He quickly finished reading the transfer agreement.


    "Mr. Williams," Haynes said, his voice low and cool, "I''m sorry, but I can''t give up custody of Keen."


    His refusal was firm-he didn''t hesitate for a second.


    It wasn''t just Skyler and Jonathan who were taken aback. Even Aurora looked at him in surprise.


    Five percent of the Williams family shares-an astronomical figure.


    Haynes made his position clear. "Keen is my son. No matter what terms you offer, I will never give up custody of him."


    Skyler tried to reason with him. "Haynes, just because we''d be taking care of him doesn''t mean you''d stop being his father. You and Ste will always be his parents, no matter what."


    But what surprised Skyler was that Haynes wouldn''t even discuss the terms-he simply refused.


    It was thest thing Skyler expected.


    So many people had tried to get close to the Williams family, only to be brushed off. Now, they were the ones extending a hand to Keen, and Haynes was turning them down.


    Didn''t he realize that, if Keen joined the Williams family, he''d have ess to education and connections the O''Briens could never provide? With the Williams family''s support, the O''Briens could leap social sses in no time. Bing one of the elite would just be a matter of time.


    Seeing that Haynes wouldn''t budge, Skyler turned his attention to Ste.


    "Star, you''re Keen''s mother. I want to hear what you think."


    Ste closed the folder, but instead of answering, she looked at Keen.


    "Keen, what about you? What do you want?"


    Ste knew too well—there was a world of difference between the top tier of society and everyone else. Her mother had raised her well, but in terms of vision and connections, she couldn''tpare to Aurora.


    The Williams family wasn''t perfect, but it was still a better choice than leaving Keen under Deanna''s influence. Still, it was Keen''s future-his wish mattered most.


    Keen opened his mouth. "I..."


    Before he could finish, Skyler cut in with a smile. "Keen is the first of my grandchildren, and everything I''ve suggested is for his sake. Jonathan will be getting engaged soon, and Israel and Coleman''s weddings areing up as well. The family is growing, and I won''t be able to give every child my full attention."


    He gathered the documents from the table.


    "There''s no rush to give me your answer. Take your time and think it over. And don''t worry-if you say no, I won''t pressure you. I''m on vacation right now, so I''ll be in Novaris for a while As Keen''s grandfather''d like to spend some time with him. I hope you won''t mind."


    Ste knew Skyler was being genuine. The Williams family nevercked for children or heirs. His offer of shares was a sign of how much he valued Keen. With thingsid out so inly, it would be awkward for Haynes to refuse again.


    Ste turned to Keen. "Keen, do you want to stay here with Mr. Williams, ore home with us?"


    Keen still wasn''tfortable around Skyler and didn''t want to stay.


    He replied right away, "I want to go home with Mom and Dad."


    Ste stood and addressed Skyler. "Mr. Williams, there''s something I''d like to discuss with you privately."


    Skyler couldn''t help but smile wryly at her formality, but he didn''t object. "All right."


    The two of them left together for Skyler''s study.