Perhaps it was because he had seen the face of the woman who had mistakenly taken the wrong child at the auction house today, and it seemed familiar. She didnât look at all like someone who could be harmful.
The image of the woman surfaced in Marcusâ mind, and he squinted his eyes slightly. âYour motherâ¦
What does she do?â
The mention of his mother made Adrian puff out his chest proudly. âMy mom is amazing! Sheâs a female CEO. She helps run my dadâs company!â
A flicker of surprise crossed Marcusâ eyes. He hadnât expected the petite, adorable woman to be a CEO. She looked so young and cute, like a naive little girl. Was she really capable of handling the pressures of such a position?
And alsoâ¦
âDidnât you just say you didnât have a dad? Now youâre saying your mom is helping your dad run the company?â
Adrian furrowed his brows. His eyes shined brightly as he pouted. âI think youâre a bit slow. Biologically, of course, I have a dad. How could my mom have a baby on her own? What I mean is that my dad has never been around since I was born. Iâve never seen what my dad looks like. This doesnât mean my mom is a hermaphrodite who is capable of bearing a child on her own. Do you understand?â
Marcus fell silent.
Well, it seemed like he had been schooled by this little guy.
He didnât think his question was wrong at first, but after the little guyâs explanation, he did feel a bit slow.
âThen where is your dad?â
Marcus asked again. He rarely had curiosity about others, but today he inexplicably wanted to know more about that woman.
Adrianâs eyes drooped slightly. He looked incredibly sad and sighed. âMy dad is missing. I heard that he disappeared on the day my mom gave birth to me and my sister. For many years, my mom has been sending people to look for him everywhere, but thereâs been no sight of him.
My mom misses my dad a lot. Sometimes, my siblings and I would hear her sleep talking, calling out for Theo in her dreams.â
âTheo?â Marcus couldnât help but shiver at the mention of the name Theo. It felt familiar, yet suffocating and sad.
Adrian nodded. âMhm. My mom calls my dad Theo because they have nearly a ten-year age gap.â
Marcus regained his senses and raised an eyebrow. âFrom the sound of it, your dad doesnât seem like a very responsible man. He abandoned your mom at a very crucial moment.â
Adrianâs face fell immediately. He was clearly upset. âEven though Iâve never met my dad, and I donât know what kind of person he is, I still feel upset hearing you talk about him like that.â
Marcus looked at the disgruntled little boy. The usually expressionless man was actually amused.
âYouâve never met him, so why are you defending him? Donât you think he left your mom alone?â
Adrian looked a little conflicted. He thought for a moment and then said seriously,â donât know what happened back then and Mom never tells us.
But I trust my momâs judgment. The man that she chose must be a good person. Otherwise, she wouldnât have been waiting for my dad to come back. She doesnât even give other men a second glance.â
Marcus narrowed his eyes. âYour mom, in all these years, has never accepted the advances of other men?â
Adrian nodded firmly. âYes! My mom is so beautiful, so of course men would be interested. But Mom doesnât even look at other men; sheâs always busy running my dadâs company. She says she needs to protect the empire that my dad built.â
Marcus was taken aback. He had a newfound admiration for the petite woman developing in his heart.
Appearances could be deceiving. She didnât seem like the strong, independent woman she actually was.