THE BILLIONAIRE WHO REGRETTED LOSING ME

CHAPTER4

Chapter 4: The Green-Eyed Monster

The glass doors of the Maison de l'Ombre lobby slid open exactly fifteen minutes after Ethan King stormed out.

Lucas Hart did not run. He walked with the measured, unshakeable confidence of a man who owned the ground he stood on. He was tall, impeccably groomed, with sharp blue eyes that missed absolutely nothing. His dark tailored suit made him look more like royalty than a Wall Street tycoon. He radiated a calm, grounding power the exact opposite of the chaotic, destructive storm that always followed Ethan.

Jacob’s little face lit up the moment he saw him. "Uncle Lucas!"

Lucas caught my son smoothly as the little boy bounded toward him, lifting him effortlessly into the air before resting him against his broad shoulder. "Hey there, little man. Did you miss me?"

"Mommy was talking to a mean, tall man," Jacob whispered loudly, pointing a tiny finger back toward the boardroom. "He dropped his coffee and made Mommy’s face look super scared."

Lucas’s expression hardened for a second. A cold icy glint passed through his blue eyes, but it vanished the moment he looked down at my son, replaced by a warm, reassuring smile.

"Don't you worry about that, buddy," Lucas said softly, ruffling Jacob's dark curls. "Nobody gets to make your mommy scared while I'm around. Why don't you go with Clara and check out the massive toy box we had delivered to the top floor?"

"The one with the electric train?" Jacob’s eyes widened with excitement.

"The exact one," Lucas smiled.

Clara quickly took Jacob from his arms, giving me a supportive nod before leading my son toward the private executive elevator.

The moment the elevator doors clicked shut, the warmth drained from Lucas’s face. He turned to me, his gaze sweeping over my pale face and trembling hands. He walked over, gently taking my cold hands into his warm, steady grip.

"Are you alright, Amelia?" he asked, his voice deep and laced with genuine concern.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding, my shoulders finally slumping.

"He knows, Lucas. He saw Jacob in the boardroom. He did the math instantly."

Lucas didn't flinch. He guided me over to the leather sofa, sitting down right beside me, never letting go of my hands.

"Let him know,"Lucas said, his voice entirely calm, devoid of any fear. "Knowing a truth and being able to do something about it are two completely different things. Ethan King thinks he rules Manhattan, but he forgets that I own the very banks that fund his infrastructure. He cannot bully you anymore, Amelia. You are not alone."

"He threatened to file for joint custody by this afternoon," I whispered, rubbing my temples as a headache began to form. "I threatened to destroy his supply chain and tank his stock, but he didn't care. He looked at me like... like he was obsessed."

Lucas scoffed, a dark smile playing on his lips. "He’s a man who realized too late that he traded a diamond for a piece of broken glass. The logistics contract he used to trap you is a double-edged sword. If he attempts to use his corporate power to touch Jacob, I will trigger a hostile takeover of his shipping lines before his lawyers can even file a motion."

I looked at Lucas, feeling a profound sense of gratitude. For three years, he had been my shield in Europe. He had never demanded my affection, never forced his way into my boundaries. He had simply protected us because he believed in me.

"Thank you, Lucas," I said softly.

"You don't ever have to thank me," he replied, his thumb gently tracing the back of my hand. "Now, let’s get you and Jacob settled into your new penthouse. Today was supposed to be a celebration of your return. I won't let Ethan King ruin it."

The King's Fury

At the corporate headquarters of King Enterprises, the atmosphere was completely cold

The entire executive floor was dead silent. Employees kept their heads down, terrified to make a sound as the muffled echo of shattering glass sounded from the CEO’s private office.

Ethan King paced behind his massive desk like a caged predator. His tie was completely loosened, the collar of his white shirt unbuttoned, and his dark hair was wildly disheveled. On his desk sat a thick, freshly printed background dossier delivered by his private security chief.

"Tell me everything," Ethan growled, his voice dangerously low, vibrating with a terrifying mix of rage and desperation.

The security chief swallowed nervously, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the data displayed on his tablet. "Sir, we managed to bypass the European privacy firewalls. The timeline is undeniable. Amelia Morgan arrived in Paris exactly five years ago. She gave birth to Jacob Morgan eight months later in a private clinic. No father was listed on the birth certificate."

Ethan closed his eyes, his fist slamming onto the desk with a force that rattled the remaining glass awards.

My son,his mind screamed. She had my son alone in a foreign country while I was living in a living hell with Sophia.

"What about her business?" Ethan demanded, his eyes snapping open, burning with a strange, possessive jealousy. "How did a woman with zero capital build a multi-billion-dollar fashion empire in less than four years?"

The investigator slid a document across the desk, organized in a neat table detailing the financial structure of Maison de l'Ombre

| Corporate Entity | Shareholder Percentage | Primary Source of Funding |

Amelia Morgan (Founder) | 80% | Personal Design Intellectual Property |

Hart Industries | 20% | Off-shore Venture Capital (Lucas Hart) |

Ethan’s entire body went completely rigid as his eyes locked onto the name at the bottom of the table.

"Lucas Hart," Ethan whispered, the name sounding like a curse on his tongue.

