Divorced and Chased by My Alpha Billionaire Ex-Husband
Chapter 86: Distressed Call

Chapter 86: Distressed Call

A few hours later, Aurora returned to the hotel room, her steps quick and filled with worry.

As soon as she walked in, Ava approached her with a concerned expression.

"Aurora, something happened," Ava began carefully.

She explained everything that had transpired with Lucas, the unexpected encounter with the children, and how they had mistaken Lucas for their father.

Aurora’s face paled, and her heart raced.

"Lucas?" she repeated, the name hanging heavily in the air.

Anxious and cautious, she knew she had to act swiftly.

"We’ll lodge out of here first thing tomorrow," Aurora said, her voice firm but polite. "I want nothing to do with Lucas."

She could not risk crossing paths with him again, not when her children were involved.

Ava nodded in understanding, though worry lingered in her eyes.

---

At that same moment, far from the hotel...

The grand entryway of the Rossi mansion was dimly lit, but the sound of small, muffled cries echoed faintly from the upper floor.

Upstairs, a young boy, no older than four, banged on the heavy door of his room with all his might.

His blue eyes, filled with tears, reflected the moonlight streaming through the small window.

"Mrs. Hayden!" Caleb shouted, his voice cracking. "Please! Let me out!"

Outside the room, Mrs. Hayden stood by the door, her face twisted in concern. "Young master, I’m sorry," she called back, her voice filled with remorse. "I can’t open the door unless I’m ordered to."

Caleb’s sobs grew louder, each one tugging at Mrs. Hayden’s heart.

Unable to bear the sound any longer, she slowly turned and made her way down the grand staircase, her shoes barely making a sound against the polished floor.

At the dining table, Julia sat comfortably, scrolling through her phone, a satisfied smile on her lips as she bit into a crisp apple.

Mrs. Hayden hesitated for a moment before approaching.

"Ma’am," she began softly, "Caleb is crying terribly. Should I unlock the door?"

Julia’s expression darkened. She looked up from her phone, her eyes cold and irritated.

"Follow my orders, Mrs. Hayden," she snapped. "Don’t disobey me again."

Mrs. Hayden swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course, ma’am," she said, retreating a step.

But just as she turned to leave, the familiar soft creaking of Lucas’s wheelchair echoed through the mansion.

Mrs. Hayden froze, while Julia’s eyes widened in shock.

Julia stood abruptly, the apple dropping onto the table with a dull thud. She hadn’t expected Lucas back so soon—certainly not the same night.

Her mind raced as she exchanged a quick, tense glance with Mrs. Hayden, who stood rigid, unsure of what to do.

"What’s going on?" Lucas asked as he entered, his sharp gaze flicking between the two women.

He immediately noticed the strange energy between them.

Julia forced a bright, overly sweet smile as she moved toward him. "Ah! I’m just surprised to see you, darling. I thought you’d be back in a couple of days."

Lucas’s eyes narrowed.

Something wasn’t right. And then, he heard it—the faint sound of crying coming from upstairs.

"Gabriel," he said, his tone calm but firm. "Take me to Caleb’s room."

Julia’s heart raced as she quickly stepped in front of Lucas, blocking his path. "How about you have some dinner first?" she suggested, her voice shaky. "You must be tired from the trip."

Lucas’s gaze hardened, his patience wearing thin. "Get out of the way, Julia."

Julia faltered under his intense stare and reluctantly stepped aside, her fake smile slipping away.

Gabriel wheeled Lucas toward the stairs, his expression unreadable.

As they reached Caleb’s room, the soft cries grew louder.

Lucas’s heart clenched.

He opened the door, and there, in the middle of the room, was Caleb, curled up on the floor, his small body trembling as he hugged his knees.

The moment Caleb heard the door creak open, he looked up, his tear-streaked face lighting up with hope.

"Daddy!" he cried, scrambling to his feet and running toward Lucas.

Lucas’s heart broke as he watched his son rush toward him.

Caleb wrapped his tiny arms around his father’s leg, sobbing uncontrollably.

"What happened?" Lucas asked, his voice filled with a rare anger, but not directed at Caleb.

He didn’t understand why his son was locked in a room, crying like this.

He had rushed home because of Caleb’s distressed call earlier, but this was worse than he’d imagined.

Caleb, still clinging to Lucas, cried harder. "Mommy was being mean!" he wailed.

At that moment, Julia rushed into the room, her face a mixture of frustration and false concern.

"He’s overreacting," she said, crossing her arms. "I only scolded him."

Lucas’s sharp gaze fixed on her.

He had seen enough.

"Scolding him?" he repeated, his voice low, yet filled with unspoken fury.

Caleb, feeling the comfort of his father’s presence, held onto him tighter.

"Daddy, she locked me in here," Caleb whispered, his voice small and broken.

At Caleb’s soft words, Lucas’s expression tightened.

His son’s tear-filled eyes, the trembling in his voice—it all painted a picture of a frightened, mistreated boy.

Lucas had missed so much of Caleb’s upbringing due to work, and seeing his child like this filled him with guilt and anger.

Julia, however, looked less concerned. She let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Lucas, he’s being dramatic," she insisted, her voice clipped. "He’s spoiled and throwing a tantrum because I told him he couldn’t have a new toy today."

Lucas’s brow furrowed as he looked down at Caleb, who was still sniffling and clinging to him.

Caleb’s wide, innocent eyes stared up at his father, silently pleading.

Lucas couldn’t reconcile the image of his son as a spoiled brat with what he was seeing now—a scared, vulnerable boy.

"He’s just a kid, Julia," Lucas said, his tone more measured now but still firm. "He’s upset. You can’t just lock him in a room."

Julia crossed her arms tighter, her irritation evident.

"Lucas, you don’t know what it’s like when you’re not here," she replied, her voice gaining a slight edge. "Caleb pushes boundaries. He throws fits when he doesn’t get his way, and I’m the one left to deal with it."

"I’ll talk to him," Lucas said, dismissing her explanation as an exaggeration.

He couldn’t believe that Caleb, his sweet little boy, was as difficult as Julia was claiming. "But locking him up? That’s not the answer."

Julia huffed in frustration. "You’re too soft on him, Lucas. He knows how to manipulate you."

At that, Lucas’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like what she was implying. "Caleb is just being a young boy," Lucas said sharply. "You need to be more patient with him."

Caleb, sensing his father’s defense of him, looked up with a victorious gleam in his teary eyes.

He sniffled dramatically for effect, hugging Lucas tighter.

"See, Daddy?" Caleb whimpered. "I didn’t do anything wrong. Mommy’s just mean to me."

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