The $1.5 Lemonade That Cost Him Everything

Chapter 1

After we got engaged, my fianc, Daniel, handed me a black card and told me to buy whatever I wanted.

I bought a dollar-fifty lemonade. He blew up at me on the spot.

Charlotte, for God's sake, the Kane family needs a matriarch who can command a room, not some country bumpkin who's afraid to spend money.

"Everything you do reflects on us now. I can't afford the embarrassment."

I broke off the engagement. He turned around and proposed to Ava, a student from a low-income family that he was sponsoring.

Five years later, we ran into each other at a kindergarten drop-off.

Daniel stepped out of a Maybach, holding hands with a beaming Ava. When he saw me and my son buying a popsicle from a street vendor, he stormed over, his voice a furious roar.

"Charlotte! You're letting my son eat that garbage? Can't you ever shake off that cheap, backwater trash you came from?"

I frowned. "He's not your son."

He squinted, studying the boy, then let out a derisive snort. "He's that handsome. How could he not be mine?"

I didn't bother to explain.

My son has his father's eyes and nose, but the rest of him is all me. What does that have to do with Daniel Kane?

At pickup time, Daniel's black Maybach was parked ostentatiously at the school gate, drawing a crowd of curious parents.

"Look! Isn't that Daniel Kane, the CEO of Oakhaven Group?"

"Oh my god, his kid goes here?"

"No way, this is just a regular public kindergarten. Someone at his level wouldn't..."

Daniel's brow furrowed in annoyance, and he started to turn back to the car.

Ava quickly stepped in, her voice soft and placating. "Excuse me, everyone, could you please give us some space? My fianc is a little particular about his personal space and isn't used to crowds. Thank you."

She offered a gentle smile. "We're just here to pick up my nephew. I hope you don't get the wrong idea. We're not married yet."

Daniel leaned in, his voice low and meant only for her. "Get the kid and let's go. We have that meeting with the Ashtons later."

In the high-stakes world of New York's elite, paying respects to the formidable Ashton family was a mandatory rite of passage. No one dared to be late.

Ava nodded obediently. "Of course, darling. I know how many strings you had to pull to get a meeting with Mr. Ashton. I won't let anything get in the way." She paused, her voice laced with curiosity. "I hear Mr. Ashton is devoted to his wife and kids, keeps them completely out of the spotlight. I wonder who Mrs. Ashton is?"

Daniel ignored her, leaning against the car door with his hands in his pockets, the picture of arrogant nonchalance.

He looked exactly the same as the day he'd cast me aside.

I remembered it clearly. The words "I'm breaking up with you" had barely left my lips before he was down on one knee, proposing to Ava. I hadn't even made it out the door before they were locked in a passionate kiss.

For the longest time, I couldn't understand it. Four years together, from college sweethearts to fiancs. How could he end it so cleanly, so cruelly?

It wasn't until Ava sent me that text message later that I finally understood. My four years with him had been nothing but a joke.

"Mommy, I want a popsicle!"

My son's tug on my sleeve snapped me back to the present.

The vendor was glaring at me impatiently. "Are you buying this or not? If not, give it back!"

I looked down and saw that the popsicle in my hand had already started to melt. "I'm so sorry. I'll take this one. Can I have another one, please? I'll pay for both."

His face contorted in a sudden rage. "Who do you think you're looking down on? You think I need your charity? Take your damn melted popsicle and get lost! Don't bring your bad luck around here!"

His aggressive tone made my son burst into tears.

Every head turned in our direction.

Daniel glanced over, his sharp, dark eyes meeting mine. For a split second, something flickered in their depths. Then, just as quickly, it was gone. He looked away, as if he hadn't seen me at all.

My son clung to my leg, sobbing uncontrollably. I had no choice but to hand him the melting popsicle.

"Just a little taste, okay?"

Just as he was about to lick it, Daniel spun around.

He stared at us, his chest heaving as if he could no longer contain himself. He strode over and slapped the popsicle out of my son's hand.

"Charlotte, you're feeding my son this garbage?!" he snarled, wiping his fingers with a silk handkerchief as if he'd touched something vile. "You'll never get rid of that cheap trashiness that's in your bones!"

My son's cries escalated into terrified wails. I knelt and pulled him into my arms, trying to soothe him.

