Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

Caroline Whitman thought for only a moment before readily agreeing, "Okay."

It was just a matter of exchanging contact information.

No big deal.

The way Wanda Sutton had so quickly changed her tune and didn’t stay mad at Molly Lawson showed she wasn’t entirely brainless.

Caroline’s position was unchanged: if she wasn’t going to deliberately antagonize the male and female leads, she certainly wasn’t going to antagonize the so-called vicious female rival.

Although Wanda Sutton’s role in the book was that of the vicious female rival, the plot was now completely topsy-turvy. To judge people with a biased eye based on her awakened memories would be unjustifiable.

After Caroline Whitman left, Wanda Sutton finally frowned. "You know Caroline Whitman well?"

Molly Lawson recalled Caroline’s aloof and superior demeanor and said conspiratorially:

"We were classmates in college. Back then, her family just had a small company. It’s only been a few years, and they’ve already clawed their way up. If she hadn’t latched onto Adrian Grant back in May, there’s no way her dinky little company would have the guts to turn its nose up at a partnership with Zenith Group."

Wanda Sutton scoffed inwardly. ’Does she really have an illegitimate child?’

At the last engagement party, the little disturbance Molly Lawson had stirred up gave everyone some juicy gossip to chew on.

Molly Lawson said, "I saw it with my own two eyes. If I’d known, I would have taken a picture back then."

Wanda Sutton held back her contempt. Not wanting to waste any more time on Caroline Whitman for now, she changed the subject.

"Let’s not talk about her. Are you still in contact with that Matthew Grant? I don’t think I’ve seen him around recently. I heard Adrian Grant sent him abroad. What happened?"

Walls have ears. When Matthew Grant disappeared from the country, quite a few people had caught wind of it.

Everyone assumed Adrian Grant had been utterly ruthless to secure his position in the group.

After all, Zoe Grant hadn’t been seen for several years around that time either. Some even said Zoe was dead, and everyone speculated whether it was Adrian Grant’s doing.

Of all Gavin Grant’s many children and grandchildren, Jonathan Grant’s branch of the family was the most cunning.

’If she weren’t trying to find out about Matthew Grant, she wouldn’t have bothered stooping to contact someone so classless.’

Molly Lawson said, "Speaking of Matthew Grant being sent abroad, you can thank that Miss Whitman for that. She’s a real femme fatale."

"Oh? Do tell." Wanda Sutton’s interest was piqued.

Although her family had some dealings with the Grant Family, they weren’t deeply connected with Jonathan Grant’s branch.

Not to mention, Jonathan Grant’s two sons hadn’t gone to the same school as her, so the so-called "family friends" and "close ties" couldn’t be established with their generation.

"At the last class reunion..."

---

Franklin Whitman and Yolanda Young arrived punctually at the mountain villa where they had arranged to meet Jonathan Grant and the others.

With none of their children present, this was the first time the two families had such a "grand" meeting.

Not to mention, even Gavin Grant had come this time.

For some reason, Franklin Whitman and Yolanda Young felt like they were in-laws meeting for the first time.

"Grandpa, Grandma."

Franklin Whitman turned to Yolanda Young. "I think I hear Ryan’s voice."

"I hear it too."

The voice seemed to be coming from behind them.

They looked back, toward the door.

The lagging Jonathan Grant appeared before them, holding the child.

Franklin Whitman was slightly surprised. "Tiny, what are you doing here?"

Yolanda Young was more perceptive. Looking at the little face that was the spitting image of Adrian Grant, she glanced at the few members of the Grant Family present.

’Honestly,’ she thought, ’sometimes I really wonder if Tiny is a Grant family grandson.’

’And then there are his parents, whose identities are apparently a secret...’

’Setting aside everything else, the way Jonathan Grant and Gavin Grant’s family doted on a child of unknown origin... it was simply incredible.’

Yolanda Young picked up the child with a neutral expression. "Your godfather took you back to your parents last time. Did they leave you with your god-grandpa’s family again this weekend?"

Ryan Grant blinked. He was clearly not yet a practiced liar, but faced with the question, he thought for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, Grace Lawson quickly jumped in with a laugh to smooth things over:

"Yes, the two of them are probably enjoying some time to themselves, so they left the child with us."

