Chapter 5 I Refuse To Acknowledge This Daddy

• Not long after, Declan rushed in, followed closely by the security personnel.
• "What's going on? Why did the fire alarm go off out of nowhere?" Declan's heart pounded as he scanned the entire room, his expression worsening.
• "Where is the young sir?" he called out, rushing toward Sandra without even paying attention to the sprinklers still showering water from the ceiling.
• The next second, the washroom door opened, and a child holding a large backpack appeared at the doorway. Finally, Declan breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and instructed the security personnel to check quickly.
• After a chaotic scene, the sprinklers finally stopped, and Declan wiped the water off his face. Seeing that the room was no longer suitable for staying. He said to River, "Why don't we wait in the next room? Mr. Jardel should be here soon."
• However, River stared sternly at him. "Liar!"
• "Sorry?" While Declan was still reeling in bewilderment, River pointed to Sandra and said, "This kind lady said Daddy isn't here and she would take me to him! You big fat liar!"
• Sandra stood frozen on the spot, completely caught off guard by the sudden accusation.
• Declan, on the other hand, looked at Sandra with an unpleasant expression. "Miss Milligan, what is the meaning of this?"
• Sandra's countenance stiffened for a moment. She gritted her teeth and turned to look at the boy with annoyance and innocence. "When have I said such things? You're so little, yet you can come up with such lies!"
• River looked at her in surprise, pursed his lips, and mumbled piteously, "I'm sorry, miss. Please don't be angry. You promised to take me to Daddy; don't go back on your word, okay? River will be a good boy."
• He finally stopped calling her 'madam.' However, Sandra felt like she was brought to the stake. Little did she think that the little guy would reveal her intention of taking him away.
• Declan didn't doubt River's words at all. On the contrary, he thought that the sudden change in the young sir's attitude, calling her 'miss' so affectionately, was because she had gained his trust by lying about taking him to find his father.
• He looked at Sandra with an increasingly unfavorable expression. "Miss Milligan, I will report this matter truthfully to Mr. Jardel. You better watch out."
• Meanwhile, River continued to glare at him. "Liar! Don't you bully Miss! I want Miss to take me to Daddy!"
• "No, no, no, this is a misunderstanding, Mr. Jonas, let me explain…" Sandra was almost speechless and had to insist that it was a misunderstanding to try to get through this situation.
• Just then, a cold and stern voice sounded at the door, "What's going on?"
• Sandra shuddered and turned to see Lance walking in with a stern face.
• Her thoughts raced, and she immediately ran to him, grabbing his arm as she tearfully said, "Lance, you finally came back! I was so scared just now. The fire alarm went off for some reason, and they all even took me the wrong way…"
• Since she could no longer stop him from meeting the b*stard child, at least she couldn't let Lance suspect her. She would have to find another chance to get rid of this b*stard child and his b*tch of a mother.
• Lance's frown deepened as he looked at the hands wrapped around his arm, and just as he was about to continue, a tiny figure came into his view. He turned only to be taken aback.
• River held a large backpack, his big black eyes staring silently at him, his little face tense.
• As Lance met his gaze, an inexplicable feeling surged within him.
• He rubbed his temples and asked Declan, "Whose child is this? What is he doing here?"
• Declan's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "Mr. Jardel, take a closer look!"
• Lance, too, thought the child seemed vaguely familiar, yet he couldn't tell where he had seen the little guy before. He rarely interacted with children, and a child as good-looking as this one would surely be unforgettable.
• Just then, someone at the door exclaimed, "Whoa, this kid is practically Lance's clone! Honestly, Lance, when have you gotten a son? How can you not tell your best friend about something this big?!"
• Entering the room was one of their business partners, Adrian Yeary, the CEO of Yeary Group. He was also Lance's childhood friend. He grinned and patted Lance on the shoulder as he spoke.
• At that, Lance couldn't help sizing River up again.
• Then, his heart skipped a beat.
• The child was practically a miniature version of him!
• However, he shook off the fleeting thought after a moment, thinking it was impossible. Setting aside the fact that he had only shared an intimate night with that one woman in the last five years, the chances of his genetics aligning so perfectly, producing a child from that one encounter, were incredibly slim.
• To think he had harbored a glimmer of hope just now… It could only be a pipedream.
• Lance closed his eyes briefly and spoke in a deep voice, "Declan, call Dorian right away. Have him return home promptly and settle his romantic debts!"
• Declan hesitated for a moment and looked at River with suspicion.
• Dorian Jardel was Lance's younger brother, the second young sir of the Jardel Family, and no stranger to the life of debauchery. While it wasn't impossible for him to have romantic entanglements outside, Declan couldn't shake the feeling that the child resembled his boss more.
• Before Declan could say anything else, Sandra interjected, "Yeah! What did I tell you? No way could Lance have an illegitimate child! This must be Mr. Dorian's child!"
• Hearing her words, Lance locked his brows into a deep furrow.
• "I wouldn't be so sure." Adrian rubbed his chin and said with a smirk, "Given Dorian's character, his ancestors would be rolling in their graves with joy if he could produce such a well-grounded child."
• Lance gave Adrian a cold glance instantly.
• "Just kidding! Just kidding!" Adrian quickly retreated, remembering that Dorian and Lance shared the same ancestry. He hastily changed the topic, saying, "Ahem, I mean, it's almost time. The other business partners are still waiting. Can we start the meeting?"
• Lance nodded. "You're familiar with the project; you can discuss it directly. I'll take this child back to Jardel Estate. Declan, stay behind to assist Adrian."
• The collaboration between Yeary Group and Jardel Enterprises had already been settled. This time, they were mainly negotiating with a few other partners. Therefore, it was the same if Adrian represented both the Yeary and Jardel sides in the discussion.
• The arrival of the first grandchild in the Jardel Family was no small matter. Lance needed to personally return to the family residence.
• "You've got to be joking. Are you passing me the buck just like that?" Adrian sighed and said, "Fine, seeing that you've just found your progeny, I'll take on a bit more responsibility."
• Lance couldn't be bothered to argue with him. He lowered his head and extended his hand to River, saying, "Come, follow me to Jardel Estate."
• "Lance, wait!" Sandra, seeing that Lance was serious about leaving, quickly swayed his arm and spoke softly, "Milligan Enterprises' celebration banquet is about to start. As an investor, you should attend. You can return to Jardel Estate after the banquet."
• She didn't care about the collaboration meeting, but the news that Lance would attend the banquet had already spread. He absolutely couldn't miss it. Otherwise, not only would the Milligans be humiliated, but the potential success of the investment attraction would also be jeopardized.
• Lance pulled away his arm while furrowing his brows and said plainly, "Not necessary."
• The 200 million investments for the Milligans were nothing to him.
• Sandra's expression changed, and she bit her lip with a look of grievance. "You can leave in advance later if you want, but if Grandma Edith finds out that you refused to attend Milligan Enterprises' celebration banquet, she'd be upset…"
• Lance turned grim at the mention of his grandmother.
• If it weren't for Sandra saving his grandmother and earning her favor, he wouldn't have invested in Milligan Enterprises in the first place.
• He had tolerated this woman enough due to his grandmother, but it didn't mean that she could overstep her boundaries.
• However, before he could say anything, a chubby little hand tugged on his arm, and a sweet, childish voice rang out, "Daddy, River wants to go to the banquet."