Yes, I Have a Child with the Villain

Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Discussing the Issue of Going Public with the Child

"Hm? When did you get here?"

Adrian Grant let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He’d been worried the boy had disappeared without them noticing.

"When you were on the phone, Daddy, I came to see if Mommy was awake yet," Ryan Grant said with a playful smile.

His cold still lingering, he sniffled and tilted his little head up. "Daddy, I want to rest for a while. I’ll do my homework later."

He pleaded, afraid Adrian would immediately drag him to the study.

"Alright," Adrian Grant agreed.

Ryan Grant happily rolled around on the bed.

With both of them gathered here, Caroline Whitman couldn’t stay in bed even if she wanted to.

She had no choice but to climb out of bed and follow them out of the room.

It was still drizzling outside.

Adrian Grant went back to the study for an online meeting.

Meanwhile, Ryan Grant built with his blocks in the living room. Caroline kept him company while handling some work online.

The family spent the entire day at home together.

Thankfully, the boy didn’t complain about being bored.

Then again, Ryan didn’t dare say he was bored. The moment that word escaped his lips, Adrian would subject him to a heavy-handed lesson in fatherly love.

Although Ryan was smart, he was afraid of being pressured by adults to study, especially when facing Adrian.

Even though this man was his own father.

’Because when Dad gets serious and meticulous, he’s honestly terrifying.’

’But as scary as he is, Dad’s teaching methods are easy to understand—even better than my teacher’s.’

Tonight, Ryan was still sleeping with them in the master bedroom.

Thankfully, Adrian hadn’t let him nap too much during the day. After taking his medicine that evening, Ryan was in bed by eight-thirty and quickly drifted off.

It was too early for Caroline to sleep, of course.

After showering, she sat in the living room watching TV. She hadn’t experienced a life like this in a long time.

As for Adrian, he was taking a shower.

Listening to the sound of water from the bathroom, Caroline’s gaze shifted toward the bedroom. The child was sleeping, her boyfriend was showering, and she was watching TV. At this moment, it felt both surreal and reassuring.

’Is this a little preview of married life?’ Caroline wondered.

The phone on the coffee table vibrated. She picked it up.

A message from Lily Young.

Her cousin would only contact her at this hour for food, fun, or gossip.

It was raining outside. Normally, Lily would never venture out in the rain—not even a drizzle—unless it was for something spectacular.

So, Caroline guessed it had to be gossip.

She opened it and, sure enough, saw several screenshots.

Lily Young: [Whoa! Caroline, huge news!]

Lily Young: [Is it true Adrian Grant has a secret son? Caroline, you have to get the full story before you get serious with him.]

Lily Young: [I knew that trending photo with Luna Lynn wasn’t just baseless rumors. Caroline, wait for my message, I’ll definitely dig up all the dirt on Adrian Grant for you!]

Caroline read the messages one by one.

’Wait, Adrian Grant’s secret son?’

’I can’t believe I’m the one at the center of the gossip now.’

Caroline Whitman: [?]

’Wait, how does she know Adrian has a son?’

Just as she was about to call and ask directly, Lily sent a few more pictures.

Lily Young: [Image] [Image] [Image]

Caroline opened them to look.

Holy cow.

’Isn’t this from when we took Ryan to the hospital this morning?’

’We were photographed this morning?’

Caroline zoomed in several times.

In the photo, Adrian was carrying Ryan out of the car. The boy had his arms around his neck, his little face, covered by a mask, buried in his shoulder, so his face wasn’t visible.

The photo only showed the father and son. She was out of frame, probably deliberately cropped out.

There was also a photo that paparazzi had unexpectedly snapped in a parking lot last time they were in Marinus.

All three photos had one thing in common: they only showed Adrian holding the boy.

It was obvious who the target was.

Caroline didn’t have the patience to text back and forth with Lily to get the story, so she just called her directly.

The call connected quickly.

Lily’s voice came through: "Caroline, did you see what I sent you?"

Caroline: "I saw them. Where did the photos come from?"

Lily: "A classmate of mine works at a news agency. Someone paid to have these photos circulated, but they were taken down not long after being posted."

Caroline: "..."

’Ah, the ever-present ’classmate’...’

Lily, putting her sharp mind to work, continued, "Also, the Grant Group issued a gag order on this story. Anyone who spreads this ’false news’ will be facing a lawsuit."

"Although the Grant Group says it’s false news, I think their actions make it seem like it’s actually true."

Caroline fell silent again.

She discovered her cousin really had a knack for certain things, always managing to get close to the truth right away.

Caroline: "It’s probably a misunderstanding. With AI being so advanced these days, you can’t tell if those doctored photos are real or fake. It’s only reasonable for the Grant Group to act this way."

The moment Lily heard that, her radar went off. "Whoa, Caroline, are you with him?"

Caroline: "..."

The news that she and Adrian were together was only known by their two families and a few of Adrian’s friends.

Since Caroline hadn’t specifically announced it, Lily didn’t know about it yet.

She asked curiously, "How did you know?"

Lily snorted. "This is a huge deal, and we don’t even know if it’s true yet, but you’re already defending him. There’s definitely something going on between you two!"

Caroline: "...You’re sharp. Yes, we are together."

Lily asked hesitantly, "...So what about the photos?"

Caroline replied with two words that sounded extremely convincing: "Corporate warfare."

Lily, seeming to half-understand, said, "I see. No wonder you’re so calm."

That made sense. If there was really a problem with Adrian, Caroline certainly wouldn’t be talking to her so calmly.

Lily added, "So when are you and my ’brother-in-law’ coming out to treat me to a meal?"

Caroline: "Some other day, when we have time."

Lily: "It’s a date, then."

After she hung up, Adrian came out of the bathroom, smelling fresh from his shower, and sat down beside her.

Caroline pulled up the three photos and handed her phone to Adrian. "We were photographed when we took Ryan to the hospital today."

Adrian took it and looked.

"Yeah, Zoe told me about this in the afternoon."

"It’s a good time, actually. I wanted to talk to you about Ryan’s situation."

During the day, the child was playing, so it wasn’t a good time to talk. They could only wait until he was asleep.

Caroline understood instantly. "About going public with him?"

"Mhm, what are your thoughts?" Adrian asked for her opinion first.

Caroline: "I still hope we can keep him out of the public eye as much as possible."

She said it tactfully, but her meaning was very clear.

Adrian Grant was a smart man.

Adrian nodded. "I understand. I feel the same way."