Chapter 11: Both Parties Must Marry by Agreement
"A long time ago. Daddy and Mommy got married before I was even born. I didn’t even get to attend your wedding."
"Did we ever tell you why Daddy and Mommy got married in the first place?"
"Hehe, because of love! Daddy loves Mommy, Mommy loves Daddy, so you got together."
"..."
"Then did Daddy ever share any secrets with you before?"
"Yes!" Ryan nodded.
"Oh? What kind of secrets? Tell Daddy, let’s see if my good boy still remembers." Adrian Grant smiled warmly, his tone carrying a hint of patient coaxing.
Little Ryan tilted his head up, looking completely certain. "Of course I remember! Daddy, you said you have a really annoying rival named Vincent Fuller. He stole your projects several times and almost made it so you couldn’t marry your wife. You told me never to smile at him if I ever see him."
"..."
Adrian pondered the name Vincent Fuller. Wasn’t that the infamous playboy of Kingsport who recently got into a scandal with a D-list starlet? He stole his projects? And almost cost him his wife?
"Then let Daddy test you again. Do you remember which projects he stole from Daddy?"
Ryan’s little brows furrowed. With a completely serious expression, he counted on his fingers and rattled off the names of several projects.
Adrian was surprised. One of them was the exact emerging tech project he had discussed with Caroline Whitman just last night. The other projects Ryan mentioned also seemed to have strong market potential right now, though they involved high-risk gambles.
Adrian pushed up his glasses and asked with a smile, "And what was that about Daddy almost not being able to marry his wife?"
Ryan blinked. He glanced upstairs to make sure no one was there before whispering, "Daddy was almost crippled by Mr. Fuller’s schemes. Daddy even told me not to tell Mommy about it."
"..."
Adrian scoffed inwardly. If he was truly capable of scheming to cripple him, Vincent Fuller had better not be just an idle playboy.
「Later that morning.」
By the time Caroline Whitman woke up from catching up on her sleep, it was already 11:00 AM. She opened her eyes, staring groggily at the ceiling as her consciousness slowly returned. She was actually still in Adrian Grant’s house, and she had even slept in his bed.
She wondered if it was a dream. She pinched her thigh. It wasn’t a dream.
She sluggishly got out of bed and tidied her clothes and appearance. Whether it was just her imagination or not, she felt as if a faint trace of his scent still lingered on her skin. When she went downstairs, the living room was empty.
"Huh? Did they all go out?" she murmured.
Glancing around, she noticed several boxes of brand-new toys and a few sets of new children’s clothes sitting by the coffee table. Caroline raised an eyebrow. It seemed Adrian had accepted the child’s arrival much faster than she had. He had already bought everything the boy could need.
Caroline thought this was a good thing; she had initially worried that Adrian would reject the child. Since she had already delivered the boy back to his father, there was no need for her to stay any longer.
Just as she picked up her bag and headed for the door, Adrian appeared precisely at the top of the stairs, looking down at her.
"You’re awake? Come on up. The child is taking his nap."
"..."
「In the study.」
"Is there anything else left to discuss regarding the child?" Caroline asked in confusion. "Didn’t we agree last night that we would each take him for a week at a time? As for his living expenses, we can just buy what he needs individually. Also, I agree with your point about keeping the child’s identity a secret from the public. Does Mr. Grant have anything else to add?"
Adrian didn’t say anything. He simply slid an agreement across the desk toward her. She picked it up and flipped through the pages. Aside from the points they had discussed last night, there were a few additional stipulations.
While the child was in this timeline, neither party was allowed to seek out other partners or engage in relationships with the opposite sex. Furthermore, they were forbidden from displaying any intimate behavior with other individuals in front of the child, so as to prevent any psychological harm.
Reading through the document, Caroline found all of this acceptable. After all, this so-called agreement wasn’t just restricting her; it was restricting him as well. But what was up with the final clause?
*While the child is in this timeline, it is highly recommended that both parties live together.*
Regarding this point, there were numerous additional details outlining the specifics of their cohabitation.
"..." Caroline put down the agreement. Her gaze landed on the final clause as she raised an eyebrow. "What is the meaning of this?"
*If the child is exposed to the media, the public, or business rivals, both parties must enter into a contractual marriage.*
"I didn’t think President Grant would compromise to such an extent for a child," she noted.
But she had clearly overestimated his bottom line.
Adrian spread his hands, his tone completely open and candid. "I chatted with the child this morning, and he told me quite a bit about emerging industries over the next few years. In return, it’s only right that I want to provide him with a healthy, complete family environment. That’s perfectly normal."
"..."
She was completely speechless. She was amazed that he had actually thought to ask a three-and-a-half-year-old child about the industrial developments of the coming years.
Assuming she was unwilling, Adrian continued to elaborate, attempting to persuade her.
"I assume you’ve already gathered from the child that in his parallel world, the two of us are..." He paused, his voice deepening slightly. "...quite deeply in love.
"I don’t believe that taking turns to watch him for a week at a time will properly accommodate his emotional needs. As you can see, he is extremely sensitive in this regard. In his mind, I’ve already returned from my business trip. If we make up some other excuse to separate and raise him individually, I’m afraid he will cry and throw even worse tantrums.
"This would only increase the time and burden it takes for us to care for him, which is an obvious issue.
"Since the child currently exists in this timeline and shares my blood, it is entirely normal and reasonable for me to take responsibility for him and protect him from malicious speculation by the media and the public."
To put it bluntly, this wasn’t just a simple issue of an illegitimate child. If his business rivals dug up any dirt to use against him, his company’s stock prices would highly likely take a hit. Caroline naturally understood the underlying meaning behind his words. And here she had thought some sort of touching father-son bond had finally awakened.
"Fine," Caroline agreed. "But I also want to invest in those emerging industries Ryan mentioned." She mused that he wasn’t the only one focused on building an empire.
"No problem. If you have anything else to add, feel free to speak up." Adrian raised a hand, gesturing for her to take the pen.
Caroline had no other objections. It was for the best that the child remained unknown to the public; otherwise, the ensuing chain reaction would cause her massive headaches as well. Adrian’s methods were always airtight—he had considered absolutely everything.
However, as she looked around the house and prepared to sign the document, she suddenly asked, "Am I going to have to live here from now on? What if your family or friends drop by unannounced? Wouldn’t we be exposed?"
"No one visits my place. If you’re worried, the child and I can move into your place."
Caroline frowned slightly. Her parents had never been to her current apartment complex, and precisely because of that, she was even more afraid they might drop in for a surprise inspection one day.
After pondering for a moment, she suggested, "We should just find a new, quieter house. That’s the safest bet."
Adrian had no objections. He had plenty of vacant properties under his name, so he immediately ordered his subordinates to make the arrangements. Only then did Caroline witness firsthand just how terrifying the execution speed of a Mary Sue novel’s top-tier villain could be.