Matthew and Damian had just walked in the door when Clarissa felt her heart clench.
She quickly got out of the car and ran toward them. “Wait…”
Having heard her, Matthew stopped in his tracks and turned around, only to see an ashen-faced Clarissa approaching them.
A glint flashed across his dark eyes as he wondered about her intentions.
Damian, on the other hand, was laughing and pouting. “Mommy, what’s wrong? Do you want to go up with us?”
Not wanting to worry her son, Clarissa forced a smile on her face.
“No, no. I just want to…”
Clarissa struggled to get the words out as she continued to gaze at Damian, reluctant to let him go.
Damian looked on in confusion, not knowing why his mother was behaving so oddly. Feeling the weight of Matthew’s intense stare on her, Clarissa gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t forget that I’ll be waiting for you here. Behave yourself when you’re upstairs, okay?”
“I know, Mommy. I’m very well-behaved…”
Clarissa’s constant reminders had annoyed Damian as he quickly patted Matthew’s shoulders and whined, “Daddy, let’s go. Hurry…”
Matthew stayed in his spot and took a long, hard look at Clarissa. The insecure one has finally spoken up, huh?
“Damian is my son, Clare. You should trust me.”
Clarissa smiled patronizingly at Matthew before making her way back to the parking lot, not wanting to say anything more.
Matthew’s gaze darkened as he silently watched her leave, a flurry of thoughts running through his head.
“Daddy? Can we go now?” Damian once again whined.
Finally brought out of his daze, Matthew carried his son into the elevator and made their way up.
Margaret had been at the VIP ward area since morning, watching the caretaker get on with the daily tasks with George. Despite not showing it, the truth was that she hadn’t been happy at all.
She had been moping around ever since she knew how badly George wanted to see Clarissa’s kid.
However, George couldn’t be bothered with her feelings or her opinions. He was finally meeting his grandson, and that made him giddy with anticipation.
“Why aren’t they here yet? Matthias, give Matthew a call, will you? Didn’t he go downstairs to fetch the child? Why is it taking so long?”
Matthias sighed and looked helplessly at his father. “Dad, it hasn’t even been five minutes. Why are you so anxious? After all, the kid is still small. I’m sure extra effort is needed to make sure he stays warm. You know what? I bet they’re already in the elevator.”
The words had only just left Matthias’ mouth when Matthew walked into the ward with Damian in his arms.
The fair-skinned Damian was bundled up tightly in a black cap and thick down jacket. Despite that, it still couldn’t hide his bright, lively eyes as they darted around the crowded ward. Not at all fazed by the strangers, Damian stared in wide-eyed curiosity before finally breaking into an adorable smile.
He might not know anyone in the ward, but his smile was all it took to break the ice.
“Damian, this is Grandpa, Grandma, your Uncle Matthias, and Aunt Yuliana…”
“Hello Grandpa, Grandma! Hello Uncle Matthias, Aunt Yuliana!” Damian greeted cheerily.
Pleased with how friendly his grandson was, George tried to sit up as his caregiver adjusted his bed. Matthew had also noticed his father’s eagerness and sat Damian down beside him.
Since one of his arms was fractured, George used the other good arm to stroke Damian’s head, feeling a wave of intense happiness wash over him as he did.
“Good, good. Hello to you too, Damian…”
Not bad, not bad at all. What a bright-eyed and handsome boy. He certainly lives up to being a Tyson!
Feeling choked up, George didn’t know what to say other than praise Damian for being a good boy.
Damian continued to smile and scrutinize his grandfather. He hadn’t interacted much with older people, which made George all the more fascinating to him. Damian couldn’t help but giggle as he stared at his grandfather’s white hair and long, white beard, wondering what it’d be like to touch it.
Despite it being their first meeting, Matthias burst into laughter upon realizing how curious Damian was.
“Matthew, your son has truly gotten the best of both worlds from you and Clarissa. I’m sure he’ll grow up to be a handsome lad that all the ladies want to fawn over.”
Even Yuliana, who used to dislike Clarissa, felt herself falling for how adorable Damian was.
Margaret, however, was less than thrilled. “Damian? The more you say it, the more it sounds like Demon. Why would anyone pick a name like that? It’s such a pity the child has to have such a mother, it’s…”
“Shut up!” George interrupted before Margaret could spew any nastier comments. “I think Damian is a wonderful name, and I love him dearly.”
Children were usually more sensitive by nature, which was why Damian hadn’t spoken to Margaret since the initial greeting. Now that she had shown her true colors, Damian started to feel a little scared as he looked helplessly at George and Matthew.
