His savior

Standing by the side of the road, Victoria spotted the little boy from the other day.

What is that puppy doing out here alone? she thought.

She decided to mind her own business, but it was too late. The boy had already spotted her, waving his tiny hands enthusiastically.

Victoria couldn't help but smile. How can a child be this adorable?

As she walked over, the boy held up his arms, asking to be picked up. She lifted him into her arms and pinched his chubby cheeks. “Where is your father?” she asked.

She was tempted to kiss his cheeks, but stopped when the little guy pouted and held up his small writing tablet.

I got lost, he had written.

“Oh, no. Have you eaten yet?”

The boy shook his head.

“Okay, let’s go eat. We’ll find your father after.”

Across from the building, she found a restaurant, walked in, and set him gently into a chair before ordering noodles and vegetables.

“What’s your name, baby?” she asked, leaning in.

He scribbled on his tablet and turned it toward her with a bright smile:

Leo. But you can call me baby.

Victoria almost choked on her own saliva. Since when did toddler boys become such smooth talkers?

Seeing the bowl of vegetables in front of him, Leo folded his arms with a defiant pout.

Victoria laughed. “Baby, how are you going to grow big and strong if you don’t eat these?”

She picked up a spoon and brought a small bite to his lips. To anyone else, getting Leo to touch a green vegetable was an impossible task; if his family saw him now, his grandfather would probably have a heart attack. Yet here he was, happily taking every bite as if it were a rare delicacy.

Watching him eat gave Victoria a quiet sense of satisfaction. Once she was sure he was full without overeating, she wiped his mouth.

“Alright, baby,” she said, wiping his chin. “Let’s go find your father.”

On the other side of the company, Lucas Blackwood had come on behalf of his brother, who was being punished by their father and forced to manage the new movie project. Lucas hadn't wanted to come at all until Roman told him that Victoria was going to audition.

Ever since the last time Leo saw her, the little boy hadn't shut up about her, especially over the fact that she had called him baby. Driven by curiosity, Lucas decided to check out the auditions himself. An investigation had already revealed that she was Roman Vance’s daughter, but seeing her captivating performance today, Lucas personally instructed the director to cast her. The director had already given her a fair evaluation, but Lucas wanted to guarantee no mistakes were made.

It was only when Lucas returned to his car that he noticed his son was missing.

Panicking, he smashed the driver's side window with his bare fist in a fit of rage. Pulling up the security feed, he saw Leo walking out of the building willingly. Leo never went anywhere with strangers, only family. Lucas dialed everyone in his contacts, but no one had seen him.

Frustrated and desperate, a sudden thought struck him: Wait... Victoria was in the building. Did my son follow her?

Stepping back out onto the street, Lucas scanned the crowd and froze.

There was Victoria, holding his son as they crossed the road together, talking and laughing while Leo happily licked a large ice cream cone.

Lucas almost fainted. Didn't Leo explicitly state that ice cream was "for dumb kids"? How on earth was he devouring it now?

Watching his usually stubborn son act like a total angel, Lucas felt equal parts relieved and deeply frustrated.

Victoria spotted Lucas and waved him over. “Hey! Your son got lost. I found him by the roadside,” she said, stepping toward him.

Lucas glared down at his son. Got lost, my foot.

Leo stared right back, his tiny face wearing a crystal-clear expression: You better not mess this up for me.

Catching himself, Lucas quickly regained his composure. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

“No worries, he’s adorable!” Victoria cheered, gently rubbing Leo’s cheek. She gave the little boy a warm hug. “See you, baby.”

Before she could step away, Leo tugged on her clothes. Victoria knelt to his eye level. “What is it, sweetheart?”

Leo tapped quickly on his tablet and turned it around: Your phone number.

Victoria burst out laughing and typed her number straight into his tablet. “There you go. Bye now!”

The second Victoria was out of sight, Leo’s adorable expression vanished. He threw a cold glare at the man standing in front of him before sliding directly into the backseat.

Sighing, Lucas climbed in beside him. The two sat in complete, icy silence, ignoring each other entirely while Leo happily licked his ice cream

Dinner that evening was absolute chaos.

Everyone watched in disbelief as Leo happily gobbled down his vegetables.

“Dear, since when do you eat vegetables?” his grandmother asked, bewildered. “I’ve been trying to feed you those since you started eating solids, and you always refused! Now you’re just devouring them?”

She looked around the table, desperate for someone to offer an explanation.

Lucas, who knew the real reason, chose to stay silent and keep eating.

Roman, who never missed a chance to stir up trouble, smirked. “There’s a woman.”

Lucas paused, his fork stopping mid-air. “Keep your mouth shut,” he warned, glaring at Roman.

“What woman could make Leo eat his greens?” his grandmother demanded, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“Well, when Leo got ‘lost,’ we found him with her,” Roman chuckled, winking at Lucas. “And for the record... she’s stunning.”

“Okay, can everyone just drop it?” Lucas snapped.

His father eyed him with suspicion.

“Father, nothing is going on,” Lucas added quickly.

“I didn’t even say anything. Why are you getting so defensive?” his father replied, a smirk playing on his lips.

“So, when are you introducing her to us?” his mother chimed in, leaning forward eagerly.

“I’m full,” Lucas said, pushing his chair back and standing up.

Nobody had noticed that Leo hadn't stopped eating; he just kept piling more carrots and vegetables onto his plate. Lucas turned back and stared at his son in shock; the entire plate was completely clean.

“Let’s go to bed,” Lucas said, extending his hand.

Upstairs, Lucas tucked him into bed, but Leo wasn't having it. He glared at his father as if Lucas were severely lacking basic intelligence.

“Okay, what is it?” Lucas asked.

Leo grabbed his tablet, typed rapidly, and held it up: Call the pretty lady. He waited expectantly for an answer.

“Leo, we’ve only known this woman for two days,” Lucas reasoned gently. “What if she turns out to be bad? What will you do then?”