All Chapters of KICKED LIKE A DOG, RETURNED LIKE A HIDDEN HEIR: Chapter 161
- Chapter 170
199 chapters
Disbelief
Chapter 159The night air outside the gala hall was cool, carrying the soft hum of traffic and the distant murmur of music leaking from the ballroom. Alexander stepped through the tall glass doors and scanned the terrace. It didn’t take long to spot Tommy.Tommy stood near the railing, shoulders tense, one hand buried in his hair while the other clenched the metal edge. His chest rose and fell sharply—still seething, caught between pride and humiliation.Alexander walked toward him—not rushing, not hesitating. Just steady.Tommy sensed him approaching and let out a low, frustrated growl.“What?” Tommy snapped without turning around. “Come to rub it in?”Alexander stopped a few steps behind him, giving him enough space in case things escalated. “No,” he replied calmly. “I came to talk. Because I thought—after all these years—you would have grown. Learned something. But you’re still the same.”That got Tommy’s attention. He spun around, his eyes dark with resentment.“Still the same?” T
Influence
Chapter 160The police station was quiet except for the muffled sounds of typing, murmured conversations, and the distant hum of air conditioning. Tommy sat across from the officers, hands slightly trembling as he recounted his version of the incident, his pride bruised and his ego in tatters. He glanced repeatedly toward the door, half expecting Alexander to burst in, but the calm authority of the station felt suffocating.Meanwhile, outside the police station, Selena leaned against the marble wall, unseen. Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of amusement and admiration. She had followed Alexander after the gala, curious about how he would handle the situation. And now, watching him manage it with such calm, quiet authority, she felt a thrill of pride.Alexander had already left the gala behind—no fanfare, no dramatic gestures. Just precision and purpose. He had given the officers all the details, stayed composed while Tommy stuttered and fumbled for words, and ensured that justice was
uninvited visitor
Chapter 161Mrs. Vega heard the distant hum of an engine pulling into her driveway, the low rumble echoing through the marble halls of her mansion. Her heart skipped—it had to be Alexander and Selena. She rushed out of her room, nearly tripping over the long hem of her robe, excitement fluttering in her chest. This was the first time her daughter would bring her fiancé home formally… and the first time she would get a chance to clear the past and apologize to Alexander properly.But the moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, her face fell flat.It wasn’t Alexander’s sleek black car at all.It was a bright cherry-red SUV.Standing beside it, stepping out with unnecessary flair, was Mrs. Donatoes.Mrs. Donatoes waved her hand like a queen greeting her subjects. “Oh, Mrs Vega, darling! You look shocked to see me!”Shocked was an understatement. Mrs. Vega blinked twice, her entire evening rearranging itself painfully.“Mrs. Donatoes,” she said tightly, “what are you doing in my hous
peace underrated
Chapter 162The moment Alexander and Selena stepped through the door, Mrs. Vega’s entire face lit up. She hurried forward, her hands clasped warmly around Alexander’s.“Welcome, my son,” she said with a softness that surprised even her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”Alexander smiled politely. It still felt strange hearing her call him son, but after their recent reconciliation, it carried a warmth he no longer ran away from.Selena squeezed his hand, proud.But someone else in the foyer wasn’t nearly as pleased.Mrs. Donatoes.She stood slightly behind Mrs. Vega, her painted smile plastered on her face as she watched how warmly Mrs. Vega embraced Alexander. Inside her chest, jealousy twisted like a knife. She had always imagined—quietly and secretly—that one day, their children would marry and unite the Vega and Donatoes families. A perfect elite alliance. A perfect social match.Instead… Selena chose Alexander.A man Mrs. Donatoes once dismissed.She swallowed the bitterness quickly and
Intruder
Chapter 163Mrs. Donatoes rejoined the dining room with the same careful smile she had painted on earlier, though her eyes darted quickly between Selena and Alexander. She slid into the seat opposite them as if nothing was wrong at all.Mrs. Vega cleared her throat and lifted her wine glass.“Let’s begin.”Dinner was served by the maids—steaming bowls, delicate plates, roasted meats, fragrant soups. It should have been a comfortable evening, but the atmosphere was taut with invisible strings.Alexander felt every pair of eyes on him.Especially Mrs. Donatoes’s.She kept glancing at him, her gaze sharp and probing—as if she were dissecting him silently, searching for something to attack.Selena noticed.She placed her hand lightly on Alexander’s knee beneath the table, steadying him.Alexander exhaled softly and gave her a small smile of gratitude.Mrs. Donatoes noticed that too.And it stung.“So…” Mrs. Donatoes said suddenly, her voice sweet like honeyed poison. “Alexander, I must ad
