We Want Mommy Not You Daddy (Cedar) novel Chapter 220

Chapter 220

Cedar’s POV

The Sterling mansion glowed with warmth against the evening sky,

light spilling through floor–to–ceiling windows onto the manicured

lawn. My emotions, however, were as unsettled as Chicago’s

notoriously changeable weather. I pushed open the heavy oak door,

immediately greeted by the sound of excited voices.

“Mommy’s home!”

Before I could set down my leather portfolio bag, three small figures

rushed from the living room.

“Mommy, I miss you so much.” Oliver reached me first, his little arms

wrapping around my legs with surprising strength. Aria and Aiden

were only steps behind him.

I crouched down, spreading my arms as wide as possible to embrace

all three of them. The complex emotions from my earlier

conversation with Ethan momentarily receded, pushed back by the

wave of affection these children inspired.

“I missed you too, my little ones,” I said, planting a kiss on Oliver’s

1/8

Chapter 220

forehead. The scent of his apple shampoo was comfortingly familiar.

Oliver tilted his head, studying me with those perceptive eyes that

always seemed to see more than they should. “You look sad, Mommy.

Did something bad happen?”

This child’s intuition never ceased to amaze me. I sighed softly,

taking their hands as we walked toward the living room. The aroma of

Charles’s cooking wafted from the dining room, reminding me I

hadn’t eaten since morning.

“It’s nothing serious, just…” I hesitated, unsure how to explain the

day’s revelations to children, even ones as precocious as these.

“You can tell us,” Aiden said with the gravity of someone three times

his age. His eyes, so much like his father’s, held a steadiness I found

both comforting and unnerving.

I settled onto the plush sofa, the children arranging themselves

around me like satellites. “Ethan came to talk to me today. He told me

I’m his real sister. Apparently, I wasn’t abandoned by the Pierce

family as I always believed. I was switched with Emma when we were

babies.”

“So Emma isn’t really a Pierce?” Aria asked, her eyes widening with

surprise.

218

Chapter 220

“That’s right, sweetheart.” I nodded, wondering how Emma herself

would handle this news. “It’s complicated…”

“But why are you sad?” Oliver’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Don’t

you want to be a Pierce?”

Aria, ever thoughtful, glanced between her brothers before

suggesting, “If you don’t want to be a Pierce, you could marry into our

family instead.”

“Yeah!” Oliver chimed in enthusiastically. “We all love you, and Daddy

loves you too, even though he never says it.”

“Thank you. I love each of you very much too.” I ruffled Oliver’s hair

gently. “It’s not that I don’t want to be a Pierce. It’s just… sudden.

And a little overwhelming.”

I deliberately avoided mentioning Ridley. Just thinking about him

brought back the sting of his rejection. If he truly cared for me, he

wouldn’t have pushed me away like that. These children were still too

young to understand the complexities of adult emotions.

“If you become a Pierce, you’ll still live with us, right?” Aria asked, her voice betraying a hint of anxiety that tugged at my heart.

I fell silent, unsure how to answer. This question had been circling

3/8

Chapter 220

my own mind since my conversation with Ethan. Regardless of

whether I accepted my Pierce heritage, I couldn’t continue living here

indefinitely. Ridley had made his position clear–I wasn’t meant to be

a permanent fixture in this home. But I couldn’t bear to break these

sweet children’s hearts, at least not tonight.

“Did Daddy do something to upset you?” Oliver’s expression suddenly

turned serious, his small features set in a protective scowl.

“No, sweetheart, that’s not it,” I quickly assured him, though the

statement wasn’t entirely truthful. “This has nothing to do with your

father.” I didn’t want the children caught in whatever complicated

dynamic existed between Ridley and me.

“Dinner is served, Ms. Wright. And, Mr. Sterling won’t come back

tonight.” Charles appeared in the dining room doorway, his timing

impeccable as always.

“That’s okay,” I was already used to his absence. I stood, taking

Oliver’s small hand in mine. “Let’s eat, shall we? Charles made your

favorite roast chicken tonight. I can smell the rosemary from here.”

At the dining table, I watched the three children eating with impressive table manners for their age. My thoughts drifted back to my earlier interaction with Ridley, and suddenly, I remembered something I’d been too overwhelmed to properly process.

4/8

Chapter 220

“Aiden,” I asked softly, “what exactly does a five percent stake in

Sterling Design Group represent?”

Aiden set down his fork, his eyes lighting up with the intellectual

curiosity that always appeared when business matters were discussed.

“That’s a substantial holding, Mommy. Most shareholders don’t own

nearly that much. Five percent would be worth…” he paused, making

mental calculations, “around five hundred million dollars, depending

on current valuation.” He studied my expression carefully. “Why do

you ask? Did Dad give you shares?”

I was surprised by how quickly he’d guessed, nodding awkwardly.

Sometimes this child’s perceptiveness was downright startling.

“Really?” Oliver’s eyes widened with excitement. “Does this mean

you’re going to be part of the Sterling family officially?”

I hadn’t intended to discuss this, but with three pairs of eyes fixed

expectantly on me, I had little choice but to explain. “Your father has

apparently lost his mind. He’s transferring Sterling Group shares to

me and gifting me two properties…”

“How much exactly?” Aiden pressed, leaning forward with interest.

“Five percent.”

5/8

Chapter 220

“That’s it?” Oliver huffed indignantly. “Daddy’s being stingy! Aiden

has five percent too. You should get more than Aiden, Mommy!”

I took a deep breath, curiosity getting the better of me. “And what

about the three of you? How much does each of you own?”

Oliver pouted dramatically. “I only have two percent. Aria has four,

and Aiden has five.”

So Ridley had given me more shares than two of his own children.

The man had clearly lost his mind. Thank goodness I hadn’t signed

those papers yet.

Aria, who had been quietly eating until now, suddenly spoke. “Mom,

haven’t you considered that Dad might be dividing his assets?”

Something in her tone made me uneasy. I frowned slightly. “What do

you mean by that, Aria?”

“In wealthy families, when someone believes they might die, they

often distribute their wealth beforehand.” Her matter–of–fact delivery

of such a chilling thought sent a shiver down my spine. “Dad might be

allocating his estate. Besides what he’s giving you, we three probably

have received additional shares and properties too. Aiden could have

Henderson check.”

6/8

Chapter 220

Aiden nodded solemnly. “I’ll ask him tomorrow.”

“Wait!” I felt a cold knot forming in my stomach. “Your father said he just wanted to thank me for helping with you all. This has nothing to

do with dividing assets…”

And it certainly couldn’t be a deathbed distribution. The thought was

too disturbing to contemplate. ́

“Aria,” I continued, trying to keep my voice steady, “please don’t say

such ominous things.”

My heart was racing, a vague sense of foreboding settling over me. Why would Ridley suddenly decide to give me such valuable assets?

What wasn’t he telling me?

Aria’s innocent observation had planted a seed of worry that I

couldn’t easily dismiss.

Comments

Write Comments