The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 140: There was another baby

The rain had started to fall softly by the time Ethan’s car pulled up to the gates of the Anderson Mansion. The estate stood regal and quiet, tucked away from the city’s noise but not from the storm that now lived within its walls.

Ethan stepped out of the car first, the weight of exhaustion in every step. In the backseat, Lucy cradled baby Andrew, her smugness now softened into silence. She wasn’t sure what this place would bring, but she knew one thing Mara’s world had finally opened even if it wasn’t to her.

The guards opened the door before Ethan knocked. Valerie stood waiting, her arms folded, her gaze sharp.

"You’re not seriously bringing her here," she said.

Ethan didn’t flinch. "It’s not for her. It’s for the baby. He’s an Anderson...and your nephew. He deserves protection and peace."

Lucy stepped forward, clutching the baby. "I’m not here to cause problems." as if she meant that, she was happy baby Andrew had fallen asleep at least she could actually enjoy a flicker of peace.

"Too late for that," Vera said coolly from behind her mother, her eyes never leaving Lucy’s face.

The tension crackled as Bella, Ethan’s mother and the matriarch of grace and silence, appeared in the grand hallway. Her eyes drifted to the child, not Lucy, not Ethan, but to the tiny life in her arms.

"Let her in," Bella said gently. "But keep her in the east wing."

Valerie blinked. "Mother—"

"It’s not for her," Bella said again, echoing Ethan’s words. "It’s for him."

Lucy said nothing. She could feel the eyes on her, filled with judgment, coldness, and unspoken rage. She followed quietly as a maid took her suitcase and led her toward the east wing. It was just a matter of time they will all show her respect, that she was sure of, she is the new lady of the house.

Mr. Anderson Sr. sat in his reading chair near the fireplace, dressed in a wool cardigan and holding a pipe he hadn’t lit in years. "So this is the child?" he asked.

Ethan nodded, approaching with careful reverence. "His name is Andrew grandfather."

Mr. Anderson studied him closely, then looked toward the hallway where Lucy disappeared. "Let me guess... this is not the twin Mara delivered?"

Ethan’s jaw clenched. "No, Grandpa."

"Then where is that child?" the old man asked.

"We’re still searching."

Mr. Anderson Sr. let out a heavy sigh. "One day this family will have peace. But not yet."

Ethan sat in silence. And Vera, arms crossed, said quietly, "Are you sure bringing her here won’t ruin everything? Did you have to name him like the son you lost? It is as if you are replacing him already." Ethan looked toward the dark hallway Lucy had gone down.

"No, it just came out and I’m not sure of anything anymore," he admitted. "But I’ll be damned if I let my son grow up in with her,"

Valerie walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then we’ll protect him. But don’t think for one second that woman will ever replace what you lost with Mara."

"I haven’t lost Mara," Ethan said, though his voice broke. "I’m just waiting for the day she comes back to me with Andrew and Audrey, we will be a family again."

--

The mansion was vast and silent, save for the soft click of Lucy’s heels as she paced through the empty hallways. The maids whispered behind her back, exchanging nervous glances. They had never seen anyone with such a sense of entitlement—until now.

Lucy, still cradling Andrew in her arms, made her way to the kitchen, then to the sitting room, glancing over the grand mirrors and paintings, letting her fingers brush against the furniture as if she owned it.

"I don’t like how those women are looking at me," she said to the maid who was passing by. "You should get them in line. If they don’t know how to behave, I’ll have to have them fired."

The maid stammered, taken aback by Lucy’s tone. "M-Madam, they’re just... they’re just doing their jobs."

"I don’t care," Lucy snapped. "If they don’t respect me, I’ll have them out on the street by tomorrow. You understand?"

The maid bowed her head quickly and backed away, eager to avoid confrontation. Lucy huffed in satisfaction, walking through the halls like a queen. But her smugness would soon be interrupted.

Valerie appeared at the end of the hallway, arms crossed, her expression a mixture of annoyance and quiet authority.

"I don’t think you understand the rules around here, Lucy," she said coolly.

Lucy’s gaze shifted sharply toward her, her eyes narrowed. "Oh? And what rules are those, Valerie?"

