THE LOST HEIRESS RETURNS AFTER DIVORCE
Chapter 103: Morning Mayhem

Chapter 103: Morning Mayhem

Heather’s eyelids fluttered open slowly. Something heavy was pressing down on her chest.

It felt like someone had dropped a full sack of cement on her while she slept.

She blinked against the morning light, trying to move. Nothing. Her limbs barely twitched. In her head, she was thrashing.

In reality, she was a motionless heap under a blanket of weight.

Panic began to stir.

Her breath hitched.

Was this a stroke? Was this how it started?

Her heart started racing, and without thinking, she let out a small, pathetic sob—half out of fear and half confusion.

That was when the weight shifted.

It moved.

Somene snuggled in tighter.

She felt a warm arm drop across her waist and a hand flop lazily in front of her.

Her eyes focused just in time to see the hand—long fingers and familiar calluses.

She smacked it.

"Wake up, Caius. You’re suffocating me!"

But he refused to move.

She pushed at his chest weakly. "Get up! You are killing me!"

That seemed to stir him.

He yawned against her hair and mumbled, "Oh." Then, as if it were the most casual thing in the world, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Good morning."

Heather froze.

Her eyes widened.

Did he just—?

With a burst of energy she didn’t know she had, she shoved him with both hands. Hard enough to push him off.

He rolled onto his back, laughing.

"I didn’t know you had it in you," he said, grinning lazily. "You’re so fragile-looking."

She sat up immediately, rubbing her cheek like it burned.

"Caius," she said in a tone flat. "What right do you have to kiss my cheek?"

He looked at her with mock confusion. "It’s tradition. You kiss someone good morning."

Heather shot him a deadpan stare. "You’ve never kissed me good morning before."

He just smiled, annoyingly unbothered.

She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of a deeper argument. She stood up, pulled the sheet off with her, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

The loud thud echoed with finality.

...

Heather had already waved goodbye to Amaranth and Gerald earlier. But from the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure behind one of the tall windows.

Adonis.

He hadn’t come out to bid them farewell. He just watched from upstairs. She met his gaze for a moment, then looked away without acknowledgment. She didn’t even know he was here.

She simply just went to the kitchen. The kitchen smelled like butter and sugar.

Heather stood beside Alex, helping him knead cookie dough with small, floured fingers.

His nose was dusted with white powder—her doing—but she hadn’t cleaned it. It was too cute.

She had more time now. Filming was paused, and Manager Sheng had told her she had a few weeks to breathe before auditions for the next big project.

She hadn’t expected that fan riot Sheng mentioned. Apparently, after she left, some of her fans stormed the company in full force, demanding answers about that scandal with Lauren.

There’d even been a stand-off between Heather’s fans and Lauren’s.

Funny, she thought. I didn’t even know people liked me that much.

"Mommy," Alex said, his eyes huge and curious, "why are you smiling?"

Heather blinked. She hadn’t realized she was.

"Oh," she said, brushing her hands on her apron. "I just... remembered something funny."

"What did you find funny?" Caius’s voice came through as he strolled into the kitchen.

"Father!" Alex beamed.

Caius raised a brow. "Father?"

"Isn’t that what you call Grandpa?"

Caius chuckled and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket. "Old habit. My father was strict with me and my brother. But that doesn’t mean you get to call me ’Father.’"

"Oh," Alex said thoughtfully. "Then what should I call you?"

"What do you call your mother?"

"Mommy!"

"Exactly," Caius said, smiling down at him. "So what will you call me?"

Alex tilted his head. "Father!"

Caius paused mid-bite and rubbed his face with a slow exhale. "Okay... no."

"Did I offend you, Father?"

Caius visibly clenched his jaw. "Just—call me what your mom calls me."

Heather looked up sharply.

Alex blinked innocently. "And what’s that?"

"Daddy," Caius said smoothly, eyes locked on her. "Isn’t that right?"

Heather’s entire expression soured. Her brows pulled tight, her lips in a flat and hard line.

Caius started laughing.

"It’s not funny," she snapped.

He kept laughing.

"But I’ve never heard Mommy call you ’Daddy,’" Alex said with a puzzled stare.

"Oh, it usually happens in the bedroom."

Heather gasped. "Can you stop?!"

She hadn’t even finished with Caius when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

She was still glaring at him when she yanked it out, saw the caller ID: Manager Sheng.

Her brows furrowed. Why was he calling?

She stepped out of the kitchen and answered it.

"Heather," Sheng’s voice came through the speaker. "There’s a production afterparty tonight."

She groaned. "I thought I had a week to myself."

"You did. Until Lauren called late last night and said she was coming."

Heather pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of course she did."

"You should go, I’m sending people over to get you dressed. It’ll be good for visibility."

Heather rolled her eyes. Whenever he wanted her to attend one if these events or parties, he talked about visibility. She knows he doesn’t mean any harm, but still: family time with Alex.

She sighed finally. "I’ll think about it."

"Don’t think about it, just show up."

He hung up before she could argue.

She looked up at the phone and sighed. Did he just hand up on her? She didn’t think too much about it, because she knew she wasn’t going to go.

Heather returned to the kitchen and resumed working the dough.

Her phone rang again, but she ignored it.

Alex looked up at her. "Is it Daddy Sheng?"

Caius tilted his head. "Aren’t you going to answer that?"

Heather pressed her lips together. "It’s Manager Sheng."

"Well, answer it."

"I know what he wants."

"And?"

"He wants me to get ready for a production afterparty."

"Then go."

She raised her brows. "Can’t you see? I’m busy making cookies with Alex."

"I’ll take over," Caius said casually, already washing his hands. "Go."

Heather looked at him, then at Alex, who gave an enthusiastic nod. "Daddy will take care of me!"

She stared between the two of them.