Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

A few minutes later, Adrian Grant finally replied with a simple, "Mm."

...

"I’ve been trying to get you out for ages, Caroline. I can’t believe you finally made time for me," Lily Young teased while browsing clothes at the mall.

"You’ve been so busy these past few months, you didn’t even have time on weekends. You don’t have to work late again tonight, do you?"

"No overtime," Caroline Whitman replied.

Lily Young held some clothes up to herself in the mirror. Her eyes lit up when she heard Caroline’s answer, and she turned with a smile.

"That’s great! Let’s get dinner tonight. Come on, sis, we haven’t eaten together in ages. My treat."

Caroline Whitman saw right through her. "Your treat, but my bill, is that it?"

"Hey, once I have a job and I’m making my own money, I’ll definitely treat you!" Lily Young replied with a cheeky grin.

"If the day ever comes that you actually get a job, I’ll have to wonder if it’s really you," Caroline said. "Either that or my uncle cut off your card."

Lily Young stuck her tongue out. "I know my own limits. Besides, I’m not like you, sis, with such a brilliant mind for business. You know the saying—don’t be afraid of an idle rich kid, be afraid of one who suddenly wants to start a business. If I told my dad I wanted to launch a startup, my parents would probably shake in their boots."

...

"But my dad has me starting an internship at the company next month. All of you are working, and I get so bored by myself. I want to experience what it’s like to have a job, too."

...

「Nine p.m.」

Full from dinner, the two were getting ready to leave the restaurant when Lily Young, glancing at her phone, suddenly said,

"Finn Kaye is back in the country. He invited us to karaoke—his treat. I haven’t seen him in ages. I wonder what Chubby looks like now."

Finn Kaye was Lily Young’s elementary school classmate. They had been good friends back then, but he later moved away and transferred to another school.

Caroline Whitman had never met him but had often heard Lily Young talk about him.

That girl had an incredible social network. From kindergarten to college, anyone she’d ever gotten along with, she managed to keep in close contact with—even if they’d transferred schools and left the city midway through.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended up in Vincent Fuller and Luna Lynn’s private room that one time.

Caroline Whitman glanced at her. "You haven’t seen him in over a decade and have only talked online. How is that any different from meeting an online friend for the first time?"

But Lily Young didn’t see it that way. "It’s not the same! An online friend didn’t go to elementary school with me. Besides, he knows what I look like. I post pictures on my Moments all the time, so he’ll recognize me.

It’s just that he’s so secretive with his own photos. I still haven’t seen what he looks like now. It’s totally unfair."

...

"Sis, you don’t have plans later anyway, so just come with me! We’ll just pop in for a bit and then head back," Lily Young pleaded.

"Alright, alright. I’ll go with you," Caroline relented.

Lily Young’s face broke into a wide grin. "I knew you were the best, sis!"

「The Jade Palace」

"I have two more friends coming over in a bit," Finn Kaye announced to his friends in the private room, pouring himself a drink.

Milo Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Who? You have other good friends in the country besides us?"

"A classmate from elementary school," Finn Kaye said. "Haven’t seen them in ages."

Milo Morgan nearly spat out his drink. "Huh?"

Evan Shaw was also surprised. "An elementary school classmate?"

"Yeah, what’s wrong with that? Is an elementary school classmate really that strange?" Finn Kaye asked, perfectly calm in contrast to their exaggerated reactions.

Milo Morgan turned to Evan Shaw. "Do you still talk to your elementary school classmates?"

Evan Shaw shook his head, then turned to Zane Carson. "Do you even remember your elementary school classmates?"

Zane Carson shook his head and looked at Adrian Grant. "Are you in touch with anyone from elementary school?"

Adrian Grant didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at Finn Kaye and asked, "Is it a guy or a girl?"

Milo Morgan burst out laughing. "Leave it to President Grant to get straight to the heart of the matter! He asked the real question. So, is this old classmate of yours a guy or a girl?"

Finn Kaye leaned back on the sofa. "A girl."

