off like a little prince.
I smile and say, "He is definitely my son." I see him go to the bathroom and look as Isabella asks the waiter something, then she looks over to me and laughs. She laughs, but her eyes stay hard.
I look at her and think, challenge accepted, Isabella Stevens, you might have changed your surname, but soon you will change it back again. No other man will be a stepfather to my son! He is mine as much as he is yours. I might have signed him away in my stupid youthful drunkenness, but I will get him back and his mother as well. Jasmine, the sister I came with, sees the little spell between Isabella and me, and I can see she looks unhappy, but I cannot touch her for the life of me, and I do not want her to touch me. I do not want my son to think I am a playboy. I want him to think I am worthy of his mother and a "classy" man, like the men his mother dates. Damn, why don't I like the sound of it? I see him return from the bathroom, and I just stare at him. I am instantly in love with my son. I see Isabella get up, and the rest follow her. She bid us all goodnight and thanked us for joining her for a night full of fun and good food. As they walked out, I wanted to get up, but there were many big bulky guys following them. I stay seated, and then I wonder. How did she do it in just six years? Does she have a wealthy backer? Or even worst, a rich man in her life?
After they left, I decided to go home as well. I am not in the mood to party anymore. Jasmine decides to stay. I knew she was mad at me and thought I would beg her to forgive me, but I just got up, and I walked out before she could change her mind. I am not in the mood for her anyway. As I walk to my car, I see the speech Isabella made is already on the news, and there are close-ups of her and my son. I went home, and I waited for the phone to ring, I knew my father was going to call me, but to my surprise, my mother called.
"Hi, mom." My mother does not even say hi.
"Do you care to explain to me why I never knew I had a grandson and why your ex-wife wants nothing to do with us?"
I don't really know what to answer, so I say, "I only found out about him myself tonight, mom."
But she doesn't buy it, "Well, I guess you will explain to me then why you never told me that you slept with her and that there is a possibility of a grandchild."
I sigh. "Mom, it was one night, and I was drunk."
She thinks a bit and says, "I will get a lawyer on this. She can not keep him away from us!"
I am in trouble now as I will have to explain to her what I have done, "Mom, I was young and arrogant. So I kind of sign him away with the divorce agreement."
My mom goes quiet, and I think she might have had a stroke, then she asks in a dangerously soft, angry voice, "What do you mean you signed him away? Get over to the house immediately and bring that divorce agreement with you. And I mean NOW, Paul!"
So I go to my safe, take out the agreement, and get into my car to drive to my parents' house. As I walk in, my dad grabs the agreement and looks through it. His lawyers are there as well.
He hands it to them and says, "Find a loophole, anything!" But, of course, I know there is none, as I know the lawyer who did it is one of the best.
My mother sits on the couch. I can see she is crying. "What have you done to that poor girl six years back, Paul? I have never seen someone look that cold and sound that cold before. You and her family, what have you done?"
I look at my mother, and I tell her what happened at my house that night. I tell her everything. I did not know her parents chased her away and that her brother never answered her calls. I only found out the next day after I had sobered up. Then, my mom walks over to me and slaps me. I know I deserve it, but I never thought in my life my mother would slap me.
"Mom, I deserve it, I did pay her a big amount and an amount a month, but I only recently found out that she never used the money." Then, my father and the lawyers come out of the study, and he does not look happy.
"There is nothing we can do; this i***t signed our grandson away." My mom started crying again.
She looks at me and says, "You better fix this, Paul! Or I will never forgive you! I will try to go and talk to her tomorrow. I just hope she can forgive me for having you as a son!"
I look at my mother, then at my father, who is trying to hold in his anger in front of the lawyers, but I know he will give me an earful as soon as they go, so I just sit on the couch waiting for the storm. My whole life is in chaos after just one night.
Finally, my mother, Elaine Stevens, gets up and starts crying again. "I am going to bed." She says as she looks at my dad and me one last time before she leaves.
"You really did it this time son, I know she was an ugly fat little girl back then, but you slept with her, and you did not even use protection. So now she is here to destroy our business, and in just six years, we are already feeling the deep impact of what she has achieved. But you know what? That is not the main reason I am even angry. The main reason is I will never get to know my grandson!" My dad goes to sit in the chair and look at me. It seems like he has aged about five years in one night.
"I will fix it, dad," I say, but he shakes his head.
"No, I will go with your mother, and if she will see us and allow us into our grandson's life, you stay out of it, and you stay away from them, do you understand me, Paul?"
I look at my dad, and I am immediately angry. "He is my son! I will never stay away from him!"
My dad looks at me and says, "YOU signed him away six years ago, even before he was born! So you have no say in this at all!" Then my dad gets up and walks out, leaving me alone. I drive back to my house. I will not give them up. I am sorry, but this time I will not give them up!