"Yes, sir," the investigator continued, completely oblivious to the danger zone he was stepping into. "Lucas Hart has been her primary financial backer since day one. He secured her first studio in Paris. He personally handled her international trademarks. And... there’s more."

The investigator slid a handful of surveillance photographs across the desk.

Ethan snatched them up. His chest burned as if it were filled with hot coals. The glossy images showed Amelia laughing naturally at an outdoor Parisian cafe a beautiful, radiant smile he hadn't seen on her face in ten years. Sitting right next to her was Lucas Hart, his arm resting casually over the back of her chair, looking at her with an undeniable tenderness.

In another photograph, Lucas was carrying Jacob on his broad shoulders. The little boy was laughing hysterically, throwing his hands in the air, while Amelia looked on with pure, unconditional affection.

They looked like a perfect, happy family.

A family that belonged to *him*.

Ethan tore the photographs in half, his knuckles turning completely white as his breathing became ragged. A blinding, toxic jealousy consumed his rational mind.

"She thinks she can replace me?" Ethan growled, his voice trembling with an unhinged fury. "She thinks she can give my son to another man?"

Before the investigator could answer, the heavy doors of Ethan's office swung open.

Sophia Morgan marched into the room, her designer heels clicking loudly against the hardwood. She was dressed in a pristine white dress, her blonde hair perfectly styled, but her face was twisted into a mask of pure, ugly rage. She slammed a tabloid magazine down onto Ethan’s desk.

The front cover displayed a blurry photo of Amelia walking into her Manhattan headquarters earlier that morning, with the headline: The Prodigal Daughter Returns: Sovereign of Silk Takes New York.

"Is this why you've been acting like a maniac all day?" Sophia screamed, her voice shrill and full of venom. "She’s back, isn't she? That miserable little charity case came back to crawl into your life again! I want her gone, Ethan! I want you to cancel whatever contract your board signed with her company!"

Ethan slowly lifted his head. His dark eyes were completely bloodshot, cold, and entirely devoid of any emotion as he stared at the woman he had spent five years hating.

"Get out, Sophia," Ethan said, his voice flat and terrifyingly quiet.

"I am your wife, Ethan!" Sophia yelled, stepping closer, her fingers digging into the edge of his desk. "You can't treat me like this! My family made you! If it wasn't for my father's backing, King Enterprises wouldn't be—"

Ethan stood up, his massive frame towering over her. The sheer aura of violence radiating from him made Sophia instantly freeze, her voice dying in her throat.

"Your father didn't build this company. I did," Ethan hissed, leaning down until his face was inches from hers. "And our marriage is nothing but a piece of paper. If you ever speak her name in this office again, I will file for a public divorce and leave you with absolutely nothing. Now, get the hell out of my sight."

Sophia gasped, a flash of genuine fear crossing her eyes. She grabbed her designer bag and stumbled backward out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Ethan didn't care about her threats. He didn't care about the Morgan family. His mind was entirely consumed by the images of Amelia and Lucas Hart. He grabbed his coat from the rack, his jaw tightly clenched.

"Sir?" the investigator asked quietly. "Where are you going?"

"To claim what’s mine," Ethan growled, storming out of the room.

The gray evening sky turned into a heavy downpour as Lucas’s armored SUV pulled up to the private, secure entrance of a luxury residential skyscraper overlooking Central Park.

Lucas stepped out first, holding a large umbrella open to shield Jacob and me from the heavy rain as we hurried inside the grand, marble-lined lobby. The space was supposed to be completely restricted, accessible only to the billionaires who owned the penthouses above.

Jacob was yawning, his little head resting sleepily against Lucas's shoulder as Lucas carried him.

"The security here is top-notch, Amelia," Lucas said softly as we walked toward the private elevator corridor. "No one gets past the front gates without my personal clearance. You and Jacob can finally sleep in peace tonight."

I let out a soft, relieved smile, the tension finally leaving my neck. "Thank you, Lucas. I don't know what I would have done today without—"

"What a beautiful family portrait."

A deep, mocking voice suddenly echoed from the dark shadows near the private elevator doors.

My entire body went completely rigid. The smile froze on my face, and a wave of ice-cold dread washed over me.

Ethan King stepped out of the dimly lit corner of the lobby.

He had ditched his suit jacket entirely. His white shirt was soaked from the rain, clinging to his broad chest, and his collar was torn open. His dark eyes were wild, bloodshot, and burning with an obsessive, unhinged fury. He wasn't looking at me. His gaze was locked entirely onto Lucas’s hand, which was resting gently on the small of my back to guide me forward.

Lucas didn't hesitate. He smoothly handed the sleeping Jacob to the primary security detail standing behind us and stepped directly in front of me, his massive frame forming a solid wall of steel between Ethan and my family.

"You are trespassing on private property, King," Lucas said. His voice was terrifyingly calm, but it carried the heavy weight of a lethal promise. "Leave right now before my men remove you permanently."

Ethan didn't even acknowledge Lucas's existence. He took a predatory step forward, his eyes burning right past Lucas's shoulder, locking onto me with a terrifying intensity.

"I told you this morning, Amelia," Ethan growled, his voice shaking with a dangero

us mixture of raw regret and violent obsession. "You don't get to run from me anymore. And you damn well don't bring another man around my son."