"Mr. O''Brien, Keen, you''re here," Aurora said, greeting them with practiced ease. Haynes gave a polite nod. Keen also mumbled a courteous, "Ms. Williams."


    "Keen, this is Ms. Queenie," Aurora said with a smile. "She''s Mr. Burton''s granddaughter."


    "Hello, Ms. Queenie," Keen said dutifully.


    Queenie smiled and pulled a small gift from her purse. "This is for you, Keen. A little something to mark our meeting."


    Keen instinctively looked to Ste for permission. Ste nced at Haynes, who remained silent. "It''s a thoughtful gift from Ms. Burton, Keen. You can ept it."


    "Thank you, Ms. Queenie," Keen said politely.


    After a few minutes of small talk, Ste turned to her son. "Keen, why don''t you spend some time with your father? Mommy needs to go prepare dinner."


    "Okay," Keen replied.


    Joshua followed Ste upstairs with the groceries. She had her own private kitchen in the mansion and had no intention of cooking for the entire Williams family.


    In the kitchen, Ste began washing and prepping the vegetables while Joshua stood beside her, helping out. He moved with a practiced ease that showed this wasn''t his first time assisting her.


    "It seems that Ms. Burton has taken an interest in Haynes," Joshuamented as he trimmed the vegetables.


    Ste''s hands didn''t pause. "Yes, it looks like Aurora is ying matchmaker."


    "That could be a good thing," Joshua said. "It might keep him too busy to bother you."


    Ste''s reflection wavered in the water of the washing basin. "I''m not worried about him and her," she sighed. "I''m worried about Keen."<fn49a6> This content belongs to find?novel</fn49a6>


    Joshua understood immediately. "Then why not fight for custody?"


    Ste stopped what she was doing and looked at him.


    "A child is safest by their mother''s side, don''t you think?" he said with a gentle smile.


    "Putting aside whether Haynes


    would ever agree, the truth is... Keen is safer with him than with me right now Ste said My life is too dangerous. He could be kidnapped at any moment."


    "Then bring him back once all this is settled."


    A faint smile touched her lips. "By then, he might not want to leave his father."


    "He will," Joshua said, his gaze steady. "If you want him by your side, I have plenty of ways to make sure he never wants to leave you."


    Ste''s mind


    shed back to the


    look of pure admiration in Keen''s eyes when he looked at Joshua. Every time they met, Joshua


    managed to surprise him with


    something new, like opening a series of treasure chests.


    A strange emotion stirred within her. "Joshua," she said softly, "I''m sorry you''ll have to deal with him for the next few weeks." Keen''s adoration meant he would be clinging to Joshua constantly, and Ste knew from her time as a full-time matter that looking after a child was just as exhausting as a full-time job.


    "It''s no trouble at all," Joshua replied. "Keen is smart and fun to be around. I enjoy


    spending time with him. Think of it as a nice break for me."


    Soon, it was time for dinner. Because of Keen, Haynes joined them at the table.