Chapter 144 You were happy

Chapter 144 You were happy

"Heyyy! See. Watch me!"

The indoor pool glowed under soft overhead lights, the water perfectly still except for the ripples Lucian made as he swam laps. I sat on the edge of a lounger beside my father, both of us in casual clothes.

Lucian surfaced, shaking water from his hair like a puppy. "Grandpa, watch this!"

My father leaned forward slightly, a rare half-smile on his lips. "Show me, boy."

Well, my father had always been stoic towards Lucian but this ....this seem different. Like he was trying to reconnect.

Was he just getting old or cancer? Was this why were were just drinking by the pool?

Lucian dove under, executing a clumsy but enthusiastic flip turn. When he came up gasping and grinning, my father gave a single nod of approval. "Better than last month. Keep your elbows tighter on the recovery."

"Yes, sir!" Lucian beamed, already pushing off the wall for another lap.

I watched them in silence. The easy rhythm between grandfather and grandson was something I never had with my own father growing up. It should have warmed me. Instead, it only made the knot in my chest tighter.

Flashback hit me hard.

I remembered the night Lucian was born. The sterile hospital room, Valentina screaming, me standing useless in the corner while doctors worked. When they placed that tiny, screaming bundle in my arms, something in me had locked into place. He wasn't mine by blood - I already suspected it even then - but he was mine. I had whispered to him, "I've got you, little man. Always."

Damn intuition.

Then his fifth birthday. The entire garden filled with balloons and a ridiculous bouncy castle. Lucian had blown out the candles with one big breath, eyes shining when he looked up at me and said, "Best dad ever."

Now, I felt like a fraud and a king at the same time.

And the worst memory - the one that still woke me up some nights.

Lucian at seven, in this exact pool. He had slipped on the edge while showing off, gone under fast. I'd been on a call, distracted. By the time I turned, he was sinking. I dove in fully clothed, hauled him out coughing and terrified. He had clung to me for hours afterward, shaking. I swore that day I would never let anything hurt him again.

Now here we were. The same pool. The same boy. And I was the one carrying secrets that could drown us all.

My father's voice pulled me back. I raised my brows in silence as I turned to him.

"What do you have in mind, son?"

I took a slow sip of the whiskey he'd poured earlier. "Nothing. Just tired."

He gave a low, knowing hum. "You're a terrible liar. Always have been."

I stared at the water. Lucian was doing handstands now, legs kicking wildly. My father watched him with that cold, calculating Rossi gaze - the same look he gave boardrooms and enemies.

I exhaled. "I heard Lucian isn't my son."

My father didn't even blink. He simply swirled the ice in his glass. "Ah."

That was it. No shock. No denial. He didn't even turn to face me.

I turned to look at him fully. Something clicked in my mind - the way he had always known things he shouldn't, the quiet strings he pulled behind the scenes.

"You know?" My voice came out sharper than I intended. "You know!" I half-yelled

He shrugged, completely nonchalant. "Did the DNA test myself, boy. Years ago.Yoi know I will always find everything. If you get a little headache from the truth, I know."

I stared at him, stunned. "You creepy-! How could you not tell me?"

He met my eyes without flinching. That cold Rossi calm. "Because you didn't need to know. Blood is overrated. The boy calls you father. That's enough. And you were one happy man, why would I want to take that away?"

I shook my head, anger and hurt twisting together. "I did my own test last year. When Isabella left. He's not a match at all."

My father nodded once, as if I'd simply confirmed the weather. "Then we're on the same page."

Absolutely not.

We both turned back to watch Lucian. He climbed out of the pool, dripping, and grabbed a towel. His small frame was all wiry energy and determination.

"Does the kid know?" my father asked quietly.

"God, I hope not." My voice cracked. "He's my baby, Dad. I don't know what to do."

Lucian padded over, barefoot and grinning, holding up a sketchpad. "Look what I drew!"

He flipped it around. A caricature - me with exaggerated sharp jaw and tattoos, my father beside me looking stern and regal, both of us sitting exactly like this by the pool. It was surprisingly good for a thirteen-year-old.

"This is the trend now," Lucian announced proudly. "Caricatures. I made one for you guys."

I forced a smile, chest tight. "It's perfect, son."

Lucian beamed, then glanced at his watch. "I'm going to the hospital to see Isabella. Elena said I could if I finished my homework."

"Go," I said, ruffling his wet hair. "Tell her I'll be there soon."

He ran off, towel flapping behind him.

My father watched him disappear, then turned back to me. "Valerie - or Valentina, whatever her name is - I can peacefully ask her about the real father. And then make him disappear. Quietly."

The words were delivered so casually it took me a second to register how ruthless they were. For a second, I swear I almost wanted that but...

I didn't answer.

I turned around and caught a glimpse of Elena fixing her hair to take Lucian out. And the Rafiq stood at the far end of the pool, half-hidden in the shadows, arms crossed. Watching. Always watching. He had been there the entire time, silent as stone. A guard. A shadow.

I stood up slowly.

"I need to get back to the hospital," I said.

My father nodded once. "Take care of your family, son. Whatever it takes."

As I walked away, I glanced back at the pool. The water was still again, reflecting the lights like nothing had happened.

But everything had changed.

And I still didn't know how to protect them from the truth.