Chapter 316
Seeing how serious and excited they were, Lilian didn't have the heart to interrupt them. She waited a few more minutes, but they still hadn't finished.
Although she wanted to let them play, she couldn't allow Ethan and Daniel to be left alone much longer. She imagined they could destroy the living room if they continued without supervision.
Sighing deeply, Lilian approached them. She gently placed her hand on her son's shoulder and said,
“Theo...”
Only then did they all notice her, abruptly stopping their game.
“Mom?” Theo was the first to react, seeing Lilian standing behind him.
“Sorry for stopping you from playing, dear...” A guilty smile appeared on her face before she explained that Daniel was coming to see him.
Upon hearing Daniel's name, Théo immediately left the game, stood up enthusiastically, and grabbed her hand.
“Really, Mom? Where's Uncle Daniel? Let's go meet him...”
“In the living room. Your uncle is talking to Dad...” Lilian smiled when she saw Théo's eyes light up. She left with her son, leaving Benjamin and Harry to continue talking.
When Lilian arrived in the living room, she saw Ethan and Daniel staring at each other with icy looks, arms crossed.
They seemed to be fighting a silent battle.
Lilian felt a sense of déjà vu as she saw the same scene from before.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Although there was tension, at least they hadn't started a real fight without her—which was already progress.
But her adorable son interrupted everything before she could even announce her presence.
“Uncle Daniel, I'm so happy to see you!”
Theo's cheerful voice echoed through the room, shocking Ethan and Daniel.
Their expressions changed instantly. The tension disappeared, replaced by warm smiles.
“Hello, little Theo. Come here and give your Uncle Daniel a big hug.”
Daniel stood up and opened his arms. After a tight hug, he lifted Theo into his arms.
“I'm happy to see you too, little man.”
But his smile quickly faded.
“Why are you so light? Have you lost weight?”
“Yes, Uncle Daniel, I lost weight after I started practicing martial arts. I practice every day! And I also started a diet because the doctor asked me to. The doctor said it's good for my health...”
Theo explained with shining eyes, absolutely thrilled to see his uncle again. He and Daniel were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely forgot that Ethan and Lilian were still in the room.
Lilian felt her heart warm as she watched Daniel and Theo talking. She smiled quietly and took a few steps back to allow the two to express their longing for each other.
Until now, Ethan had always heard about Théo's closeness to Daniel when Lilian or Théo himself mentioned it, but it had never bothered him.
However, seeing with his own eyes how well the two got along made his heart ache. His hands clenched into fists as he tried not to show his jealousy at seeing his son so close to Daniel.
A subtle, bitter smile slowly appeared on Ethan's lips. There were no words to describe his feelings at that moment. He looked at his wife, who seemed visibly moved by the scene, and his bitter smile deepened.
Ethan walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.
“Let them talk...” he suggested.
He felt that if he stayed there, his heart would hurt even more and he would lose control of his emotions.
Lilian was a little surprised to hear him. She turned to face him—and saw the sadness in his eyes. Knowing exactly how he was feeling, she nodded.
She smiled at her husband before looking back at Daniel and Theo, who were still talking, with Theo in Daniel's arms.
“Theo, why don't you show Daniel around the house and garden? That way you can talk. Dad and I are going upstairs,” Lilian said. Both Daniel and Theo stopped talking and looked at her.
“If you need anything, ask Antonio.”
“Okay, Mom, Dad...” Théo replied with a smile.
Daniel was surprised that Ethan and Lilian had decided to leave him alone with Théo. He smiled sincerely.
“Sure! Thank you...”
In the living room on the second floor,
Ethan was sitting on a three-seater sofa, watching his wife beside him. A smile slowly appeared when he saw that she was watching Cecilia Blomdahl's channel, the YouTuber who records her daily life in Svalbard, near the North Pole.
He wanted to say something about Daniel and Théo downstairs, but every time he opened his mouth, the words got stuck.
Ethan felt frustrated. He wanted to know what they were doing. He wanted to go downstairs—but his legs seemed glued to the floor.
How frustrating.
The clock ticked. Ten minutes passed. To Ethan, it felt like two hours. His soul was tired, his mind restless.
He sighed deeply, rested his head on Lilian's shoulder, and tried to watch with her. A few more minutes passed, but his mind was still full of thoughts about Daniel and Théo.
Frustrated, he closed his eyes and tried to calm his mind.
Lilian, surprised to feel his head on her shoulder, heard his deep breaths.
“Are you okay?” she asked, concerned, turning off the TV and focusing on him. “Do you want to take a nap?”
Ethan opened his eyes, sat up straight, and looked at her.
“I'm fine. No, I don't want to nap...” he replied calmly.
But Lilian saw in his eyes that he was not okay. His smile was not genuine. It was clear: he was upset. She knew why. Daniel and Théo.
So as not to cause him more anxiety, she didn't insist. Instead, she pulled Ethan into her arms, surprising him.
“Mr. Ethan Legrand, I'm so... proud of you,” she whispered.
He frowned in her embrace, but said nothing. Lilian continued, stroking his back:
“Thank you for letting Daniel see our son.”
No words came out of Ethan's mouth—but his hands squeezed her tighter. Her smile grew.
After a few seconds of cozy silence, Ethan finally spoke:
"I couldn't hate him, even if I wanted to. He's too good to you and Théo. But...“ He pulled away slightly and held her shoulders. ”I can't stop feeling jealous of him.“
Lilian wasn't surprised. She already knew.
”Why are you still jealous of him?" she asked gently. She had tried to get this answer out of him before, but Ethan always dodged the question.
She joked, “Don't tell me you're afraid he'll steal me away from you?”
Ethan looked at her seriously.
“No way, Mr. Legrand?” she continued, teasing him. “Do you still think Daniel would do that?”
“No. That guy wouldn't stand a chance of stealing you from me...” Ethan said after a few seconds. “I just... I'm afraid... I... I couldn't bear it if God let you choose him over me.”
Ethan put his hand on her face, caressed her soft cheek with his thumb, and smiled broadly at her.