Divorced Heiress
Chapter 21

SARAH

I had no idea what time it was when I felt hands on my cheeks, waking me up from my comforting sleep. I opened my eyes and met the honey gaze of my little dark-haired boy, who brightened up all my days. "Mommy." Tristan's sweet and cheerful voice made me smile from ear to ear, and I enveloped his little body in my arms, showering him with kisses that made him burst into contagious laughter.

"What is the most spoiled child doing awake so early?" I left a few more kisses on his cheek when I realized he shouldn't be here, and I didn't even hear the monitor connecting my room to his. "How did you get here, you naughty boy?"

"Oh, how adorable! They make me want to have a child, but then I see Tristan's mischief and it passes, I prefer to remain an aunt. I can return him whenever I want." I exclaimed in bed upon hearing Abby's voice, and I saw her sitting on the couch with a sandwich on her lap.

Tristan got scared when I sat up abruptly with him in my arms to look at my friend, and I hugged him when I saw that he wanted to cry from the scare.

"What are you doing here at this hour of the morning?" I asked annoyed with my friend for coming to disrupt my son's sleep and mine, to which she burst into laughter that almost made her choke on the piece of sandwich in her mouth.

"Have you seen what time it is?" She asked after swallowing the bite of her sandwich, and until that moment, I bothered to look at the time, finding out that there were less than ten minutes to ten in the morning and the alarm hadn't gone off. "Even Tristan woke up before you, he's already had breakfast, gotten dressed, and ready to start the day, and you're still like a lazy bear."

But of course, I was going to fall asleep after a long day of work and taking care of my son until he fell asleep. The night before, I fell to sleep exhausted, feeling completely drained. But why didn't anyone wake me up?

"I can't believe it! I overslept!" I jumped out of bed, not before leaving Tristan in bed with a kiss on his forehead, and went into the bathroom to get ready as quickly as possible.

"Unbelievable, Sarah. You overslept on the day you have such an important meeting and your parents are coming back from their vacation."

I heard Abby from the bedroom, but I ignored her because I knew very well everything I had planned for today and I had fallen behind by oversleeping.

"Come here, Tristan, it's not your fault you have the mother you have."

I rolled my eyes at what she said to my son, as if I were the worst mother in the world.

And it was far from the truth. Since I held Tristan in my arms hearing his cry, everything bad disappeared in an instant. I forgot about that man I loved madly, his family, and their humiliations. I forgot about that woman who claimed to be my friend.

I forgot that I had failed in my marriage. When I saw him, with his rosy and tender skin, his small hands, his little face, I realized that not everything was lost, and I was left with something wonderful from all the suffering I had once endured.

I have given everything of myself to be the best mother and father to Tristan Doinel, without neglecting my responsibilities in the company. I didn't consider myself a perfect mother, but I was doing a great job in my attempt to be one, and it showed every day when I saw my son happy.

I quickly dressed in an executive dress I found in the closet, not having time for makeup or hairstyle. I left my hair loose and went out just in time to stop Abby, who was catching Tristan in the air after tossing him, and he wouldn't stop shouting and laughing. "Abby, you're going to scare me to death if you keep playing those games." I said as I picked Tristan up in my arms and left the room, grabbing my things before leaving.

"So grumpy. Tristan likes that game, don't you, honey eyes?" Abby followed me while playing with Tristan's hands. I looked at my son's smiling face, who nodded eagerly."Yes!" Tristan moved happily and restlessly, and I put him on the ground to take his hand once I descended the stairs.

"You see, I am the best aunt, you have to admit it. Although it's a pity that he looks so much like the unnamed one, it truly is unfair. Nine months in your belly for him to come out identical to that wretched man."

I looked at her with a displeased expression. There was no need to remind me when I realized it every day with the great resemblance to Alexander. At least he got my nose and lips, and I was more than happy with that.

"Aunt Abby, thanks for reminding me, I hadn't noticed." I said in an ironic tone and Abby burst into laughter, while taking Tristan's free hand and he joined in the laughter with my friend.

