Chapter 23
Joshua watched as the child approached, completely unafraid of him. Seeing Dorian's tiny, tender hand stretched out in the air, his small face beaming with a bright smile, the way he addressed him was truly unexpected. But that word "stepfather" cut deep.
Joshua kept his face cold, ignoring Dorian's enthusiasm, and looked toward Ella, saying sarcastically, "So this is the kind of child you've raised? Trying to please everyone he meets. Do you think that'll make me accept them?"
There was no way he would ever accept these two children. If Joshua wanted children, plenty of women would have them for him. Someone else's bastards would never stay under his name.
Ella was furious. She walked over and pulled Dorian to her, saying sternly, "Dorian, did you hear that? He doesn't care about your kindness, and don't call him father—he doesn't deserve it. Mommy will divorce him very soon."
Still feeling Joshua's words were too harsh, Ella looked at him and retorted, "Don't worry, I never expected you to accept them. I can't wait to divorce you and get away from you. Don't act like anyone wants to be with you."
Joshua's heart turned cold, his eyes growing even colder. "Good. Then, Secretary Garcia, go do your actual job!"
Ella glared at him hatefully, then gently stroked Dorian's hair and said softly, "Dorian, why don't you go upstairs and keep Aurora company?"
Dorian frowned, looking between Ella and Joshua. He could definitely tell that Joshua didn't like him, but that was just because Joshua didn't know him yet. Once they spent more time together, Joshua would surely come to like him.
Dorian still smiled optimistically and pushed Ella away. "Mommy, you go ahead with your work, don't worry about me. I'll go keep Aurora company in a bit."
Ella had no choice but to head to the kitchen first. Joshua was a grown man—he surely wouldn't do anything to Dorian.
After watching Ella leave, Dorian went to pour water himself. Though he was small and his movements a bit clumsy, he was methodical. Then he held the cup with both his soft little hands and brought it to Joshua, saying sweetly, "If you don't want me to call you father, I'll call you Mr. Thomas for now. Here, have some water."
Joshua looked at him. He didn't expect a two-year-old to speak so clearly and be so clever. Even though he found him different from other kids his age, Joshua still had no fondness for him and said coldly, "Take it away. Don't get close to me."
The smile on Dorian's little face still bloomed gently. Even after being rejected twice, he wasn't discouraged at all. He put down the cup, stood beside him, and asked, "Mommy said she wants to divorce you, so are you and Mommy married right now?"
Joshua didn't respond. Such a young child—what would he know about marriage? He didn't even want to look at him.
But Joshua couldn't deny that Dorian was good-looking. Delicate and tender, with thick hair and eyes that sparkled like stars. His whole little face was soft and adorable, so cute and handsome you couldn't help wanting to pinch his cheeks. But thinking about how he was someone else's child made Joshua's heart ache, and his handsome face grew even darker.
Seeing Joshua still ignoring him, Dorian smiled and continued, "Do you dislike Mommy because she has me and Aurora? If she didn't have me and Aurora, would you really like Mommy?"
Joshua finally couldn't help but look at him. But he still pretended to be fierce, saying coldly, "Go play somewhere else."
How could he possibly like Ella? That damn woman. She kept saying she loved him, but then went abroad and got together with someone else. Getting together was one thing, but she actually had two children with him. What made him angriest was that this articulate child belonged to someone else. The more Joshua thought about it, the more upset he became.
"I just want to talk to you," Dorian smiled again. Being so short, he leaned against the edge of the sofa, staring at Joshua with his big eyes wide. He spoke with animated expressions, confident and proud, "Mr. Thomas, let me tell you, if you accept me and Aurora, it'll definitely be a good investment. I promise when I grow up, I'll make lots of money and let you and Mommy enjoy life together."
Joshua was speechless. What big talk. Did Dorian know how rich he was? Making such bold claims at such a young age—truly fearless because of his youth. Joshua still kept his handsome face stern, unwilling to talk to him. But he had to admit, listening to such a young child brag was kind of interesting.
Just then, Aurora came downstairs too. Having just recovered from her fever, she still looked a bit weak. Because she was coming down to see Joshua, she'd specially changed into her favorite princess dress and tied her hair into two little buns. A bit shyly, she came to Dorian's side, sneaking glances at Joshua, her voice soft and sweet, "Dorian, he looks like one of our relatives."
Dorian took Aurora's little hand and asked curiously, tilting his head, "Which relative does he look like?"
They didn't have any relatives at all. Only a man who was especially close to Ella, but that man was abroad and hadn't come with them.
Joshua was also curious about what Aurora said. He stared at her coldly, wanting to see which of their relatives he supposedly looked like.
Aurora smiled, stood in front of Joshua, completely unafraid of him, and said in a sweet voice, "Dorian, don't you think he looks like our future daddy?"
Dorian had a sudden realization and nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I think he really does look like our future daddy."
Joshua was speechless. This was what a two-year-old said? Originally feeling uncomfortable, he really wanted to push the children away. But the little girl in front of him was so delicate and adorable, so soft and cute, he couldn't help wanting to reach out and hold her.
Realizing he was wavering, Joshua immediately straightened up and continued acting cold. "Go play somewhere else, don't bother me."
"Mr. Thomas, you look so cool when you talk. I can tell you're a hero who can protect Mommy," Aurora's eyes lit up as she hugged Dorian and nuzzled him, saying in a sweet childlike voice, "What should we do, Dorian? I really like this cool Mr. Thomas."
Dorian played along with Aurora, and the siblings hugged each other, full of joy. "I really like this uncle too, but he doesn't seem to like us."
"How could that be?" Aurora let go of Dorian and reached out to take Joshua's big hand, blinking her bright eyes and asking softly, "Mr. Thomas, don't be scared, okay? Dorian and I won't eat you, so you'll like us too, right?"
Joshua was speechless. This was crazy. One clever child was enough to drive him mad with jealousy. And here were two of them. Especially Aurora—every word she said was so soft, so sweet. And she was particularly adorable. Even a tough man like him couldn't bring himself to say anything cruel.
Joshua was clearly overwhelmed and didn't know how to respond to the children. He immediately stood up to avoid them and strode away. Brian hurried after him.
Aurora and Dorian didn't chase after them, just stood there watching Joshua's retreating figure, looking dejected.
"We scared our stepfather away."