Guinevere grinned happily and gazed at Weston, then at Zack. âReally?â she asked. âI wouldnât have noticed it if you didnât mention it! Do they really look alike?â
âOf course they do!â replied the nanny, nodding repeatedly. âTheyâre father and son, after all!
Guinevere was visibly overjoyed by this.
Meanwhile, Wendy stared at her son and studied his face closely.
âNo,â she suddenly said. âI donât think he looks that much like Weston. He looks more like his grandfather!â
Those words silenced the whole room. The air grew instantly tense. Only Wendy seemed oblivious and kept playing with Zackâs eyebrows.
âLook at these thick eyebrows,â she continued, âand these dark eyes! You look just like Grandpa, donât you, darling?â
Weston turned dead silent. His Adamâs apple moved, but he said nothing. His eyes were more piercing now than ever, but he wasnât looking at Zack and much less Guinevere. They were, however, glued to his motherâs face, searching for the smallest trace of anomaly. But she seemed completely normalâ
just like any other grandmother doting on her young grandson-all happy and kind.
It was a rare occasion that day because everyone in the family was home, though Chris had gotten home late. Nevertheless, he was still the head of the family, and he needed to act the part.
After dinner, the women crowded around Zack, doting on and playing with him. Weston glanced at his father, and he immediately understood his intention. The two slid out of the house and went to a private corner of the garden.
Chris spoke first.
âYouâve been doing very well at work lately,â he praised. âThe directors at the company told me that you were so good in the last project that our competitors were practically squashed. How did you manage to convince those people and get that piece of land?â Weston rubbed his temples. âI didnât ask you here to talk about these things.â
âWhat is it, then?â Chrisâs face turned somber. âDid something happen?â
âAre you sure Mom has absolutely no idea about that matter?â Weston asked, looking straight into his fatherâs eyes.
Chris was momentarily confused about what Weston referred to as âthat matter,â but he soon understood. His face was now ashen.
âIâve told you a thousand times that your mother must never know about this!â he bellowed.â She will never be able to handle the blow!â
âIt was today that she said that Zack looks a lot like his Grandpa,â Weston interrupted his father with mockery flashing in his eyes. Those words caused tension to simmer between the two to a critical point. Chris looked horrified, as though he had just swallowed a fly. âYouâd better make sure Mom absolutely doesnât know about this,â Weston added curtly.â Otherwiseâ¦.â
He didnât finish his sentence, perfectly sure that his father understood what he meant. He turned around to go back inside, but his father suddenly called out to him. âYouâve really been through a wringer because of this matterâ¦â Chris said. Weston made no reply.
âBut no matter what, Zack is still a member of the Ford family,â Chris went on. âYou should hurry and marry Guinevere. Soon, youâll have your own child with herâ¦â
âShe canât have more than one child because of her medical condition, âWeston interrupted bluntly.
âYou shouldâve known. You wouldnât have begged me to marry her otherwise.â
Chris writhed uncomfortably. Weston was right. Guinevere could only have one child, so the Cohen family would not be satisfied if she didnât get married.
Weston turned and left, not in the mood to enjoy the sight of his father in distress. His heart grew heavy with his own words still ringing in his ears.
There was someone else who could only have one child.
Weston remembered how Stella begged him tearfully to let her keep her child. He closed his eyes, but all he saw was the sight of her falling down the building. It had caused him to fall into a pit of despair.
Weston stopped abruptly in his tracks. It felt as if someone had just stabbed him in the heart.