Part XV
Teresa and Whitney were sitting in the living room, talking about everything and nothing when they heard a key turn in the front door lock. They both looked up and waited.
"It's either Fox, Ethan or Chad."
"I doubt it's Chad, he has that photo shoot to attend and Ethan just left."
Teresa smiled at Whitney and waited for the door to open. Soon, her smile vanished as she sprung from her seat and looked at Whitney with worry as three men walked in the apartment.
"What are you doing here?"
"Is this anyway to speak to your ex-fake husband Teresa, dear?"
She didn't answer him instead, Whitney did.
"If you're here to see Fox, he's out but he'll be back soon."
"You're right Whitney. I'm here for my son, but not that one. I'm here for our son, Teresa."
"No."
"No? There's nothing you can do about this, Teresa. You missed the custody hearing, I have custody of him until the next hearing is scheduled."
"What? What are you talking about? You pulled this stunt knowing that I was going to be in Los Angeles."
Julian looked at Teresa with a smirk on his face.
"No, Teresa. I had the lawyers send you the paper work. What you did is nothing short of kidnapping. You didn't show up, you kept my child away from me."
"You said that I was free to go wherever I wanted to with him. You said that it wasn't a trick."
Teresa was shaking. She felt sick as she looked at Julian.
"I did not receive any papers. I would have been at the hearing if I knew it was going to take place. I didn't kidnap him."
"Well, Teresa.you snooze, you lose and I'm not leaving here without my son."
"I will never let you anywhere near him. You'll have to go through me first."
"Well that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Where is he?"
Teresa stood in front of Julian defiantly. He looked at her with a certain admiration then shrugged it off.
"We can do this the easy way, where you hand him over, or the hard way where I have to tear this entire place to put my hands on him. Which way is it going to be?"
"Teresa, honey, do as he says. You'll still have the chance to get little Ethan back. Please."
"No, Whitney. If he takes him away, I'll never see him again."
"I would listen to your friend if I were you Teresa."
"Go to Hell Julian. You are not coming anywhere near my son."
"MY son, Teresa. He is my son too and I will take him right now."
"NO."
"You see these two men I have with me? I knew you would give me trouble. One of them is to handle you, while the other one searches for my son."
Julian turned to his men and gave them his signal. One of them went towards Teresa and held her as the other one went towards the bedrooms.
"Let go of me. I said let go of me. Julian, he is sleeping, he'll be scared and frightened."
"He'll get over it."
"NOO!"
At that moment, the door opened again and Fox made his way in. He looked at the people in the living room astonished to see his father in the middle of the living room. His gaze then fell on Teresa.
"Teresa! Let go of her."
He walked toward her as the man loosened his grip on Teresa. She shook him off and ran to the bedroom as the other man was coming out with little Ethan crying.
"Give me my son."
"No, I work for Mr. Crane, not you."
"I said give me my son."
"No."
The man pushed Teresa out of his way with one hand and walked back in the living room and handed the child to Julian.
"No, you can't take him, please. He is my son."
"Father, you cannot be doing this, please, don't take him away from her."
"Fox, stay out of this. I have every right to take him, he is my son. Besides if she had appeared at the hearing like she was supposed to, we might be avoiding this right now."
"What are you talking about, Father?"
"My lawyers sent her the papers for the custody hearing and she was a no show, that means I get to have my son by default."
Fox looked at Teresa who was crying in Whitney's arms, just like her son was crying in Julian's arms.
"Father, please reconsider this. You are ripping him away from the only thing he has ever known."
"I said stay out of this, Fox."
"I can't stay out of this, Father."
"Look, I know you've been playing house, but the bottom line is that he is my son, not yours and you would do yourself well and a huge favour to remember that, Fox."
Julian turned his heels and walked out of the apartment with his men behind him. Teresa flew out of Whitney's arms and started following them, but was stopped by Fox.
"Teresa, don't."
"Then do something, Fox.please. You can't let him take my baby away from me. You always came through for me. You were always there for me. Fox please, don't let them take my son away, please, please."
Fox felt bad and hurt, he knew what Teresa was going through because he was going through the same thing. The angst, the sadness, the hurt, the anger, the hatred towards his own father, he felt it all. He also felt that a part of him had gone with little Ethan. He had grown attached to him and accustomed to putting him to bed at night, or reading him stories and now, he wouldn't do it. Instead, some governess or nanny that his father hired would do that.
"Look, Teresa, you know I would do anything to help you. And when I say anything, I mean it. But you have to calm down and you have to pull yourself together for your sake and his."
"I can't live without him, Fox."
"I know, neither can I."
Whitney looked at Fox and his demeanour and couldn't help but feel that if anyone could help Teresa get her son back, it would be Fox. He was willing to sacrifice everything for her and at that moment, she recognized the look in his eyes. It was determination and love. She knew he would stop at nothing.
*****
Gwen laid down on her bed and listened to the commotion outside. A smile crossed her lips and she closed her eyes with satisfaction. She tossed around and pulled something from underneath the mattress. She held the papers that Julian's lawyers had sent Teresa about the custody hearing. She started ripping them into tiny and tiny pieces.
"What goes around comes around Teresa. I lost my baby, and now it's your turn to lose yours."
