Once Rejected, Now Desired! [Revenge of the Son-in-Law]

Chapter 4: Jelian and Jelian Lincoln

"What do you want from me, Ms. Lincoln? I'm a bit busy right now. And you're not worth my minute anymore." I asked as I tried to stay as calm as possible.

As much as it pains me, I swallowed my pride and slapped those words on her smooth innocent face. I had to show her that I was no longer the man she once knew.

Then I ordered my security guards to let her go, not because I felt pity for her, or because she was Celestine's older sister, but because I didn't want people to have the wrong idea about me.

Undeniably, I still love her so much, in fact, I cannot deny that there are no nights I haven't thought about all the good things that happened between us, especially when we had our son, but I already have had enough of my suffering in their hands for the past three years.

Celestine stood up without getting any help from my security guards. "Is it true that you had an affair with her? Since when? Was it before we broke up?" she asked, ignoring the fact that her sister already confessed.

"You heard your sister's confession, Ms. Lincoln." to make it more convincing, I crossed my hands around Jennie's waistline and faked a smile. "Jennie and I are in a relationship after we got divorced."

Right. Of course, they know nothing about my real identity. Celestine, her entire family, even my ex-best friend, and all their friends knew nothing about me being the only son and heir of the second-richest family in the United States, ten times richer compared to the Lincolns.

When I married her three years ago, I used my Mom's maiden surname, Llana, for some reason. I choose to live like the majority having a normal life without the influence of my parents' wealth and power. My parents are not aware of what happened to me three years ago.

All they knew was that I ran away from home and lived with my grandmother without getting the chance to communicate with them, especially with Dad, not until that afternoon when his right-hand man dropped me off in front of our house.

"I am not like you, a cheater, Celestine. You know nothing about me. I'm not having a relationship while I'm still married to someone. And I am not going to stop you from believing whatever you want to believe. You want to believe that I married someone wealthy and powerful?" I added. "Then so be it. I have no reason to explain anything to you."

After letting out those words, I hopped into the car and ordered the driver to take off right away, leaving Celestine alone in the parking lot. And what will happen to her back there is the least of my worries.

"Are you gonna be alright, Mr. Fisher?" Jennie asked, her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror. Perhaps she had already noticed the discomfort that had been lingering on my mind since we took off.

Showing up at the Grandball was supposed to be my plan, to surprise Celestine, but after seeing her in person for the first time after that night he left me, her and Sebastian's existence suffocated me. Seeing his face boiled my blood.

I have been enduring the discomfort since we stood in front of them. If and only I had a knife in my hands, I could have stabbed them already.

Luckily, Jennie showed up and helped me change the subject, especially when I was about to confess everything to Celestine. However, I still don't know what her real intention is in helping me hide my identity. After all, the Lincoln blood also runs through her veins.

"About earlier," she added, guilt was evident in her voice. "I know you have questions about me and Celestine, and how I ended up becoming your secretary. You must be shocked."

Jennie took the opportunity to confess everything while my lips were sealed. It turned out that she was an illegitimate child of the Lincolns.

Similar to me, she claimed that she was also kicked out of the mansion before I became part of the family. And that she was also seeking revenge. But she couldn't start a thing because she had no means to do it.

"About your son, Noah, are you sure we have to go this far?" she added, this time, in an apprehensive tone. "I mean, are you sure he will not get hurt in the middle of the process?"

Jennie was referring to taking custody of my son by hook or by crook. I missed Noah so badly, I want to hold him in my arms, to sing a sleeping song for him, and it squeezes my heart every time I think about it.

Since then, I kept wondering if the Lincolns were taking good care of him: if they fed him, or if anyone dared lay their hands on him, especially when I knew apart from his mother, everyone in the mansion treated him like a scrap.

And I will do everything in my money and power to take him from those evil people surrounding him. "Let's stick to the plan, Ms. Jennie. I can not afford for the plan to go south. We have gone this far."

Thirty minutes later, Jennie and I were caught by surprise when a hard slap landed on my face. Hard enough I moaned from too much pain. Terror washed over me when I got the chance to catch a glimpse of the person who slapped me.

"Dad," I gasped as I bit my lower lips.

"What do you think you're doing, Zachary?" Dad growled at me. "Your Mom and I had to cancel our business trips because what? You sold all the shares I gave you? Is that how are you going to repay us for accepting you in this house?"

I attempted to seek help from Mom by glancing at her, but similar to me, she was also terrified of Dad. She lowered her eyes, avoiding making eye-to-eye contact with me.

Jennie stepped in and bent half of her body toward Dad before she uttered, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Fisher. Everything is all my fault for keeping this from you. Please, don't blame it on your son. I'll take full responsibility for..."

