Chapter 317
— That's what I'm afraid of...
While Ethan and Lilian had a deep conversation upstairs, Daniel and Théo continued talking in the living room.
Théo summarized all his activities over the past three months, leaving Daniel with mixed emotions. Knowing that Lilian and Théo were now living even happier lives, surrounded by the love of their family, brought him joy—but also a silent pain.
Daniel also noticed that Théo's attitude and behavior were very different from when they met months ago. The boy smiled more often, his eyes sparkled more, and he seemed confident and calm whenever he spoke.
He was genuinely happy to hear about Théo's new life. However, his happiness slowly began to hurt when the boy enthusiastically described Ethan's role and importance in his life.
Even with a tight chest, Daniel kept a gentle expression. He smiled, even though that smile hurt inside. He didn't want to worry Théo or confuse him.
Seeing the sparkle in Théo's eyes whenever he talked about Ethan was enough to confirm what he already knew:
He would never replace Ethan in that boy's life. Never.
Daniel kept his pain to himself. He moved on. He buried deep inside himself the greatest dream he had secretly nurtured: to be that boy's father... and to take care of him and his mother for the rest of his life.
A slight smile appeared on his lips as he remembered that dream—a dream that would never come true.
Even so, he had never felt so grateful. Lilian and Théo had finally found peace, security, and love. Now they had Ethan. They had a family—something that, deep down, he had always wanted to give them... but couldn't.
“I'm so glad you're happy here, Théo,” Daniel said, genuinely sincere, ruffling the boy's silky hair.
“Thank you, Uncle Daniel.” Théo smiled before asking excitedly, “Now, tell me about your mission!”
Daniel began to speak, describing exciting parts of the experience, but without revealing any confidential details. Still, Théo listened with shining eyes.
“Uncle, what country did you visit?” he asked curiously.
“Little one, you know the rules, right?” Daniel smiled when Théo nodded. “I can't reveal the details. I'm really sorry.”
“I understand, Uncle...” Théo chuckled softly. “I was just curious. Your story made me want to visit a place like that someday.”
They talked for a few more minutes until Théo invited Daniel to go for a walk outside. He wanted to show him where he practiced martial arts and the beautiful lake in the backyard where he spent his afternoons.
Standing up, Théo spotted Antonio in the corner of the room. He walked over to him, holding Daniel's hand, and made his formal introduction:
“Uncle Daniel, I'd like you to meet my martial arts teacher.” Théo looked at Antonio with respect. “Professor, this is my uncle, Daniel Spector. He's a military officer and my mother's best friend.”
Théo's eyes sparkled with pride as he introduced the two.
Daniel was surprised to realize that the man he had been watching silently before was the same one who was training Théo. He had completely forgotten about his presence in the living room.
Daniel extended his hand with a sincere smile:
“Hello, Mr. Antonio. Nice to meet you. Thank you for making Théo stronger than ever...”
The gratitude in his voice was genuine.
“Mr. Spector, it's my duty,” Antonio said, accepting the handshake with a smile. “No need to thank me, sir...” he added, leading them into the backyard.
“You've done a great job. I can see how much Théo has changed since I last saw him,” Daniel replied.
Daniel watched Antonio with growing curiosity. His discreet manner, his posture, the way he walked... nothing about him seemed ordinary. He recognized those signs—the man was probably a former member of the special forces, just like him. He just couldn't guess which division.
“Thank you, sir. I was just teaching our young master Théo some lessons in discipline and some basic defense moves,” Antonio said, smiling as he walked beside him.
“Has little Théo made good progress?” Daniel asked, looking at the boy, who was walking beside him, holding his hand tightly.
“Absolutely, sir. Theo is dedicating himself to all his training and progressing quickly,” Antonio said, praising the young master. He had been training him for three months and saw how determined Theo was and how quickly he learned.
Theo looked up when he heard the praise.
“Thank you, teacher. I'll train harder so I can start learning real taekwondo,” he said, his expression tense.
He knew that Antonio wasn't training him at full intensity yet because his mother always complained that he was overdoing it.
Antonio laughed when he saw the boy's irritated look:
“Ha ha ha... sir, there's no need to rush. You still have plenty of time to learn.”
“Yes, Théo. Listen to your teacher. He knows what's best for you,” said Daniel, patting the boy's hand gently.
Théo remained silent, just puffing out his cheeks.
Gabriela, who happened to look at the house, was surprised to see Daniel Spector walking toward her. Just seeing the man she had feelings for from afar, she felt as if a hurricane had formed inside her.
“My God! Daniel is here? Why? Why did he come here?” thought Gabriela, trying with all her might to calm down.
She straightened her posture and turned back to face the lake, avoiding being caught looking at him.
But her curiosity was stronger than her self-control. Unable to contain herself, she whispered to Dinho:
“Dinho... can you look behind us? Did they come here?”
Gabriela's confused words made everyone turn their faces toward the house.
“Oh, Daniel Spector? Wow, did he come to join us?” said Matthew, surprised to see the man walking toward the patio.
Dinho stood up with a look of displeasure, watching Daniel holding hands with Théo. He was stunned to realize how close the two seemed to be.
“Wow! So Daniel Spector knows Théo too?” muttered Dinho, intrigued by the relationship between Lilian and Daniel.
Dinho was curious about the closeness between Lilian and Daniel. He tried to remember if Lilian had any family ties to Spector, but since he worked for her, he had never heard of any.
After thinking for a few more seconds, Dinho finally found his own answer:
“Damn! How could I forget? They know each other because of Ethan Legrand, right?”
He remembered seeing on the news that Ethan had a close relationship with Daniel Spector's father.
Dinho chuckled softly, smiling at Daniel, who had just looked at him. Now he was no longer curious, just relaxed, waiting for Daniel to join them.