Chapter 305

Chapter 305:
Brandon remained still, his hands clenched beneath the table.
“You must know about my relationship with Millie,” he said. “If you call her ‘Mom,’ then you should call me ‘Dad.’ There’s nothing wrong with accepting these gifts from me. It’s what I should do. I’m not sure if your mother told you about me… but as my daughter, there’s nothing in Crobert you couldn’t have.”
He smiled softly. “I can help cure your illness and support your dreams. Just…” Brandon paused, feeling a fragile vulnerability he’d never experienced before. His eyes reddened slightly, but he kept his composure. “All I ask,” he said, “is that you call me ‘Dad.’”
Ari looked at him steadily, her expression unreadable.
Then, finally, she asked, “But are you?”
Brandon stiffened slightly. She had seen his eyes, his hesitation. She understood. He wanted to know if Millie had put her up to this. The source of thɪs content is Find gently tugged at her toy’s ears. “Sir,” she said, “my mom is an amazing person. Before you came to me last time, she hadn’t said a word about you. You forced her to reveal who you are. She didn’t want to upset me, so she only said you were her husband. Then I asked Alexia, but she wouldn’t tell me anything either. It was only after I asked the director for help that I learned more about you.”
Her gaze met his, clear and unwavering. “I know there’s someone named Vivian in your life. Every time I search your name, she comes up, not my mom. If she’s the person you’ve chosen, then maybe it’s best if you stay with her.”
Her voice remained calm, but her words struck deep. “Just… don’t hurt my mom again.”
Brandon closed his eyes, the weight in his chest tightening. It took several long seconds for him to swallow the ache and speak up again.
“Ari,” he said quietly, “things between Vivian and me… they’re not what you think.”
Your update hub: gⱯlησνℯℓs․cøm
But Ari just looked at him with those large, searching eyes, making his heart sink further.
“I don’t know how to explain it to you since it’s too complicated,” he said, his voice softer now. “But one day, you’ll understand. Both you and your mom will. There’s a pretty tanzanite in the safe at home—your mother liked it a lot. I’ll have a jeweler design something beautiful from it, just for you.”
“No,” Ari replied. “I’m my mother’s daughter. You’re not my father. I don’t want jewelry or anything from you. You don’t need to show me how rich you are. I already know. But I love my mom.”
She was not yet five, but her words cut with clarity and purpose.
She slid down from the chair, clutching her plushie. Its soft ears flapped with the motion.
“Please don’t come see me again,” she said, turning away. “I need to go back to sleep.”
Brandon stood, but he didn’t follow. Instead, he called out, “Just this once—please accept the gifts. They were chosen with you in mind.”
Ari paused and turned back slightly, her lips pressed tight. “Sir, I told you. You can give them to someone else.”
.
.
.