CHAPTER 302: THE LEGAL HEIR?

He stepped out quickly, pulling out his phone, ready to call the butler. But his thumb paused over the screen when he caught the nervous glances of the staff watching him from the hallway.

"Where is Dad?" he snapped.

The servants exchanged terrified glances, shrinking back. Finally, an older maid stepped forward, wringing her hands. "The old master is in the backyard, sir," she said cautiously.

Without another word, Gabriel spun around and strode outside. He found Dimitri in the patio, reclining in a chair and leisurely sipping his coffee. Just a few feet away, the butler supervised the gardener, giving quiet instructions as the hedges were trimmed.

Gabriel marched toward the patio, fury tightening every step.

"Dad," his sharp voice rang loud in the air. "I’ve been looking all over the house for you, and here you are, lounging with coffee like nothing has happened."

Dimitri looked up, surprised by the tone. He set the cup down and sat upright. "What has gotten into you?" he asked, studying him. "Why are you so worked up? And what are you doing here at this time? It’s only afternoon. Didn’t you go to work?"

"Cut the crap," Gabriel snapped, voice laced with fury. "You are the one who threw my entire day into chaos, and now you sit here sipping coffee, acting like I’m the problem?"

His eyes flicked to the cup on the table with contempt.

"You ruin everything for me, and then you kick back and relax like it’s nothing. Do you even hear yourself? How insensitive can you be?"

Dimitri’s calm facade cracked. "What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped back. "How exactly did I trouble you?"

Gabriel let out a bitter laugh, the anger boiling over. "Still playing dumb? Seriously? You handed over your shares to Augustine’s unborn kid. I’m your son, the legitimate one. That legacy should be mine. But no, you forgot all about me. All that mattered to you was the bastard’s son."

His voice rose at the last sentence, echoing off the patio walls. The butler and gardener froze, both turning toward the confrontation. Sensing the escalation, the butler gave the gardener a discreet gesture to leave. The man slipped away quietly, but the butler lingered, wary, watching.

Gabriel stepped closer. "You made a promise to Mom not to keep any contact with your mistress and anyone related to her. She warned you not to give her and her children any place in this family. But soon after she died, you ran to them like a starving dog. And now you are giving everything to Augustine. Why? Why spit on everything Mom stood for?"

Dimitri gripped his cane and rose slowly to his feet, fury burning in his eyes.

"You call him a bastard? He is my son, my blood. He went through more than you’ll ever understand, and yet he never once tried to take anything from you. He built a life, found peace with his family. He lived quietly, with dignity. But you shattered all of it. Don’t push me, Gabriel. You don’t want me to speak the truth, because once I do, you won’t be able to handle what comes next."

"Are you threatening me?" Gabriel growled.

Dimitri stood tall, shoulders firm, both hands resting on his cane. "This is not a threat. This is a reminder. You are my eldest, the legal heir. I gave you everything: the Beaumont estate, the business, this house. You got what you were meant to inherit. But the shares I gave to Augustine’s child belonged to me. Personal. Not tied to family legacy. I can give it to whoever I want. I don’t owe you an explanation for that."

’Elder son, legal heir,’ Gabriel muttered in his mind bitterly. ’What’s the point of having all the wealth, the status, the company... if I don’t have a child to pass it on to? In the end, the real winner is that bastard, Gervis.’

His fists tightened until the veins stood out like cords along the backs of his hands. All this time, he had believed he had won.

But now he felt like he was the foolish one, the loser.

Everything he built, everything he guarded so fiercely, would go to Denis. How could he forget the fact that Denis was Gervis’s son, not his?

If that truth ever came to light, Denis and Augustine would stand together, united by blood. And him? He’d be the outsider in his own legacy.

He regretted raising Denis, clinging to a hollow marriage for appearance’s sake.

’I should’ve acted sooner,’ he thought bitterly. ’I should’ve left Jeanne, married someone else, and had a child of my own.’

His thoughts shifted to Tania, who was willing to give him a child. He didn’t trust her, not entirely. But now, she was young and still could give him what he desired. She was his only hope.

"You never really loved me," Gabriel said coldly. "Your heart was always with Gervis. I can see it clearly now. I don’t need your explanations anymore. Your choices say enough."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and stormed off the patio, the heat of his fury trailing behind him.

Dimitri’s posture crumbled the moment Gabriel disappeared from view. His shoulders slumped, and the strength in his grip gave out as his fingers loosened around the cane. He lowered himself into the recliner.

"Master," the butler rushed over, concern etched across his face. "Are you alright?"

Dimitri raised a weary hand, motioning him away. "I’m fine," he said, though he sounded weak and hollow. "Call Augustine. Tell him I need to see him. There is something I have to say."

The butler hesitated for a moment, reading the strain in his face, then gave a quiet nod and stepped away.

Dimitri leaned back in the chair, staring out at the garden. A deep, gnawing dread coiled in his chest. He had buried the truth for years, thinking silence would protect the family from crumbling further. But now, with the way things were unraveling, he feared history might repeat. And this time, it would be Anne and Augustine who would suffer in the flames of Gabriel’s revenge.

’No, I can’t keep quiet anymore,’ he thought. ’I have to talk to Augustine before it’s too late.’