...

...

"Come on, man, that’s not cool. We agreed the first night was just for the guys to get together, and you’re bringing a woman?" Milo Morgan shot him a disdainful look. "Nope. If you’re doing that, then I’m calling my wife to come over."

"Then I’ll call my sister over," said Evan Shaw.

"I’ll call my elementary school classmate over, too," Zane Carson added.

Milo Morgan looked at the silent Adrian Grant. "And you?"

...

Just then, Finn Kaye spoke up. "Oh, right. She’s also bringing her cousin. You all live here, so you’d know more than me—she’s apparently the female CEO of the Whitman Group."

Adrian Grant: "..."

"Wait, the female CEO of the Whitman Group? If it’s the one I’m thinking of, we actually do know her," Milo Morgan said in surprise.

"We know of her, but she probably doesn’t know us," Zane Carson said. "But I bet Adrian and she know each other. The Whitman Family was invited to Mr. Grant’s birthday party."

Finn Kaye turned his head. "Seriously? It’s a small world."

Adrian Grant hummed in confirmation. "We’re acquainted."

Milo Morgan and the others called a few more friends to join, turning what was supposed to be a small reunion for old friends into a gathering of their wider social circle.

Guests started to arrive in dribs and drabs, though some they had invited were busy and couldn’t come.

Now, the only people missing were Finn Kaye’s elementary school classmate and Caroline Whitman.

「Around ten o’clock.」

Lily Young glanced at the room number on the door, and after confirming it was the right one, pushed it open.

Caroline Whitman followed at a leisurely pace behind her.

The moment they entered, eight pairs of eyes from inside the room turned in unison to look at the door.

Caroline Whitman’s gaze flickered. She scanned everyone in the room, her eyes landing precisely on the most familiar face there.

She fell silent.

Caroline Whitman had truly underestimated Lily Young’s social network.

She would never have imagined that Finn Kaye, Lily Young’s elementary school classmate, was in the same social circle as Adrian Grant.

In the brightly lit private room sat Adrian Grant and his friends. Caroline did a quick mental count—including herself and Lily, there were ten people in total.

’Good thing this room is so big, or there wouldn’t be enough seats.’

Lily Young didn’t recognize a single person in the room, but with her naturally cheerful and outgoing personality, she was never shy. Holding up her phone, which was in a voice call with Finn Kaye, she yelled out,

"Which one of you is Finn Kaye?"

Before Finn Kaye could say anything, Evan Shaw was already nudging the blond guy next to him. "Hey, your elementary school classmate is here."

At the same time, he raised a hand and called out to her, "He’s over here! This is Finn Kaye!"

However, Lily Young’s shout made them realize something. ’So, his old classmate doesn’t even know what he looks like?’

Lily Young walked forward in pleasant surprise. "You’re Chubby? You’ve gotten so slim! It’s true what they say, boys really do change a lot when they grow up.

No wonder you never wanted to video chat. You were planning this big reveal all along, weren’t you?"

"Yeah, yeah, knock it off," Finn Kaye said.

"And this must be Miss Whitman."

He turned his attention to Caroline Whitman, addressing her as Lily had.

Caroline Whitman smiled. "I’ve heard so much from Lily about your childhood adventures. It’s nice to finally meet you in person."

Finn Kaye looked at Lily Young. "You haven’t been badmouthing me behind my back, have you?"

"What kind of person do you take me for?" Lily replied.

"Oh, I remember now! You’re the girl who wandered into our private room by mistake that one time," Yvonne Grant exclaimed, looking at Caroline Whitman.

As soon as Caroline Whitman had entered, Yvonne had felt a strange sense of familiarity. Then, it clicked, and she remembered the woman who had suddenly shown up at Evan Shaw’s welcome-back party.

"Miss Whitman, my uncle and my parents have mentioned your incredible eye for investments. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while."

Yvonne Grant stood up and shifted over, motioning for Caroline to sit beside her. The seat next to the newly vacant spot was occupied by Adrian Grant.