Chapter 552 Last Night's Scammer Was You, Right?
Emilio had never been on the receiving end of such tenderness before. His head swam, and he found himself nodding along, a faint flush creeping up his cheeks.
So... was this what it felt like to have a mother?
She was so gentle.
He... he really liked it.
But as Odette watched Emilio quietly and obediently eating his fruit, a sharp, sudden pain gripped her chest.
If her child had lived, he would have been around this age by now.
She dropped her gaze, a quiet sadness washing over her — and then, in the very next moment, she heard Emilio's voice. "Are you unhappy?"
Odette shook her head slowly and managed a soft smile. "I just had some unpleasant memories come back to me, that's all. Can I tell you a secret?" She paused. "I actually had a child around your age — but I wasn't able to take good care of him, and I lost him."
Emilio's eyes went wide. "Why did you lose him? Did you not want him?"
Odette let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "How could a mother ever not want her own child? I simply wasn't capable enough back then — I failed to take proper care of him."
Seeing the sorrow that had settled over her face, Emilio pressed his lips together for a moment before quietly asking, "Do you miss him?"
"I do, very much — but I don't even know if he's still alive."
Odette shut her eyes, the pain too much to bear. Sabrina had told her that her child was gone — dead — and that she would never find him again.
Emilio was at a loss for words. His feelings were a tangled, complicated mess.
And Alaric, standing silently by the door, felt no differently.
And yet, beneath it all, he quietly let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Thank goodness — Odette hadn't abandoned Emilio out of choice.
It seemed he would need to find the right moment to tell her the truth about Emilio.
When the time felt right, Alaric drew a slow, deep breath and stepped back into the hospital room. "Emilio, it's time for us to go."
Emilio looked back at Odette, reluctance written all over his face. He didn't want to leave — not now, not when he had only just found his mother.
"There's a party tonight, but I'll bring you back tomorrow, I promise."
"Okay."
Emilio gave Odette a small wave goodbye and then followed Alaric out of the hospital room.
Just as they stepped outside, Chase pulled up with the car right on time. Emilio and Alaric climbed in, and they drove away from the hospital.
Just then, a figure came stumbling out after them. Odette had rushed out the door, nearly tripping over herself, and called out desperately to the retreating car, "Don't go — please, don't leave!"
But the car continued on, growing smaller in the distance, and those inside heard nothing of her cries. Odette had already fallen to her knees, tears streaming down her face, sobbing uncontrollably.
She should have seen it sooner. How could she have been so blind?
She had been so caught up in her own feelings that it never even occurred to her to ask the child his name.
But the moment Alaric walked out with him, it hit her like a bolt out of nowhere — she suddenly remembered that the child had called Alaric "Dad."
And those features — so strikingly, unmistakably similar to her own — it was as if he had been carved from the very same mold.
A breathtaking possibility began to take shape in her mind, slowly at first, then all at once — like an enormous wave of joy crashing over her.
She had rushed out without a second thought, desperate to know the truth — but in the end, she was still just one step too late.
Could this child... could he really be her son?
She thought back to what Sabrina had told her — that Alaric hadn't had any women in his life all these years, no romantic partners whatsoever. So then where had this child come from?
And the child's age lined up almost perfectly with what her child's would be.
Could it be... that Alaric had already looked into what happened eight years ago?
She didn't dare let her mind go any further than that.
Doctors and passersby moved through the hospital entrance, their gazes drifting toward Odette, still on her knees on the ground, laughing and crying all at once.
Neither Emilio nor Alaric had any idea that the moment they left, Odette had actually come running after them.
Alaric took Emilio directly to the mall to shop for clothes. They had a banquet to attend, and dressing more formally was a must.
By the time they arrived at the banquet hall, the party was already well underway.
He swept a casual glance around the room and spotted Sabrina almost instantly.
Sabrina noticed him at the same moment. Her eyes lit up and she made her way over, wine glass in hand. "Mr. White, hello. Do you remember me?"
She fixed her gaze on Alaric, her heart inexplicably picking up its pace.
Alaric gave her a brief, cool glance, then offered a single nod.
Sabrina's heart leapt. She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, quietly grateful that she had made the extra effort to dress up today.
She had always been confident in her looks. Even in a room full of people, she was certain she would be the one to draw every eye.
Before she could get another word in, however, she heard Alaric say, "You're the one who staged that accident last night, aren't you."
Sabrina froze. Her eyes went wide with disbelief.
What — what did he just say?
He was accusing her of staging an accident?
How absolutely outrageous!
Sabrina's eyes immediately went red. Alaric hadn't bothered to lower his voice when he said it.
On top of that, his striking looks and commanding presence had drawn the attention of nearly everyone in the room the moment he walked in.
And so every pair of eyes in the room was now looking at Sabrina in a very different light.
Sabrina felt the heat of embarrassment rise through her. She forced an awkward laugh. "Mr. White, I really don't know what you mean. Last night was nothing more than a misunderstanding."
Alaric's expression remained unmoved. "Is that so? Then why did you take my card? I had someone pull the surveillance footage — you ran into me deliberately. I shouldn't have to pay a single cent for this."
The color drained from Sabrina's face. Her lips trembled, and for a moment she was completely speechless.
Sophia, who had just walked in, caught the tail end of Alaric's words and immediately burst out laughing.