God, if my son knew what Abby was laughing about.

"Ms. Doinel, Tristan's backpack." one of the employees handed me Tristan's belongings for the afternoon, interrupting what Abby was about to say.

"Are you not going to have breakfast?"

"Thank you, Lucy. I don't have time, but thanks. Prepare the house, my parents are coming back today." After giving the order to the employee, I left with Abby where the chauffeur was waiting for me with the Mercedes running.

"I don't feel like driving, I'll go with you. Besides, I have to continue teaching my nephew to pronounce my name correctly." Abby entered the back seat next to Tristan's car seat, and I went to the other side. The car started moving, and Abby quickly asked me a question that made me uncomfortable.

"Speaking of the unnamed one, did you know that his company will launch the new collection during fashion week in New York?"

"No, I didn't know, but it was to be expected, and I don't want to know anything related to him. I don't even remember that man." I responded indifferently and sharp, with no intention of continuing the conversation, while I ran my hands through my son's black hair. “Come on, Sarah! Are you going to tell me that you haven't seen the news about him and his company? The youngest successful CEO in the fashion industry. How old is he? In his thirties?" I didn't even look at Abby when she spoke as if trying to find out something, when she already knew everything.

I haven't heard from Alexander since that day he made a scene in the city's most exclusive restaurant. I couldn't believe his high level of cynicism, coming here to have me remove the note, and then saying that it was what he cared about the least. For God's sake! No one believed that.

For starters, we had nothing to talk about or pending matters. The only thing that connected us was Tristan, but he never knew about his existence, and he never will. Thank goodness he gave up and returned to New York after I gave Damien the order to make any news with the name Alexander, Paul, Rachel, and mine disappear.

I didn't even watch Lancaster Collection's news. Why bother? I was happy with my life as a single mother and vice president of my father's company. I wasn't masochistic enough to search for or watch news related to that man. I didn't need it. "Thirty-one years old." I answered simply without looking at her, all my attention was focused on my son playing with his toy dinosaur.

"And then you say you don't remember him."

I shot daggers at her with my eyes for whatever she was trying to say with that. It wasn't hard to remember his age; he was one year older than me.

"But well, I won't talk about Alexander Lancaster anymore, just mentioning his name disgusts me."

"It shows." I said sarcastically, and she ignored me to turn her attention back to Tristan.

"Tristan, what's your favorite aunt's name?" She asked with an extremely high" pitched voice, and I didn't want to miss the show.

"Aunt By."

I laughed seeing my friend's defeated expression upon hearing Tristan's mispronunciation, but she wouldn't give up so easily.

"My name is not that difficult, for heaven's sake. A-bby. Repeat after me, Tristan."

My son looked at her attentively, observing the movements of her mouth. I couldn't remember how long Abby had been teaching him to pronounce her name, and he always ended up saying it wrong. However, I was sure that at any moment, he would say it clearly like the first time he said "mama."

"A." She elongated it for Tristan to repeat.

"A."

"Bby."

"Bby."

"Abby."

"Baby."

I chuckled at how he had called my friend.

"Hey, I like it, we're making progress, at least he doesn't call me By anymore. Say it again. " Abby was excited about Tristan's progress, it showed in her ear-to-ear smile.

"Auntie By."

And her smile vanished when he called her as he always had, I couldn't help but laugh even harder.

"It had to be Lancaster."

...

Today's meeting was so important that we had to wait for my parents to arrive before starting, however, I didn't just sit around. While Tristan played with his toys in the space I set up in my office for him, I focused on getting ahead with the next collection Doinel was going to launch.

I had Patrick's designs and the fabric order I would need for each design, but I couldn't do much as a knock on the door interrupted me, and seconds later Jack entered with a floral arrangement so big that it covered him completely. I dropped the pen on the desk and let out a tired sigh.

"You don't say, Paul sent it." Jack placed the arrangement on my desk and looked at me apologetically but with a smile.

"Yes, lilies brought from Sweden. That man doesn't give up, he should..."