"You’re here for one reason," Valerie said, stepping closer. "To care for your son. And that’s all."

Lucy scoffed, shifting Andrew in her arms as if to reaffirm her place. "Mara lost her son, didn’t she? That’s the truth. I’m the one who made Ethan a father. Not her."

Valerie’s face hardened, but she didn’t raise her voice. "Mara still has a child with Ethan. The child you’re holding in your arms isn’t the only child."

Lucy’s confident façade faltered for a moment. "What do you mean? But he is missing or probably dead," she asked, her voice softening with a hint of panic.

Valerie’s eyes were unwavering, her words steady. "Mara was carrying twins, they stole her son, but she has her daughter with her, and soon enough they will find her son as well."

Lucy froze, her heart skipping a beat. Her breath hitched. She stared at Valerie as though she had heard something impossible.

"What?" Lucy whispered, her fingers tightening on the baby. "Twins?"

Valerie gave a small, almost cruel smile. "Yes, two children bond them to life, you will always come in second place."

The weight of Valerie’s words sank into Lucy’s chest like a stone. She felt the walls of her carefully built world begin to crumble around her. Her grip on Andrew tightened, and for the first time, doubt began to creep into her mind.

"I-I didn’t know," Lucy stammered, her voice shaking. "I ...I thought I was..." She trailed off, unable to finish her thought.

Valerie’s gaze sharpened. "You thought you were what? In control?"

Lucy was caught. She had always been in control, manipulating situations, forcing her way into Ethan’s life. But now, standing in the middle of the Anderson mansion, surrounded by people who could see through her, she felt the weight of her lies closing in on her.

Valerie’s eyes narrowed. "So know your place, you are just the misteress."

Lucy said nothing, her mind racing, panicked. As if on cue, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Excusing herself from the tense conversation, Lucy walked quickly into the hallway, pressing the phone to her ear. "Philip?" she hissed.

"I see you are finally at the Anderson mansion, great, we can put the next plan in action," Philip’s cold voice said on the other end. "Is Ethan happy to see his son?" Lucy’s heart dropped.

"What are you talking about? They all hate me here, and Mara has another baby, apparently; she was carrying twins," she replied, her voice trembling now.

"Is that so?" Philip continued, unfazed. "Be smart then and use your head."

Lucy froze, her fingers trembling on the phone. "What if they find the trickling resemblance? It’s possible," she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

"It’s still Ethan’s son, the resemblance won’t matter," Philip’s voice darkened. Lucy pressed her hand to her mouth, terrified. "What do I do?"

"I’ll handle it. You just keep your story straight." With that, the call ended.

Lucy stood there in the hallway, a cold sweat creeping down her neck. Her entire plan, everything she’d manipulated, was now at risk. The thought of Mara finding out the truth of both of them terrified her more than she was willing to admit.

She glanced at Andrew in her arms, the innocent child who had no idea of the lies surrounding his birth.

And then her gaze shifted back to the door leading to the main rooms. Valerie’s words echoed in her mind: You are just a mistress. Lucy had only one option now. She had to make sure she was the wife and not the mistress.

—

The soft hum of the baby monitor was the only sound filling the room. Baby Audrey slept peacefully in her cradle by the window, bathed in the golden afternoon light.

Mara sat on the edge of her bed, her gaze distant. The bags under her eyes told stories of sleepless nights and a mother’s worry that no one could soothe. Every lead, every phone call, every tip the brothers followed—dead ends. It was as though her baby boy had vanished into thin air, and each passing day made it harder to breathe.

Her fingers absentmindedly traced the edge of Audrey’s blanket as she whispered softly, "Where is your brother, my love...?"

A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Before she could respond, Ethan stepped in.

He looked like a man undone.

Disheveled, dark circles under his eyes, and something unreadable in his expression. He closed the door behind him gently, not wanting to wake Audrey.

Mara didn’t look at him. She didn’t have to. She already felt the weight of whatever news he was carrying.

"I got the DNA results," he said, voice low.

Mara’s body tensed. She looked up slowly, bracing herself.