When Connor came to pick up Sonny, Xylia was nowhere to be seen.
He frowned. “Where’s your mom?”
Sonny hung his head, his voice muffled. “She went out to dinner with her boyfriend.”
Z01)
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Connor was taken aback by the word “boyfriend“-and just like that, a wave of jealousy zed inside him.
He red at Sonny, his irritation clear.
“Boyfriend?” Connor’s tired face twisted in anger. “Oh, so you wanna swap me out for a new dad now or what?”
It was obvious he was taking his frustration out on Sonny.
Sonny was scared of his dad. At Connor’s outburst, he shrank back, his eyes immediately getting watery.
“I don’t!” Sonny shot back, voice trembling.
Sonny stiffened his neck, refusing to back down.
Connor kept pressing on. “Who let you walk out by yourself? Didn’t I tell you not to leave the hotel alone?”
“You’re always too busy for me, and Tessa keeps picking on me. Why would I wanna stay at the hotel?” Sonny protested, his voice shaking.
“If you hate the hotel so much, then just go back to Jupiton!” Connor snapped.
Connor didn’t even bother asking about Tessa messing with Sonny.
Sonny’s eyes went red and he burst into tears.
“I hate you, Dad! I’m never going back!” Sonny yelled, voice shaky with emotion.
And with that, Sonny bolted out the door.
Connor’s anger boiled over. He stormed after Sonny.
Josie watched it all go down, <b>a </b>mocking glint in her eyes, but she didn’t say a word.
Sharon wasn’t really up to speed on Xylia’s situation. When she heard the kid call Xylia “Mom,” she edged closer to Josie, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Josie<b>, </b>is that kid actually Xylia’s son? And that guy–is he really her ex–husband?” Sharon blurted out.
Josie quirked a brow. “You really wanna dive into the drama of Scumbag Dad and his little spawn?”
Sharon was dying to know, but she didn’t want to stir up gossip about Xylia behind her back. She just shrugged.
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…
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“They’re both trash, honestly. Nothing worth knowing,” Sharon said with a shrug.
Josie justughed and waved her off. “Go get some rest–we’ve got a ton to do this afternoon.”
They went back to their desks and settled in for a quick nap.
Meanwhile, Joshua took Xylia to a Datonese eatery–not the upscale spot they’d been to before, but an old, tucked–away restaurant in Norhill, famous for its authentic local vors.
They didn’t bother with a private room, just grabbed a table out in the main dining area.
Xylia loved it. It felt so real, so alive.
There was this cozy, homey vibe about the ce–it was full of that everyday warmth and bustle.
After they ordered, Joshua asked, “So, what did Sonny want earlier?”
Xylia looked at him, surprised.
‘How does he know?<b>‘ </b>she wondered.
Joshua pointed at her phone. “You forgot to hang up when you were talking to Josie.”
Xylia’s eyes widened in realization.
Xylia didn’t bother hiding it and just told him straight out.
“Probably ‘cause Tessa’s been rough on him, so he came looking for me again,” Xylia replied offhandedly.
Xylia just shrugged, like it was no big deal.
Joshua nced at her, and seeing her so chill, he finally rxed.
He didn’t press her for more.
But deep down, <b>a </b>sharp sense of insecurity gripped him.
Sure, he’d won Xylia over, and Connor was no longer a threat at all.
But Sonny was Xylia’s flesh and blood–her son, the one she’d carried for nine long months.
What if one day, Xylia’s heart softened toward Sonny, and she chose her kid over him? What would he do then?
A flicker of gloom shed in Joshua’s eyes just imagining that day.
‘Damn it!‘ Joshua cursed inwardly.
No way was he letting that happen.
Sonny was starting to act out, throwing angry fits and ignoring any attempt to keep him in line.
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No matter how Connor made time to personally try and talk things through, Sonny just tuned him outpletely.
Since they nned to stay in Norhill for a while, Connor bought a vi and enrolled Sonny in a decent international school.
Thanks to Connor’s introduction, Tessa scored a role in a new TV series as the second female lead.
The main female lead was Mia Monroe.
Tessa wasn’t pleased at all.
Mia was just aplete unknown in showbiz–a nobody who’d been torn apart online not long ago. The only reason people paid any attention to her was because of those rumored flings she stirred up with Leon Sadler on that dating reality show.
Most of the buzz about her was just straight–up hate and bad press.
‘Why the hell does she get to be the lead?‘ Tessa fumed inwardly.
The night she found out, Tessa clung to Connor’s arm, pouting and begging him to pull some strings so she could snag the lead role.
“Connor, you know how much I’ve always wanted to break into showbiz. I used to be a lead dancer, and now I’m just starting out in acting. If I’m stuck ying second fiddle, it’s gonna mess up my whole career. People will think I’m only good for supporting roles,” Tessa whined.
Back in the day, whenever Tessa put on her puppy dog eyes, Connor would bend over backward to help her out, always thinking about her future.
Buttely, Connor was buried in work, and all the problems with Sonny were making his head spin.
He didn’t even have the patience to deal with Tessa right now.
Connor’s face was full of irritation. “Casting <b>is </b>the director’s call. I can’t change his decision.”
The director for this show was a tough nut to crack. If the investors ever tried to mess with the script, he’d just tell them to pull their funding.
Tessa was well aware of that.
But she just couldn’t let it go.
Tessa went on and on, trying to convince Connor with all kinds of arguments.
Finally, she dropped a bombshell. “Connor, there’s something else we need to talk about. Now that I’m diving into showbiz, getting married might mess with my career. Can we hold off‘ on tying the knot for a bit?”
Connor’s frown eased up a little.
He looked down at Tessa, his expression unreadable.
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Tessa thought Connor was upset and parted her lips to say something, but he just said, “Alright.”
He agreed almost instantly.
Worried Tessa would keep pressing, Connor quickly added, “I’ll see what I can do with the director when I get back. You should get some rest.<b>” </b>
With that, he headed straight to his study to finish up his work.
Tessa was all smiles–she just knew Connor still had her in his heart.
Even if they weren’t getting married now, he still wanted to support her dreams.
In her good mood, she was even a lot kinder to Sonny than usual.
Sonny was in the living room, lined up his toy cars like he was ying. But his little face was all gloomy–he barely moved the race car in his hand, just smacked it against his palm now and then.
“Want mommy to y with you today?” Tessa asked softly as she came over and sat beside him.
Tessa settled next to Sonny, wearing her gentlest, mostforting smile.
She reached out to take the toy, but Sonny jerked away like a startled animal, clutching it close. He shot Tessa a look–those eyes were icy and sharp, way too cold for a little kid.
Tessa caught that same frosty look Connor always had, shing across Sonny’s face.
“Sonny?” Tessa called out, her voice gentle.
Sonny jumped to his feet, clutching his toy car. “You’re not my mom, and you never will be. Don’t bug me.”
With that, Sonny headed straight for his room.
Tessa just stood there, stunned.
She couldn’t believe Sonny had the guts to talk to her like that.
Anger bubbled up inside her, and she shot a re at Sonny’s closed door.
“Ungrateful little brat! Just like your mom, running off with some guy–both of you are nothing but shameless trash!” Tessa spat.
Tessa didn’t need to please Sonny anymore. Whatever he did now was none of her concern.
She couldn’t be bothered with a child.
Having gotten nowhere, she just turned and walked off to her room.
Back in his room, Sonny leaned quietly against the door, hearing every harsh word Tessa hurled at him echo through the wood.
…
Right now, all he wanted was his real mom.