I interrupted him before he gave me another speech about accepting the man who never gave up, even when he was in another country taking care of the Doinel franchise.

"No, he shouldn't. Thanks, Jack." I said with a smile that didn't reach my eyes, and Jack left the office, leaving me alone with my son and an arrangement of lilies bigger than my head.

I didn't even bother reading the note he left. The door to the office opened again and a smiling Abby entered with a strawberry yogurt in hand.

"That's my brother! They're beautiful! Just say yes already, he would be a great father to Tristan, you know he adores him."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, showing my disagreement. From the beginning, I warned him that nothing would happen between us.

I couldn't think of anything other than my son, I didn't have time to think about starting a relationship, nor was I looking for a father for my son. I knew Paul adored him, but I didn't want to risk hurting him, getting hurt myself, or even getting my son's hopes up. "I won't say yes, you know I appreciate him a lot, but I don't want anyone to get hurt or burden him with a responsibility that doesn't belong to him. He has decided to keep insisting even though I told him no from the beginning." I replied without any expression, while I focused again on the papers I had in my hand.

"You've become so cold, really. Not all men are like your ex-husband. Paul is not to blame for Alexander cheating on you, and he doesn't have to pay for it when all he has done is show his interest and how much he wants to be with you and Tristan. Anyway, do what you want, as always."

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow as she made her complaint, and when she was about to leave the office, she stopped dead in her tracks upon hearing my son.

"Aunt Abby." Tristan raised his arms towards her, asking for her help to get out of his playpen-style enclosure, and she looked at him incredulously, overflowing with tenderness in her eyes.

"Oh, I can't believe it. He said it, he said it right."

She came running to Tristan and took him out of his space by carrying him in her arms.

"Let's go, Tristan, it's too cold in this office." She said referring to me, and left my office without even telling me where she was going with my son.

Well, she would get over it. I was not obligated to be with Paul or anyone else. She should respect my decision. I took a deep breath, and just as I was finally getting back to my work, the door opened again and I hit my desk with my hand, feeling frustrated by the constant interruptions.

"And now what?" I asked reluctantly and swallowed the bad words that were about to come out of my mouth when I saw my parents entering the office.

"Mom, dad!"

I stood up from my comfortable chair and rushed towards them to hug them. I hadn't seen them in two months, since my father organized a vacation with my mother for their wedding anniversary, and today they were finally back.

"Is that the way to welcome your parents?" My mother asked, pretending to be offended by how I spoke to them before knowing it was them, and I kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know... I missed you so much." I said as I breathed in their scent. I had missed them so much, the house felt empty without them. Although with Brandy's playfulness and my little Tristan, there was more noise than usual.

"My Sari, we missed you and Tristan too. Where is my grandson?" My father asked as he peeked into the area where my son was, and he looked at me when he saw it was empty.

"Abby took him, didn't you see her in the hallway? Anyway, she shouldn't take long to come back." I said, avoiding talking about the little argument we just had before she took Tristan, who finally said his name right.

"Dear, I think we should take advantage of Tristan not being here to give the news in the meeting." My mother said, embracing my father by the waist, and my brow furrowed immediately.

News? Why didn't I know about the news? The last time they gave a surprise news, I ended up being the vice president of Doinel.

"Sari, tell Jack that we want the board meeting in five minutes in the conference room. We'll wait for you there." My father said before leaving the office with my mother, and I obeyed immediately.

The conference room filled up in less than five minutes, except for Paul who was on a business trip. Vincent, who had been busy in the production plant, took a seat beside me and shook my hand.

My father started the meeting, greeting everyone after being absent for so long, as Vincent continued to occupy his place. He thanked them for doing a great job in the last three years and for cooperating with the vice president.

"Before moving on to the next topics of the company, I am pleased to inform you that Doinel has once again been invited to New York Fashion Week, which will take place in a few days, and this year we will attend as special guests. I have always gone representing Doinel, but this year things will change. Not only will I go representing, but Paul Dubois, Vincent Lefevbre, and Sarah Petit as well. We will travel to New York!"

WHAT?!

Go back to New York?!