Chapter 134 Adopting a Child
Baron paused for a moment before continuing, "Why not let the kid stay at the nursing home to take care of the old man? It'd also help keep him entertained."
Luca sneered inwardly. As expected, Baron was up to no good.
He had long heard that Baron's business had failed recently, leaving him in debt. Now, trying to send the kid over was clearly just a way to latch onto Luca and get help with his debts.
"No need. Linus has professional caregivers. I won't trouble you," Luca said coldly, not giving Baron any face.
Baron's expression stiffened. He hadn't expected Luca to be so blunt. The smile on his face faltered. "Luca, I know you're the heir to the group now and super busy. But you're not married yet, and you don't have kids. Eventually, someone will need to inherit the family business, right?"
Seeing that Luca didn't respond, Baron pressed on, "This kid is part of our clan, smart and clever. Why not let him follow you? He could help manage the group's affairs in the future."
His words were pretty obvious—he wanted Luca to adopt the child.
Luca let out a mocking chuckle, his eyes full of undisguised sarcasm. "Baron, do I look like someone who needs to adopt a kid?"
Baron's face turned even uglier. He lowered his head, fingers gripping the edge of his clothes tightly, his voice tinged with disappointment. "I just thought the kid would have a better future with you. And Linus would surely want to see the clan's bloodline continue."
Seeing Baron's dejected look, a sudden idea popped into Luca's mind.
If he kept Baron's kid around, wouldn't it be a natural way to look after Leo?
In the future, he could use the excuse of taking his nephew out to play to see Leo more often and slowly build a father-son bond.
"Actually, it's not impossible," Luca said suddenly.
Baron's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked up, his face breaking into a wide smile. "Luca, you agree?"
"I have a son. I don't need to adopt anyone," Luca said. "But my son happens to need a playmate. Your son can stay with me for now. I'll arrange for him to go to school and live with my son. But I have one condition—you can't tell anyone that I have a son."
Baron was stunned. Since when did Luca have a son?
But at this point, he didn't care. He was overjoyed and nodded eagerly. "No problem, no problem. My lips are sealed!"
As long as the kid could stay with Luca, he'd have a backer in the future.
"Quick, call him Daddy!" Baron urged the little boy beside him, his tone impatient.
The boy looked at Luca timidly, opening his mouth but not daring to speak.
"Don't call me Daddy," Luca interrupted. "Just call me Uncle Luca."
He didn't want any misunderstandings, especially since Leo still didn't know he was his father.
"Alright, call him Uncle Luca," Baron quickly corrected.
The boy softly said, "Uncle Luca."
"Yeah." Luca nodded and turned to the butler. "Butler, make the arrangements. Tomorrow, have my assistant take the kid to Sunshine Kindergarten, in the same class as Leo."
"Yes, sir," the butler replied respectfully.
Baron felt even more smug. After thanking Luca repeatedly, he left the hospital room with the child.
Only Luca and the butler remained in the room.
"Sir, you handled that well," the butler said with a smile. "You saw right through Baron's little scheme."
"He's pushing the kid onto me just to get me to pay off his debts," Luca said with a mocking tone. "No way I'm letting him get his way."
"But you're keeping his kid around for the young master, aren't you?" the butler asked cautiously.
Luca froze for a second. He hadn't expected the butler to see through him. He nodded, not denying it. "Leo needs a playmate. And with this kid around, I'll have more chances to see him."
"Sir, you're becoming more and more like the old master. You handle things with such care," the butler said with admiration, his eyes full of relief.
Luca smiled but didn't say more. He turned and walked to his grandfather's bedside.
"Grandpa, did you see that? I'm growing up. When you wake up, I'll take good care of you."
He sat by the bed, staying with his grandfather for a long time until the sun began to set. Only then did he stand up and leave.
Back at the villa, he immediately called his assistant. "Tomorrow morning, take Baron's son to Sunshine Kindergarten, in the same class as Leo. Handle the enrollment. Also, find out when Olivia drops Leo off at school tomorrow. I want to take Baron's son to the classroom after she leaves."
"Yes, sir," the assistant replied respectfully.
After hanging up, Luca leaned back on the sofa, full of anticipation.
He couldn't wait to see Leo and the kid meet.
The next morning, his assistant called to say the enrollment was done, and Olivia had already dropped Leo off and left.
Luca drove to the kindergarten and headed straight to Leo's classroom based on the information his assistant provided.
In the classroom, the kids were playing games under the teacher's guidance, their laughter filling the air.
When Leo saw him, his eyes lit up. He ran over from the play area, his little face full of excitement. "Uncle LO! Why are you here?"
"I came to see you," Luca said, crouching down and ruffling his hair. The soft touch warmed his heart. "This is Dylan, my nephew. He'll be in your class from now on. You two should get along well."
Leo smiled at Dylan. "Hi, Dylan. I'm Leo. Let's be good friends from now on!"
Dylan, a bit shy, hid behind Luca, clutching his shirt tightly and quietly saying, "Hi."
"Dylan's a little shy. Take care of him, okay?" Luca said to Leo, his eyes full of affection.
"Don't worry, Uncle LO!" Leo patted his chest, acting like a little adult. "I'll protect Dylan. I won't let anyone bully him!"
Seeing Leo's confident look, Luca felt a wave of pride.
This was his son—kind and brave.
"Uncle LO, I'm sorry," Leo suddenly said, lowering his head. His little face was full of guilt, and his voice was small. "I didn't keep our promise."
Luca was puzzled. "What promise?"
"The one about not letting Mom know you're Uncle LO," Leo said, sounding a bit upset, his eyes turning red. "That day at the restaurant, I accidentally called out to you. Mom already knows you're Uncle LO."
Luca's heart softened. He reached out to pat Leo's head, his voice gentle. "It's okay. It doesn't matter if your mom knows."
He hadn't planned to hide it forever anyway. One day, he'd tell both Olivia and Leo the truth.
"Really?" Leo looked up, his eyes sparkling with joy, as if he'd been forgiven. He even tugged at Luca's sleeve, worried he might change his mind.
Seeing Leo like this, Luca's heart melted. He gently rubbed Leo's hair with his fingertips, his tone soft. "Of course it's true. Don't worry about such a small thing. No need to feel guilty."
Leo immediately smiled, the gloom on his face disappearing. His two little canine teeth showed, making him look especially cute.