Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

"President Grant, I’m not one of your employees. You can’t decide the length of my business trip, can you?"

Caroline Whitman was deliberately teasing him. The man on the other end of the line seemed to chuckle softly before making a concession:

"Alright, one week then."

In reality, after hanging up, Caroline Whitman actually found a business trip for herself.

She was afraid Adrian Grant would show up at her door to corner her.

She wasn’t ready to face Adrian Grant’s judgment.

’When Adrian Grant called just now, I actually felt a shameful pang of fear.’

’No one ever told me pursuing someone would be this agonizing.’

’Logically, I’m the one doing the chasing. I should be the one in control of how this goes.’

But Caroline Whitman quickly stopped overthinking it.

’After all, the man I’m pursuing is no ordinary person.’

After work, she returned home, carefully scanning her surroundings for any sign of Adrian Grant. That same night, she packed her bags and left for the city where she had her business.

Adrian Grant had given her a one-week deadline.

In reality, she finished her trip and was back in Kingsport by the third day.

Adrian Grant hadn’t contacted her once during those few days. Ryan Grant, on the other hand, talked about her constantly, always asking when she would be back.

She had just gotten back to Kingsport, and it was already eight o’clock at night—right around the time Ryan Grant usually video-called her.

As soon as the call connected, her background must have given her away; it was obvious she wasn’t in a hotel.

The little one’s face lit up when he saw her. "Mommy, you’re back?" he asked cheerfully.

"Yes, I’m back."

"When are you coming to see me, Mommy? I miss you so much! Daddy came to see me during the day, and he even had a meal with Grandpa and the others."

"During the day?" Caroline Whitman froze. ’Franklin Whitman didn’t tell me.’

"Today, during the day?" Caroline Whitman asked again, just to be sure.

Ryan Grant nodded obediently. "I don’t have school these days, so Daddy came to see me this afternoon because I said I missed my mommy and daddy."

Caroline Whitman’s heart melted. She decided to go back to the family home that night to stay for a couple of days and spend time with her son.

But in the next second, she saw a familiar figure appear behind Ryan Grant.

She couldn’t see the person’s head, only the torso.

But she would never mistake that tall, upright posture.

"Video-chatting with Mommy again?" Adrian Grant’s voice came through, confirming the identity of the figure.

Ryan Grant turned his head. "Yup! Mommy’s back!"

It was only then that Caroline Whitman got a clear look at the background behind Ryan. It didn’t look like Franklin Whitman’s place, nor did it resemble The Seraphic or Golden Crest Manor.

’Holy crap!’

’So Adrian Grant took our son back to *his* family estate today?’

Caroline Whitman’s heart suddenly began to race, and she fumbled to hang up the call.

By the time Adrian Grant walked over, the call had already been disconnected.

"Huh? Why did Mommy hang up?"

Ryan Grant turned back around to find the screen blank, Caroline Whitman’s face gone.

His chubby little hands skillfully redialed, but after several attempts, the other end didn’t pick up.

Ryan Grant frowned. "Why isn’t Mommy answering my call?"

"Maybe her phone died, or she’s in the shower." Adrian Grant took the little one’s phone and tucked it away, then pulled back the covers. "Time for sleep."

Ryan Grant lay down obediently, blinking. "Mommy’s back from her trip. Why didn’t she come here?"

At this, Adrian Grant thought of Caroline Whitman’s timidness, and his expression softened for a rare moment. "Daddy scared her a few days ago," he said. "She doesn’t want to see me right now."

’Or perhaps,’ he thought, ’she doesn’t dare see me.’

That’s why he was giving her time to cool off.

The little boy had no idea what "scared" meant in this context. His little brow furrowed with concern. "Daddy, did you dress up like a ghost to scare Mommy?"

He hugged his little blanket and scooted toward the edge of the bed, adding in a whisper, "Daddy’s a big meanie. I’m scared of ghosts too, so you can’t scare me, Daddy. You should go make Mommy feel better."

After a pause, Ryan Grant seemed to have a thought. His eyes darted around, the fearful look vanishing, replaced by a hint of curiosity.

"Daddy, is it actually because you’re too clingy with Mommy, and she got so annoyed that she’s hiding from you?"

Adrian Grant raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you know about that too?"

"Hee hee! Daddy, did you forget? You used to be super clingy with Mommy, so she would take me to Grandma’s house to hide from you."

"..."

"Go to sleep."

"Okay."

Adrian Grant turned off the light for him and was about to leave to handle some work, when Tiny on the bed spoke up again in a soft, sweet voice:

"Daddy, don’t worry. I definitely won’t bother you and Mommy for the next few days."

"Good boy."

——

Two peaceful days passed after Caroline Whitman abruptly ended that video call.

Surprisingly, Adrian Grant made no move to contact her.

The silence only made her more anxious.

She was on edge all the way until the end of the workday.

「Friday night.」

Torn between going back to Azure Heights or Golden Crest Manor, Caroline Whitman chose Azure Heights.

That evening, she had just finished her shower and was about to get into bed when Adrian Grant’s call came.

After several rings, Caroline Whitman reluctantly answered.

Before she could say a word, a familiar, deep voice came from the other end. "Are you back from your business trip?"

He was asking the obvious. Caroline Whitman subconsciously started walking toward the window.

She hummed in affirmation. "I’m back."

Thankfully, Adrian Grant didn’t press the matter by asking when she’d gotten back. But his next words sent a chill down her spine.

"Are you coming down, or should I come up?" The man’s voice was deep, its tone unreadable. He didn’t sound happy; it sounded more like he was here to cause trouble.

Caroline Whitman was suddenly reminded of a fact she had been deliberately ignoring, deliberately trying to forget.

This man was a ruthless villain-type character you did not want to mess with.

’Looking back now,’ she thought, ’daring to kiss him while he was fully conscious, just to test his feelings... I was unbelievably audacious!’

The thrill of that moment really embodied the saying, "It’s worth dying for a moment of passion."

Caroline Whitman was silent for nearly five seconds.

Five seconds is a long time over the phone.

A soft, faint laugh came through the phone, followed by Adrian Grant’s voice. "Alright, I get it. I’m on my way up."

Before Caroline Whitman could even react, he had already hung up.

Caroline Whitman scrambled to the windowsill, peering down to see if Adrian Grant’s car was there.

But it was too dark; she couldn’t tell which car was his.

Caroline Whitman had no choice but to run to the living room, where she began pacing nervously by the entryway.

’Last time he didn’t come up with me, so he shouldn’t know the keypad code, right?’

’But it’s still early, Ryan might not be asleep... What if he asked Ryan for it?’

’Wait, he wouldn’t have gotten the password for *my* door from Ryan, would he?’

After a frantic circle of thoughts, Caroline Whitman finally considered her current appearance.

She rushed to the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror, then glanced at the makeup on the counter. It was too late to put any on now.

She could only quickly comb her hair. Then, she looked down at the low-cut slip she was wearing.

She decided she had to change into something more decent and formal.

She hurried into the walk-in closet, passing her open suitcase on the floor.

She glanced down. A palm-sized ring box sat quietly among the clothes.

Caroline Whitman stopped, squatting down to pick it up.

This was the ring she had spent a fortune on at an auction during her trip.

’She had bought it on the principle of being prepared, figuring it might come in handy someday.’

She just hadn’t expected "someday" to arrive so quickly.

Caroline Whitman’s courage was something that had to be forced out of her, bit by bit. In an instant, she made her decision.

’After all, given his attitude, it’s not like he’s here just to catch up.’

DING-DONG. The doorbell rang.