Sara was smiling cheekily at Kairo's overly protective behavior. They stopped at a quiet corner of the party hall near the restrooms. Only a few waiters and staff were around.
Kairo lifted Zayn onto the high, decorated table where the drinks were arranged and kissed his cheek. "Stay here with mumma. Dada will be back, okay?" he whispered, smiling.
Zayn nodded, obedient.
Kairo turned to Sara, brushing a kiss on her temple. "Baby, two mins, stay here. I need to use the washroom. I'll be quick."
She nodded with a teasing smile. The moment he disappeared towards the washroom, she chuckled to herself. "Your dada is too possessive, baby."
"What is possessive, Mumma?" Zayn blinked like a curious kitten.
Sara kissed his cheeks. "You'll understand when you grow up."
They were mid-giggle when a low voice slid into the silence.
"So, you're here."
Sara turned, and her face drained of expression. Vector stood there, sipping from his glass, eyes locked on her.
He gave her a cold, mocking smile. "As soon as I cut you off, you ran to my rival?" he said, stepping closer. "What a pathetic choice you made."
He let out a short laugh. "You chose a Playboy. Got pregnant by him. And now, still chose to stay with him even after he abandoned you? What a bitch behavior." His voice dripped mockery.
His eyes hardened, voice turning sharp. "I knew you could never be my blood, the day you chose to be with your mother. And you proved it. And I made the right choice by cutting all the ties with you."
Her eyes burned hearing those words from her own father. Zayn clutched his mother's dress tightly, as if sensing the danger.
"And that Playboy, acts like a lovely husband now? He abandoned you once, didn't he?" Vector continued, bitterness dripping from every word. "So... tell me, did he even marry you for real? Or is he just using you because you had his child?"
He took a step closer, voice turning sharp. "And what were you whispering to my son? Don't you dare go near him again."
His tone was a warning, cold enough to cut. "He is innocent. If you try to contact him again, I won't hesitate to teach you a lesson you won't forget."
Sara glared at him, her eyes turning red with fury.
Vector's gaze shifted to the little boy beside her. For a moment, he froze. The boy's green eyes… they pierced something in him. A faint warmth, a hint of Liana's gaze. But he pushed the feeling away and turned to leave.
But Sara's voice stopped him.
"My choices are better than my mom's, Dad." Her voice was steady, though shaking with rage.
"Because the Playboy I chose came back to me on his knees, apologizing for his mistake. He took responsibility for me and my child the moment he learned the truth… unlike my mother's choice."
Vector whipped around, anger twisting his face.
"You called my husband pathetic?" Sara continued, eyes blazing. "Yes, Dad, he is pathetic, for all the right reasons. Because he didn't abandon his wife and child. He didn't steal another man's wife, or take someone else's mother away to build his own."
"Sara…" Vector growled, voice low and dangerous.
She let out a bitter laugh. "Why, Dad? Does it hurt?"
Vector's jaw clenched.
"Does Kael know, Dad? Does he know his parents destroyed two families to build their own? Does he know his parents cheated on their partners and abandoned their innocent children?"
Vector's blood boiled, his face twisting with rage.
Sara tilted her head, almost mocking. "What happened, Dad? Should I tell your innocent son everything you've been hiding from him?"
"Enough, Sara," Vector growled, his face was bright red, anger and panic fighting inside him.
She laughed again, hollow and cutting through pain. "You said I'm not your blood. You're right. I can't be your filthy blood. Because I don't betray the people who love me… and trust me..., unlike you."
Her voice trembled, but her gaze didn't. "I'm my mother's daughter. And I'm proud of that. What shames me is that the world thinks I'm yours."
"Sara!" Vector snapped, raising his hand in rage.
Zayn gasped, "Mumma!!!," and hugged his mother tightly, trembling.
Sara held the boy tighter, protecting him, bracing herself for the hit.
But the strike never came.
