William realized he'd put his foot in his mouth and quickly corrected himself, "I'm not talking about that Susanna, it's a different Susanna. There's a bunch of Susannas around. Heck, just in our neighborhood, there used to be three of them."
"Oh," Skyler scratched his head, "I thought it was the same person for a second there."
"Of course, it's not the same person. How could it be?" William waved his hands dismissively.
Nova toddled over, her chubby fingers clutching at William's shirt, "William... play with me."
"Sure." William pulled out her favorite toys and they all settled onto the play mat together.
That was when Leopold walked in. Aurelia caught her breath slightly, "What brings you here?"
"I've come to see how Arnold's doing," Leopold said, his tone nonchalant.
William stood up from the play mat, "Dad's resting right now, but I bet he could use a drink."
He poured a glass of water and took it to Arnold. "Dad, here's some water."
The sight of such filial piety made Leopold feel a twinge of discomfort. Because there was a slight chance that this kid might be his Liam.
Arnold took the glass, his face softening into an affectionate smile, "Thanks, champ. Go on and play, don't worry about me."
"No way, I promised to take care of you," William said with earnest seriousness.
Arnold patted his cheek and looked up at Leopold, "Leopold's here."
"How are you holding up, Arnold?" Leopold inquired.
Arnold shrugged, "Nothing much, just got to stay in bed for a bit."
He knew all too well that Leopold wasn't here for him, but for Aurelia.
"I've brought some tonics for Arnold," Leopold said. "I'll have the housekeeper prepare them for him."
He sighed, "Raines’ issue isn't settled yet, and now Arnold's hurt. This Christmas is going to be a quiet one."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The CEO's Unplanned Heir