Daniel's hand hesitated in mid-air, then retracted sharply. His voice, when he spoke again, was softer.

"Why... why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

Chapter 2

I froze.

For a moment, I thought I'd misheard his furious roar. Now I understood. He actually thought Leo was his child.

In his eyes, was I really that pathetic? The kind of woman who would secretly have his child and raise it on her own?

"You're mistaken. He's not your son."

"Now, if you'll excuse us, I'm not really in the mood for a reunion." My husband would be here any minute, and if he saw this scene, that jealous man would find some way to "punish" me later.

But Daniel didn't move. He just stood there, squinting at my son.

Ava clung to his arm. "Daniel, darling, don't scare the little one. You'll upset Charlotte."

"This child looks like he's barely three. He can't be yours." She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "If you really want a child, we could get married and have one of our own..."

Daniel cut her off, his voice firm. "He is my son. That handsome, who else could he belong to?"

He was certainly confident.

Leo has his father's eyes and nose. The rest is all me. Even if he is handsome, it's thanks to me and his father. What does that have to do with Daniel Kane?

The crowd of onlookers was growing, their whispers like a swarm of bees.

"Could he be Mr. Kane's illegitimate son?"

"The mistress and the fiance, face to face. This is going to be good."

"I'll give her one thing, though. She's got guts, raising the kid on her own all this time without asking him for a dime."

Their speculation, so sure and confident, was making Ava's face paler by the second. She shot me a wary look, but her voice was deliberately soft. "Charlotte, we're getting married soon."

"Even if... even if this is Daniel's child, please, continue to raise him yourself. Don't disturb us."

"We've been through so much to get to this point. I don't want some random child to ruin everything." She leaned her head on Daniel's shoulder, the picture of vulnerability. "Darling, maybe we should just give her some money for child support? I really don't want to be a stepmother."

Daniel's eyes were fixed on me, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "My son is over four years old, and you've let him get so small and skinny. He's obviously malnourished!"

"If you didn't have money to raise him, why didn't you come to me? Doesn't it kill you to see your own flesh and blood like this?"

I almost laughed out loud.

Leo was just over three, and he was perfectly healthy for his age. How did he become malnourished in Daniel's eyes?

"I'll say it again. He is not your son."

"He was born in May. He just turned three. This is a normal size for a preschooler."

Daniel's brow furrowed. He pulled out his phone. "Give me your number. I'll transfer the child support right now. And I'll need a way to contact you when I want to see my son."

"That won't be necessary," I said, my voice flat. I was done with this conversation.

But his tone turned cold. "The child isn't just yours. I want to be a father to him. Are you denying me that right?"

I sighed in frustration. "Are you ever going to stop? We broke up five years ago. What's the point of all this?"

Daniel seemed taken aback for a moment, then gave a condescending smile. "Charlotte, I think you're getting the wrong idea. I just don't want the Kane bloodline to suffer with you. This has nothing to do with any lingering feelings I might have for you."

"Don't worry, even if I have your number, I'll only contact you about our son. I wouldn't want Ava to get the wrong idea." His gaze shifted between me and Leo, a complex emotion clouding his eyes. "Or is it that you've hated me all these years? Are you trying to get back at me by neglecting our child? Trying to make me regret breaking up with you... trying to win me back?"

I quickly shook my head. "I love Leo more than anything, and I don't"

"Charlotte!" he cut me off, rubbing his temples wearily. "Stop pretending. I admit, the breakup was sudden. It was hard for you to accept."

"But I love Ava... If I had known you were pregnant, I would have told you to get rid of it. We wouldn't be in this embarrassing situation now."

I froze.

There it was. He'd finally said it. Even if I had been pregnant with his child, it would have been nothing but a burden to him, an embarrassment, something to make Ava uncomfortable.

He didn't have to tell me. If I had been pregnant back then, I wouldn't have kept it. A man whose heart belonged to someone else... why on earth would I have a child with him?

After a moment of silence, I decided to end this once and for all. I pulled out my phone. "He's really not your son. I'm married. My husband is wonderful to me... Do you want to see our marriage certificate?"

That should convince him, right?

As I was about to unlock my phone, he clamped his hand over mine. "Photos can be faked."

"Since you're so determined to hide the truth, you've probably covered all your bases."

I was speechless.

