He hadn't passed out once in all these years. Sure, he took a bullet to the arm once, but that was under local anesthesia. He'd been wide awake the whole time! Clara, already feeling guilty as hell, was left completely speechless. Well, the sperm was stolen-what else could she say? Give it back? She just threw in the towel and blurted, "How much does one sperm cost? I'll buy it!" Was Clara fearless now or what? ---- Aaron stared at her, his eyes blazing with intensity. They were rimmed red, but that didn't hide the faint, almost seductive charm glowing on his smooth, oval face. Her sharp nose and delicate features gave her a kind of weird, magnetic beauty. Aaron couldn't wrap his head around how such a soft, sweet-looking girl had the nerve to do something like this. Seriously, where did she get that kind of courage? Aaron's long fingers tapped lightly on the table. "You can't afford it. I'm not selling my son." "You... what son? It's just one sperm!" Clara ground her teeth, tears spilling down her cheeks she couldn't hold back. Clara had thought about the risk of getting caught, but hey, the world was huge. What were the odds that two strangers with no ties would ever cross paths? For five years, no one noticed a thing. It was smooth sailing. So she got cocky and thought she was safe. Aaron's voice turned ice-cold. "You really wanna talk to me like that? The last person who crossed me-you know what happened to him? He's still rotting in jail waiting to die!" Clara knew she was beaten. She had nothing to say. Just then, Aaron's phone buzzed. It was Matt calling, ---- "Mr. Devereaux, UrbanHaven's CEO will be here in half an hour. When will you be back?" Aaron glanced at the clock - almost 2 PM - and said, "Got it." After hanging up, he looked at the visibly rattled Clara. Yeah, this wasn't a problem they'd solve today. "Take out your phone. Add me on WhatsApp! And your driver's license too," he said. Clara wiped her nose with a tissue, dug into her bag, pulled out her license, then unlocked her phone and set it on the table. Aaron added her contact and snapped a quick photo of her license. 25 years old! Aaron couldn't help but roll his eyes internally. Are kids the new hobby for today's twenty-somethings? Isn't dating more fun? Traveling? Having fun outdoors? Why jump straight to test-tube babies at this age? Aaron stood up and buttoned his suit jacket. "I've got stuff to do. We'll talk later. Don't even think about running, and don't push your luck with a lawyer's patience! Oh, and get your words straight-I'm not wasting time on a stutterer!" He dropped a black card on the table. "This is for my ---- son. Without waiting for Clara's reaction, he pushed open the bedroom door and stepped inside. The room was simple yet elegant - white wardrobes lined one wall, floor-to-ceiling windows dressed in soft curtains that were easy on the eyes. There were two beds. On the small one against the wall, Leo hugged a Doraemon plushie and slept like a baby. On the nightstand, a row of photos showed Clara and Leo together, and some of Leo alone. Every smile in those pictures radiated pure happiness. Leo didn't seem to suffer at all from missing his father. Aaron silently decided: Clara was a good mom. His only relief was that Clara was responsible. If he suddenly found out he had a son living in misery and chaos, he'd lose it for sure. Looking at that little face so much like his own, Aaron felt like he was staring at an old photo of himself as a kid. Unbelievable - he actually had a son! He couldn't stop himself from brushing Leo's warm forehead. Maybe the kid was dreaming. A faint smile tugged at Aaron's lips as a strange, unfamiliar feeling bubbled up inside-this urge to be better to Leo, to be part of his life. ---- He'd never thought about marriage or kids before, but having a son didn't sound so bad after all. Aaron quietly closed the door without glancing back at Clara and walked away. When his footsteps faded, Clara finally let herself relax, breathing out a huge sigh. All she wanted was to crash on the couch and sleep until the world stopped spinning. She grabbed her phone and saw the new WhatsApp contact named Aaron. No profile pic-classic cold and ruthless. Clara found Sierra's icon and dialed her. Her voice was barely a whisper, "Sierra... I'm totally screwed. He showed up..."