Chapter 40 40

Chapter 40 40
Chapter 40

"Grandpa!"

France ran up and hugged the old man sitting on the sofa. Vladimir, however, remained standing not far from the door, watching France with a curious smile. France excitedly told them they were there to play.

The old man turned to Vladimir and smiled warmly.
"Come here, son," he said.

Just then, someone gently placed a hand on Vladimir's shoulder. He looked up. It was France’s grandmother.

"You’re Sonia’s son, so that makes you part of our family too. No need to be shy. Come in and greet your grandpa."

Still a bit hesitant, Vladimir stepped forward. The old man welcomed him with a hug and told him how happy he was to finally meet him.

"Sit down. I prepared something for you. Eat it while it’s still warm," the old man said.

France grabbed one of the pastries and handed it to Vladimir, who took a bite—and froze.
"It’s delicious," Vladimir said, surprised.

"That’s Mommy Sonia’s favorite too! Whenever she visits, she always asks Grandpa to make her bread first," France proudly shared.

France’s grandmother chuckled, amused by how Vladimir and Sonia made the same expression after tasting the bread.

France only took one piece before placing the plate in front of Vladimir, who clearly liked it.

"He really is Sonia’s son. He forgets there are other people around once he starts eating," the grandmother joked, laughing.

France, sipping his juice, nodded in agreement. Sophia and the others laughed as well, amused by how heartily Vladimir was eating.

After he was done, France grabbed a tissue from the table and handed it to Vladimir, then reached into his bag for a hand sanitizer and offered that too.

"What a good big brother," commented the old man.

France pouted. "He’s actually older than me—by a few months!"

"Grandpa, I want to show Vlad my pet fish!"

The old man laughed. "Don’t stay too long down there—it’s cold."

France had a special room in the mansion for his aquarium collection. He eagerly wanted to show it to Vladimir.

He led Vladimir downstairs to what looked like a basement, then opened a heavy door.

Vladimir was awestruck. Inside was a vast room with multiple aquariums—and what looked like a swimming pool in the middle.

"It’s beautiful," Vladimir said in awe. France told him some of the fish came from other countries and were rare species.

Vladimir knelt near the pool and asked what kind of fish lived there.

There was a glass surface covering the pool, and it looked deep—Vladimir couldn’t even see the bottom.

"Piranhas," France answered.

Vladimir jumped back, eyes wide. France laughed.
"Just kidding! There’s nothing in there. It’s just part of the room’s design."

He stepped on the glass.

"Come on, trust me."

He offered his hand. Vladimir hesitated, then took it.

As they walked to the center, the pool beneath their feet began to glow and change colors with every step they took.

Sophia opened the door and saw the two boys laughing and marveling at the lights and fish. Vladimir was especially enchanted.

She took a picture of them, then immediately sent it to Sonia. They were just too cute not to capture the moment.

"Do you want that, sweetheart?"

Vladimir stopped and turned to look. France’s grandmother was watching him staring at a cake. They were in a dessert shop, and she had told them to pick whatever they liked.

"Can I?" Vladimir whispered shyly.

She chuckled. "Of course you can."

"But just one slice, alright? I’m sure your mom got a birthday cake for you too," she added with a wink.

Vladimir blushed. He couldn’t help but get excited about the cake and the celebration later—it was his birthday, after all.

"Vlad! Did you pick one? Come on!" France called from their table, waving him over.

Some customers glanced their way, smiling and whispering about how adorable the two boys looked—like real brothers.

As soon as Vladimir sat down, Sophia told them they’d stop by the salon before going home.

"How about a new hairstyle?" she said, grinning at Vladimir.

France agreed enthusiastically. "Yeah! Your hair is kind of ugly."

"You didn’t have to say that to his face!" Lance said with a laugh.

Sophia playfully flicked France’s forehead. "His hairstyle isn’t ugly! I just know one that’ll suit him better."

France held his forehead, grumbling that he’d tell his mom on her.

Sophia stuck out her tongue. "I’ll tell her first."

Lance handed a candy to Vladimir. "Ignore them. They act like kids sometimes."

