Chapter 54
So it turns out, what they didn't like wasn't Oscar at all, but Aiden.
They just couldn't tell them apart, that's why this happened.
Emily suddenly thought of something and quickly asked, "Oscar, do you know the name of that old man who was nice to you?"
He shook his head, "No, but I know his last name is Brown."
"Brown?" Emily stood up in shock, immediately thinking of William Brown.
Could William be connected to the wealthy Brown family?
Actually, Emily had already vaguely suspected this before.
But so many things had happened recently, and this guess seemed too far-fetched, so she didn't dare believe it.
But now, what Oscar said almost confirmed Emily's suspicion.
She suddenly realized she couldn't avoid this issue anymore.
The light was still on in Aiden's room next door. After thinking for a moment, Emily told Oscar to go back to sleep and went to Aiden's room herself.
He was playing with Nina.
It was already past eleven at night, but these kids were full of energy.
When Emily came in, Nina immediately rushed over to her, and Aiden quickly put away the toys in his hands and stood obediently to the side.
"Aiden," Emily called him, "I need to talk to you."
Emily tried to keep her voice calm so the child wouldn't be scared.
But as soon as she spoke, she could still feel Aiden tense up for a moment.
Aiden sat in the spot where Oscar had sat earlier. Emily didn't waste words and got straight to the point.
"Aiden, I've never heard you mention who your father is?"
Actually, there was only a thin layer of pretense left between her and Aiden - saying it or not made no difference.
But now she just wanted to hear Aiden say it himself.
Aiden's heart sank, his little face obviously stiffening a bit. "Why are you suddenly asking this..."
"Aiden, you just need to answer me."
"I..." Aiden lowered his head.
He didn't know whether he should say it or not.
William had left in such a hurry without explaining these things. He was afraid that saying the wrong thing would cause trouble for William.
But when he looked up, Emily was staring at him intently, with an attitude that she wouldn't give up until she got an answer from him.
Aiden didn't dare look Emily in the eyes.
Under the enormous pressure, he could only nod, "My dad is William."
It really was him.
Hearing this answer, Emily wasn't surprised.
The two of them had long understood this without saying it.
Emily pulled Aiden in front of her, "What about your mother?"
"I don't have a mother." Aiden's voice was noticeably lower, carrying a bit of sadness and hoarseness.
Emily's heart jolted. "I'm sorry."
Aiden looked up and smiled with forced lightness, "I don't know where my mom went either. When I ask my dad, he won't say. I don't even know if my mom is still alive in this world."
A fine, dense pain welled up in Emily's heart.
Aiden was also a poor child.
She had originally wanted to question Aiden, but now she couldn't quite bring herself to say it.
Most importantly, Emily thought of her own child who had died.
If only he were still alive!
"I'm sorry."
Seeing the sadness in Emily's eyes, Aiden thought it was his fault and quickly apologized, "I know you don't like me. I'll leave tomorrow."
"No, I really like you." Emily quickly hugged him. "It's just that I have many questions I can't figure out, so I came to ask you. But now, whether I ask or not doesn't matter anymore. William is your real father, right? You just need to answer this one question, that's enough."
"I don't know," Aiden answered honestly.
But Emily already had her answer.
Although the father and son didn't look completely alike, the aura they both carried was almost identical.
This wasn't something that could be easily imitated.
From this alone, she could tell that Aiden and William must be biological father and son.
That was enough.
"Good boy, go rest now." Emily sent Aiden back, her thoughts in turmoil.
Just then, a phone call came in.
Although it was an unfamiliar number, Emily knew who was calling.
William's voice sounded on the other end, "Aiden should be with you, right? Is he asleep?"
"Why are you calling at this hour?" Emily frowned slightly. "You've been gone for so many days without a word, and now you suddenly remember to care about the child."
She spoke very bluntly, or more accurately, in an angry tone.
This wasn't Emily's fault though.
So many things had happened just tonight, and Aiden's cautious behavior had hurt her, so Emily was basically transferring her anger onto William.
William sighed heavily on the other end.
He hadn't been idle these past few days. Several traitors had appeared in the organization, causing all kinds of trouble while he was away. Fortunately, William had rushed back in time to prevent a potential crisis.
He had only just finished half an hour ago and called Emily right away.
Not just to check on Aiden, but also to check on her.
"Your timing is perfect." Emily's expression was serious. "I have a question for you. Is Aiden your biological son?"
What responded to Emily was silence.
"William, don't think you can dodge this!" Emily called him out directly.
From her previous interactions with William, she had discovered that when he encountered questions he didn't want to answer, he simply wouldn't speak, thinking Emily would change the subject.
Maybe this trick really worked, but now Emily desperately wanted an answer, so of course she couldn't let him get away with it easily.
"Let me tell you, I already know everything! Did you really think I couldn't tell after you switched these two children? Oscar has been by my side since he was little. I'm his real mother - how could I not recognize my own child?"
"I didn't say anything before because I wanted to see what you were up to, but now you've sent Aiden over too and still want to keep hiding it from me. Do you really think I'm an idiot? Just because I didn't confront you, you think I don't know anything?" Emily was very angry.
Angry that William kept things from her and treated her like a fool, angry that his evasiveness made Aiden unhappy.
His cautious behavior made Emily's heart ache.
This time, what responded to Emily was still silence.
"Say something!" Emily couldn't help but raise her voice.
She had wanted to communicate calmly with William, but her emotions got the better of her, and she couldn't control her voice at all.
"Emily, don't be angry." William finally spoke, his voice sounding muffled and carrying a bit of weariness.
Emily paused slightly, then heard him continue, "This is a long story, not something that can be explained in just a few words."