Chapter 151 Are You Qualified?
Arthur stayed frozen in his half-crouched position.
The warm air instantly turned cold. He watched as the mother and son walked away side by side, their thin silhouettes radiating determination, shutting out all his enthusiasm.
His heart felt like it had been hit hard by something. The dull pain was worse than any business setback he'd ever experienced.
His carefully prepared gentleness, his cautious attempts—all seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the child's silent resistance and her indifferent avoidance.
Arthur slowly stood up and looked away, staring at the glass door that had been pushed open and gently closed. His somewhat disheveled reflection stared back at him from the glass.
He'd known this all along, hadn't he?
Five years couldn't be erased with just an apology and a gentle smile.
The wrongs he'd committed, the growth he'd missed, and everything he owed her—they all formed a deep chasm between him and them.
But he didn't want to back down, and he couldn't.
He'd realized too late. He'd already let his mistakes drive her away for so many years. This time, he absolutely couldn't let go again!
He would do everything in his power to make it up to her!
Looking at the closed shop door, the pain in Arthur's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a more stubborn determination.
He took a deep breath, straightened his slightly disheveled collar, stood up straight, and followed.
Inside, Aria was turning to arrange the flower baskets by the door, seemingly completely unaware of the movement behind her.
Jasper stood by the counter, still tightly gripping his mother's hand, his little head tilted slightly as he secretly glanced through the gap in the glass door at the figure standing outside.
Arthur stood outside the shop, watching them quietly through the glass.
Morning light streamed through the glass window, falling on Aria's profile and softening her features.
That small figure nestled beside her—a picture of peaceful contentment, but with no place for him.
But this time, he couldn't rush.
Since she'd come back, since the child was here too, he would knock on this door bit by bit, and win back their hearts bit by bit.
When Lance arrived and saw Arthur standing at the door, his brow immediately furrowed and the pressure around him suddenly dropped.
Lance had come to the studio today to keep Aria company because he was worried about her, but he hadn't expected Arthur to move even faster than him.
He really had no shame!
Arthur also keenly sensed someone watching him. His eyes flickered as he looked toward the newcomer. Their gazes collided in mid-air, instantly sparking tension.
Arthur's face darkened first, his eyes cold and sharp.
Lance showed no weakness either, his whole body radiating protective sharpness.
But unlike last night, they both tacitly avoided Aria and Jasper, walking over to the car outside.
Lance glanced toward the studio, lowering his voice. "Arthur, you really dare to chase after her."
Arthur looked back at him, his tone equally low and cold, but deliberately controlling his volume. "This is between me, Aria, and my son. It's not your place to interfere."
"Your son?"
Lance let out a mocking laugh, his eyes full of sarcasm. "Arthur, don't forget that five years ago you signed the divorce papers. You're not married anymore. Where do you get the nerve to call him your son?"
Arthur said coldly, "Even if we signed the divorce papers, that doesn't change the blood relationship between him and me!"
At this moment, Arthur was incredibly grateful to Aria. If she hadn't kept the child back then, there would be one less connection between them, and his chances of winning her back would be even smaller.
The fact that she'd kept the child meant that back then, she had held some hope for him.
Lance just smiled coldly. "Blood relationship? What does that prove? How can you be sure that's definitely your child?"
A flash of coldness crossed Arthur's eyes. He stepped forward, gritting his teeth. "Lance, don't twist things around."
His hands at his sides clenched until his knuckles turned white. Those deep eyes churned with hostility. If Lance dared say one more word to insult the child, he definitely wouldn't be polite.
"Twisting things around?"
Lance showed no fear. Instead, he took another half step forward, standing face to face with Arthur, the mockery at his lips growing thicker. "I'm just stating a fact, Mr. Grant. Five years ago, you signed the divorce papers for Sophie and drove Aria away. Now, just based on a face with similar features, you're certain the child is yours? Aren't you being a bit too self-important?"
Arthur's throat tightened. Signing those papers five years ago was the biggest regret of his life, but having Lance expose it now still pierced his heart painfully.
He looked coldly at him, each word hitting the ground with force. "This child's features and bone structure are exactly like mine as a child. Whether he's my child or not is obvious at a glance. Besides, I know Aria's character!"
"You know her?"
Lance sounded like he'd heard something extremely ridiculous, his voice trembling with cold. "If you really knew her, you wouldn't have been completely unaware that she was pregnant, and you wouldn't have hurt her so recklessly, taking advantage of the love she once had for you! Making her leave while pregnant—is this what you call love?
Arthur, you keep talking about blood ties now, but have you fulfilled even one day of fatherly responsibility these past five years?"
"I haven't!"
Arthur gritted his teeth, regret and anxiety churning in his eyes. "I admit I owe them both. I'm willing to spend my whole life making up for it, but that's not a reason for you to deny the blood relationship between me and that child!
Lance, I know you're protecting Aria, but don't try to use this low tactic to drive a wedge between me and them."
Lance raised an eyebrow, his tone becoming even sharper. "Arthur, you say you want to make amends? Then do you know what the best way to make amends is?"
"You should just disappear properly and stop disturbing their lives. That would be the best thing you could do for them."
"That's my son. I have the right to be by his side!" Arthur growled in a low voice, the urgency in his eyes almost overflowing.
Lance took in all the emotions in his eyes and laughed coldly, completely exposing his thoughts. "Are you secretly feeling lucky? Lucky that Aria kept the child, lucky that there's still a connection between you? Arthur, don't be so naive.
Aria kept this child because she's soft-hearted, because she couldn't bear to part with her own flesh and blood—not because she still has any hope for you."
This statement hit precisely at Arthur's deepest insecurity.
His face suddenly darkened, the coldness around him intensifying. "Lance, shut up."
"I'm going to say it anyway."
Lance didn't yield an inch, his gaze sharp as a knife. "You want to make amends? You want to win her back? Have you cleaned up the Sophie situation? Have you dealt with all those messes around you? If not, what right do you have to talk about making amends or winning her back?"