Chapter 12

"Please be my daddy," Liam pleaded as he stood before Caspian, his eyes fixed on him, yearning for a father like Caspian—the handsome, rich, and caring father.

But as it stood, all that was in Caspian's mind was, *How? Why? And when?* How could it be that the minute he returned to the city after years of being away, he became connected not just to a woman but also to her son?

He felt intensely responsible for them when, all his life, he had been carefree and didn't want to involve himself in anything complicated.

His brows furrowed as his eyes darted from Liam to Julia, who was standing before them. He couldn't believe what was happening. He couldn't put the pieces together.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Caspian?" Julia asked, breaking the awkward silence that had filled the space between them.

At this point, Caspian knew that he had to act like everything was fine. He couldn't keep acting like he had suddenly become mute.

"I came for you," he finally let out, taking a few steps toward her. Just as he halted, Julia felt an intense rush through her veins.

*What was happening? Why was she feeling this way?* she thought inwardly. His offer from the other night came rushing through her mind, and she couldn't help but take a slow step backward.

Caspian noticed this and didn't want to push her further, so he went straight to his reason for coming to the hospital. "Why weren't you at the company today?" he questioned, wanting to make her feel at ease.

"That?" Julia let out a sigh of relief; she had thought he would make such requests again. "I'll be back soon, Mr. Caspian. I'm still on my leave," she informed him, feeling more confident than she had earlier.

Caspian felt pleased, but recalling the birthmark Liam had, he opened his mouth to ask, "Do you by chance..." but he was cut short by the sudden intrusion of Dominic, who walked closer to where he was standing.

Dominic leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "We need to leave now." He urged with a calm but urgent tone.

"And why is that? Is there a problem?" Caspian turned to look at him.

"Your uncle Eric is back and requests to see you right away!" Dominic revealed, bowing his head as he spoke.

Uncle Eric was an authoritative man who would do anything to make Caspian obey every rule of the company. He was strict, but most of all, annoying. From the look of things, he had tried to kill Caspian five years ago.

Caspian had always suspected that Uncle Eric was the one behind the men who had spiked his drink that night just so he could take over the company.

He didn't want to confront him, at least not yet. He needed evidence, but Uncle Eric had done a clean job. Still, Caspian was hell-bent on finding out what had happened.

He was going to make Uncle Eric suffer, but for now, it was best to dance to the tune he was playing—acting like a pawn in his game.

"What is he doing here?" Caspian asked with a deep tone filled with disgust and resentment.

"I'm not sure, but I heard he just came into the city. I think..." Dominic was going to say, but Caspian held his hand in the air, stopping Dominic from speaking.

"That's enough. I'll just finish up with Julia and come with you," Caspian responded coldly. Hearing that his uncle was back had completely ruined his mood.

But as he turned to Julia to ask her about the birthmark behind Liam's left ear, he was met with her dismissive response.

"I think you should go. We'll head back into the hospital now. Thank you for coming to see me." She bowed her head, and with Liam in her grip, she turned around and walked away.

Caspian stood there, watching them leave. He was angrier, seeing that he wasn't given the chance to speak to her more.

"Thank goodness I took it before she left with him. I guess I'll just find out on my own," he whispered as he lifted his hand to his gaze, the tiny strand of hair in his grip making him sneer viciously.

"What's that?" Dominic asked, staring at his hand.

"Liam's hair. Take this to Doctor Miles and inform him to look into it. I think Julia and I might have had something to do with each other in the past," Caspian let out, and Dominic nodded.

He took the strand of hair from Caspian, his brows lifting in confusion. "Are you thinking she's your dream girl from five years ago?"

"The hair will tell, Dominic. Just do as I said," Caspian demanded before turning on his heels and heading towards the car that was parked in the lot.

The second they got into the car and Dominic ignited the engine, the sight of Logan and Amelia climbing out of a red Mercedes car halted their movement.

"What are they doing here?" Dominic asked, his tone filled with confusion.

Caspian watched them head toward the hospital entrance. He was worried about Julia but wasn't sure how to handle the situation. He needed to go see his uncle.

*I'm sure she can handle herself,* he said inwardly before darting his gaze away from them.

"Move the car, Dominic," he commanded with a deep, cold tone, acting like he didn't care or give a damn about what was going to happen, but Dominic refused, turning to look at him in the back seat.

"You can't be serious now, right?"

"And what's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to question my orders?" Caspian snapped, trying to hide his fears.

“No, Caspian, but we both know that if they meet Julia, it’s going to be a complete disaster. They’ll make her life miserable with their bullying,” Dominic explained, his voice tight with anxiety.

“I’m confident she can handle herself,” Caspian said with a note of finality in his tone. “Now, move the car!”

Dominic wasn’t pleased with the command but saw no alternative. With a reluctant sigh, he turned the ignition and pressed the accelerator, sending the car lurching forward.

As they drove, they had covered nearly half of their journey. But despite the progress, Caspian’s unease persisted.

The thought of Julia being left alone, vulnerable, gnawed at him. He was filled with dread, knowing that she was facing the situation without any support.

He tried to push these troubling thoughts from his mind, but they kept resurfacing, making him increasingly anxious.

Finally, his concern became too overwhelming to ignore.

He could no longer endure the worry, and with a sense of urgency, he ordered, “Stop the car!”