Chapter 7 - The Desperate Ambush
Desperation makes people dangerous. Marcus knew he had one final card to play: his biological tie to my son.
A week after Leo and I returned to the Vance estate, I took my baby for a walk in his bespoke stroller near the edge of the property’s private beach. Two security guards trailed at a discreet distance.
Suddenly, a figure burst from the tree line. It was Marcus.
He looked entirely unhinged. His designer suit was wrinkled, he hadn't shaved in days, and there was a manic glint in his eyes. He had bypassed the outer perimeter by swimming around the cliffside.
“Maya!” he shouted, lunging toward the stroller. “That’s my son! You can’t keep him from me!”
Before he could get within ten feet of us, the two security guards tackled him to the sand, pinning his arms behind his back.
I didn't scream. I didn't flinch. I slowly stepped forward and looked down at the man who had once been my whole world, now reduced to a pathetic, groveling mess in the dirt.
“Please, Maya!” he begged, spitting sand. “They took everything! Just give me a payout. Just give me five million, and I’ll sign away my parental rights forever! It’s pocket change to your mother!”
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I felt a cold wave of absolute disgust wash over me. He didn't want his son. He just wanted a payday.
“You’re right, Marcus,” I said softly, my voice carrying the exact same icy tone my mother used. “It is pocket change. But you aren't worth a single cent.”
