The Billionaire And His Son Want Me Back (Paisley)

Grayson's cries echoed through the hallway, loud and desperate, as he watched Paisley walk away without so much as a glance back.

Taking a few shaky steps forward, he called out, "Mommy. Are you really abandoning me?" His voice was raw, filled with heartbreak and despair.

"Yes." Paisley's steps faltered briefly, but she didn't turn around. Without hesitation, she stepped into the elevator.

"No, Mommy. Wait for me," Grayson screamed in tears, darting toward the elevator as the elevator doors began to close.

But he ran too fast. Just as he reached the elevator, his foot caught onto something, sending him sprawling onto the cold floor. The doors shut mercilessly, cutting him off. "Mommy, I'm sorry. Please don't leave me."

"Sonny." Marissa left the food container in her hands, rushing over to scoop Grayson into her arms. She held him tightly as she coaxed, "Sonny, don't cry. I'll always be here for you."

"No...I want Mommy. I need my Mommy." Grayson sobbed uncontrollably, his tears falling like a torrential downpour, soaking Marissa's expensive clothes. Inside, Marissa seethed with frustration, resenting the boy's cries, yet she had no choice but to feign concern and comfort him.

Marissa teared up as she looked at Dominick, holding Grayson close. "Dom, do you think Ms. Sutton got upset because of me? Is that why she treated Sonny like this?

"I swear, I was just worried about Grandpa Paul, so I came to drop off breakfast. I didn't mean anything else."

She gently stroked Grayson's back, her expression full of feigned concern. "But Sonny's her child. How could she be so heartless, hurting him again and again?"

With a dramatic sigh, she added, "Maybe I should just go apologize to her. If that's what it takes for her to accept Sonny, I'll do it. She's not far yet-I can catch up and make things right." Marissa made a move as if to chase after Paisley.

"You don't need to do that." Dominick's voice cut through her act, halting her steps.

Marissa felt a flicker of triumph. This was familiar territory. Dominick would surely take her side, blame Paisley, and stop her from going after her. It always worked before.

"But I just can't stand seeing Sonny so upset," she murmured.

However, when she turned around with an expression of pure innocence, she froze. Instead of seeing anger, she saw his eyes red and swollen, tears silently streaming down his face.

"Dom..." Marissa whispered in disbelief. He wasn't mad. He was crying for Paisley.

Dominick realized he'd been caught crying. He turned his back quickly, wiped his tears away, and said, "There's no point in doing that, so don't bother with it." His words carried a haunting finality. "It's not Sonny she resents. It's me..."

*****

The elevator came to a halt on the first floor, and the doors slid open.

Paisley stepped out with a heavy heart. Maybe it was her imagination, but she could still hear Grayson's gut-wrenching cries echoing in her ears, but she refused to look back. There was no way she was making the same mistake twice.

"Paisley?" A familiar voice broke her reverie. Startled, she looked up to see the Sullivan family trio standing in a neat row. They each carried gift bags, looking like they were on a mission to visit someone in the hospital.

Brittany was dressed to the nines, her vibrant outfit practically screaming she was a star. The oversized sunglasses were overkill, making her attempt at subtlety painfully obvious. Christina, on the other hand, was decked out in branded clothing items and gold jewelry as if to broadcast her "high-class" status. Gregory was dressed pretty conservatively, but the watch on his wrist-a piece worth millions of dollars- definitely caught Paisley's eye. She wondered, 'Had the Sullivan family struck gold?' Gregory splurging on a watch like that was unbelievable to her.