THE BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET

ARRESTED FOR MY SON

"FREEZE! Let her go!"

Two police officers rushed in and pulled Alexander off Vanessa.

Vanessa collapsed to the floor, coughing and holding her neck, tears streaming down her face like a victim.

"Officer! He tried to kill me!" she cried dramatically. "I was just helping that poor child and he attacked me!"

Alexander's hands were bleeding from punching the wall earlier. His expensive shirt was torn. He looked like a madman.

"She pushed my son!" He roared at the police. "My four-year-old son said she pushed him down the stairs! Arrest her!"

Hope was crying louder now on the bed. I ran to him and held him. His forehead had a deep cut, blood was still coming out.

"Mommy, it hurts," he whimpered.

Faith stood in the corner, shaking, watching everything.

A doctor came in quickly. "We need to take the boy for stitches and a CT scan immediately! He hit his head hard!"

They wheeled Hope away. I wanted to go with him, but the police stopped me.

"Ma'am, we need statements. The school principal is on her way. She said the CCTV at the school was mysteriously off today."

My blood ran cold. CCTV off? That means this was planned.

Vanessa stood up, smirking at me when the police weren't looking. She mouthed, "This is just the beginning, Sophia."

Alexander saw it. He tried to attack her again but the police held him back.

"Sir, you need to calm down or we will have to arrest you for assault," one officer said.

"Then arrest her!" Alexander shouted, pointing at Vanessa. "She attempted to murder my son!"

Vanessa laughed, wiping her fake tears. "Murder? I am a volunteer. I found the boy at the bottom of the stairs crying. I brought him here. Ask the teachers! And you... you are the father? Since when? Sophia told everyone the father is that gay designer, David. Now you claim them? This is confusing, officers."

She was trying to make me look like a liar.

The police looked at me suspiciously.

I held my bleeding son's little shoe - it had fallen off during the fall - and I looked at Alexander.

For the first time, I needed him.

"Alexander," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Please. I don't know what to do."

He broke free from the police and came to me. He took my hand, then took his son's shoe from my hand.

"Listen to me," he said to the police, his voice now calm, cold, and powerful - the billionaire voice. "I am Alexander Knight, CEO of Knight Group. That boy is my biological son, Hope Knight. DNA proof is in my lawyer's office. This woman, Vanessa Miller, is my ex-wife. She has a history of threatening my family. I want her arrested and I want the school's CCTV hard drive seized for forensic recovery. I will pay for everything."

When he mentioned Knight Group, the police officers' faces changed. They knew who he was.

One officer nodded. "We will investigate, Mr. Knight. But we need you and your wife to come to the station to write statements."

"She is my wife," Alexander said, putting his arm around me protectively.

I didn't push him away this time. Because my son needed a father who could fight.

At the hospital hallway, as doctors stitched Hope's head - 7 stitches - I sat beside Alexander. Our son was sleeping from anesthesia.

Faith had fallen asleep on Alexander's other shoulder. She was tired of crying.

Looking at us - me, Alexander, and our two children - we looked like a real family. A broken family, but still a family.

Alexander looked at me, his grey eyes soft.

"Sophia, let me hire 24-hour bodyguards for you and the twins. Vanessa is dangerous. She did this because she found out I want you back. She has always been jealous of you."

I nodded weakly. "Why is she so evil? She was my best friend."

"Because," Alexander said quietly, "my mother paid her $5 million to break us up five years ago. My mother never wanted me to marry an orphan. She wanted Vanessa, a rich family daughter. Vanessa faked the pregnancy to make me leave you. And now that I divorced her and want you back... she wants revenge."

My mouth dropped open. "Your mother? Margaret Knight paid Vanessa?"

Alexander nodded, his fist clenched. "Yes. I found out last month. That's why I came to your fashion show. I came to apologize. I came to tell you the truth... and to beg you to come home."

Before I could answer, my phone rang again.

It was an unknown number.

I picked it up.

A cold, older woman's voice spoke.

"Hello, Sophia. This is Margaret Knight. Alexander's mother. I heard my grandson had an accident. Such a pity. If you know what's good for you and those bastards, you will leave New York tonight and never let my son see them again. Otherwise, next time, 7 stitches will be 70."

Then she hung up.

I looked at Alexander, my face white.

"It was your mother," I whispered. "She just called me. She threatened to kill my son."

Alexander's face turned to stone. Pure, deadly stone.

He stood up slowly, gently placed Faith on the chair, and picked up his phone.

He dialed a number and said one sentence that made my blood freeze.

"Mother, if you touch my son again, I will make you lose everything you love. Just like you made me lose everything five years ago. We are done."

He ended the call and looked at me.

"Sophia, pack your things. You and the twins are moving into my mansion tonight. I don't care if you hate me. I will not let my mother or Vanessa touch you again. You are under my protection now."

And just as he said that, a nurse ran in screaming.

"Where is Faith? The little girl who was sleeping here? She is gone! Her bed is empty!"

We both turned.

Faith's chair was empty.

My daughter... my four-year-old daughter... had disappeared from the hospital.

And Vanessa was also gone from the hallway.