"Get the hell out of my face, Ms. Jennie. You're fired!" Dad exclaimed furiously, his sharp eyes were fixed on me.

"But Dad?" I blurted, trying to change his mind. "You can't do that to her, Dad! She's been with the company for seven years." I tried to reach out to his hands, ignoring the unbearable discomfort I felt on my cheek, but he dodged me.

"Who cares, Zachary?" Dad debated, "She's just a mere employee of my company. I can hire more of her if I need to. She failed to do her job. I am her boss, not you. And I can do everything I want whether you like it or not."

All of us in the living room, including the housemaids, were taken aback by the unexpected announcement. Without asking further questions, Jennie left the room with a heavy heart.

This was probably the price for lying to my parents. Dad built and owns the law in this family; the main reason I ran away from home. He owns our freedom. Mom and I were like a slave to him.

Contrary to what other people see me as a first-generation kid, lies a hidden truth about our family. People at the Grand Ball see me as someone who lives a perfect life for having a perfect family everyone ever dreams of.

But none of them knows my hidden story in the hands of my ruthless and cold-hearted Dad. If not because I made a deal with the devil, this hell of a place would be the last place I wanted to be with.

"You, ungrateful son of a ...?" Dad stopped his sentence as he pointed a finger at me, causing my hands and legs to tremble out of fear.

So I lowered my eyes to his feet as I pinched my fingers, thinking I was only dreaming that Dad's image was simply a hologram in front of me. Even Mom could do nothing when he gets mad about something.

"You better withdraw every single penny you invested in that dying corporation! Do you understand?" he ordered. "Are you even aware that the Lincolns are my rivals? It was I who caused their company to go bankrupt, Zachary. And what, you invested ten billion dollars in them? Don't tell me you are still in love with that fucking bastard after everything he did to you?"

Dad dominated the floor of the conversation. His rage was already at its peak. Commenting or debating with him was no longer an option. So I shut my mouth.

"I'm giving you two days to withdraw every penny you invested from them!" he continued, "unless you wanted me to disown you as my son. Do you understand?"

"Honey, that's enough! You just experienced heavy jetlag from our twelve long hours of travel. You still need to rest for tomorrow's meeting." Mom interrupted, but she sounded like she was more concerned about Dad instead of me who was too scared to move my fingers.

"This is my final warning to you, Zachary!" Dad exclaimed, ignoring Mom's interruption. "You better use your brain, not your idiotic useless heart. I'm giving you two options; it's either being my son and heir of my company or getting back to your bastard ex-husband."

Before everything gets out of hand, Mom drags Dad out of the living room, leaving me alone, with my arms and legs still shaking in fear.

One of the reasons I couldn't bring up my marriage to my parents three years ago was that Celestine belongs to the Lincoln - Dad's business' most rival. Our families are mortal enemies like lions and hyenas in the wild hunting the same prey.

But I was madly in love with her. She is the mother of my son. Funny to say, at that time, I couldn't breathe or live life without her. Sickness kept visiting me every time she was not around or out of my sight. I gave up everything and went against my parents in the name of love.

So after that night when she broke up with me, I mustered the courage to speak everything out as it was the only way I believed Dad and Mom would save me.

I begged him to save me from that unbearable pain caused by the Lincolns, humiliation, and being powerless - to start a new life. Swallowed my pride. Dropped to my knees. And acknowledged all my mistakes.

We made an irrevocable deal. In exchange for carrying his surname, he wanted to me return home and become part of their so-called perfect family again.

Easier to say than done but I hated my family with every fiber of my muscle. Truth be told, I'm gonna despise Dad for the rest of my life until the day I die. But I have nowhere else to go.

Celestine, her family, and everyone around her believed that I came from a poor family, knowing I had lived with my grandmother who could barely afford to treat me to three meals a day.

Now that I got back into this family for good, I cannot afford to get back to nothing. All I have to do is follow Dad's order as much as it pains me.

The next day, I went out of the mansion before sunrise. My purpose is to visit Celestine at her office to inform her about my investment withdrawal.

"Do you think we are going to settle this with just your nonsense apology? You ruined my limited-edition shoes. And the price for this was way more expensive than your life, don't you know that?"

"Wait. Do you even recognize who are we, huh?"

Two familiar voices reverberated in my ears as I was about to hop into the nearest elevator. But curiosity piqued me so I mingled with the crowd and proved my instinct to be true.

Right in front of my eyes are Celestine's siblings, Jelian and Julian Lincoln in their beast mode. Across from them, I believe were two of the company janitors considering those scattered mops and buckets behind them.