Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

"It’s not what you think."

Adrian Grant replied as he came downstairs.

Jonathan Grant’s expression darkened, clearly unconvinced. "What kind of nonsense is this! If you two are already living together, what’s with all the secrecy?"

"Could the rumors about you having a child actually be true?!"

Seeing that Adrian was about to refute him, Jonathan Grant immediately took out his phone and pulled up a photo from the restaurant that day.

"Look here, is this you?"

Seeing this, Grace Lawson also took out her phone and found the photo from that day. "Take a look. This child looks so much like you. You were at this private kitchen for lunch that day, weren’t you?"

Adrian Grant took the phone and saw a photo of him holding the child, walking with Caroline Whitman.

Although they were walking one behind the other, being in the same frame still made them look incredibly intimate.

At this moment, an inopportune thought crossed Adrian’s mind: ’Caroline Whitman’s foresight in always disguising herself to be completely unrecognizable when she goes out is truly impressive.’

As for concluding the child was his based on just an exposed forehead, a pair of eyes, and less than half a side profile... that was quite a stretch.

He even suspected the couple was trying to bluff him.

Adrian Grant returned the phone to them, his expression still calm. He asked in a slow, deep voice:

"Did you two come all this way just to investigate this so-called ’suspected child of mine’?"

Jonathan Grant, sitting on the sofa, shot him a sidelong glance. His tone softened slightly:

"If you really do have this child, it’s not that we can’t accept it.

We only have one requirement: the child’s mother must come from a respectable family.

Once that’s confirmed, you two should get married. Otherwise, hiding an illegitimate child like this will lead to major problems sooner or later!"

Adrian Grant remained noncommittal.

But for now, he couldn’t open that door.

The child was a variable.

Too big of a variable.

If he were certain that the child would remain in this world permanently, he would seriously consider making the child’s existence public.

But if the child appeared only to disappear again, many things would be impossible to explain.

When Adrian remained obstinately silent, which was not at all the reaction he wanted, Jonathan Grant’s temper flared again. He slapped the sofa and exclaimed:

"How did we raise such an irresponsible man!"

Adrian Grant’s expression didn’t change. "That child is my friend’s godson."

"..."

"..."

The couple wore expressions that clearly said, ’Are you kidding us? You think we’d believe that?’

"If he’s not your child, why were you holding him?"

"What, are you going to tell us you’re the kid’s godfather?"

He knew his son’s personality.

Even his younger nieces and nephews in the family didn’t dare speak to him. How could a guy like him voluntarily offer to hold a child?

"Kids like me. It’s perfectly normal for a child to want me to hold him."

"..."

"..."

Seeing Adrian Grant’s deadpan seriousness, his cold and composed face betraying no cracks, Jonathan Grant backed down a step and asked carefully:

"Who was the woman with you that day? Are you so free that you’d have a meal with a woman and her child?"

"Caroline Whitman."

"..."

"..."

The two elders fell silent again.

Adrian Grant said, "I had some business to discuss with her that day, and it just so happened she was nearby with the child."

"Then the woman in your room... is it also her?" Grace Lawson asked, hesitating.

It was no wonder she immediately thought of Caroline Whitman.

This was probably the first time her son had so much contact with a member of the opposite sex since returning to the country.

Not to mention the shocking news they had heard from Gavin Grant last time.

Just agreeing to meet Caroline Whitman for a blind date was stunning enough.

To say nothing of the shock of hearing that Gavin Grant had run into Caroline Whitman at The Seraphic last week.

But they truly couldn’t understand what there was to hide.

If he thought the relationship had potential, why not just tell them the truth?

Adrian Grant didn’t deny it, but dodged the question and changed the subject. "We had some work to discuss last night, and it went late. A heavy storm started in the middle of the night, so I let her stay here.

Nothing happened between us. This morning, you happened to arrive just as I was entering the bedroom to get something."

He paused here and looked at Grace Lawson. "Mom, you scared her just now. The way you’re both here grilling me like this is making things very awkward for her."

Finally, his gaze shifted to Jonathan Grant. "Also, you can rest assured that if I really did have a child out there, I would never act irresponsibly."

"You don’t need to keep chasing shadows."

Seeing that Jonathan Grant was about to say more, Adrian Grant glanced at the sky outside, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and teasing:

"Besides, even if I were interested in pursuing her, a scene like this would only ruin my chances."

"Father, Mother, I’m an adult who can think for himself. I hope you won’t interfere in matters of my love life and marriage."

"Sigh... this child of ours... sigh..."

"We’re just worried you’re messing around out there. Think about it. We heard just a whisper and came looking for the truth like this. If the other branches of the family catch wind of these rumors, they’ll be hiring private investigators and scrutinizing your every move."

Jonathan Grant opened his mouth, then waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright. As long as you haven’t gone and had a secret child, that’s fine."

Grace Lawson shot Jonathan Grant a disdainful glare and grumbled in a low voice, "Look at you, always in such a rush."

She looked up toward the second floor, then turned and patted Jonathan Grant on the back. "Let’s go, let’s go. Don’t scare the young woman into not daring to come downstairs."

The two elders left The Seraphic, bickering under their breath.

Only after watching the couple get into their car and drive away did Adrian Grant slowly close the door.

「Inside the room.」

Ryan Grant, who had had his head and mouth covered with a blanket by Caroline Whitman, waited until it was silent outside before struggling free from his mother’s hand. He poked his little head out from under the covers, completely bewildered.

"Mama, why are we hiding from Grandma?"

"I haven’t seen Grandma in so long. Is Grandpa downstairs too?"

"I want to go see them."

Caroline Whitman felt another headache coming on.

She couldn’t think of a good excuse at the moment, so she could only coax him softly, "We can’t see them just yet. Later, we’ll give Grandma and Grandpa a big surprise, okay?"

"The longer they go without seeing you, the bigger the surprise will be when they finally do."

"My other grandpa and grandma too?"

"Mhm!"

"Oh." Ryan Grant blinked, his expression unreadable as to whether he believed her or not.

Afraid he would ask more questions, Caroline Whitman quickly changed the subject, her tone tinged with confusion:

"By the way, sweetheart, how did you end up sleeping here last night? I’m sure I put you to bed on the first floor."

Ryan Grant immediately huffed, puffing out his little cheeks as he complained:

"There was a huge thunderstorm in the middle of the night yesterday. I woke up and couldn’t find you, so I turned on the light to look. I ran into Daddy coming downstairs to find me, and he carried me up to sleep with you both."

"I’m sorry, sweetheart, for leaving you down there all by yourself." Caroline Whitman was filled with guilt as she reached out to stroke his little head. "Were you scared during the thunderstorm last night?"

Caroline Whitman hadn’t known it had rained and thundered last night. No wonder when she woke up in the middle of the night, Adrian Grant was no longer wearing his dress shirt.

"Only a little bit scared," Ryan Grant said, trying to sound tough as he fiddled with his little fingers.

"Why didn’t you sleep between us?" Caroline Whitman recalled with a jolt how she’d woken up this morning to find the little guy sleeping on the very edge of the bed, almost about to fall off. It was terrifying.

Ryan Grant said plaintively, "If I sleep in the middle, you and Daddy just pull the blankets and turn your backs to me. It gets all drafty in the middle. I don’t want to sleep there."

"..."

Caroline Whitman was momentarily speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The bedroom door suddenly opened.

Caroline Whitman’s heart leaped. She instinctively started to pull the little guy back under the covers when she heard Adrian Grant’s voice.