It was as though the man could comprehend her train of thought, he shook his head in disapproval.
"You have to be patient with all matters regarding your son, and I think it's about time for you to get him a home-schooling tutor."
"But the school curriculum is too complex for him." She worriedly gazed at the boy. She had tried taking him to kindergarten in the past, and the result was the boy becoming so introverted that she thought she would never hear him talk again.
"I'm not asking you to make him learn numbers and whatnot. Just get a tutor who will focus on communication and social skills. I can recommend one." Chris responded, giving her a portfolio.
She looked through it and approved of the woman recommended by Chris, who had specialized in teaching autistic children.
When he was done speaking to Avery, he looked at the boy who was still trying to hide from him. "Angel, come here."
Instead of going over, he grabbed Avery's clothes and stuck to her.
"He is learning to express himself better. It's a good sign."
She picked him up with a smile. "I hope I don't need to hold him down for you to inject?"
"Don't worry. That won't be necessary." Chris reached his arm forward and opened it in front of Angel to reveal a small, blue crystal ball. He looked up at his mother as though asking for permission and when she nodded, he touched the crystal ball curiously and eventually picked it up with his tiny fingers.
Chris took the chance to pick him up, soothing him when he started in shock.
"Good boy. You are very brave." He praised.
Avery patted his head to get his attention and took the crystal ball from his hand, to distract him as Chris prepared the medication.
When the injection was finally over, Angel glared up at Chris like he was a traitor before opening up his arms to his mother with teary eyes.
She patted him and kissed his arm which he was pointing at to complain. He soon fell asleep and she lay him in his bed before returning to see Chris out.
He carried his briefcase to the door and was just about to enter his car when she asked, "Do you think I should introduce him to his dad?"
She had fought with herself before finally asking the question which had been bugging her since that man made an appearance in their lives once again.
"Or...should I get him a step dad perhaps?"
Chris was almost shocked that she would ask about such a thing, but he comprehended her train of thought when he remembered just how much pressure she had been under in the last four years.
"Whether it's a stepfather or his biological father, it depends on the kind of man he is. If you think the presence of a man in his life will influence him negatively, then keep him away from it."
She thought about Damon and didn't dare to imagine what kind of father he would be, if he was capable of ditching his pregnant girlfriend. Even though she knew that Angel missed him, she would rather see him cry every day until he forgot about it than watch him get his heart broken later.
"I get it. Thank you, Dr. Chris."
"Don't be too hard on yourself." He advised before getting into his car.
She nodded and returned to the house.
"Papa," Angel hugged a picture in his arms as he happily called, making Avery's blood run cold. She rushed over and pulled the picture out of her hands. To her relief, it was a picture of her and him. It turned out he was merely missing Damon.
___
Villa D'aboville .
"Turns out you actually know your way back." An elderly woman—Damon's grandmother, remarked, as soon as he made his way into the living room.
"I've always known my way back." He responded listlessly and procedded towards the staircase.
"Stop right there." The elderly lady glared at him, and he had no choice but to stop and turn back to him.
"Do you have something to say to me, grandmother? What a coincidence, I have something to talk to you about as well." He went over to sit on the couch opposite her, looking at her with a grin on his thin lips.
"You better tell me that you have made progress regarding the matters we talked about." The woman looked at him sternly.
"We talked about two matters, what exactly are you asking about? Giving you a granddaughter-in-law, or forgetting about the woman who bore your great grandson?"
The woman was overjoyed when he actively brought up the topic of his marriage but when she heard the second part, her expression changed into a frown. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Avery has a son. Are you aware of this?" Damon asked while crossing his arms.
"Why are you bringing up that woman?" The elderly woman, Dorthe, snapped at her grandson. "I don't know whether or not she has a son and if she does, that has nothing to do with us."
Damon stood up, his lips twitching. "Is that so? That is my son and he has everything to do with me."
"Are you seriously going to claim the son of that whore? I will not allow it!" She stood to follow Damon who was making his way out of the living room furiously.
"I can tolerate you bugging me to get married but this? Forget it." He turned on his heel and went up to his room, ignoring the yelling behind his back.
"Don't you dare bring that thing into this house! You!" She yelled.
"What's going on?" Her son Ferdinand entered the living room following the commotion. His wife, Celeste, hurried into the living room behind him.
"It's your very good son!" the elderly lady huffed and sat back down to calm herself. "He has already caused us enough trouble and now, he is about to rekindle his relationship with that Vaillant girl."
"What? I will not let that happen!" exclaimed Celeste, Damon's mother.
"I'm afraid it's going to be more difficult. That woman has a son and must have claimed that it is Damon's. We have to do something about it."
"What if the child is really our grandchild? We have to investigate it first." He reasoned. Although he didn't like Avery, that didn't mean he was going to abandon his grandson, his blood. Besides, he had realized that all these years, his son had been unable to forget Avery despite their efforts to make him forget about her. If the boy was three or four years old, then it was really possible that he was Damon's.
Celeste blinked and looked at her husband in disbelief. "Are you listening to yourself? Don't even think of bringing that witch into this family!"
…
In his room, Damon slumped onto his bed and reached under his pillow to take out a picture. It was old and slightly dog eared thanks to its age.
He caressed the face of the girl in the picture, Avery who had just turned twenty three. She was so beautiful and radiant that it was impossible to think of her as the woman she had turned out to be, a bitter and emotionless woman.
"It's all my fault, my love. I'm sorry." He sighed. If he knew that she was pregnant, she would never have left no matter what the ultimatum was. His Avery had suffered so much in the past, not to mention how difficult it had been for her to bring the boy up on her own.
It was already too late since she no longer needed him, but he would do his best to ensure that Angel grew up in a complete family, and to win her back.
Thinking about this, he gave a call to his assistant. "Set up a meeting with Vaillant Telecommunications' CEO."
"But sir, Vaillant Telecommunications has blackmailed us. We can no longer meet up with them." The assistant reponded fearfully after having received a warning from Avery's assistant.
Damon frowned slightly. He had expected it. It wouldn't be easy to meet up with Avery and to apologize to her, let alone convince her that he was not seeking any trouble with her.
However, that didn't mean he was about to give up.
"I know what to do." He let out a sigh. It was uncertain why his parents and grandmother hated Avery so much, and what made them make her life so difficult in the past, but he would do his best to make things right.
_
The following day.
"Avery, your parents called." Mina reported.
"I didn't know I still had something to do with them." Avery sneered. Needless to ask, it had to be something regarding Markus. They must be mad at her for rejecting the asshole, and she didn't want to spare them any time.
"If they want my audience, I'll be there."