Instead, A strong hand caught Vector's wrist mid-air, gripping hard enough to stop him cold.
Charles stood between them, his hand locked around Vector's wrist. His eyes burned with fury, his whole body trembling from the force of holding himself back.
At that moment, Kairo walked out of the washroom… and froze.
His stomach dropped. His father was blocking Vector's raised hand, gripping it so tightly it was clear Vector had tried to hit someone. Vector's face was twisted with rage, Charles's expression blazing with protective anger.
And Sara… She was clutching Zayn, eyes wide, her breath unsteady, as if she had just escaped something she hadn't expected.
The sight hit Kairo straight in the chest. Something violent tore through him, hot and immediate.
"You fucking bastard!!!" He sprinted toward them, fury exploding out of him. The nearby staff gasped, stepping back at the sudden eruption of chaos.
"Kairo!" Charles barked, yanking Vector's hand away he was holding, and stopped his son, pushing him back with force.
"Leave me, Dad! How dare he… You fucking—" trying to attack Vector again, gritting his teeth with rage.
"Enough, Kairo!" Charles pushed him back again, voice cutting through the air with that unmistakable fatherly command.
Kairo stared at his father, chest heaving, disbelief and rage mixing inside him. Sara looked shaken, unsure how to stop the storm. Zayn trembled in her arms, hiding his face in his mother's shoulder, scared at a scene he had never witnessed before.
"Take Sara and Zayn from here," Charles ordered, his tone iron.
Kairo didn't move, still glaring at Vector like he could burn him alive.
"Take them, Kairo! Now!" Charles growled, louder this time.
Kairo's jaw tightened. He shot Vector one last, murderous glare that made Vector's shoulders stiffen for a second.
Then he scooped Zayn into his arms. Zayn immediately hugged his father.
"Dada..!" the boy whispered into his father's neck, small, afraid, seeking comfort. Kairo's anger melted into softness as soon as he held Zayn. He kissed the little boy's hair, comforting him, "Shh... Dada's here… no one will hurt you. Okay?"
He placed a protective hand around Sara's back
"You okay, baby?" he asked gently.
Sara nodded. And he walked them away from the corner, glaring one last time at Vector, his whole body still humming with fury he wasn't allowed to unleash.
Vector watched them walking away with the same fury.
"How dare you raise your hand at my daughter-in-law?" Charles hissed through clenched teeth the moment Kairo walked away with Sara and Zayn.
Vector glared at him. "Stay away, Charles," he growled.
"You stay away from my family," Charles shot back.
Vector froze for a second. The weight behind Charles's words hit him harder than he expected.
Then Vector let out a bitter scoff. "So that's it? You've manipulated my daughter, and now you're using her against me?"
Charles laughed in disbelief. "Daughter?" he repeated. "Since when?"
Vector's jaw tightened, eyes shooting deadly glares.
Charles shook his head, chuckling again. "How shameless can you be, Vector? Truly… how shameless?"
"Charles," Vector growled.
"Enough," Charles snapped, raising his palm to stop him.
"I trusted you once. And you stabbed me in the back. You destroyed everything I had, my family, my reputation, my peace." His voice was low but heavy, each word like a stone hitting the ground. "And even after all that, I still didn't retaliate."
He stepped closer, eyes sharp and burning. "But that wasn't enough for you, was it? You're back now and again playing your filthy games against me."
Charles's tone darkened, turning into something lethal. "So now, listen carefully, Vector. Sara is my family now, my daughter. And if you try to mess with me, or any member of my family, again…"
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a cold growl. "I won't spare you this time. I'll burn your status, your power, your entire kingdom to ashes."
He gritted his teeth, fury shaking in his voice. "Now… fuck off."
The words hit Vector like a slap. He glared, breathing hard, but Charles didn't even blink.
Vector finally turned and walked away, fighting his own humiliation.
Charles stood there, watching him disappear, his own breath slowly steadying.