Teresa and Whitney were sitting in the living room, talking about everything and nothing when they heard a key turn in the front door lock. They both looked up and waited.
"It's either Fox, Ethan or Chad."
"I doubt it's Chad, he has that photo shoot to attend and Ethan just left."
Teresa smiled at Whitney and waited for the door to open. Soon, her smile vanished as she sprung from her seat and looked at Whitney with worry as three men walked in the apartment.
"What are you doing here?"
"Is this anyway to speak to your ex-fake husband Teresa, dear?"
She didn't answer him instead, Whitney did.
"If you're here to see Fox, he's out but he'll be back soon."
"You're right Whitney. I'm here for my son, but not that one. I'm here for our son, Teresa."
"No."
"No? There's nothing you can do about this, Teresa. You missed the custody hearing, I have custody of him until the next hearing is scheduled."
"What? What are you talking about? You pulled this stunt knowing that I was going to be in Los Angeles."
Julian looked at Teresa with a smirk on his face.
"No, Teresa. I had the lawyers send you the paper work. What you did is nothing short of kidnapping. You didn't show up, you kept my child away from me."
"You said that I was free to go wherever I wanted to with him. You said that it wasn't a trick."
Teresa was shaking. She felt sick as she looked at Julian.
"I did not receive any papers. I would have been at the hearing if I knew it was going to take place. I didn't kidnap him."
"Well, Teresa.you snooze, you lose and I'm not leaving here without my son."
"I will never let you anywhere near him. You'll have to go through me first."
"Well that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Where is he?"
Teresa stood in front of Julian defiantly. He looked at her with a certain admiration then shrugged it off.
"We can do this the easy way, where you hand him over, or the hard way where I have to tear this entire place to put my hands on him. Which way is it going to be?"
"Teresa, honey, do as he says. You'll still have the chance to get little Ethan back. Please."
"No, Whitney. If he takes him away, I'll never see him again."
"I would listen to your friend if I were you Teresa."
"Go to Hell Julian. You are not coming anywhere near my son."
"MY son, Teresa. He is my son too and I will take him right now."
"NO."
"You see these two men I have with me? I knew you would give me trouble. One of them is to handle you, while the other one searches for my son."
Julian turned to his men and gave them his signal. One of them went towards Teresa and held her as the other one went towards the bedrooms.
"Let go of me. I said let go of me. Julian, he is sleeping, he'll be scared and frightened."
"He'll get over it."
"NOO!"
At that moment, the door opened again and Fox made his way in. He looked at the people in the living room astonished to see his father in the middle of the living room. His gaze then fell on Teresa.
"Teresa! Let go of her."
He walked toward her as the man loosened his grip on Teresa. She shook him off and ran to the bedroom as the other man was coming out with little Ethan crying.
"Give me my son."
"No, I work for Mr. Crane, not you."
"I said give me my son."
"No."
The man pushed Teresa out of his way with one hand and walked back in the living room and handed the child to Julian.
"No, you can't take him, please. He is my son."
"Father, you cannot be doing this, please, don't take him away from her."
"Fox, stay out of this. I have every right to take him, he is my son. Besides if she had appeared at the hearing like she was supposed to, we might be avoiding this right now."
"What are you talking about, Father?"
"My lawyers sent her the papers for the custody hearing and she was a no show, that means I get to have my son by default."
Fox looked at Teresa who was crying in Whitney's arms, just like her son was crying in Julian's arms.
"Father, please reconsider this. You are ripping him away from the only thing he has ever known."
"I said stay out of this, Fox."
"I can't stay out of this, Father."
"Look, I know you've been playing house, but the bottom line is that he is my son, not yours and you would do yourself well and a huge favour to remember that, Fox."
Julian turned his heels and walked out of the apartment with his men behind him. Teresa flew out of Whitney's arms and started following them, but was stopped by Fox.
"Teresa, don't."
"Then do something, Fox.please. You can't let him take my baby away from me. You always came through for me. You were always there for me. Fox please, don't let them take my son away, please, please."
Fox felt bad and hurt, he knew what Teresa was going through because he was going through the same thing. The angst, the sadness, the hurt, the anger, the hatred towards his own father, he felt it all. He also felt that a part of him had gone with little Ethan. He had grown attached to him and accustomed to putting him to bed at night, or reading him stories and now, he wouldn't do it. Instead, some governess or nanny that his father hired would do that.
"Look, Teresa, you know I would do anything to help you. And when I say anything, I mean it. But you have to calm down and you have to pull yourself together for your sake and his."
"I can't live without him, Fox."
"I know, neither can I."
Whitney looked at Fox and his demeanour and couldn't help but feel that if anyone could help Teresa get her son back, it would be Fox. He was willing to sacrifice everything for her and at that moment, she recognized the look in his eyes. It was determination and love. She knew he would stop at nothing.
*****
Gwen laid down on her bed and listened to the commotion outside. A smile crossed her lips and she closed her eyes with satisfaction. She tossed around and pulled something from underneath the mattress. She held the papers that Julian's lawyers had sent Teresa about the custody hearing. She started ripping them into tiny and tiny pieces.
"What goes around comes around Teresa. I lost my baby, and now it's your turn to lose yours."
