His Heir, Her Secret - Chapter 49: Chapter 49
You are reading His Heir, Her Secret, Chapter 49: Chapter 49. Read more chapters of His Heir, Her Secret.
Isla
The courtroom had become a blur of murmurs and tension, but all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat, thudding like a warning drum. Lucien’s hand remained warm and steady in mine, an anchor amidst the chaos. Damon’s move had been bold—filed through a backdoor family court motion under the guise of concern, claiming Lucien’s public declaration had “endangered” Leo’s wellbeing. But the truth was simpler and far more sinister.
He was trying to take my son.
And the terrifying part? He wasn’t bluffing.
I sat on the edge of the leather bench outside the judge’s chambers, staring at the closed door like it might crack open and deliver a verdict that could change everything. Leo was safe, tucked away at Lucien’s penthouse with one of the most discreet, highly-trained security details money could buy. But I still felt like I was being slowly peeled open, layer by layer.
“He’s trying to paint me as unfit,” I whispered, more to myself than to Lucien.
“You’re not,” he said immediately. “Don’t let his lies rewrite the truth.”
I looked at him, really looked. His jaw was tight, eyes sharp with the cold fury of a man pushed too far. He hadn’t shaved this morning—intentional or not, the stubble only made him look more dangerous, more powerful. He was every inch the billionaire tycoon the tabloids loved to spin stories about, but he was also something else. My partner. My protector. Leo’s father.
“Lucien,” I began, but he cut me off gently.
“I know what you’re going to say. That we should be careful. That Damon’s playing dirty and we can’t match his level without stooping. But Isla…” His hand tightened around mine. “There’s no scenario where I stand by and let him get within five feet of our son again.”
Our son.
The words filled me with warmth and ache, a contradiction I was starting to live with every hour.
Before I could respond, Lucien’s lawyer, Zara Kline, stepped out of the judge’s chambers. She was as composed as ever—immaculate black suit, hair pulled into a severe chignon, heels clicking with purpose. She’d once dismantled a tech mogul on live TV during a securities fraud trial, and today she was ours.
“Judge is reviewing both petitions,” she said briskly. “He’s not pleased with the emergency nature of Damon’s filing—especially since Lucien’s press conference doesn’t legally violate any custody arrangement, as no such arrangement exists.”
I let out a slow breath. “So we’re okay?”
“We’re stable for now. But this judge is cautious. He’s not going to make a sweeping ruling today. He wants a hearing set within the week.” Zara paused. “But be ready. Damon’s team will leak this to the media. They’re already spinning the narrative of a reclusive mother caught in a billionaire custody war.”
I felt the nausea hit hard. “They’ll paint me as some gold-digger who kept Leo from his wealthy father.”
Zara gave me a look—direct, sharp. “Let them. We’ve got facts. Documentation. Evidence of Damon’s previous harassment. Not to mention Lucien’s public claim and the resources to protect Leo. They’ll make noise, but we’ll win the war.”
I nodded, because that’s what strong women did. We nodded. We straightened our backs and didn’t let the tremble in our hands show.
When she walked away to finalize the date with the court clerk, Lucien turned to me again. “Come with me.”
“What?”
“Just for the afternoon. No lawyers. No courtrooms. No battles.”
I stared at him, exhaustion warring with the longing in my chest.
“I don’t know if I can breathe right now, Lucien.”
He smiled faintly. “That’s exactly why you need to.”
We ended up at a private rooftop garden in the center of Manhattan. A place only someone like Lucien would have keys to—a hidden world nestled above the chaos. The sky was bluer up there. The sounds of the city muffled by walls of ivy and glass.
It was quiet. Beautiful. Surreal.
We sat on a bench overlooking the skyline, and for a moment, I felt like Isla before Leo. Isla before Damon. A woman who once believed love could be easy, clean.
“I never imagined it would come to this,” I said softly.
