He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 401

Scarlett finished her piece, hung up the phone without hesitation, and swiftly blocked the number.

On the other end of the line, Sylvia Stetson was trembling with rage, nearly coughing up blood. When she tried calling back, she was met with nothing but a dial tone.

A fire burned in her chest, suffocating her. Consumed by a toxic mix of jealousy and fury, her shaking fingers dialed Julian's number.

"Julian, you bastard!" she shrieked the second he answered. "You abandoned your wife and child! You and that bitch Scarlett will get what's coming to you! I'm telling you, losing me was the biggest mistake of your life! I've been recognized by the Schmidt Family, and I'm about to become a top executive! I'll be your client! If you don't kick Scarlett out of Croft Design Studio right now, I swear I will destroy her!"

It was the middle of the night. Julian gripped his phone, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. His voice was like shattered glass.

"Sylvia, have I been too patient with you? Calling me in the middle of the night just to bark like a rabid dog?"

"Listen to me very carefully. If you harass us one more time, I will hold a press conference and release your son's paternity test to the world. Let's see if the Schmidt Family can survive that kind of humiliation."

"Fuck off."

Julian hung up, the anger in his chest bubbling like magma, leaving him restless and burning.

He was staying at the Croft Residence tonight. His mother, Elara Chapman, was a light sleeper. Hearing the muffled shout from his room, she threw on a robe and hurried in.

"Julian, what is it? Who are you yelling at in the middle of the night?"

Julian's heart clenched painfully. "Mom, why didn't you tell me any of this? I had no idea she treated you both like that behind my back."

Elara offered a bitter smile and shook her head. "Parents just want their children to have successful careers and happy homes. Your work was so important back then; we couldn't bear to distract you. Besides, your father always felt that because you and Sylvia spent so much time apart, you owed her some grace. We thought we should be forgiving. We thought we were family."

She patted his shoulder. "I know it hurts. What man wouldn't be devastated? But the Crofts have always been forgiving. We always leave a way out. That child... he was still part of our family for a time. We loved him. If you announced to the world that he was illegitimate, it would ruin his life..."

Julian lowered his eyes, a dark, mocking sneer curving his lips.

"You put yourselves in that kid's shoes... but his own mother clearly doesn't share your sentiment. Otherwise, she wouldn't have done something as psychotic as feeding him sleeping pills."