Chapter 8: When Do You Sleep
"As for whether the child really traveled here from the future, I suggest you talk to him more about your personal situation.
Even if you suspect I colluded with the child beforehand, I’m not as resourceful as you think. I couldn’t possibly know your most confidential secrets."
Caroline understood how he was feeling, so she thoughtfully offered him some advice.
"..."
In fact, Adrian had already asked the boy a few questions back in the car.
Just as Caroline had said, Ryan did indeed know some of their family’s private information.
If nothing else, the mere fact that Ryan had easily unlocked his phone’s passcode back at the hospital was eerie enough.
So now, hearing Caroline say it herself—that the boy was from the future—he needed time to process it.
The air grew quiet for a moment.
After a pause, Adrian spoke. "The paternity test is already underway."
Caroline licked her lips. "Oh. That should be quick, then."
Adrian Grant glanced at his watch and replied flatly, "If they’re quick, we’ll have the results around two a.m. tonight."
Caroline glanced at the time. It was eight-thirty.
’It’s going to be a long night.’
"If the results show a paternal link, then you..." She slowly raised her eyes to the man before her. "You must fulfill your duties as a father. It’ll be your turn to take care of the child for a week."
Hearing this, Adrian’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly, his expression otherwise unchanging. "The results aren’t back yet. It’s too early to be talking about this, Miss Whitman."
"I said *if*. Besides, it’s only a few hours away. It’s not too early at all."
"..."
Adrian fell silent, his thin lips pressing into a firm line.
After a moment of contemplation, he said, "If the boy is truly related to me, I will fulfill my responsibilities until he returns to his own world."
He didn’t say he would fulfill the duties of a *father*.
The whole idea of a child time-traveling from the future was just too fantastical.
He wasn’t prepared to be a father.
Still less could he imagine marrying and having children with the woman before him.
Having gotten Adrian’s promise, Caroline could finally relax.
’He might be the villain, but at least he’s a man of his word sometimes.’
"Are you going to stay here and wait until two in the morning?"
Caroline had expected Adrian to refuse, or to suggest they discuss it again after the results came in. To her surprise, he simply nodded, his tone even.
"That’s the plan. Since the results will be out soon, we might as well resolve everything tonight and avoid future complications. You don’t mind if I stay, do you, Miss Whitman?"
Caroline was a little surprised to hear him say that.
She hadn’t expected him to offer to stay, but it was exactly what she’d hoped for. It would save her a lot of trouble.
She nodded readily. "That would be perfect. Otherwise, if the boy sees you leave, it’ll be hard for me to come up with another excuse."
Ryan was young, but he was smart. He’d start to catch on if he was lied to too many times.
"In that case, let’s set this aside for the time being. Miss Whitman, are you ready to tell me about that emerging project you mentioned?"
"..."
Caroline was speechless.
’Just like the most dedicated villain in the book. Even in a situation this bizarre, he can still steer the conversation back to making money.’
’The emerging industry she’d mentioned wasn’t just a pretext. It was a project the novel’s male protagonist had his eye on, one that Adrian later swooped in to snatch for himself.’
’Her tiny, struggling company had no real chance of competing for it.’
’The villain’s power was not to be underestimated. If she could partner with him and get a piece of the pie, it would save her company two years of struggling.’
"Alright."
Caroline began to speak, laying out her proposal with eloquence.
They talked until nearly ten o’clock.
Adrian listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a question, all of which she answered without hesitation.
"It is indeed a good business opportunity."
"The rumors about your company’s unique eye for investment are well-deserved."
He was genuinely impressed.
CLICK. The study door opened.
A small figure in kids’ pajamas walked in, hugging a fluffy teddy bear.
"Daddy, Mommy, when are you coming to bed? I haven’t slept with you guys in so long."
Ryan said, sounding crestfallen.
Caroline quickly stood up. "Be a good boy, sweetie. Can you go to sleep by yourself tonight? Mommy and Daddy need to talk about something..."
Ryan immediately grew wary, his little face scrunching up. "You’re not talking about getting a divorce, are you?"
That’s what always happened in the shows he watched on TV.
"..."
’Oh, sweetie, please stop talking. We’re not even married, how could we get a divorce?’
Caroline was getting a headache. This whole week had been nothing but managing these white lies for the boy’s sake.
Now, with the boy’s father right here, watching Adrian remain so impassive, a surge of irritation rose within her. She immediately turned to him.
"You’re his dad! Say something!"
"..."
As Adrian stood up with a sigh, Caroline was already holding Ryan out to him. He subconsciously raised his arms and took the boy.
As he looked at the mother and son, both staring at him, a strange emotion stirred in his heart.
’As if he really were a deadbeat dad.’
Adrian looked down at the boy. "Your mother and I are discussing business. You’re going to sleep by yourself tonight. I’m sure you can handle that, right?"
His voice was chilly and left no room for argument. Ryan pouted slightly, wheedling in a small voice, "Then Daddy and Mommy have to come join me soon."
"Mm."
After carrying the boy to the master bedroom and coaxing him to sleep, Adrian came out and met Caroline in the hall. "Let’s continue our discussion about the project."
Caroline: "..."
’Who else would get rich if not you?’
And so,
Late at night, in a closed study, a single man and a single woman, alone in a room together.
It was a scene that would set anyone’s imagination running wild.
In reality, the two of them were huddled together, faces stern with concentration, looking at a PowerPoint presentation.
The scene, however intimate it might have looked, was broken when Adrian’s phone vibrated.
The paternity test results were in.
Caroline casually glanced over. Her eyes scanned the line "confirms a biological father-son relationship." She wasn’t surprised.
She quietly drew her gaze back, letting it rest on Adrian’s handsome profile. His brows, slightly furrowed, had barely relaxed since the moment he’d arrived at her home.
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the weariness in his expression seemed to deepen.
Adrian stared at that single line on the report, lost in deep thought.
After a long silence.
He seemed to accept the result. Wearily, he took off his glasses and set them on the table, along with the still-lit phone.
Adrian turned his head. "Let’s talk. Did the boy say how we ended up together?"
Caroline recalled asking Ryan the same thing: How did she and Adrian get together?
He’d said, ’Mommy pursued Daddy.’
And, ’Mommy told me so herself.’
Caroline smiled. "The boy didn’t say. Besides, he’s likely from a parallel universe. There’s no need to use how we get together in his future as a reference."
"Of course, it’s not a given that we’ll end up together at all."
She added.
Adrian watched her, his thoughts unreadable, before finally just grunting, "Mm."
"Oh, right. About the question I asked before—whether you’re married. Can I get an answer now? I’m not trying to imply anything, but if you already have a family... I’ll take the boy, and we’ll disappear from your life."