Paxton arrival
Chapter 164Mrs. Vega tightened her grip on her wine glass as she returned to the dining room. She had overheard just enough of Mrs. Donatoes’ cutting words to know that the woman she once considered a casual acquaintance had stepped out of line.The moment her heels clicked onto the marble floor, Mrs. Donatoes straightened her dress and forced a smile, as if she hadn’t just spent the last several minutes undermining Selena’s choices.Selena lifted her head, her frustration still simmering behind her eyes, but she remained silent—waiting for her mother to take the lead.Mrs. Vega reclaimed her seat at the head of the long table.“Shall we continue?”The question wasn’t truly a question. It was an order.Alexander shifted slightly, trying to bury the discomfort bubbling in his chest. Ever since he stepped into this mansion, he’d sensed the tension lurking beneath the polished marble and shimmering crystal lights.And at the center of it all was the uninvited guest—Mrs. Donatoes.The ma
cautious
Chapter 165 The front door slammed shut behind them as Paxton guided his mother out of Mrs. Vega’s mansion. Mrs. Donatoes had made a scene at the table throwing subtle jabs at Selena, forcing awkward smiles, giving Alexander daggered looks she thought were discreet. But nothing escaped Alexander, and nothing escaped Paxton either. He had been watching his mother sit there, seething with jealousy, pretending elegance while her hate simmered beneath her jewelry and forced smile.The moment they stepped onto the porch, away from the warm light of the dining room, Mrs. Donatoes yanked her arm free from her son’s grasp.“Why in the world did you drag me out like that?” she snapped, her voice raised enough that the guards near the gate glanced over. “Are you trying to humiliate me in front of the Vegas? In front of Alexander? In front of Selena?”Paxton took a deep breath, inhaling the cool night air in an attempt to steady himself. The Donatoes family car was already waiting at the bottom
Dark
Chapter 166Inside the Vega mansion, the atmosphere was thick with everything left unspoken. As soon as Paxton dragged his mother out, the table fell into silence. Mrs. Vega cleared her throat twice, pretending everything was fine, but Selena could read her mother like a book—she was furious, embarrassed, and worried all at once.Alexander dabbed his lips with a napkin calmly, pretending not to notice the tension. It was how he handled conflict: like a man sharpening a blade silently.Selena excused herself from the table and walked to the living room window. She parted the curtain slightly, watching Paxton and his mother argue outside. She couldn’t hear the words, but the body language… it said everything.Paxton looked tired. Crushed. Like a man trying to carry a storm with his bare hands.Mrs. Donatoes looked like the storm itself—unpredictable, loud, impossible to contain.Selena sighed heavily.“This is becoming worse,” she whispered.Alexander walked up behind her, wrapping his
Trouble
Chapter 167Mrs. Donatoes’s heels clicked sharply against the marble floor of her grand foyer as she stepped into the house, fury radiating off her in a cold, simmering wave. She had driven all the way back from the Vega residence with her jaw clenched, her chest tight, her thoughts spiraling.It wasn’t just humiliation.It wasn’t just disappointment.It was betrayal.She had always imagined Selena would one day walk through these very doors as her daughter-in-law. She had imagined introducing her proudly as “Paxton’s wife,” imagined the two families merging, imagined the Donatoes securing the Vega name beside theirs.And yet…Selena chose Alexander Morrelo.Of all people—Morrelo.The name alone made her blood boil.Mrs. Vega had welcomed him warmly, openly, with a grace she had never offered to the Donatoes. And Selena… oh, the way the girl looked at him. The way she stood beside him as though they were carved from the same world. As though she had never belonged to anyone else.Mrs.
Humiliation
Chapter 168 The rest of the night passed in uneasy silence.Mr. Donatoes remained downstairs long after his wife had stormed off, the soft hum of the antique clock filling the room as he contemplated the alarming direction her mind had taken. Maria had always been ambitious, socially sharp, and fiercely competitive…but this wasn’t ambition.This was obsession sharpening into something darker.He rubbed his temples, wondering whether he should call Paxton, warn him, or simply pretend none of this was real. But the truth was unmistakable:Something in Mrs Donatoes had snapped.And she wasn’t going to let it go quietly.Upstairs, in the master bedroom, Mrs. Donatoes sat at her vanity, brushing her hair with slow, deliberate strokes. Each drag of the brush soothed her rage, but only enough to clear her thoughts, not enough to change them.Her husband didn’t understand.No one understood.She had invested years—years—into pushing Paxton and Selena together. Her entire social circle expect