Chapter 123: I Want to Hold My Son "Sixth Master, Miss Carpenter seems a bit emotional. Could you see if you could take some time to come back and visit her? I’m worried she might do something extreme." Mr. Lucas gently reminded Adrian Desmond that no matter what, there was a child in Melanie Carpenter’s belly now, so the mother’s status would be elevated by the child. If Melanie were to harm the child, he wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility. "Sixth Master, um, excuse me... Are you listening?" Mr. Lucas felt the immense pressure. When Madam was pregnant, the Sixth Master certainly wasn’t this calm. It’s true; whether a woman is cherished directly impacts how her child is cherished. "Whose child is it?" Adrian asked, snapping out of his surprise. Mr. Lucas was stunned. "Sixth Master, the child isn’t yours?" he asked in shock. If the child isn’t the Sixth Master’s, then whose child is in Melanie’s stomach? ...Has the Sixth Master been cuckolded? Mr. Lucas thought. This... This is very tricky. "Tell her she doesn’t have to worry about me being angry. Since she’s fallen in love with someone else, I’ll support them." Adrian walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the vast sea and blue sky. When he first heard the news of Melanie’s pregnancy, he was shocked. To marry him, Melanie had gone as far as slitting her wrists in a suicide attempt to force him, which then led to the series of tragedies that followed. Now, he treated her coldly, and after only a few short months, she had started an affair and was pregnant with another man’s child. Instead of anger at being so suddenly cuckolded, Adrian felt a surprising sense of relief, as if a heavy stone that had been pressing on him had finally been lifted. "Then, Sixth Master, will you still come back?" Mr. Lucas asked, regaining his composure. Adrian thought for a moment and replied, "In a few days. I’ll go back once I finish handling the matters at hand." "By the way, has Mai called?" Adrian asked, a sliver of hope in his voice. "I understand." Adrian’s voice was tinged with disappointment as he hung up the phone. Walter Klein, having finished his tasks, entered the room. He saw a tall figure standing by the giant floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the room. The silhouette seemed lonely and desolate; even enveloped in sunlight, it exuded a chill. "Sixth Master, everything has been handled." "Sixth Master, Owen Hunter called. He said that in two days, his son George is having his one-month celebration, and he’s sent you an invitation." Adrian turned around abruptly, his face etched with surprise. "His son is already that old?" Walter Klein lowered his eyes, unsure how to respond. Based on the due dates, Owen Hunter’s son and Adrian’s missing son were born on the same day. Owen’s son was fair, chubby, and adorable, and Owen loved to "show off" his son in his Story, which Adrian found quite provoking. "There’s a lot of work at the company lately. Perhaps I should decline on your behalf?" Walter asked considerately. Adrian thought for a moment, then replied, "Accept it for me, and help me choose a gift... On second thought, I’ll buy it myself. I’ll get something for my son too." Even though he didn’t know where his child was. "Walter, my son’s one-month birthday is also in two days..." Adrian trailed off. Walter Klein stared, momentarily speechless. He complained about giving Madam too much money, which he said allowed her to run away, and now he’s worried he gave too little? What exactly is going on in his head? Walter Klein thought, bewildered. 「At baby George’s one-month celebration,」 The gift Adrian had picked for George was a gray teddy bear as tall as a man. When George saw the enormous bear, he burst into terrified wails. Owen Hunter almost threw Adrian out of the party. "Adrian, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?" Owen accused. "Sorry, I thought he would like it." Adrian had never raised a child; years of struggle had roughened his sensibilities. He had bought a large bear for George, and for his own son, a handgun—a real one. "The baby is too small. He can’t even roll over yet, and he isn’t strong. A bear that big is actually quite dangerous. If it fell on him, it could suffocate him," Aria Harris, Owen’s wife, explained while soothing the baby. Owen’s wife had a gentle, sweet appearance. Still a bit plump from her recent childbirth, she looked wholesome and radiant. "Why are you taking it out on Adrian? He’s never cared for a baby before; what would he know?" Aria said to Owen, trying to placate him. Aria then said to Adrian, "I’m sorry, he’s just overly anxious about the baby. Actually, it’s often better to raise boys a bit rougher." The baby finally stopped crying, his large, grape-like eyes looking around. Watching him, Adrian felt a powerful urge and reached out, saying, "May I hold him?" Owen immediately stepped in front of his wife. "No, absolutely not! You’ve never held a baby. What if you drop him?" Aria knew about Adrian’s situation and felt a pang of sympathy for the unfortunate man. She walked over to Adrian and carefully placed baby George into his arms. "He’s very young, and his bones are soft. So when you hold him, one hand needs to support his head, and your other arm needs to support his neck and bottom..." Adrian was extremely nervous. Aria had said the baby’s bones were soft, but the child in his arms felt as if he had no bones at all—just a soft, yielding bundle. Adrian was strong, and he was terrified he might accidentally crush the tiny baby. Sweat beaded on Adrian’s forehead. "Maybe it’s better if I don’t..." he said worriedly, trying to hand George back. Aria stopped him, adjusted his hold, and said, "That’s right. That’s the correct posture." Adult and child gazed at each other. A wave of emotion surged through Adrian. Would his own son be even cuter, more handsome than baby George? Lying comfortably, George didn’t cry. He blew bubbles at Adrian, looking utterly adorable, like a little goldfish. Owen looked at Adrian intently, then sighed. "Children are a lot of fun; they change every day. You really should hurry and find your son." Aria added, "If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask Owen. He’ll do it for free." "I don’t have time! I need to play with my son," Owen retorted, taking George from Adrian’s arms and proceeding to show him off again. Well, what could he do? He was the only one in their circle of friends who had a son. Looking at his empty arms, Adrian felt an indescribable ache in his heart. He, too, wanted to hold his own son. Dan Taylor patted Adrian’s shoulder and consoled him, "You’ll have a wife, and you’ll have a son." Discover more novels at novel-fire.net Nearby, Jule, hearing this, choked and spilled the wine in his cup.