Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

Jane Lawson scratched the back of his head and gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

His gaze shifted to Adrian Grant, and he noticed he was holding a child.

Although the child was also wearing a mask, his eyes and brows bore a slight resemblance to Adrian Grant’s.

’A relative?’

Jane Lawson greeted him politely, "Hello, President Grant."

Adrian Grant gave a slight nod in response.

Ryan Grant, nestled in his arms, was curiously sizing up Jane Lawson. His little mouth opened under the mask, just as he was about to say something.

Sensing the boy’s intention, Adrian Grant raised a hand and gently pressed the back of his head. He guided him toward his shoulder, silently stopping him from speaking.

The little guy, pressed against his father’s shoulder with his mouth against the fabric of Adrian Grant’s suit, whimpered twice before finally giving up the struggle.

Caroline Whitman glanced at Adrian Grant but didn’t say anything. They were always very particular about their child’s privacy.

Besides, she had only met Jane Lawson a handful of times. Even if the public knew about her and Adrian Grant’s child, she didn’t know Jane well enough to have their son unmask in front of him.

She didn’t linger any longer. "Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll get going. Have a good day at work."

Jane Lawson nodded with a cheerful smile. "Okay, Caroline, I won’t keep you then. I have to get busy myself, it’s almost time to clock in."

After speaking, he gave another polite nod in Adrian Grant’s direction before turning and hurrying upstairs.

After they got home, Ryan Grant was plopped into bed after his bath. Just before falling asleep, he secretly asked Adrian Grant:

"Daddy, back when we were eating, why didn’t you let me call out to Mommy?"

"Whenever Mommy used to talk to other men, you’d always tell me to call her and tell her to hurry home."

Ryan Grant was a little curious. Why didn’t Daddy let him call out to Mommy this time?

Adrian Grant: "..."

’He’d never even thought of that tactic. But that wasn’t the point. The point was—’

"Do a lot of men talk to Mommy?"

"Yeah, yeah! Every time I go out to eat with Mommy, we always run into business partners she’s worked with before."

"Always?" A vein throbbed in Adrian Grant’s temple.

"Uh-huh! One of the men kept telling me that if it weren’t for you having an unfair advantage, he’d never have let you succeed in marrying Mommy.

And that man is so annoying. He kept telling me to call him ’Godfather,’ but I won’t do it! Even if he gives me lots of little toys, I’ll never betray you, Daddy."

"...Good boy." Adrian Grant patted his head, his feelings a complicated mix.

"Tell me, what’s that man’s name?" Adrian Grant asked, his voice deceptively calm.

"Sean Winslow."

"Oh? Did he know Mommy from before?" Adrian Grant asked, leading him on.

Ryan Grant rolled over. "The man said he and Mommy were childhood sweethearts."

At this, the little tyke tilted his head, just remembering. "Huh, now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Mr. Winters in a long time."

Adrian Grant smiled calmly.

’Heh...’

’Childhood sweethearts?’

’He hasn’t seen Sean Winslow in a long time? That means the guy hasn’t shown up yet.’

’What kind of childhood sweethearts are they, then?’

For the first time, Adrian Grant flashed an extremely "amiable" smile in front of his son as he gently patted his head.

"Come on, tell Daddy all about this Mr. Winters."

"Oh, but Daddy, didn’t you tell me to go to sleep early today?" Ryan Grant asked, blinking his innocent, guileless eyes.

"It’s fine. You can stay up a little later tonight."

Adrian Grant pulled up a nearby chair. From the looks of it, he wouldn’t rest until he’d thoroughly interrogated him about this potential love rival.

Ryan Grant had no choice but to sit up in bed, cross his little legs, close his eyes, and start recalling things about Sean Winslow.

"Mr. Winters said... that if he hadn’t gone abroad to get some polish, he absolutely wouldn’t have let you, Daddy, win Mommy over so quickly?"

At this, Adrian Grant’s thin lips parted in a soft sneer. "What does he mean, ’win Mommy over so quickly’? Your mother and I had mutual feelings for each other. Who does that clown think he is?"

"Hee hee, that’s what you said back then, too, Daddy."

He let out a rare, cold snort. "He says he and your mother are childhood sweethearts? How long have they known each other? What level of childhood sweethearts are we talking about?"

Ryan Grant had been taught the meaning of "childhood sweethearts" before.

He only had a shallow understanding that it meant two people who grew up together.

"The man said he went to high school with Mommy, but he transferred midway through."

’High school again...’

Adrian Grant snorted inwardly. First it was Ethan Xavier, and now a Sean Winslow.

"But Mommy said she doesn’t like this Mr. Winters at all. Hee hee, so you can relax, Daddy."

"..."

’Relax, my ass.’

Adrian Grant asked a few more questions about the details of Sean Winslow and Caroline Whitman’s reunion. But the little guy was likely too young to understand much, and besides, a child shouldn’t be burdened with so many adult trifles. He only vaguely knew that Sean Winslow had appeared shortly after his parents got together.

Upon learning this detail, Adrian Grant’s brow twitched. He thought of the engagement ring he had prepared before returning to the country.

"..."

’He had originally planned to take things slow, to give Caroline Whitman some buffer time, to let her adjust.’

’Now it seemed he’d been making things unnecessarily complicated.’

After Adrian Grant had gotten the gist of it, the man they met after dinner, Jane Lawson, flashed through his mind. So he asked another question:

"That man we ran into when we left dinner today, have you seen him before?"

Ryan Grant shook his head. "Nope, I don’t recognize him."

Hearing this, Adrian Grant felt relieved.

"Daddy, you still haven’t told me. Why didn’t you let me talk today?"

Adrian Grant said, "Do you remember what I told you, that Daddy has a lot of enemies?"

Ryan Grant nodded. He knew about that.

’But I was wearing a mask, so why couldn’t I call out ’Daddy’ and ’Mommy’?’

"As long as you remember. If we meet a stranger," Adrian Grant paused, choosing his words carefully, "you don’t need to speak."

Ryan Grant blinked. "What if it’s someone we know?"

"It depends."

"What situation?"

"You speak when I tell you to speak."

Ryan Grant nodded as if he half-understood, then asked another question, "So, Daddy, how many enemies do you have?"

"Not many."

"How many is ’not many’?"

"Go to sleep." Adrian Grant turned off the light.

In the darkness, Ryan Grant rolled over and was quiet for about ten seconds.

Just as Adrian Grant was walking out the door, his son’s high-pitched voice piped up again.

"Daddy, will your enemies cause trouble for Mommy?"

Adrian Grant: "..."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because they wouldn’t dare."

Ryan Grant said, "Oh," and fell silent for a few more seconds.

As Adrian Grant opened the door, the child’s voice piped up again from inside the room:

"Daddy, what about me? Will your enemies cause me trouble?"

"..."

Adrian Grant turned and switched the light back on, only to see a pair of big, round eyes blinking in his direction.

He was silent for a moment. "No."

"Why not?"

Adrian Grant said, "Because I won’t give them the chance."

"Can I go to sleep now?"