Broken Ties: The Billionaire's True Heiress

My daughter had her first school open house today, but my husband said he was too busy with work to come. Yet when I walked into the classroom, I saw him with his arms around his first love and her son, smiling with all the warmth in the world. My daughter didn't understand. She called out "Daddy" right in front of everyone. Vanessa's son immediately shoved her hard, sending her crashing to the floor. "You bad girl! Don't you have your own dad? Who said you could call my dad that?" My husband stood by, watching coldly, before bending down to scoop Vanessa's son into his arms. "Don't go calling random people your father. I don't have a daughter. Leo is my only son." Vanessa turned to me with a sneer. "Like mother, like daughter. You throw yourselves at any man you see." "My husband might be the CEO of Hayes Enterprises, but that doesn't mean just anyone can climb their way into our family." Desperate to kiss their rings, the surrounding parents joined in. They called my daughter a bastard and demanded that we get kicked out of the school. With my heart turned to ash, I dialed that number. "You always said you wanted to be a father to my daughter. Here's your chance." The second I saw Julian, I froze in place. He reacted instantly, grabbing my arm and pulling me into a quiet corner. "Stop making a scene, Chloe. Leo grew up without a father. I just took pity on the kid and agreed to play his dad for a day." "I had no idea he was in the same class as our daughter. But since I promised him, you need to tell Mia to keep her mouth shut. Don't blow my cover. She cannot call me Daddy today, or the other kids will laugh at Leo." My mind raced. Once the weight of his words finally sank in, a bitter laugh escaped my lips. "So that's why you lied to me?" Guilt flashed through his eyes. This was our daughter's very first elementary school open house. We were supposed to attend together. Instead, he bailed, claiming he had an emergency meeting at the office. Yet when I arrived, I found Vanessa's son clinging to his chest, whining playfully. And Julian was gazing down at Vanessa with pure, doting affection. A handsome man, a pretty woman, and a child. The sight had the other parents showering them with compliments. "Look at Mr. Hayes. Rich, successful, and such a devoted family man. Married for so many years and still this affectionate. What a catch." "Seriously. Mine claims he's too swamped with business to show up. Meanwhile, Mr. Hayes runs a multi-million-dollar empire and still makes time for his family. Talk about frustrating!" Hayes Enterprises had skyrocketed over the past few years, quickly breaking into the city's top five corporations. Julian was at the peak of his glory. Almost every parent in this room knew his name. Vanessa gave a shy, demure smile. "I told Julian he didn't have to come if work was crazy, but he insisted. He actually canceled a multi-million-dollar contract just to be here." "He told me money can always be made again, but a child's milestone only happens once. You can't buy back lost memories." Julian reached over and stroked her hair tenderly. That simple gesture drew gasps of pure envy from the crowd. The three of them looked like the picture-perfect, loving family. As if my daughter and I were nothing more than unwanted strangers.Julian lowered his voice, his tone sharp and full of unearned rage. "If I lied, it's because of you! If you were as gracious and understanding as other women, would I need to hide things from you?" "I just didn't want you overthinking. Look at you, throwing a tantrum like a lunatic. This is exactly why I didn't tell you." Suddenly, a loud cry broke through the air. Mia was sprawled on the floor, her knee gashed and bleeding against the sharp edge of a desk. My heart stopped. I rushed forward and pulled her into my arms. The culprit stood nearby, grinning maliciously. "Serves you right, you little liar! Who said you could call my dad yours? Don't you have a dad? You're so shameless trying to steal mine!" Julian walked over. Mia looked up at him through tears, her tiny voice shaking. "Daddy... I'm not a liar. Tell him... tell him you're my daddy." Julian looked down at her with nothing but cold detachment. Then he turned away, lifting Vanessa's son into his arms. "Stop calling me that. I am not your father. I don't have a daughter. Leo is my only son." Hearing that, Leo taunted her even louder. "Liar! You have no daddy! Liar, with no daddy!" Ever since Julian's first love came back with her kid, he had neglected us constantly for their sake. He never acknowledged me as his wife in public. He even took Vanessa as his plus-one