“Neither did I,” Lucien replied. “But if I had known… if I had even the slightest clue that Leo was mine—”
“I know,” I whispered, cutting him off.
“I should’ve found you sooner,” he said, his voice rough. “I should’ve gone after you when you left Paris.”
“And I should’ve told you when I found out I was pregnant.” The words burned. “But I was scared. Not of you… of everything. Of being a single mom. Of raising Leo in a world where the shadows from both our pasts were still waiting to pounce.”
“You’re not alone anymore.”
I turned to him, saw the fierce promise in his eyes. He meant every word. And for once, I believed him.
“Isla,” he said, reaching into his coat pocket. My heart skipped, foolishly thinking for a split second it might be a ring. But it wasn’t.
It was a photo. A printed one. I took it carefully.
It was of Leo. Smiling, face smudged with chocolate ice cream from the other night, his curls wild and eyes shining.
“I carry it with me now,” Lucien said. “Everywhere. Just in case I forget what I’m fighting for.”
Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them.
“We’re going to win,” he said again, softer now. “Not just the legal case. The life we want. The family we never got to be. I don’t care how long it takes or how hard Damon pushes—I’ll burn his entire world down before I let him take our son.”
I closed the distance between us, resting my head on his shoulder. The wind danced through the leaves above, and for a moment, I allowed myself to believe in the impossible.
Peace. Love. A future.
But peace never lasted long in our story. My phone buzzed against my hip, and when I checked the screen, my stomach dropped.
It was a text from an unknown number.
“If you thought Damon was dangerous before, you haven’t seen what he’s like when he’s desperate. You should’ve stayed gone, Isla.”
The blood drained from my face.
Lucien noticed immediately. “What is it?”
I handed him the phone, my hands trembling.
And as he read the message, I saw it—the shift. The storm.
He stood up, eyes darker than I’d ever seen them.
“He’s not just trying to win custody,” he said coldly. “He’s playing a different game now.”
The peace shattered. And I realized, as the clouds began to gather above us, that our war was only just beginning.
The courtroom had become a blur of murmurs and tension, but all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat, thudding like a warning drum. Lucien’s hand remained warm and steady in mine, an anchor amidst the chaos. Damon’s move had been bold—filed through a backdoor family court motion under the guise of concern, claiming Lucien’s public declaration had “endangered” Leo’s wellbeing. But the truth was simpler and far more sinister.
He was trying to take my son.
And the terrifying part? He wasn’t bluffing.
I sat on the edge of the leather bench outside the judge’s chambers, staring at the closed door like it might crack open and deliver a verdict that could change everything. Leo was safe, tucked away at Lucien’s penthouse with one of the most discreet, highly-trained security details money could buy. But I still felt like I was being slowly peeled open, layer by layer.
“He’s trying to paint me as unfit,” I whispered, more to myself than to Lucien.
“You’re not,” he said immediately. “Don’t let his lies rewrite the truth.”
I looked at him, really looked. His jaw was tight, eyes sharp with the cold fury of a man pushed too far. He hadn’t shaved this morning—intentional or not, the stubble only made him look more dangerous, more powerful. He was every inch the billionaire tycoon the tabloids loved to spin stories about, but he was also something else. My partner. My protector. Leo’s father.
“Lucien,” I began, but he cut me off gently.
“I know what you’re going to say. That we should be careful. That Damon’s playing dirty and we can’t match his level without stooping. But Isla…” His hand tightened around mine. “There’s no scenario where I stand by and let him get within five feet of our son again.”
Our son.
The words filled me with warmth and ache, a contradiction I was starting to live with every hour.
Before I could respond, Lucien’s lawyer, Zara Kline, stepped out of the judge’s chambers. She was as composed as ever—immaculate black suit, hair pulled into a severe chignon, heels clicking with purpose. She’d once dismantled a tech mogul on live TV during a securities fraud trial, and today she was ours.
