Chapter 130

CASSIAN’S POV

I walked into the Viero estate like a man walking into a fire he meant to burn down. The butler hesitated when he saw me, but I did not give him time to speak.

“Where is she?” I asked. “Tell her I am here.”

He blinked. “Mr. Viero, your mother is not expecting—”

“She is now,” I snapped, brushing past him. “She wanted war. I am giving it to her.”

The chandelier caught the corner of my eye as I entered the sitting room. Gold. Cold. Expensive. Like her. She sat on the velvet sofa, a teacup poised in her hand like a weapon.

“Well,” Victoria said, not even looking up, “to what do I owe this dramatic entrance?”

“You went to Leo’s daycare,” I said. “You had no right.”

She smiled without smiling. “I have every right. He is my grandson.”

“You left a threat,” I said. “That is not family. That is coercion.”

Her eyes gleamed. “A reminder, Cassian. You have forgotten who I am.”

“No,” I said quietly. “I remember too well. And I will not let you do to him what you did to me.”

She tilted her head. “You think I hurt you?”

I laughed bitterly. “You trained me like a dog, Mother. And you expect me to hand over my son?”

Victoria rose slowly. “You were raised with discipline. That is not cruelty.”

I stepped forward. “You call it discipline. I call it fear. And I am not letting Leo grow up afraid.”

She sipped her tea. Calm. Collected. Like she had not just tried to steal my child.

“You are emotional,” she said. “You always were. Like your father.”

“Leave him out of this,” I said. “He at least tried to protect me from you.”

She set her cup down. “Your father was weak. You were never meant to be soft.”

“You made me hard,” I said. “And now you cannot stand that I am using that strength against you.”

Victoria’s eyes narrowed. “You are being reckless.”

“No,” I said. “I am being a father.”

She walked around the sofa, her heels sharp against the marble floor. “You think you can keep him from me forever?”

“If I have to,” I said. “Yes.”

She stopped in front of me, her perfume sharp and familiar. “I will see my grandson.”

“You will see a courtroom first,” I said. “And you will lose.”

Her lips thinned. “Do you really want to drag our name through that kind of scandal?”

I leaned in. “If it protects Leo, I will burn the family name to ash.”

There was a flicker of something in her eyes then. Not fear. But something close. Maybe disbelief. Maybe something deeper.

“You are choosing that woman over your own mother,” she said.

“No,” I said. “I am choosing my son. And the woman who kept him alive when I failed.”

Victoria turned away. “You do not understand what she is doing.”

I stared at her back. “She is protecting him. That is what mothers do.”

She faced me again. “And what are fathers supposed to do, Cassian? Stand on the sidelines and watch?”

“They are supposed to fight,” I said. “Which is exactly what I am doing.”

She moved closer, voice low now. “You are making a mistake.”

I shook my head. “The only mistake was letting you think you could walk into his life like you own it.”

“I gave you everything,” she whispered.

“And took everything that mattered,” I replied. “Not this time.”

Victoria looked at me like she did not recognize me. Maybe she really didn’t. Maybe she only saw the boy she broke.

I turned to leave, but she spoke again. “You think she will let you stay in his life?”

I paused.

“She is only letting you in because she needs something,” Victoria said. “Do not confuse desperation with forgiveness.”

I faced her. “If she never forgives me, that is fine. As long as Leo knows I fought for him.”

She crossed her arms. “And what if she uses that child to punish you?”

I laughed once. “Then she is still a better parent than you ever were.”

Victoria flinched, just slightly. But it was enough. I had hit something raw. Something buried.

“You always did mistake silence for obedience,” she said.

“And you mistook fear for love,” I said. “I will not make that mistake with him.”

The butler reappeared at the edge of the room, eyes wide. “Your car is ready, sir.”

I nodded. “Good. I have said what I came to say.”

Victoria picked up the card I left on the table. “You are going to need that lawyer.”

“I already have one,” I said. “And this time, I am not fighting alone.”

Her hand tightened around the card. “You are not as strong as you think.”

I smiled without warmth. “I do not have to be. I just have to be stronger than you.”

And with that, I walked out. My pulse pounding. My jaw aching. But I felt something I had not felt in a long time.

I felt like a father.

AURORA’S POV

The moment the door opened, I stood up too fast. “Well?”

Cassian stepped inside, face unreadable. He looked tired. Like something had carved out his insides and left the edges raw.

“She will not stop,” he said. “But she knows now that I will not either.”

I crossed my arms. “What did she say?”

He sighed. “Everything. That you are using Leo. That I am being manipulated. That she is just trying to keep our legacy intact.”

I scoffed. “She would set fire to that legacy if it gave her more control.”

He nodded. “I told her I would burn it before I let her touch him.”

Something in my chest loosened. I did not say thank you. I could not. Not yet.

“Do you believe her?” I asked. “That she will keep pushing?”

“Yes,” he said. “But this time, I am pushing back.”

I watched him carefully. “And what if she finds another way?”

His voice was quiet. “Then I will find another wall.”

The silence stretched again. But it was different now. Less brittle. Still sharp, but with space to breathe.

“Leo is still asleep,” I said.

Cassian looked toward the hallway. “Good. Let him stay asleep. He should not have to carry this.”

I hesitated. “You really mean to fight for him.”

He looked at me. “I am not walking away again.”

The door buzzed. We both froze.

Cassian moved toward it, shoulders squared.

I followed, heart hammering. “Who is it?”

He looked through the peephole, then turned to me.

“It is a delivery,” he said slowly. “But not just flowers.”

He opened the door.

And there it was. A small black box.

No name. No card.

Just a ribbon.

Cassian picked it up carefully. “This is not from Julian.”

I stepped back. “Open it.”

He did.

Inside was a single photograph.

Of Leo.

Taken from across the street.

My breath caught.

Cassian’s eyes darkened. “She had him followed.”

And underneath the photo, just one line typed in red ink.

If I cannot raise him, no one will.