Chapter 37
“I'm not telling you!” He chuckled softly. “You can find it when you go to the office. When do you start?”
“In a month, probably...” Lilian whispered.
“Why are you stalling again? Didn't you promise me you'd only need a week?” Antony got angry, frustrated by her words.
“Calm down, boss, can you let me finish? ”Lilian shook her head while smiling.
“Oh, you're not done yet?” he asked suspiciously. “All right, go ahead...” said Antony.
“In a month, if you'll allow me. So, my kind and friendly boss, what's your answer?”
“No!” Antony replied firmly.
“You're a heartless boss,” Lilian said, annoyed. However, upon hearing Antony repeat several apologies, she quickly interrupted him, saying she was sleepy.
After the call ended, Lilian opened her laptop and searched for Ethan Legrand, as she needed to know the latest news about Ethan before telling Théo about him.
In the other room, Theo was in his pajamas, leaning against the headboard of his bed while reading something on his iPad. It was actually a business interview with the CEO of the Real Group, and a few minutes passed, but he remained focused on the photo of the president and the CEO's answers to the interviewer's questions.
The interviewer asked about the CEO's personal life, and Theo felt strange, as it was the first time he had been interested in the personal life of a businessman. In fact, he usually only reads about their business success.
Looking into Ethan Legrand's light brown eyes, Theo noticed something interesting about the man, and curious, he began to search for more details about him. However, before Theo could finish typing his name, his fingers stopped when he heard a knock on the door, followed by his mother's voice.
“Son, are you awake?”
“Yes, Mom!” He put the iPad on the bed and replied.
Theo saw the door open, but after a few seconds, she said nothing and stood still near the door, looking at him with a strange expression.
“Is everything okay, Mom? Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked, passing his hand in front of her.
Lilian was shocked to hear the question and tried to refocus on what she wanted to tell him about his father's family. She needed to do this now, before they visited his grandfather's house the next day.
She was worried that Nelson would recognize Theo when they got there and cause trouble for him, so she wanted to prepare him.
“Can I come in, Theo?”
“ she asked, and Theo nodded.
”I need to talk to you about something!“ Lilian said as she walked toward the bed and sat down on the edge, her eyes fixed on Theo, who looked at her confused. ”Do you want to know about your father?"
Theo's eyes widened in surprise at his mother's words, and he nodded.
He would be lying if he said no, because he had always wanted to ask his mother about it, but never could for reasons unknown.
His curiosity about his biological father arose a year ago, after learning to read fluently, when he came across a strange article: Reasons why single mothers raise their children alone.
In the article, he found several ridiculous reasons, but two of them could apply to his mother. The first was that his father had died, and the second was that his mother had found a sperm donor, so he didn't have a father. Théo was excited, hoping his mother would answer his question.
Lilian smiled slightly as she gently ruffled Théo's hair before saying,
“Theo, I'm sorry I never talked to you about him before, because it's hard for me...” Her voice trailed off as she felt something hurt her heart.
“It's okay, Mom, I understand.” Theo replied with a warm smile, and didn't want to see his mother sad, so he held her hands and touched them gently.
Lilian became even sadder when she saw how thoughtful her son was, and tried not to cry in front of him.
“Your father isn't dead, if that's what you thought!” Lilian took another deep breath, not expecting it to be so difficult to talk about Ethan to her son. “And your father actually lives here in this country too.”
Theo's eyes lit up.
“But I'm not going to tell you his name just yet.” As she said this, her eyes darkened, and Theo didn't know how to respond, just nodding to his mother, even though he was disappointed. “I'm telling you this because, in a few days, you'll probably meet your paternal great-grandfather, and I think by then you'll have all the answers you're looking for.”
After saying those words, Lilian felt the weight on her shoulders dissipate, and she couldn't help but praise herself for overcoming her concerns, even without having said it in detail.
Théo was surprised to hear this, and his smile widened and the light in his eyes became even brighter, however, he was afraid he had heard wrong.
“Mom, did you say I'm going to meet my paternal great-grandfather too?” Theo repeated the words to be sure.
“Yes.” Lilian was amused by her son's excitement, as it was the first time she had seen this cute side of him with that smile.
She regretted not telling him about his father earlier.
“Are you that happy to meet him in person?” Lilian smiled as she caressed his chubby cheek, and instantly, Theo's smile disappeared, and his expression slowly changed to calm.
"Yes, because I'm excited to meet another family besides you and Grandma Anna. Thank you, Mom, for letting me meet my great-grandfather Carlos, and...
what was your paternal grandfather's first name again? Can you tell me again, Mom?“ He said in his calm and distant tone.
”Nice try, Théo!“ Lilian laughed softly as she ruffled his hair. ”I said I'm not going to mention any names right now, because if I did, I know you'd look for him all night, and you'd probably stay up until morning. Remember, we have to get up early to visit your great-grandfather's house tomorrow, and we need to look refreshed.“ She explained gently. ”Is there anything you want to ask before you go to sleep?" Lilian asked again before returning to her room.
Theo thought for a moment, and wanted to ask many things, but he was sure that even if he asked, she wouldn't answer, because the question was relatively direct, and after a few moments, he looked for a way to find a small clue about his father, and something crossed his mind.
“Mom, is my dad a good man?”