Chased By My Billionaire Ex-husband

Claire’s POV

I spun around toward the source of the voice and saw Sissy standing at the doorway, her arms crossed and her eyes blazing with anger.

"Was he the reason you ran away and came here?" She snapped, her glare piercing through me.

I swallowed hard, knowing I was about to get an earful. "Sissy, I—"

"We had an important meeting after the contract signing yesterday! Do you know how bad your image looks to the entire cast now?" She interrupted, her tone sharp and unforgiving.

"Baby," I said softly, turning my attention to Eliam, who peeked out from behind me nervously as his tiny hands were clutching on my dress for comfort. "Go to your daddy for a while. I will come out once I have finished talking with my friend, okay?"

Eliam hesitated, his big, worried eyes darting between Sissy and me. Before I could reassure him further, the nanny appeared at the door.

"Forgive me for the interruption, ma’am, but I will take Young Master from here," she said with a gentle smile, stepping into the room.

"Thank you," I whispered, giving Eliam a quick hug before releasing him into her care. He glanced back at me one last time. His face looked unsure as his eyes were filled with worries, but he followed the nanny obediently.

Once the door clicked shut, I turned back to Sissy, her anger still palpable.

"Sissy, I know I messed up, but—"

"You didn’t just mess up, Claire! You vanished!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Do you have any idea what people are saying? They think you are unreliable, careless, and unprofessional!"

Her words were strict and right, but I tried to keep my composure. "I didn’t mean to cause problems, Sissy. I really had a situation at hand. I couldn’t do anything and for the contract, I needed time to..."

"Time? Time for what?" She asked, her voice softening just a fraction as she took a step closer. "Claire, you are one of the most talented people I know, but you are not acting like it. What’s going on with you?"

I looked away, unable to meet her gaze. How could I explain everything in such a few words? So many things had happened, and yet I couldn’t come up with the right words to tell her everything. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Fine! I will fix it," I finally said, my voice quiet but determined. "I will show them I am not unreliable. Just give me a chance, Sissy."

Her expression softened further as she let out a sigh. "You would better. You are too good to let this ruin your career, Claire."

I nodded, a small wave of relief washing over me. Sissy might be tough, but I knew she cared about me more than anything in the world. Now it was up to me to prove her faith in me wasn’t misplaced.

"So, what’s up?" Sissy asked, taking me out of my thoughts. Her piercing gaze fixated upon me. "Why did you come here in the first place? What’s really going on? Wasn’t this the place you didn’t want to come ever!?"

I hesitated as I bit my lip. I searched for the right words. "I... I told you, Sissy. I had a situation that I couldn’t compromise on," I said, my voice faltering slightly. "I had to be here. I didn’t have a choice."

Her brows furrowed, skepticism etched on her face. "A situation? What kind of situation, Claire? You are not making any sense. Do you know how bad it looked when you didn’t show up?"

I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself. "I know it was unprofessional, and I already said I am sorry. But I had to be here for Eliam. He needed me."

"Eliam?" Sissy’s expression frowned her brows, but her frustration didn’t fade entirely. "Claire, I understand you see him as your son, but you are also a professional. You have worked so hard to build your career—why throw it away like this?"

"I am not throwing it away," I said firmly, meeting her gaze. "I am trying to balance everything, Sissy. I can’t just abandon him when he needs me the most. He is my priority."

"Hah!" Sissy scoffed as she sat on the corner of the bed as she gestured at the couch in front of the bed as her expression was filled with disbelief. "How is he your priority, Claire? Let’s be real. He is not even your son! He might be the product of some mistress your ex-husband fooled around with. Are you seriously telling me you are going to waste your energy taking care of another woman’s child?"

Her words hit me like a slap, cold and cutting. I froze, my breath hitching in my chest. Of all the things she could have said, I never expected this. Slowly, I raised my eyes to meet hers, my anger bubbling under the surface.

"Can you use your words wisely?" I snapped, my voice low but firm. My each words were laced with controlled fury. "You have no right to talk about them like that. Especially Eliam!"

Sissy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but I wasn’t done.

"He is just a child, Sissy!" I continued as I rose to my feet and stepped closer to her. "An innocent, loving little boy who has done nothing to deserve such cruel words. Whatever mistakes adults make, he shouldn’t have to carry their blame."

She blinked, her expression faltering momentarily before she crossed her arms again as if to prove her words right. "I didn’t mean it like that—"

"No, you did," I interrupted, my tone sharper now. "And it’s not okay. I won’t let anyone, not even you, speak about Eliam as if he is some burden or mistake. He is my responsibility, and if I have chosen to love and care for him, that’s my decision. Not yours. Not anyone else’s."

"Are you really out of your mind?" Sissy rose to her feet and...