Chapter 5

"I've only been gone for ten years, and this little brat is already nine. How could you just toss aside what we had?" Curtis snapped.

Vita dodged Curtis's slap and scrambled up from the floor, her heart pounding as she checked on Miranda. "Miranda, are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Miranda's chin was swelling from the impact. She burst into tears. "Mommy, I want Daddy to come home and make that mean man go away."

Curtis snarled, "You think you can kick me out of the Guerrero family? Don't make me laugh. Your dad's a bastard, and so are you.

"I'm the legitimate heir of the Guerrero family, the one who truly belongs here. What gives you the right to hold onto my family's legacy?"

Vita's eyes were puffy and red as she screamed at him, "Curtis, nobody abandoned you. You're the one who walked out on everyone."

Ten years ago, Curtis walked out on Vita without warning on their wedding day, leaving her stranded in front of all those big shots, utterly disgracing both her and the Guerrero family.

Curtis was the one who turned his back on love.

Vita spent two years pursuing Curtis. Even when she was studying for a foreign language, she never missed a single one of his games.

When she entered a national design competition in college, she even added Curtis's name to her project, helping him win the first prize without making any effort.

She and Curtis had only known each other for twelve years, but he disappeared for ten of those years.

None of those vows and promises they once made mattered anymore.

Hadley helped Vita to her feet and hurried to explain, "Mr. Guerrero, Miss Guerrero was born ten months after the wedding. She's a child born in wedlock."

Curtis's face twisted with rage. "Shut up, you traitorous old fool.

"You watched me grow up, and now you just stand by while that pair of homewreckers steal my place and my inheritance. How dare you call them the real heads of the Guerrero family?"

"What about my mom? Did she just sit back and watch some illegitimate kid take over the family fortune without doing anything?"

Hadley wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Mr. Guerrero, ten years ago, when everyone thought you'd drowned at sea, your mother was so furious and devastated that she had a complete mental breakdown."

Curtis's mother, Alma Guerrero, had always doted on Curtis.

When Curtis's speedboat accident happened, she fainted and was rushed to Mary Jane Private Hospital. After a bunch of tests, the doctor said the anger hit her so hard that it caused a stroke.

They could've tried surgery, but Alma never exercised, and her cheating husband had drained her both physically and emotionally. She was just too weak for an operation.

So when the Guerrero family suggested swapping out the groom for Vita, Darren immediately agreed and had Kieran take Curtis's place.

After Alma was diagnosed with a mental illness, Darren took her to court for a divorce. He bent over backwards to get what he wanted. As soon as the papers were signed, he married Kieran's mother.

Curtis's eyes were as sharp as blades. "All of you are scammers. The worst my mom's ever suffered is a lousy cup of coffee. How could she possibly lose her mind from anger?"

He shot a cold look at Vita. "Vita, I'm still alive, and you went ahead and married Kieran. That's bigamy. If you don't want to rot in jail, you'd better cough up ten million dollars right now."

"Ten million?" Barbara sounded disappointed. "Curtis, didn't you say the Guerrero family's hundreds of millions were all yours?

"Plus, you're your dad's only legitimate son. The whole Guerrero fortune is supposed to be yours anyway. Kieran's only got a daughter. Are you just gonna let that little girl grow up and marry off, taking all the family money with her?"

Curtis stiffened for a moment, then agreed, "Yeah, I am my dad's only son. Out of everyone in the Guerrero family, I'm the one who should be running things around here."

Then he shot a vicious glare at Miranda. "You little bastard, once I ruin you, I'll destroy your parents' marriage. When that's done, I'll be the one calling all the shots in the Guerrero family, just like it should be."

With that, Curtis grabbed Miranda by her collar and yanked her straight out of Vita's arms. "Your grandma stole my mom's love, your dad stole my place as CEO, and your mom cheated on me. You deserve to die!"

Vita's heart was pounding in her chest. "Curtis, let go of Miranda!"