George seemed to have noticed his grandson’s unease and immediately comforted him.
“I like you and your name very much, Damian. Now, don’t be afraid. Tell me, what do you like?”
As Damian’s grandfather, and with it being their first meeting, there was no way George would skimp out on gifts for his darling grandson.
He had already set aside assets and properties for Damian, but nothing would beat gifting the child with toys he liked.
“Grandpa! I like Grandpa the most!”
Damian’s reply had surprised and tickled George so much that he burst out laughing.
Even Matthias was taken aback and quipped, “Wow, what a sweet-talker. Hey Matthew, did you teach him this?”
“It’s hereditary,” Matthew replied with a smirk, a hint of arrogance in his voice.
“What? From you? If it were your genes at work, he’d be cold as ice now. I reckon it’s from Clarissa…”
The fact that Damian had such an uncanny ability to make George happy made Matthew beam with pride.
Indeed, most of the credit should go to Clarissa for having brought Damian up so well. If it weren’t for her, Damian wouldn’t be the sweet and polite boy he was.
Feeling ignored and neglected, Margaret silently fumed. However, no matter how angry she was, she still didn’t dare to lash out in front of George.
While everyone was laughing and happily chatting away, Margaret turned to Matthew. “Your father’s in the hospital, yet that woman hasn’t come to visit. Where are her manners?”
Matthew instantly retorted coldly, “She isn’t related to the Tysons, so why should she visit?”
“What? Aren’t you two married? How can you say she isn’t related?”
“So what? She married me, not the Tysons. And you’re aware of the vow she made three years ago, aren’t you?”
“Then she shouldn’t even have married you! You…”
“Enough!” George once again raised his voice. “Do you not want me to be happy?”
“Dad, calm down. You’re scaring the kid.”
Damian stared wide-eyed at the adults around him before reaching out to Matthew for comfort.
Matthew picked his son up and placed him on a chair before bundling him back up in his down jacket. “Dad, why don’t you take a rest. I’ll take Damian home first.”
“What? So soon?” George cried out anxiously. “Don’t go yet. Why don’t you leave the kid here to play for a while more? When he’s tired, I’ll get someone to send him back.”
“No, Dad. You’re still recovering and need all the rest you can get. Being around people he’s unfamiliar with might make him upset, and he can be quite a lot to deal with when he throws a tantrum. I’ll bring him here to visit more often, okay?”
As disappointed as he was, George knew Matthew was right. After a long, hard look at Damian, he finally let out a deep sigh.
“Fine, bring him here more often in the future. When I get discharged, we’ll have him home for dinner. By the way, I’ve prepared a gift for him. Matthias, pass it to Matthew.”
After accepting the document that Matthias handed over and having Damian say his goodbyes, Matthew promptly left the ward with Damian in tow.
Back in the ward, George moped in silence for a while before turning to Margaret. “Why don’t you head home first? I don’t need you here.”
“Are you blaming me, George? Have you seen Matthew’s attitude toward me? He did it intentionally to rile me up. And for what? Did I say anything wrong? I’m talking about the present, not the past. Clarissa’s the one who’s being petty,” Margaret whined.
“Petty? After what you did in the past, you’re blaming her for being petty? You know what, let’s not argue. I don’t want to hear any more of it. If you want to drive me to my grave sooner, then just do it.”
Margaret was rendered speechless and aggrieved at how no one in the family seemed to understand her.
Not wanting to stay a minute longer, Margaret left in a huff with Yuliana.
Downstairs in the parking lot, the longer the wait was, the more Clarissa dreaded it. She tried to stop herself from thinking of the worst and distracted herself with funny videos on her phone. However, no matter what she did, nothing could calm her racing heart down.
If they dare snatch my son away, I’m going to fight it out with them!
“Mommy, Mommy! I’m back!”
The sudden opening of the car door, followed by her son’s familiar voice, jolted Clarissa out from her daydream. As soon as she saw Damian, she scooped him up in a tight hug while tears streamed down her face.
“Mommy, Mommy, it hurts…”
Damian’s painful yelp brought Clarissa out of her senses, and it was only then that she realized how tightly she had been squeezing her son. Still refusing to let him go, Clarissa relaxed her grasp on Damian and littered kisses all over his face.
“Oh, my darling. It’s only been a while, but I’ve missed you so much. Did you miss me too?”
Blissfully unaware of the emotional rollercoaster his mother had just been on, Damian merely grinned and asked, “Mommy, what are you going to reward me with?”
