Chapter 166

Sean POV

I stood in the doorway, deliberately blocking their view into my apartment. William continued to plead his case, oblivious to my mounting irritation.

"Christina's been missing you," he said, gesturing toward her. "She's called you what, twenty times this week? You can't be that busy that you can't pick up for her."

I stood in the doorway, deliberately blocking their view into my apartment while silently cursing myself for forgetting about William's birthday. My mind had been entirely occupied with the children-with my children.

"Christina's been missing you," William continued, oblivious to my mounting irritation. "She's called you what, twenty times this week? You can't be that busy that you can't pick up for her."

I remained silent, deliberately ignoring his comment. William had always lacked social boundaries, saying whatever crossed his mind without filter. It was simultaneously his most endearing and most infuriating quality.

I noticed Evan shooting William a warning glance. Of my friends, Evan had always been the most perceptive, the one who could read my moods before I voiced them. The one who dared speak truth to me when others wouldn't.

"Happy birthday," I finally responded, my tone making it clear our conversation was ending. "I'll send a gift tomorrow. If there's nothing else, you should get back to your party."

I began to push the door closed, only to find William's hand suddenly bracing against it.

"Seriously?" he protested, eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "That's it? I paused my entire birthday celebration, drove all the way across town because we were worried about you, and you're just going to close the door in our faces?"

I felt a vein throb in my forehead, my patience rapidly evaporating. "I'm busy today. We'll catch up another time. I'll prepare a special birthday gift to make it up to you. Go back and continue your party-I'll cover all the expenses."

My thoughts raced to the two small occupants waiting for me inside-particularly to Aria, who was probably wondering why I'd disappeared. And worse, Angela would be arriving soon to collect them. If she encountered Christina and the others, it would create exactly the kind of complicated scene I'd been meticulously avoiding.

"Busy?" William scoffed. "Too busy for friends? What happened to you, man? Do you even consider us friends anymore?"

Christina's eyes glistened with unshed tears, her voice softening to that wounded tone she'd perfected over years of practice. "Sean, we just wanted to check on you..."

I shot Evan a sharp look, silently pleading for him to intervene. He understood my boundaries better than the others, respected them more. But before he could speak, a small voice cut through the tension from behind me.

"Uncle Night, did someone come to visit?"

My heart froze. I turned to see Aria standing at the base of the stairs, wearing the pale blue dress I'd purchased for her, one small hand clutching the model airplane we'd been assembling. With her fair skin, those dark curls that mirrored my own, and eyes bright with curiosity, she stood like a miniature revelation.

The silence that followed was deafening. I watched as three pairs of eyes shifted from me to the child, their expressions morphing from surprise to shock to swift calculation.

Christina's face transformed as she took in Aria's features-features that undeniably echoed my own.

"Sean," Christina managed, her voice almost trembling, "who is this?"

Before I could answer, William blurted out what everyone was thinking: "That kid looks just like you. Is she your daughter?"

I felt my jaw tighten. This wasn't how I'd planned for any of this to unfold. Angela and the children hadn't fully accepted me yet, and I wasn't ready to navigate the complex social aftermath of acknowledging my children publicly.

Christina forced a brittle laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. Obviously some woman is trying to take advantage of Sean's position. You know how these things work-they target wealthy men, claiming their children are related."

The insinuation against Aria's legitimacy-against Angela-sent a surge of cold fury through me. I narrowed my eyes at Christina, but she was too busy staring at Aria with barely disguised resentment to notice.

I glanced at Aria, who stood composed under their scrutiny. Even at five years old, she carried herself with a dignity that made my chest swell with pride despite the circumstances.

"This is none of your concern," I stated flatly. "I'm asking you all to leave. Now. Before I lose my patience."

William, ever oblivious to danger signals, stepped forward. "Come on, just let us in for a minute. We want to understand what's-"

My control snapped. I grabbed William's custom-tailored collar and physically propelled him backward, through the doorway and into the hallway.

"Get out!" I growled, the force of my anger surprising even me. I hadn't intended to resort to physical confrontation, especially not with Aria watching, but William had pushed past my final boundary.

He stumbled, landing ungracefully on the hallway carpet, his expression stunned. Christina froze in shock, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' of surprise at my outburst.

And then, as if the moment needed one final complication, the elevator doors at the end of the hall slid open.

Angela stepped out, her amber eyes immediately taking in the chaotic scene before her-William sprawled on the floor, Christina and Evan standing stunned in the hallway, and me, still holding the door, with Aria visible just behind me.

The perfect storm I'd been trying to avoid had arrived.