Chapter 4 Biological Child

• Shaking her head, Avery forced herself not to think about her estranged mother.
• After a while, her phone rang.
• It was from her best friend, Nina Richter.
• Avery accepted the call.
• “Hi, it's been a while since we had a video call. Why are you hiding from me?” Nina complained and rested her cheek on her palm with a sorrowful expression. “Are you really going to Ustrana, Ery? What if someone bullies you there? My fist can't reach that far. Also, I heard boys in that country mature really quickly! There are a lot of schools there with co-ed dormitories, so you better be careful about that when you go there! Hey, do you understand what I mean by 'that'? Ah, well, I'm just going to be straight with you. If you really, really can't stop thirsting after foreign hotties, remember to tell him to use a condom!”
• On the screen, Nina was currently sitting in a restaurant, as though she was waiting for her food to come after placing her order.
• Behind her was the restaurant's wall, and there was a pretty big television hanging on the wall.
• There was a news report on the television at the moment. As the reporter spoke, bold and clear subtitles could be seen talking about a fifty-six-year-old rich businessman who recently got a daughter.
• The identity of the mother was unknown.
• “Ery? Ery? Are you listening to me?” When Nina saw Avery staring at the screen unmovingly with an odd expression, she got worried.
• She quickly shook her phone and asked, “Can you hear me, Ery? Don't scare me like that!”
• Avery was currently very sensitive. She made a promise to herself after she left the hospital that she wouldn't ever think about her baby anymore. However, it was easier said than done.
• The baby was her biological child, after all.
• It was making her feel crazy. What's the point of thinking about it? I mustn't think about it!
• After the video call ended, Avery went to splash some water on her face.
• However, that wasn't enough to calm her down.
• She was projecting her childhood experiences onto her baby, probably because she was abandoned by her mother when she was a child.
• Avery couldn't forget her awful childhood. She didn't have her mother—only her grandfather and father. Her father spent all his time working overseas to earn money as her grandfather slowly got old. Her neighbors wouldn't stop talking about her parents, so she often heard bad things mentioned about her and her family as she grew up.
• She grew up with low self-esteem thanks to the bullying.
• It was never clear to her why her classmates bullied her just because she didn't have a mother. All she could hear were relentless mockery and insults repeating next to her ears.
• Sometimes, she hated her mother for that.
• Avery closed her eyes. The news about the middle-aged wealthy businessman getting a daughter and that the identity of the mother was unknown kept repeating in her mind.
• At that moment, she had become the type of woman she hated the most—a mother who didn't take on the responsibility of caring for her child after giving birth.
• Upon returning to her bedroom, she picked up her phone and searched for all pieces of news about the businessman and his daughter.
• She found out that the businessman was forty-six years old, had thinning hair, a pretty well-maintain body, and a tall stature.
• Avery couldn't confirm if he were the father based only on that information. Oh, wait, his voice!
• She began looking for any video clips where the businessman spoke in order to know if the man's voice matched the one she had heard back then.
• Sadly, her efforts were futile. Even after her phone's battery died, she still couldn't find a video clip with his voice in it.
• Despair dominated her heart.
• On the eastern side of Ackleton lay the rich and powerful Moore family and their residence.
• Inside the mansion's dining room, there were a lot of dishes placed on the table as it was time for a meal.
• Almost all the men and women of the family had arrived. The two-month-old baby was lying next to Jeffrey in a crib.
• Jeffrey was sitting in a wheelchair as he stared at his great-grandchild inside the crib. “This baby looks just like Cayden. I bet he'll grow up to become a formidable figure to outsiders!”
• He was quite pleased.
• The members of the Moore family all smiled as they sat around the table, even though some of them were feeling pretty angry.
• Jeffrey played with his great-grandson for a long while before he raised his head and spoke resolutely. “Without Cayden and his hard work for the past two years, the Moore family would've likely fallen into ruins! Does anyone disagree with that fact?”
• No one disagreed, but no one agreed either.
• Even though Jeffrey was old, his eyes still remained sharp. He swept his gaze past his family and studied their expressions. “I'm old now, and it's time for me to hand the family to the younger generation.” When he finished, he turned to Kendrick Moore. “You should follow your brother's example, Kendrick!”
• Kendrick casually replied with an “okay” and stayed silent.
• “What's the meaning of this, Dad?” Lily Berry stood up with a bitter expression. “Cayden is your grandson, yes, but Kendrick is your grandson too, you know? What you said is an insult to me! How is my Kendrick any worse than Cayden?”
• The only reason Lily had the guts to say that was because Cayden was absent.
• Jeffrey only had one son, and his son had two sons, Cayden and Kendrick.
• Cayden was mature, vicious, and an expert in the business world.
• His stepbrother, however, was a playboy who spent all his time on women.
• As for whether Kendrick had the spirit of an entrepreneur or not, that was something only he knew and no one else.
• Jeffrey ignored Lily's protest. The matter of handing my position to someone else is very important. If emotions are involved, and a mistake is made, it'll send our entire century-old family business into an early grave.
• “Turn on the video call. There's something I want to discuss with Cayden,” he ordered.
• His subordinate quickly made the call and put the device in front of him.
• “What's the matter, Grandpa?” Cayden was currently on an overseas business trip. He was sitting on a chair inside a professional office.
• “It's time for us to give my great-grandson a name. I gave it some thought, and I want to call him Mason. I hope he'll grow up to be as creative, shrewd, and hardworking as the great masons of old!” Jeffrey said.
• Lily sat back down angrily when she realized she was being ignored.
• Cayden didn't give his grandfather an answer immediately. Instead, he furrowed his eyebrows for a few seconds before replying in a firm tone, “Grandpa, that sounds like a good name, but I want to call him Zachary instead.”
• “That's not a bad name either!” Jeffrey promptly turned to the baby in the crib and smiled. “You have a name now, and it's Ary!”
• As for his great-granddaughter, Jeffrey was going to let Cayden decide the name because Cayden wanted her to pick an official one herself when she was older.
• Soon, it was time for Avery to head overseas.
• She didn't leave with Milana because Henrietta had already sent Milana to Ustrana a month earlier to adapt to life there.
• “Once you arrive, please help me take care of Milana and Ery,” Leonardo reminded Zayne Richter.
• Zayne was a one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, handsome young man. He was Nina's brother, and he also planned to study overseas.
• He didn't know where he wanted to go until his sister told him that Avery was heading to Ustrana. That was how he decided to go to Ustrana, too.
• Every man likely had their first crush before, and Avery was Zayne's first crush.
• “Take care of Ery.” Nina held her brother tightly and whispered next to his ear, “No need to take care of Milana unless you want trouble knocking on your door.”
• Zayne was rendered speechless.
• As Avery and he waited in a line at the security check, she frequently turned back to wave at her aging dad as tears welled in her eyes.