“Should I go get a strand of his hair for testing?” someone whispered. “I swear, that kid’s got a sturdy build-kind of reminds me of Conrad.”
“Where do you see the resemblance?” another scoffed. “I don’t think they look alike at all.”
“Then maybe he takes after Lillian. Look at his skin-it’s just as flawless as hers. And he calls her ‘Mom’… What if she actually had twins back then? Maybe she sent Jasmine to us and kept this boy for herself-one child each?”
“That’s not entirely impossible.”
After all, the two kids did seem to be the same age.
Unless Lillian had another child later with Ethan…
But logically, if she had given birth again, the child should still be quite young. How could he be the same age as Jasmine?
Even Conrad, who had been trying to stay calm, couldn’t sit still anymore.
“Stop jumping to conclusions,” he muttered. “The kid could be Ethan’s.”
If Lillian had met Ethan later in life, the boy could have simply been calling her “Mom” out of habit.
“That would be insane! A single father raising a child from a previous marriage? Even if he got divorced, what would she see in him? A secondhand man? Didn’t she always say she’d never settle for leftovers?”
“Exactly! Otherwise, why do you think Conrad kept himself pure while he was with her?” Hogan instantly felt indignant.
If that man was good enough for her, then why the hell hadn’t she come back for Conrad?
If she had returned back then, he would have given her anything she wanted-even the entire Brown Family Group!
Lionel cut in, “Does Melissa know she’s back? If anyone can get answers from her, it’s Melissa.”
None of them stood a chance-Lillian wouldn’t tell them the truth no matter what.
Where had she been for the past five years?
How had she become a director?
And whose child was that boy, really?
Whatever she said, it could all just be a smokescreen.
George put down the tweezers and wrapped Conrad’s hand with gauze before saying irritably, “Do you really think Melissa is on our side or hers?”
“Say whatever you want, but one thing’s certain-Lillian abandoned her own child. Jasmine has done nothing wrong. Lillian can be mad at Conrad all she wants, but what about the kid?” Lionel’s words left the entire lounge in silence.
Just then, Conrad’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen-it was Jasmine.
“Daddy! Why aren’t you home yet? I already took my bath, played with my blocks, and even went to your room to say goodnight to Mommy! But I’ve been waiting for five minutes! Why aren’t you back yet?”
A dull ache spread through Conrad’s chest. “Daddy will be home soon. Be a good girl and go to sleep first, okay?”
“Liar! If you do this, Mommy won’t love you anymore!”
The moment Jasmine said those words, a sharp pain slowly crept up in Conrad’s chest again-dull yet precise, striking straight at his heart.
The conference room fell silent.
Gordon couldn’t hold back anymore. “I’ll go ask her myself.”
She could abandon Conrad, but what about Jasmine?
Why had she ignored Jasmine all these years?
Lillian wasn’t that kind of person. She had been a child abandoned by Helen herself-how could she possibly bear to let her own daughter suffer the same fate?
“Come back.”
Gordon stopped in his tracks.
Conrad had called him back, his voice low and coaxing as he spoke into the phone, “Alright, go to sleep right now. Daddy will be back immediately. I promise, the moment you open your eyes, I’ll be there.”
“Pinky swear. Mm, you have to mean it!”
It wasn’t until Jasmine hung up that Conrad finally let out a smirk. “I’ll ask her myself.”
He needed a clear answer.
She could resent him, she could hate him-all of that was fine.
But what had Jasmine done wrong?
She was the child Lillian had fought so hard to bring into this world.
Hogan pushed open the door, snapped his fingers, and asked, “That Mr. Ethan who was with Mr. Jones earlier-do you know where they are?”
“Oh, after delivering the gift, he seemed to have left already.”
Before the words even fully landed, Conrad had already bolted out the door.
Inside a sleek black car, Lillian draped a blanket over the little boy.
“You’ve had a long day,” Ethan driving said softly.
“Quincy was well-behaved. Taking care of him isn’t tiring.”
“This little brat is actually quite rebellious. He only listens because he likes you.”
Just as he finished speaking, a car suddenly sped up from behind, swerving recklessly before skidding to a stop, completely blocking their path.
Ethan reacted quickly, slamming the brakes hard.
Quincy was nearly flung forward, but the seatbelt yanked him back in time. Still, he was frightened to the point of bursting into tears.
“What the hell just happened?!” Lillian frowned.
But as soon as she voiced her question, the answer caught in her throat.
This style, this recklessness-
Who else could it be but Conrad!?
This man… after all these years, he still did whatever the hell he wanted.
Conrad rolled down his window and said coldly, “Get out.”
Ethan glanced at Lillian. “Lillian, if you don’t want to, no one can force you.”
His voice was calm, but his stance was firm.
Even if the man standing in his way was Conrad-the ruler of City N.
Even if going against him meant nothing but trouble.
He still had no intention of backing down.
Ford and the others had driven up just in time to witness the scene. He quickly got out of the car and knocked on Lillian’s window.
She only rolled it down halfway.
When Ford saw the woman inside-more stunning than ever-he took a sharp breath.
After confirming it was really her, his expression turned serious. “Miss Lillian, Mr. Conrad would like to speak with you in person. Could you spare some time? If not… I’m afraid this entire road is going to stay blocked.”
Lillian smirked. “Go ahead, let him block it all he wants. I’m not getting out.”
Ford instinctively glanced at Conrad, then turned to report back.
Conrad didn’t look her way. Only when Ford approached did he ask, “What did she say?”
“Miss Lillian said she won’t get out. She told you to keep blocking the road.”
If this had been before, Conrad wouldn’t have hesitated-he would have gotten out of the car and taken her by force.
But this time, he merely let out a self-deprecating smirk, started the engine, and slowly moved the car to the side of the road.
He had given in during their standoff.
Simply because… he didn’t want to make her angry.
Lillian, do you see this?
I’m changing.
I’ll become the man you want me to be.
Ethan’s car drove past him, its taillights glowing like a pair of brilliant meteors streaking through the winding mountain road.
Then, they vanished into the distance.
Just as Ford was still in shock, Conrad started his car and immediately followed.
Andrew stepped out of the vehicle. “What now?”
“What else can we do? He can lower himself and compromise, but pretending he didn’t see anything? That’s impossible.”
There was a car following behind them-there was no way Ethan wouldn’t notice.
He continued driving at an unhurried pace. Only when they reached the house he had purchased earlier did he finally park the car.
Opening the door, he saw that Quincy had already fallen asleep.
Lillian was about to say something when Ethan gestured for silence, then leaned down and carefully picked up the child. Only then did he say to her, “It’s good that he’s asleep-saves him from chattering away later.”
Lillian smiled helplessly. “I really troubled you tonight.”
“I don’t think there’s any need for those kinds of words between us anymore.”
Behind them, a sleek black sports car pulled up quietly, lurking in the darkness like a bat.
Conrad sat inside, watching as the lights turned on upstairs.
He figured she’d just be seeing the kid inside-it should take five minutes at most.
But an hour passed, and no one came back down.
Growing restless, he reached for a cigarette, only to stop himself.
Back when he started taking care of his daughter, he had quit smoking for good.
There was nothing he could do.
And that made this night feel unbearably long.
Every minute, every second, felt like it was chipping away at his sanity.