Hearing the phrase "time to themselves," Ryan Grant understood and said, "Yeah, Daddy scared Mommy, so he has to spend the next few days cheering her up."

Yolanda Young observed that he didn’t seem to be lying. ’Am I just being too suspicious?’ she thought.

’Still, I can’t rule out the possibility that there’s something off about his parents’ identities.’

’For him to be so close to Jonathan Grant’s family, they might just be relatives.’

Franklin Whitman didn’t think so deeply. Hearing what the child said, he laughed and playfully pinched his cheek. "What kind of parents do you have? Not paying any attention to you, just having their couple time every weekend and dumping you on us old folks to take turns looking after you."

The little guy puffed out his cheeks. "That’s not true! Daddy and Mommy love me a lot."

"Yes, yes, your parents love you very much. When are they going to come out so we can meet them? We’ve helped them babysit so much, but they haven’t even come over to thank us."

Franklin Whitman patted his big, round beer belly and said with a cheerful laugh.

After Gavin Grant came in and found a seat, he saw the reactions of Franklin’s family and knew that the young woman hadn’t laid her cards on the table with her parents yet.

But Adrian Grant had instructed them beforehand not to say anything rash in front of the Whitmans.

But seeing their expressions, Gavin Grant, being the mischievous old man he was, couldn’t hold back his gossipy heart.

He spoke up slyly, "I think Ryan looks a bit like that daughter of yours. Maybe the kid’s mom looks a lot like your daughter."

Franklin Whitman peered at Ryan Grant’s little face. Never mind a father not recognizing his own daughter’s child; no matter how he looked, he just couldn’t see any resemblance to Caroline Whitman.

"Where’s the resemblance? If you ask me, the kid’s dad is the one who looks like your grandson."

"..."

Yolanda Young, however, had a different opinion at that moment. "I think the child does bear a slight resemblance to Caroline."

Franklin Whitman said, "The way you’re talking, it’s as if Ryan is their child."

Jonathan Grant, Gavin Grant, Grace Lawson: "..."

’How did the founder of the Whitman Group get the company this big while being so clueless?’

"Let’s not talk about this anymore. It’s a rare occasion for our two families to get together. I hear the food here is excellent, and there’s an opera performance later. We should go have a listen," Yolanda Young said, quickly changing the subject.

Grace Lawson chimed in, "Yes, let’s not talk about this."

But then Gavin Grant added slyly, "It’s a shame those two kids are busy today. We should ask them to come out together next time."

Franklin Whitman said, "Young people are busy. Even if they came, they might not have fun with us old folks."

As he spoke, his attention turned back to Ryan Grant.

The little boy was already sitting across from Gavin Grant, fiddling with game pieces.

Seeing this, Franklin Whitman and Jonathan Grant hurried over to watch the fun, transforming into a pair of "backseat-gaming" warriors beside the little guy.

Grace Lawson wasn’t interested in fiddling with board games. She turned to Yolanda Young, and seeing her good complexion, eagerly asked for her secrets to skincare and wellness.

---

Meanwhile, after Caroline Whitman left the beauty salon, she looked up the names online using the keywords Wanda Sutton had given her.

’Holy cow. The ring on my finger and the necklace around my neck really are limited, out-of-production editions.’

’Wanda Sutton really knows her jewelry.’

’I guess you really do have to wear these things for someone who knows what they’re looking at.’

’I need to toss these two into the safe as soon as I get home. If the company ever goes bankrupt and the cash flow dries up, they could be a lifesaver.’

"Have you had lunch?" A message came from Adrian Grant.

Caroline Whitman held her phone and glanced at the time.

’It’s 12:30 in the afternoon. Asking if I’ve eaten at a time like this... isn’t he just trying to ask me to lunch?’

She stroked her chin, thought for a moment, and replied with two words: "I have."

In reality, Caroline Whitman was just about to find something to eat, but that didn’t stop her from teasing Adrian Grant a little.

Sure enough, Adrian Grant replied, "I haven’t eaten yet."

Caroline Whitman stared at the message, pondered for a moment, and finally, hesitantly, typed out a few words:

"Should I bring you lunch then?"