to high-profile charity galas. He always claimed she was a struggling single mother and needed the networking opportunities to build a career. Because of that, the entire social circle assumed they were married. Before today, I endured it all because I loved him, as long as I could stay by his side. But now, they were tormenting my daughter. I wasn't going to swallow it anymore. "Julian Hayes. Say it again. Are you, or are you not, my daughter's father?"Perhaps because I rarely called him by his full name, he froze. For a second, I thought he might finally come to his senses. Then, my phone buzzed with a Snapchat notification. *Chloe, have you lost your mind? I told you not to blow my cover today!* *Go tell everyone it was all a misunderstanding! Tell them our daughter has nothing to do with me! Are you really going to ruin Leo's day and embarrass everyone just to feel good about yourself?* I didn't care about Leo's feelings. All I knew was that my daughter's heart was breaking. Why did my baby have to be called a liar? Why couldn't my daughter even acknowledge her own father? "Ma'am, what nonsense are you talking about?" Julian said loudly, his voice filled with icy disdain. "Who your child's father is has nothing to do with me." He still refused to admit it. "Is that so?" I sneered. "So the man who's been sleeping in my bed every night for years was a ghost? Or did my daughter miraculously conceive herself without a father?" "You're truly unbelievable, Julian. Disowning your own flesh and blood just to play daddy to someone else's kid." I turned to my daughter, my voice gentle but resolute. "Mia, baby, listen to Mommy. You are not a liar. The real liar is the coward who doesn't even have the spine to admit he's your father." Mia nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks.Julian's face darkened into an ugly scowl. Another text buzzed on my screen. *Chloe, my patience has limits. I'm giving you one last warning: tell everyone this was a misunderstanding.* *Skip the open house. Clear this up, take your kid, and get the hell out of here. I'll deal with you when I get home.* I let out a cold laugh and blocked him on Snapchat instantly. The parents trying to butter up Julian burst out laughing after hearing what I said. "Hahaha! Chloe, who do you think you are? Look at yourself in the mirror! You don't even hold a candle to Mrs. Hayes! The CEO of Hayes Enterprises knocking you up? Keep dreaming!" "Exactly! You think a few cheap words will fool us? Mr. Hayes takes his wife to every high-society event. Everyone knows how madly in love they are. You're just a pathetic gold-digger trying to leech off him!" Vanessa walked over, wearing an expression of pure, tearful grievance. She twisted the truth without blinking an eye. "Honestly, I didn't want to bring this up. My husband is an incredible man, and God knows how many desperate women try to crawl into his bed." "Our kids are in the same class, so I wanted to save her some dignity. But you all have no idea—Mia's mother has been trying to seduce Julian for months." "She used school events as an excuse to break into my house, stripped naked, and got into Julian's bed. She even taught her daughter to help her trap my husband!" "Like mother, like daughter. Completely shameless." The moment she finished, Julian chimed in without hesitation. "Yes. I can confirm everything Vanessa just said is the truth." "I tried to spare her some embarrassment, but she crossed the line. Claiming her child is mine... what will that do to Leo's head? She's utterly vile."Emboldened by Julian's backing, the surrounding parents grew downright hostile. Some of them even stepped forward to shove me. "You homewrecking bitch! Trying to tear apart such a lovely couple! Mr. and Mrs. Hayes are too polite to handle you, but we aren't! We'll teach you a lesson for them!" Pencils, heavy textbooks, and board erasers flew through the air, raining down on me. I didn't care about the bruises. I curled my body tightly around my daughter, shielding her with everything I had. "Mr. Hayes is far too kind! How did a woman like this even get her kid into this elite academy? How are we supposed to feel safe with her around?" "When the homeroom teacher gets here, we're demanding both of them get kicked off campus! Expel the girl immediately! Such morally bankrupt trash doesn't belong in our school!" The parents reached an instant, self-righteous consensus. Someone shoved again, and their attacks started shifting directly toward my daughter. "Enough!" I screamed, my voice raw with fury. "Attack me all you want! But Julian—are you really going to stand there and watch your own daughter get beaten to death?"