The Billionaire And His Son Want Me Back by Juliette Vaughan

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

In the CEO's office at Vanderbilt Group, the atmosphere was thick, the air heavy with tension. The pressure hung like a storm cloud, threatening to burst at any moment.

Dominick, standing by his desk, slammed a thick stack of papers onto the floor with an almost violent force.

His secretary, visibly shrinking from the anger emanating from him, quickly bent to pick up the scattered papers, her hands trembling slightly as she did so.

"I'll go speak to Mr. Parker right away and have his team redo it..." she stammered, not daring to linger any longer. The moment she straightened, she bolted from the room, her footsteps hurried and frantic. Julian Hale, Dominick's assistant, closed the office door behind the secretary with a quiet click, his eyes lingering on the tall, imposing figure of Dominick standing near the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Dominick's posture was rigid, his brow furrowed in annoyance, and the weight of his frustration seemed to settle in the room like a dense fog.

Julian sighed, leaning against the doorframe, "Mr. Vanderbilt," he began with a knowing look, "this is the sixteenth proposal you've thrown away today. Sixteen. Not one of them has caught your eye?"

Dominick tugged irritably at his tie, his expression darkening. "What's your point?" His voice was sharp, but Julian wasn't intimidated.

Julian's eyes flickered briefly before he spoke again, his voice lowering slightly, "Is it her return that is affecting you?"

"Paisley has no effect on me," Dominick snapped, his tone a little too quick, too defensive.

Julian's lips quirked slightly as he took a slow step forward, unfazed. "I didn't say it was Paisley," he murmured.

Dominick froze for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he caught the glint of amusement or perhaps something deeper in Julian's gaze.

After a beat of silence, Dominick turned away, his frustration boiling over as he yanked the tie from around his neck and tossed it carelessly aside. "You got something to say, or you just want to keep playing games?"

Julian straightened, his demeanor becoming more businesslike. "Actually, I do have something to say," he said, his voice lower now, tinged with a certain level of authority. "I've followed your orders. I've applied pressure on the investors. Ms. Sullivan is officially the lead for that series."

Dominick's expression shifted, his usual icy demeanor slipping back into place. He gave a single, almost imperceptible nod, signaling his acceptance of the news.

"Okay," he said flatly, sitting back down at his desk, the weight of the conversation easing as his attention turned back to the documents in front of him. His gaze, however, was distant, clouded with thoughts that no one could read.

Julian had already turned to leave, but after a brief pause, he couldn't help himself. He turned back and spoke with a slightly more probing tone, "Dom, the way you've been looking out for the Sullivan family... that's because of Paisley, isn't it?"

recently that Julian had learned the Sullivans were Paisley's real family-something he hadn't realized

notion. "You're overthinking it," he

reasons are for going out of your way to look after the Sullivan family,

choice, walked away without a second thought, even abandoning your

who had been friends with Dominick since high school, knew him inside and out and had followed him every step of

inherit the Vanderbilt family legacy had been fierce, and the

high school, expanding it rapidly throughout college, and by his sophomore year, he'd already

Julian, loyal as ever, had entered the company alongside him, serving as his right-hand man. Over the years, their bond had deepened, transcending the typical employer-employee relationship. They were more like

really-" "Julian." Dominick's voice cut through the air like a knife, sharper than usual. He turned abruptly, his eyes narrowing with a hint of annoyance. "I've told you already. There's nothing going on between me and Marissa. I

across the desk. On the screen, the latest tabloid headline splashed in bold letters about Dominick and Marissa's relationship scandal. Dominick's expression darkened even further, his tone frigid. "What

*****

supposed to be a milestone, a step toward growing up. But for little Serena,

safety of Paisley's arms, and now, for the first time, she was expected to spend an entire

She wanted to cry. The lump in her throat was hard to swallow, but Paisley's words echoed in her mind, "You're a big girl now, Serena. Big girls don't cry. If you do,

hold back the tears, just like Paisley had taught her. But it was so hard.

while she just sat there, feeling out of place. She didn't want to play. She didn't want to do anything but go home and curl up next to her mom. But just as the tears began to well up again, something shifted in Serena's gaze. Her

whispered, her voice barely audible but filled with wonder and

*****

running around the playground, kicking the ball with carefree energy, when suddenly he felt someone

saw made him pause. A little girl, her eyes wide and shimmering with innocent excitement, stood there, beaming

wasn't one for playing with girls, and the only exception was Marissa's niece, Stella-but that was only because he'd promised Marissa he'd look out

there was something strange about this cheeky little girl in front of him. Despite his usual dislike for distractions,

with excitement as she

got the

you look like. You're my brother. I'm sure of it," she smiled, the same bright, unwavering smile that seemed to

looked exactly like him. She had asked Paisley who it was, and Paisley had told her that it was Serena's big brother. She remembered it

looked a little older than the picture, but his features hadn't changed. She could tell, without a

said again, her voice full of

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