“Judge is reviewing both petitions,” she said briskly. “He’s not pleased with the emergency nature of Damon’s filing—especially since Lucien’s press conference doesn’t legally violate any custody arrangement, as no such arrangement exists.”
I let out a slow breath. “So we’re okay?”
“We’re stable for now. But this judge is cautious. He’s not going to make a sweeping ruling today. He wants a hearing set within the week.” Zara paused. “But be ready. Damon’s team will leak this to the media. They’re already spinning the narrative of a reclusive mother caught in a billionaire custody war.”
I felt the nausea hit hard. “They’ll paint me as some gold-digger who kept Leo from his wealthy father.”
Zara gave me a look—direct, sharp. “Let them. We’ve got facts. Documentation. Evidence of Damon’s previous harassment. Not to mention Lucien’s public claim and the resources to protect Leo. They’ll make noise, but we’ll win the war.”
I nodded, because that’s what strong women did. We nodded. We straightened our backs and didn’t let the tremble in our hands show.
When she walked away to finalize the date with the court clerk, Lucien turned to me again. “Come with me.”
“What?”
“Just for the afternoon. No lawyers. No courtrooms. No battles.”
I stared at him, exhaustion warring with the longing in my chest.
“I don’t know if I can breathe right now, Lucien.”
He smiled faintly. “That’s exactly why you need to.”
We ended up at a private rooftop garden in the center of Manhattan. A place only someone like Lucien would have keys to—a hidden world nestled above the chaos. The sky was bluer up there. The sounds of the city muffled by walls of ivy and glass.
It was quiet. Beautiful. Surreal.
We sat on a bench overlooking the skyline, and for a moment, I felt like Isla before Leo. Isla before Damon. A woman who once believed love could be easy, clean.
“I never imagined it would come to this,” I said softly.
“Neither did I,” Lucien replied. “But if I had known… if I had even the slightest clue that Leo was mine—”
“I know,” I whispered, cutting him off.
“I should’ve found you sooner,” he said, his voice rough. “I should’ve gone after you when you left Paris.”
“And I should’ve told you when I found out I was pregnant.” The words burned. “But I was scared. Not of you… of everything. Of being a single mom. Of raising Leo in a world where the shadows from both our pasts were still waiting to pounce.”
“You’re not alone anymore.”
I turned to him, saw the fierce promise in his eyes. He meant every word. And for once, I believed him.
“Isla,” he said, reaching into his coat pocket. My heart skipped, foolishly thinking for a split second it might be a ring. But it wasn’t.
It was a photo. A printed one. I took it carefully.
It was of Leo. Smiling, face smudged with chocolate ice cream from the other night, his curls wild and eyes shining.
“I carry it with me now,” Lucien said. “Everywhere. Just in case I forget what I’m fighting for.”
Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them.
“We’re going to win,” he said again, softer now. “Not just the legal case. The life we want. The family we never got to be. I don’t care how long it takes or how hard Damon pushes—I’ll burn his entire world down before I let him take our son.”
I closed the distance between us, resting my head on his shoulder. The wind danced through the leaves above, and for a moment, I allowed myself to believe in the impossible.
Peace. Love. A future.
But peace never lasted long in our story. My phone buzzed against my hip, and when I checked the screen, my stomach dropped.
It was a text from an unknown number.
“If you thought Damon was dangerous before, you haven’t seen what he’s like when he’s desperate. You should’ve stayed gone, Isla.”
The blood drained from my face.
Lucien noticed immediately. “What is it?”
I handed him the phone, my hands trembling.
And as he read the message, I saw it—the shift. The storm.
He stood up, eyes darker than I’d ever seen them.
“He’s not just trying to win custody,” he said coldly. “He’s playing a different game now.”
The peace shattered. And I realized, as the clouds began to gather above us, that our war was only just beginning.
End of His Heir, Her Secret Chapter 49. Continue reading Chapter 50 or return to His Heir, Her Secret book page.