LOGINWinter had been brought to the Xander estate when she was seven. When Mr. White said she had been easy to look after as a child, Dominic didn’t think that was wrong.Come to think of it, Winter had been pretty well behaved growing up, aside from the occasional bit of mischief.And yet now, she had become like this.Dominic lowered his head and looked at Richie, who was still trying to scoop pasta from his tray. He pressed his lips together, then reached out and rubbed Richie’s little head.“There are some good things about being little.”Mr. White took a towel from the nanny and gently wiped Richie’s face.Since Richie had come home from the hospital, his appetite had improved, and he had put on quite a bit of weight. His complexion was much better too. His chubby little face looked delicate and perfect, like something carved from porcelain, and the soft flesh of his cheeks bounced slightly. Now, covered in pasta sauce, his face was shiny from the mess.Mr. White wiped him with
Once Dominic finally processed what was going on, he honestly had no idea what to say.He was angry that Chris had not told him in advance about something this big. At the same time, he hated seeing a man like Chris fall from grace.But if Dominic was honest, anger won out.So he turned to one of the police officers and said, “Officer, could you keep him in custody for a few extra days?”The officer froze for a second, clearly not expecting someone like Dominic to make that kind of joke. Then he said with a serious expression, “Mr. Lynch, we handle everything strictly according to the law.”“Take good care of Richie. I’ll be back in a few days.” Chris shot Dominic a cold look.Dominic clicked his tongue.“Fine, fine. I was wrong. I’m sorry. Bad joke. I’ll take good care of him, all right? Don’t worry.”Even without Chris telling him, he would have taken good care of Richie.But Dominic couldn’t stay serious for more than a second.He couldn’t help teasing, “So, counting that
“Show them in,” Chris said, giving Gavin a nod.Gavin relayed the instruction to the secretary’s office.Dominic looked at Chris, who still had that infuriating look of staying calm even if the sky fell in front of him. Suddenly, Dominic realized that maybe this wasn’t what he had thought.He had panicked because he cared too much.He had forgotten that while Chris might be hopeless when it came to love, he wouldn’t go so far as to abandon his own child.“You’re really going this far?”Publicly admitting fault in front of the whole internet?“She’s getting treatment. She might not even have her phone with her. William definitely won’t tell her anything about you either. So who exactly are you apologizing to?”His reputation and power would both take a hit.Was it really worth paying such a high price?“It was my fault to begin with. I also promised I would give her, and William, an explanation.” Chris rose from his chair. “Whether she sees it or not doesn’t matter.”Only the
At Xander Corporation, Dominic shoved open the door to the chairman’s office with a bang. Without even saying hello, he strode straight toward the desk.“Have you lost your mind? Turning yourself in? I swear, that explosion in the suburbs must have blown something loose in your head.”He planted both hands on his hips, clearly furious.The confession Chris had posted online felt less like a legal statement and more like a public act of self-condemnation. The internet was in an uproar.Dominic’s first instinct had been to call him. But then he thought better of it. What was the point of yelling at Chris over the phone when it would be so much more satisfying to yell at him in person?So he had rushed over without stopping.Today, he was going to knock some sense into Chris no matter what.But the man sitting behind the desk was still calmly looking through documents with his head lowered. The whole world outside had been turned upside down, yet here he was, completely unbothered.
Before Richie was discharged from the hospital, the main house at Blackwood Manor had already been prepared with a children’s room. It had a play area, a rest area, and an early-learning area.At that moment, Chris was sitting on the couch in a white T-shirt and black lounge pants, holding Richie in his arms.Richie leaned against him while drinking from his bottle.Every now and then, the back of his little head rubbed against Chris’s chest through the fabric of his shirt. To Richie, Chris’s firm chest was just the right amount of comfortable.Chris gently pressed a hand to his head.“Drink your milk properly.”Richie held the bottle with both hands and took two hard gulps.When he heard a knock at the door, he perked up and lifted his head toward the entrance.The moment he saw Gavin, he smiled and spat out the nipple.Gavin walked over, crouched in front of him, and raised a hand to stroke Richie’s head.“Good boy.”He had been back for a while. He had showered, changed h
Richie only half understood. He grabbed Chris’s fingers with both hands.His hands were so small that just two of Chris’s fingers filled his grip. He brought them toward his mouth, about to bite down, but Chris gently pulled his hand away.When Richie couldn’t bite him, he lifted his little head and looked up at Chris with his round, pitiful eyes.Chris wrapped his hand around Richie’s soft little fingers.“Daddy hasn’t washed his hands. They’re dirty.”Dominic sounded like an overbearing nanny as he pointed at Richie’s mouth.“He tried to bite me earlier today too. I had the doctor take a look. He’s teething and trying to use your fingers as a chew toy.”As he spoke, Dominic picked up the teether someone had bought earlier and Mr. White had already sterilized, then stuffed it back into Richie’s hand.“Chew on this.”Most children started teething before their first birthday. But because of Richie’s health, his development had been slower than usual. He was already fifteen mon







