Chapter 68: Dreams

Leo remembered the information he saw about that man online.

’Tristan Elias Blakewood is a businessman and entrepreneur known for his leadership of the multi-billion dollar empire Grayson Corp. Mr Grayson has been named the wealthiest man in Neville for seven years straight…’

“Because I want to give you and Leah a good future.” Leo said these words so seriously, his eyes betrayed no emotions for a kid so little yet there was something earnest in his tone.

Celine couldn’t bring herself to laugh at this or be amused, something about the way he’d spoken caused her heart to tighten with a faint ache.

She squatted down in front of Leo who fixed a steady gaze on her face with those hazel eyes and she cupped his cheeks to say.

“That is my job to do Baby, not yours. I will give you and Leah a very good future and you won’t lack anything you want or need. Now stop thinking about being an adult okay? You should enjoy being a kid.”

Whenever the little boy noticed his mother being worried about something, he would usually drop the topic or refrain from arguing with her about it, hence he nodded at her words and she squeezed his cheek to kiss him.

With a sigh, he quietly rolled his eyes but said nothing to protest a about her fervent ways of showing affection through kissing and hugging him so tightly.

Deep in his mind however, he recalled something he once overheard his teacher talking about over the phone.

’…he is such a useless man I tell you, he does absolutely nothing to contribute at home, just always lazy and broke all the time. I do everything and it makes me tired and lonely, and what’s a man’s job in a home? A man’s job is to take responsibility, provide for his family and take care of the women in his life, if he can’t even do that then he shouldn’t be called a man. I’m tired of this, I’m getting a divorce.’

At the time, Leo had worked his little brain to understand what her conversation was about.

For the rest of the day, he would watch his mother and feel really bad for her. She really did everything for them, and she did it all on her own. Was she tired? Was she lonely?

Leo knew his mother didn’t have a man in her life, he was the only male she had, wasn’t it his job to make things easier for her?

If Celine knew what her son was thinking, without a doubt she would panic and try to steer his thoughts from such heavy responsibility on his little shoulders. Regardless of the doctors saying that her four year old children had minds sharper than even ten year olds due to their level of intelligence, she still didn’t want them to miss having a childhood suited for their age.

“Mommy, I think this man is very handsome.” Celine was taken aback when Leah suddenly showed her a man’s picture on a frame.

The man had cat-like eyes with a seductive look, his shirt buttons were left partially open revealing his chest to some extent.

She gasped and immediately grabbed the photo frame off her hands. “Where did you find that?” Celine exclaimed and Leah giggled cutely.

“In godmother’s room.”

Natalia suddenly appeared with a guilty face, taking the picture from Celine and hugging it to her chest.

“That’s Aiden Mark, he’s a male model and my most recent crush.” Natalia admitted.

“You still keep a picture of your model crush in your room?” After Celine asked that, she realized it was no use asking, Natalia’s room was most likely filled with pictures of random men who didn’t know she existed.

“What’s wrong with that? It helps me daydream about my crush more vividly.”

Celine facepalmed. She felt a strong urge to tell Natalia that she was now a twenty seven year old woman, not seventeen, but Celine knew she adored Natalia still being her carefree self no matter how many years go by.

“Nevermind, you’ll never change.” Celine sighed exasperatedly.

“At least we know your daughter has way better taste than you, she knows a beautiful man when she sees one.” Natalia said with a wink before walking back to her room hugging the photo frame to her chest.

Leah sat next to Celine, curling up against her and Celine was more than happy to hold her daughter who always felt warm and cuddly whenever she was near.

“Mommy, do you think if a man like that has a daughter like me, would he want me?”

Hearing such an innocent sounding yet deep question come from her daughter, Celine’s body went stiff.

“Of course he would want you, all parents love their children.” Celine replied automatically but her mind was churning with questions.

Why would Leah ask something like that? She had never asked Celine a question like this before.

“Not all parents.” Leah replied softly and the worry in Celine’s chest grew heavier stifling her very breath.

“Why would you say something like that Sweetie?” Celine gazed down at Leah’s face worriedly.

Between the twins, Leah was the one who always tried to act her age. She spoke with a childish slur in her tone while her brother’s speech was very clear, she was innocent and adorable and the only time she had fervently argued with Celine about something was when she had desperately wanted to keep the chubby cat they saw at a nearby shelter once. Since then, she would hardly be seen without Boba in her arms.

Leah brightened up, putting a smile on her face and shook her head. “Nothing Mommy.” Immediately she said this, she jumped off Celine’s arms and ran off looking for her cat. But this conversation had made a heavy unsettling feeling take root in Celine’s heart.

*****

A lone moon hung far up in the distant sky becoming a beautiful view from the windows at Grayson mansion.

Upon walking into his home, a desolate emptiness engulfed him.

Ever since he bought this home five years ago, Tristan had spent fortunes to give it life. From rare artworks to hiring the most popular interior designers in Neville to add life to the home. But it always felt empty, an instinct deep within him would repeatedly tug at him like a quiet voice calling him from somewhere far away.

There were times he would fall asleep at his desk working and he would have the weirdest dreams. Dreams that he knew had no way of being a reality.

In those dreams, he would hear the softest pattering sounds of little feet, and there would be a faceless but adorable little figure with the tiniest voice he’d ever heard.

“Daddy?” The little figure would call and that always gave him the strangest feeling he could never describe.

But seeing one non-existent little figure didn’t seem to be enough, right after, there would be another standing right behind him.

“Daddy!” He would whirl around to find another one standing behind him.

He would always be curious in his dreams, unconsciously drawn to these nonexistent little beings, whenever he reached over to touch one, they would disappear and just like that, the whole mansion would be filled with these tiny humans.

“Daddy!”

“Daddy!”

“Daddy!”

Their tiny voices would overlap one another becoming a blurring echo in his head until he woke up.

He could never figure out why he had such dreams, but it most likely had something to do with the Blakewood matriarch’s persistent wish for him to reproduce, whose desperation had pushed her into stealing his company just to achieve her goals.

Tonight felt especially different for Tristan, it felt as if the tall walls of his home were slowly closing in on him, the space becoming smaller and smaller. Such deafening silence usually became too unbearable for him he’d have to bury himself in endless work to distract himself from the emptiness eating deep into his heart.

“You’re home? I made dinner.” A familiar female voice suddenly sounded cutting through the sharp silence.

Slowly he raised his head…

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