FATED HEIRS

Forbidden past

CHARLES'S POV

Slowly, Mrs. Scarlett stood up, her gaze fixed on the man standing in the doorway. She looked as though she wanted to confront him, yet she couldn't bring herself to take a single step.

Unfortunately, the man walked toward us with measured steps, his hands buried in his pockets and a condescending smile playing on his lips.

“Sweetheart! Aren't you happy to see me?” he asked, his smile never fading.

Mrs. Scarlett's expression darkened. Her brows drew together as her breathing grew heavier, betraying the anger she was struggling to contain.

“Who gave you permission to enter my house?” she demanded, then gasped in disbelief. “You didn't even bother to knock!”

“Do I still have to knock? Am I a stranger to you?” the man replied, his eyes shifting toward me.

Still shocked by his audacity, I immediately rose to my feet, forcing myself to appear confident enough to confront him.

“Who is he?” I demanded, my voice echoing through the room.

Mrs. Scarlett swallowed hard before answering, but she couldn't bring herself to meet my gaze.

“He's the fiancé I told you about...” Her voice faltered.

I turned my attention back to the man, who was still watching me intently.

“What are you doing here? I told you I never wanted to see you again!” Mrs. Scarlett continued, making no effort to conceal her fury.

“What are you talking about?” The man's expression hardened as his smile disappeared.

“Just get out!” she snapped, pointing toward the door.

The man continued glaring at me, his expression filled with contempt. I remained where I was, uncertain how far I could go without making the situation worse.

“Is this because of him? Have you forgotten that I bought this house for you?” the man demanded.

His words caused something to change in Mrs. Scarlett's expression. Her nostrils flared, and her face twisted with an intensity I had never witnessed before.

“Whatever it is, just leave! I don't want you here,” she replied, her voice heavy with anger but no longer raised.

Before the man could respond, my phone chimed with an incoming message. I pulled it out and checked the screen. It was Mr. Marcus, informing me that he was on his way.

“As you can see, I've moved on. I have nothing more to do with you,” Mrs. Scarlett declared.

A laugh escaped the man, but there was nothing amusing about it. His smile carried a dangerous edge that made the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.

“You say you've moved on...” He paused, rolling his eyes as he studied her face. “After everything I've done for you, you can stand there and tell me you've moved on?”

“You heard me. Get out!” she fired back without hesitation.

I remained between them, watching as their confrontation escalated. Neither seemed willing to back down, and I could already tell that this would end badly if someone didn't intervene.

“If that's the case, then I'm sure your father is prepared to return everything he owes me. Every single thing your family has,” the man snarled.

Mrs. Scarlett's eyes widened momentarily before she regained her composure.

“Whatever you intend to do, go ahead. You can't scare me with those threats anymore.”

The man's expression hardened, his clenched jaw revealing just how furious he had become.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Mr. Marcus stepped inside. All three of us turned toward him. He walked a few steps into the room before stopping abruptly, his eyes moving between us as though he couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

“Sweetheart, I'm back.”

Mrs. Scarlett forced a smile onto her face before hurrying toward him and wrapping her arms around him. However, before either of them could say another word, the man spoke.

“Who is he?” Mr. Marcus asked, his attention fixed on the stranger.

Mrs. Scarlett lowered her gaze, and her hands began to tremble against Mr. Marcus's chest.

“I'm so sorry, Marcus. I should have told you about this from the beginning, but I kept it to myself.” Her voice softened, sounding like someone struggling to hold back tears.

Mr. Marcus turned toward her in utter shock, clearly struggling to understand what was happening.

“It's okay, Scarlett. Talk to me. What's wrong?” he asked, his voice gentler now.

Mrs. Scarlett lowered her head and clasped her hands together, nervously rubbing her fingers as she gathered the courage to speak. After a few seconds, she finally turned toward the man, her eyes glistening with distress.

“Marcus, this is Victor. He was my fiancé before I met you...” She paused, allowing her words to settle between them.

Mr. Marcus swallowed, his expression growing more curious as he tried to process what she had just revealed.

“So...” he began, waiting for her to continue.

“We lived together for a long time, and I introduced him to my family. But I was never happy with him. He always treated me as though he owned me, as if my entire life belonged to him. That's why I eventually gave up on that relationship and chose you, Marcus.” She finished speaking and slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze.

Victor let out a quiet, bitter laugh as he watched her clasping Mr. Marcus's hands.

“Did you tell him that your family had nothing before I came into your lives? Did you tell him that I stood by you even when you were suffering from the chronic illness?” Victor suddenly demanded, his voice so harsh that it silenced everyone in the room.

For several seconds, nobody spoke. We simply stared at one another, each of us waiting for someone to break the uncomfortable silence.

“What is he talking about, Scarlett?” Mr. Marcus finally asked, turning toward her in disbelief.

Mrs. Scarlett couldn't answer. Her lips trembled as though she wanted to speak, but no words came out. Her eyes darted nervously between the two men, revealing how badly the confrontation had shaken her.

“So now you're telling me you have nothing more to do with me?” Victor continued, pointing an accusing finger at her. “I sacrificed my own wealth to help your family, and this is how you repay me?”

He paused, taking a slow breath as though struggling to restrain his anger.

“I came back to this city to be with my woman, only to find her in the arms of another man...” He shook his head in disbelief before continuing, his voice growing colder. “Let's see how your family manages to survive when I take back everything I've given them.”

He lowered his voice on the final words, then straightened his jacket and turned to leave.

“Whatever you decide to do is your business. As you can see, she's moved on because she no longer wants to be with you. Stop threatening her with whatever little influence you think you have,” Mr. Marcus interrupted firmly.

Victor slowly turned toward him, a flash of rage passing through his eyes.

“Who do you think you're talking to?” he demanded.

Mr. Marcus let out a short, incredulous laugh, but before he could respond, I stepped forward.

“Hey, that's enough.” I moved closer and placed a hand on Victor's shoulder, giving it a firm pat. “You need to leave now.”

He turned toward me without saying a word, his expression growing even more hostile beneath my touch.

“I don't blame any of you,” he finally replied, directing his words toward all of us. “But don't forget this is only the beginning.”

With that, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door so hard that the sound echoed through the room.

Once he was gone, Mr. Marcus turned back to Mrs. Scarlett. His brows furrowed as he studied her face, searching for an explanation.

“What's going on here? Why didn't you tell me about this?” he asked.

Her head remained lowered, and her trembling hands betrayed how overwhelmed she felt.

“I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to explain everything to you,” she replied, her voice shaking.

“And what illness was he talking about? What is it that you've kept from me? Have I been living beside you all this time without knowing the truth about the woman I love?” Mr. Marcus snapped, his frustration finally spilling over.

That was when I realized I could no longer remain silent. The situation was spiraling out of control, and watching the two of them struggle with the revelations made me feel compelled to intervene.

I stepped forward and bowed my head slightly.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Marcus. I knew about it. She told me a long time ago, but I didn't tell you because I thought it wasn't necessary...” I paused, watching his face carefully as I wondered whether I had made the right decision by speaking up.

Both of them turned toward me, their expressions completely different. Mrs. Scarlett looked anxious, while Mr. Marcus stared at me with growing disbelief. Nevertheless, I continued.

“You both love each other. Whatever happened before you met shouldn't necessarily come between you now,” I added, hoping my words would ease the tension.

They continued staring at me, neither of them responding. Somehow, their silence unsettled me more than their earlier argument.