His voice was cold, and every inch of him radiated a tense, desperate energy. This wasn’t the same anger as before—it wasn’t just a fight between two men over a woman. Now, it was personal. It was about his child.
“Weston, where did you take Bryce?” Justin’s words were filled with a simmering rage.
Weston, unfazed, kept his calm demeanor, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced at Stella standing by Justin’s side. “Didn’t your ex-wife say the waiter took him? What does this have to do with me? You should ask the waiter,” he responded, his tone almost dismissive.
Turning away from Justin, Weston addressed the manager who stood nervously nearby, his head down, unwilling to meet anyone’s gaze.
Understanding clicked for Justin in that moment. He saw what was happening. “Why would you do this to a child?” he asked, his voice steady but full of disgust.
The reality of the situation hit him hard. A high-end restaurant like this was likely connected to Weston’s business dealings, and even if Justin wanted to go to the police, it would be too late. Weston would never allow it.
Justin wasn’t naïve, but for Stella, he had allowed himself to believe that Weston’s threats wouldn’t carry weight. The room seemed to grow heavier with every passing second.
Tina, standing nearby, seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation too. Her face darkened as she addressed Justin, her voice sharp. “Justin, no matter how you feel about her, remember—you’re still a parent!”
Justin’s face twisted with anger. His patience snapped, and his voice grew harsher as he responded, “I didn’t forget! What’s your excuse? Finally remembered your son’s birthday after all these years of neglect?”
The tension was palpable. Tina, refusing to back down, shot back, her voice dripping with bitterness. “At least I’m a better father than you. You missed your son’s birthday and have no idea where he is, all because you were busy ‘fooling around’ with a young woman.”
Stella, feeling the storm of words and emotions threatening to spiral out of control, squeezed her eyes shut and intervened. “Right now, the most important thing is finding Bryce.”
She turned to Weston, standing before him as she locked eyes with him. “You really don’t know where he went?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper but filled with urgency.
Weston’s expression remained unreadable as he lit a cigarette, the tip glowing brightly in the dim room. Stella, already irritated by his incessant smoking, turned her head away, not bothering to mention her distaste for the smell. But when Weston blew a puff of smoke directly into her face, she couldn’t suppress her frown.
“Are you asking or begging?” Weston’s tone was mocking, his smile never reaching his eyes.
Justin’s anger boiled over. He clenched his fist and stepped toward Weston, his voice low and dangerous. “I know you took Bryce. Give him back. If anything happens to him, I swear I won’t let you get away with it.”
Before he could make a move, Tina stepped between them, grabbing his arm. “What are you doing? Fighting won’t solve anything!”
Her voice was the voice of reason. A lawyer by profession, she was calm and composed. “Don’t get yourself arrested over this,” she cautioned. “What do you want me to do? Bryce is in his hands now.” Justin shoved her hand away, his frustration evident.
Tina, equally upset, didn’t hold back. “How come you didn’t think about Bryce when you showed up here with a woman? But now, you’re playing the hero like you’re some kind of perfect father? You’re a hypocrite.”
The words stung. Their divorce had been ugly, filled with resentment and animosity. Even years later, they couldn’t be in the same room without clashing. Justin had always criticized Tina for being too absorbed in her work to care for their home, while Tina had always resented his traditional expectations of her. Neither one was willing to meet the other halfway, and their marriage ended as a result. Once a couple everyone envied, they had been torn apart by their differences.
Skip to content