Chapter 106\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
of You, Daddy!\u00a0<\/p>\n
42%8\u00a0<\/p>\n
I listen patiently as he cries for nearly thirty minutes before finally calming down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that you know, I can finally share what it\u2019s like having a mom, Oliver says, his voice brighter. The first time I saw her, I just knew I loved her. I want to be with her every minute. I love watching her smile, hearing her voice, being held in her arms, getting her kisses\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He continues enthusiastically, and I listen quietly, occasionally feeling a pang of envy at the bond they\u2019ve already formed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he finally pauses for breath, I steer us back to my original question. Oliver, you mentioned you found Mom based on some clues. Where did these clues come from?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLast winter, when I was visiting Grandmother in Australia, I accidentally went into her study and found a file about our mother, Oliver explains. \u201cIt had our birth certificates and some fragments of information about Mom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I narrow my eyes. \u201cBut Grandmother always told us our mother died.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe lied to us! The truth is, Grandmother never even met our mother!\u201d Oliver\u2019s indignation comes through clearly. \u201cOur births were arranged through some professional agency. The file only had one line about our mother\u2013Genetic material donor, female, age 20, a college student in Chicago.\u201c\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was the slim lead he\u2019d used to test over a thousand women until finding Cedar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rub my temple. \u201cI\u2019m not sure I understand what that means.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really know either,\u201d Oliver admits. \u201cI asked Grandmother several times, but she always avoids talking about our mother. And you know our births were arranged without Father knowing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFather rejected us until we were almost a year old, and he\u2019s only gradually accepted us since then,\u201d Oliver continues, his voice growing anxious. \u201cIf Father finds out Cedar is our mother, he might hate her. He could force her to leave Chicago, hide her away somewhere we\u2019d never find her again\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fear in his voice is palpable. \u201cPromise me, Aiden. Promise you won\u2019t tell Father or Grandmother!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I understand,\u2018 I reply, my dark eyes hiding emotions too complex for most children my age.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I winced at my reflection in the bathroom mirror as morning light filtered through the dusty venetian blinds of my apartment. My cheek was still slightly swollen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sighing, I layered on extra concealer, carefully blending until the red handrint disappeared beneath the makeup. Perfect timing\u20131 had exactly forty minutes to get to the Nest Design office before our morning briefing grabbed my portfolio bag and headed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I stepped onto the cracked sidewalk outside my pre\u2013war building, I noted a sleek black Audi SUV parked conspicuously by the curb. In this decidedly mid\u2013range neighborhood, the luxury vehicle stood out like a designer handbag at a thrift store. Several commuters slowed their pace, stealing curious glances at the car.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
16:24 Thu, Feb 5 BNB\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 106\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart skipped\u2013was it Ridley? But as I approached, I saw a small figuren the back seat instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAiden?\u201d I bent down as the window lowered. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
4.42%8\u00a0<\/p>\n
The six year old Sterling heir sat perfectly poised in his tailored navy blair, looking bizarrely professional despite his obvious exhaustion. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, making him appear much older than his yrs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I came specifically to escort you to work, he replied with that unsettling mature tone. Please get in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slid into the leather seat beside him, instantly noticing his exhaustion. Aiden, did you sleep at all last night? Those are some serious raccoon\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes you\u2019re sporting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much work. I was reviewing documents until early morning,\u201d he responded flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the front seat, Henderson, Aiden\u2019s caretaker, suppressed a smile while navigating morning traffic. I caught his knowing glance in the\u00a0<\/p>\n
rearview mirror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re six years old,\u201d I reminded him gently, reaching to smooth his meticulously combed hair. \u201cEven little design prodigies need proper sleep. Whatever work you had could\u2019ve waited until morning. You won\u2019t grow tal if you keep pushing yourself like this. Promise me no more all-\u00a0<\/p>\n
nighters?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aiden tilted his face up, studying mine with an intensity that made me un omfortable. There was something hungry in his gaze, something desperate that no child should feel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom\u2026\u201d The word came out soft and hesitant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze, my hand still resting on his head. \u201cWhat did you just call me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A blush spread across his pale cheeks. His small hands fidgeted with the edge of his blazer, suddenly reminding me that beneath the Sterling heir facade was just a little boy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Aiden,\u2018 I said gently, \u201cI\u2019m not your mother. You should call me Cedar.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to call you Mom.\u201d His voice was quiet but determined, a hint of childish stubbornness breaking through his usual composure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart ached, I remembered what Ridley had told me that night\u2013how t children had grown up without a mother, how that void had shaped them. How they\u2019d latched onto me from the moment I stepped int their lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boys have taken to you, he\u2019d said. \u201cThey\u2019ve never had a mother figur That part of their lives has always been missing. As their father, I\u2019m selfishly hoping you might show them some affection\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t refuse Ridley\u2019s request then, and I couldn\u2019t deny Aiden now\u2014no when he looked at me with those hopeful eyes,\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 pulled him into a gentle hug. When we\u2019re alone, you can call me Mom you want, I whispered. But in public or at the office, it needs to be Cedar or Ms. Wright. Deal?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDeal!\u201d His face brightened instantly, eyes shining.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In that moment, he finally looked his age\u2013just a little boy seeking love. My arms tightened around him as he nestled against me, his small body relaxing with a contentment that made my chest tighten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
16:24 Thu, Feb 5 GNB.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 106\u00a0<\/p>\n
42%\u00a0<\/p>\n
The car glided to a stop outside the gleaming glass fa\u00e7ade of Nest Design Michigan Avenue headquarters. I reluctantly pulled away, gathering my portfolio.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Have a good day at the company later,\u201d I told him as I stepped out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You too, he replied. Then Henderson drove him to Sterling Design Group riverside tower.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Unfinished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 106 Chapter 106\u00a0 Aiden\u2019s POV\u00a0 of You, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30505\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}