"Think whatever you want."

The murmurs from the crowd grew louder. I picked up my son and turned to leave. Leo was too young to be exposed to this kind of ugliness.

But Daniel suddenly grabbed my wrist, his eyes on my son filled with a raw emotion.

"Leo," he said, his voice thick. "Say, 'Daddy'."

Chapter 3

I was completely dumbfounded.

Leo blinked his big eyes and shyly said, "Mister."

Daniel's eyes instantly reddened. He looked at me, his voice trembling with heartbreak. "Charlotte, you never even told him about me?"

"How could you be so cruel? Other children have fathers to grow up with, but my son, Daniel Kane's son, has to suffer like this?"

I had lost all patience. "Are you ever going to shut up? Let go of me!"

But his grip only tightened. After a long silence, he sighed. "For our son's sake... I'll give in. Charlotte, you can come back."

I was confused. "What?"

A corner of his mouth twitched. "Come back to me. Are you satisfied now?"

"Daniel!" Ava cried, looking at him with wounded eyes. "What about me?"

Daniel's gaze flickered. "Ava, she'll just be a nanny for the child."

"My feelings for you won't change. It's just... I can't abandon my son."

Ava shot me a venomous glare, tears springing to her eyes. "I don't want her! This woman is using this cheap trick to cling to you! She's just playing hard to get! She never got over you!"

Daniel soothed her, but his eyes on me were cold as ice. "I know."

"Don't worry. Even if she begs me on her knees, I won't be moved. You know what she's like. With her background and her narrow worldview, how could she ever be worthy of me?"

The popsicle vendor snorted. "I thought she was some gold digger. Turns out she's just a desperate mistress!"

The crowd immediately chimed in.

"She acts so high and mighty, but she's just a manipulative witch!"

"No wonder the kid is so timid."

"Didn't you hear Mr. Kane? She's from the countryside. Trash is as trash does."

So what if I'm from the countryside? I worked my way up to become an investment consultant, handling multi-million dollar projects. But in his eyes, I would always be branded as "cheap."

I love street food, early morning hikes, devouring half a watermelon on a hot summer day... When we were together, he dismissed all these simple pleasures as "lacking class."

And Ava? As the "poor student" he sponsored, she used his money to buy luxury goods. Did he ever call her a gold digger?

In the end, it was simple. He just didn't love me.

I wrenched my hand away, my face a cold mask. "Daniel, if you don't stop this, I'm calling the police!"

Ava threw her arms around his waist. "Darling, she's poor and stubborn. She's taking your kindness as an insult. Let's just leave her alone."

But Daniel didn't budge. Instead, he sneered. "The police? Go ahead. With the Kane family's resources, I'll get custody of the child, one hundred percent."

"You have two choices: give me your contact information and accept child support, or come home with me and our son right now... as his nanny."

I was so angry I could have screamed. I picked up my son and started to walk away.

Daniel's face darkened. He lunged forward and snatched Leo from my arms. "Since you're so ungrateful, I'll raise the child myself!"

He held the struggling boy tightly. "If you want to see him, you can come find me at my new place on the coast. I just moved to the city."

Before I could react, Daniel was striding towards the Maybach with my son. Ava trotted behind him, muttering, "Darling, I thought we were here to pick up my nephew."

Suddenly, my son started screaming, reaching for me with his small hands. "Mommy! Bad man! I'm scared..."

I ran after them, a wild panic seizing me, but the crowd blocked my way.

"The kid will have a great life with Mr. Kane! What are you so hysterical about?"

"No wonder Mr. Kane couldn't stand her. No class at all. Not even thinking about what's best for the child!"

As I watched Daniel open the car door, a desperate sob escaped my lips. "Daniel! Please, give me back my son!"

I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking. "I'm not a mistress! My husband is the head of the Ashton family... Leo is our eldest son! We have a daughter too! I have a family photo on my phone, look!"

The crowd erupted in derisive laughter.

"The Ashtons? The family that could bankrupt a company with a single word?"

"If Mr. Ashton was your husband, would your kid be in this kindergarten? You might as well say you're the First Lady!"

They all mocked me. No one believed me. A chilling cold spread through my body, but I couldn't just stand by and watch my son be taken away.

I screamed, my voice raw with desperation, "Daniel! I'll go back with you!"