Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

Matthew Grant’s face stiffened; his cheeks, previously flushed from being slapped, instantly paled a shade out of fear.

Nearby, seeing something was amiss, Molly Lawson’s gaze darted between them. She quickly rushed over to support Matthew, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness and faux innocence:

"Caroline, you went down the wrong path yourself. Mr. Grant was just trying to advise you out of the goodness of his heart. How could you hit him? You even lied to drive a wedge between President Grant and Mr. Grant. They are uncle and nephew, and both are smart men. They won’t fall for your tricks."

Led by Molly, the other classmates in the private room finally reacted. After all, Adrian Grant and Matthew were uncle and nephew. How could Adrian possibly back up a stranger like Caroline Whitman?

Currying favor with the Grants was the sensible thing to do. Immediately, a few others stepped forward to echo Molly’s sentiments.

Caroline was so angry she almost laughed. There was a reason she hadn’t liked socializing with these people back in school, preferring to hole up in the lab instead. There really were too many idiots in this book.

Kevin Lockwood had just returned from paying the bill when he saw Adrian standing outside the adjacent private room. He immediately rubbed his hands together and approached with a bright smile. "President Grant, apologies for the poor hospitality. I’ve kept you waiting. Shall I see you out?"

Adrian gave a cold, dismissive murmur of acknowledgment, looking away from the private room and turning to leave.

Everyone thought the matter would be left at that. Just as they were rejoicing that they hadn’t offended the Grants, Adrian’s footsteps suddenly paused. He looked back at Caroline. "Aren’t you leaving?"

Caroline stared in confusion. She pointed at herself. "Me?"

Adrian tapped his watch. "Didn’t you want to discuss a collaboration? I’ll give you exactly half an hour."

Finally, he glanced at Matthew and casually dropped a remark. "I will thoroughly investigate what happened tonight."

And so, the crowd stood rooted to the spot, watching helplessly as Caroline walked out with Adrian.

They were stunned. Had he really agreed just like that? Was Caroline truly using their class reunion as a stepping stone?

Now, everyone’s gaze shifted back to Matthew, suddenly making him look like a total clown.

Molly hadn’t even had the chance to say a single word to Adrian before she saw the two of them disappear around the corner of the corridor. She was instantly annoyed—why did Caroline get to be taken away by Adrian alone?

「Moments later.」

Adrian led her into a classic private tearoom.

Caroline’s expression shifted slightly. Talk about the bond between father and son—the room he chose was right next to the one Ryan Grant was in.

"Please, have a seat."

With a gentlemanly demeanor, his slender fingers poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of her.

"I’ve long heard that your company has a unique eye for project investments, and I’ve always wanted to invite you for a detailed discussion, but I’ve been tied up with business. I wonder, what exactly is the emerging project you want to discuss with me, Miss Whitman?"

Caroline remained silent, marveling at his blatant lie about having "always wanted to invite her for a detailed discussion."

Sure enough, these hypocritical villains all had two faces. What he had replied to her on the messaging app the other day wasn’t anything like this.

Caroline emboldened herself to meet his gaze. Perhaps it was her preconceived notion of his role as the villain, but even though Adrian wore a gentle smile right now, she inexplicably felt a distant, oppressive aura from him.

She composed herself. She couldn’t just bring up the child right off the bat; she feared that the moment she did, this man would get up and leave without hesitation.

Caroline carefully chose her words. "President Grant, do you usually like playing parenting simulation games?"

Adrian looked at her, clearly puzzled.

"You know, the kind where you get a human cub at the start, and then you buy him milk powder and diapers, slowly raising him to adulthood," Caroline explained.

Adrian wearily took off his gold-rimmed glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What exactly are you trying to say, Miss Whitman? Please be direct. I don’t believe our time should be wasted like this."

Caroline took a deep breath and smiled.

"Actually, Matthew wasn’t entirely wrong about one thing. He must have seen me with the child today, which is why he claimed I had an illegitimate child with an old man.

"It’s just that he doesn’t know the ’old man’ he was referring to is actually you."

The "old man," Adrian, frowned, casting a bizarre look at Caroline.

Caroline had already prepared herself mentally. Surrounded by his piercing gaze that practically screamed she was insane, she remained composed, stood up, and looked Adrian right in the eye. "The child is in the private room next door. Just take one look."

She knew that once he saw the boy, he wouldn’t be able to just wash his hands of the situation. A clingy three-and-a-half-year-old daddy’s boy definitely wouldn’t let his father go.

She could use this opportunity to dump the child on Adrian and let him thoroughly experience the joy of suddenly becoming a father! Why should she be the only one stuck unexpectedly playing mother? Even though the kid was usually well-behaved, raising a child was still exhausting!

The thought of being the only one taking care of the child made Caroline feel a little resentful.

"Wait for me here. I’ll be right back."

Caroline got up, opened the door, and headed straight for the adjacent private room.

Adrian furrowed his brows in silence. It seemed that giving her half an hour had been a mistake.

He had seen too many corporate warfare tactics. Seeing a child was tantamount to handing a rival company leverage. Who knew if someone was lying in ambush to snap photos and make a big deal out of it?

There was no need to continue this conversation.

He casually slipped his gold-rimmed glasses back on and followed her out.

Just as he stepped out, he saw Caroline standing in the neighboring room, letting out an ear-piercing scream!

Adrian looked into the wide-open private room. It was completely empty save for Caroline.

Caroline spun around in a panic and stumbled out, grabbing the cuff of Adrian’s suit jacket. She couldn’t even speak clearly. "Quick, quick, quick, call the police! Find a waiter! The child... the child is missing!"

Right at that moment, Adrian’s phone suddenly buzzed and rang. He picked it up and glanced at the screen:

[911]

Caroline quickly swiped to answer it and put it on speaker.

A voice came from the other end. "Is this Adrian Grant?"

Caroline anxiously rushed to answer, "He is!"

"Your child wandered off and is currently here at the police station. Please come over and pick him up."

Adrian subconsciously raised his eyes and looked at Caroline in stunned silence.

「At the police station.」

"Daddy, you’re finally here."

As soon as Adrian walked into the police station, he saw a tiny figure sitting obediently and quietly on a chair, yawning sleepily.

The moment the child looked up and caught sight of him, a pair of phoenix eyes—strikingly similar to his own—suddenly lit up. He immediately slid nimbly off the chair and bounded straight toward him on his little short legs.

Adrian froze in place, not making the slightest move to bend down and catch him. He merely lowered his gaze, staring coldly at the small face before him that looked eighty percent like his own childhood self.

Frankly speaking, at this moment, his entire life flashed before his eyes. Even if his parents were to have another baby, they wouldn’t be able to produce a child who looked this much like him when he was young.

"Daddy, hug."

Ryan stretched out his small hands, his eyes instantly turning slightly red, brimming with grievance.

He huffed to himself. Mommy and Daddy must have had a fight. Daddy was clearly in Kingsport, yet he had lied and said he was on a business trip. After not seeing each other for so long, he wouldn’t even give him a hug now.

Adrian lowered his eyes, taking in Ryan’s pitiful, aggrieved expression. For some inexplicable reason, his heart softened. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before finally bending down and picking the child up.

A bizarre sensation spread through his chest.

"You parents are really something else. You didn’t even know your child was missing," a police officer chided. "Come over here and register. I need the child’s name and the parents’ information."

Adrian stood completely still with the child in his arms, merely shifting his indifferent gaze toward the entrance of the police station.

There was no one behind him.