Vladimir smiled and poured the rest of the candies onto the table, picking out the pineapple-flavored ones—France’s favorite—and handed them to him.

France took them and peeked at Vladimir’s candy.

"They taste weird. Swap the cheese flavor," France whispered.

"It’s okay. You’re the only one who doesn’t like cheese," Vladimir replied with a little smile.

"I’m not picky!" France insisted.

Vladimir just chuckled.

At the grocery store, Fabian stood in front of a shelf, choosing ingredients for the dinner they were preparing. A few women nearby kept sneaking glances at him.

"Hey, can I get your number, brother?" one of them asked.

Fabian turned. He pulled down his mask just enough to smile and held up his left hand.

"I’m married," he said, then walked away with the cart.

He eventually found Sonia in the meat section and gently tapped her shoulder. She turned.

"You done?" she asked.

He nodded. "Got everything on the list."

"I’ll handle the rest. You can wait at the counter," Sonia said.

Before she could say more, Fabian had taken the list from her and walked off. She just smiled and pushed the cart toward the counter.

While waiting in line, Sonia noticed a stall selling animal hats.

"What are you looking at?"

She jumped—startled to see Fabian behind her.

"Don’t sneak up on me like that!"

"You want one of those?" he asked, pointing at the hats.

Sonia hesitated. "No… I’m not a kid anymore." She was actually thinking of buying some for France and Vladimir.

Fabian chuckled and pulled her toward the stall.

"This one’s cute," he said, trying on a wolf hat. Sonia laughed.

She picked one too—a panda hat—and put it on.

"Do I look cute?" she asked, looking up at Fabian.

His expression softened. "Yeah."

"I’ll buy some for France and Sophia too. What do you think? You think they’ll like them?"

Fabian was about to answer when he sensed something. He looked around. Some people were watching them—but not in the usual way. There was something unsettling about their stares.

Without letting it show, Fabian gently pulled Sonia closer by the waist and smiled.
"You done picking animal hats for the party later?"

So in the end, instead of ordering out, we cooked. Fabian helped with everything—slicing vegetables, cleaning fish, prepping meat.

All I had to do was cook. He didn’t want me doing too much in the kitchen.

I looked around for Fabian. "Where is he?" I asked the nanny.

"In the living room, ma'am. He's taking care of the balloons," she said.

I smiled and went back to preparing the food.

Almost four hours I spent in the kitchen. I was just grateful Fabian and the nanny were there to help.

When everything was ready, we laid the food on the table. The living room was decorated. Balloons and gifts were set up for Vladimir.

It was the first time I’d ever celebrated his birthday since leaving the Valencia mansion.

I saw Fabian slumped on the sofa, looking drained. I walked over and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," I said softly.

He smiled, then suddenly pulled me onto his lap, making me squeal in surprise.

"Hey, that’s not enough. I want one here too," he said, pointing to his lips.

I pouted. "No way. You’ll just drag me to the bedroom again and won’t let me leave."

He burst out laughing. I deadpanned. I’d fallen for that trick before.

We had nothing else to do, so we just stayed there, waiting for the kids to come home.

"Fabian, can I ask a favor?"

He paused, lowering his phone. "What is it?"

I smiled. It took only two or three seconds, and I already had his full attention.

"I want to claim a share of something, and I need your help."

Fabian looked puzzled.

"You need money? But I guess not—you already have access to all my accounts," he teased.

I shook my head. "I just need your name and permission for something."

Fabian chuckled. "Alright. Whatever it is."

"You’re not going to ask what for?"

He glanced at his phone. "Why would I? If you want something, just get it. That’s not a big deal."

Then I said it—
"I want to have a baby. Your baby."

Fabian froze and turned to look at me. I cleared my throat and scratched my cheek, flustered.

"Forget I said that—"

I stood, but he pulled me back onto his lap and gently held my face, turning me toward him.

"Sonia, look at me."

"You want a baby from me that badly?" he asked.

I closed my mouth for a moment, then met his gaze.

"Why? Don’t you want one?" I asked, swallowing hard.

I didn’t want to overthink it, but—why did he give me pills? Why use protection when we’re married? For what reason?

"I know what you’re thinking. But it’s not what you think, Sonia."