"Son?"
The man knew about Chris?!
Alessia's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously glanced at her daughter behind her, furrowing her brows.
The man only mentioned Chris, not Elle. He must have seen Chris's face, after all, Chris was a replica of him.
Her worst fear had come true.
Even though the man wielded immense power in Toronto, she wouldn't hand Chris over to him.
Alessia's eyes darkened, preparing herself to confront Dominic head-on.
Standing straight at the doorway, Alessia spoke firmly, "He's not just your son, he's my son too. I won't hand him over to you."
"Are you trying to compete with me?"
"Mr. Carter, you're mistaken. I'm not competing with you, you're competing with me," Alessia corrected firmly.
As soon as she spoke, she saw Dominic sneer, his tone biting, and his eyes glaring at her like knives, wanting to tear her apart.
"Now that you admit he's your son, why didn't you remember he was your son when you abandoned him? When you had a pair of twin daughters with another man, why didn't you remember he was your son? When I warned you not to get involved with Dylan Frost, why didn't you remember he was your son?" With each word Dominic uttered, he took a step forward, emanating a chilling aura.
In Alessia's normally clear eyes, there was a rare hint of confusion. This was perhaps the longest sentence the man had ever spoken to her.
But she couldn't understand...
As Alessia contemplated, she heard the door behind her click open, and a cold gust of wind blew past her, entering the room.
Alessia turned around and saw her son walking out with a stern expression.
Alessia frowned and spoke sternly, "Why did you come down? Didn't I ask Mrs. Cate to stay with you upstairs? Go back quickly."
She then saw her son purse his lips and speak seriously, "Mom, I'm happy to be with you, but Dad came to find me, and I have to go back with him."
Alessia was taken aback, then she tightened her lips, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
What did he mean by being happy to be with her? She had been taking care of him since he was just a crying baby, and now he wanted to leave with his father just because he showed up?
Since when did her considerate son turn into an ungrateful brat?
Alessia reached out and grabbed Christopher, her tone threatening, "Who do you want to go home with?"
"Alessia, let go!"
Alessia's movement was immediately met with Dominic's icy voice.
Dominic's large hand reached out almost simultaneously, almost imprisoning Alessia's wrist.
Alessia turned her head back with a cold gaze, and the two locked eyes in the air.
From the looks of it, they were about to start fighting at any moment!
Christopher's obsidian eyes flickered.
He had changed into his brother's clothes, and both Mom and Dad had mistaken him for his brother.
They even called Auntie Bianca, why wasn't she here yet?
If Mom and Dad kept arguing for a few more moments, maybe they wouldn't be able to hide anything anymore.
Just as Christopher's stoic face was about to crack completely, Bianca finally appeared, striding out of the opposite courtyard in high heels.
A faint trace of joy flashed in Christopher's eyes as he heard his aunt speak from afar. "Christopher, why aren't you staying at home? Who let you run around like this!"
The word 'Christopher' were like a thunderbolt, stunning Alessia who was about to confront Dominic.
Alessia raised her head, her eyes flickering.
Bianca called 'Christian' as 'Christopher'. Could it be...
In Alessia's mind, the image of the child's eyes peeking out from the mask, eyes identical to Chris', resurfaced.
Then she remembered Chris' recent changes-lack of security, reluctance to speak, becoming more and more like his father.
And the incomprehensible words the man just spoke became clear, like peeling an onion layer by layer.
The answer was right in front of her!
At this moment, Bianca had already approached.
She walked straight to the other side of Alessia, her delicate face full of anger, and grabbed Alessia's other wrist.
"You wicked woman! Our Carter family has raised Christopher for so many years, and you want to take him away? You don't even have the right!"
Alessia's eyes flickered, feeling Bianca's fingers gently pinching her wrist, a gesture that seemed intentional.
Bianca's implication was already clear.
The earlier speculation was now confirmed.
In that moment, Alessia, who rarely showed her emotions, was almost moved to tears.
The treasure she had been searching for years had finally been found.
Life was full of drama and surprises. Who would have thought that her child was right next to his biological father?
Alessia remained composed and glanced at Christopher behind her.
This was her firstborn!
No wonder Chris' personality seemed different from before. It turned out he had really changed.
Smart and steady, the man had educated him well.
Alessia took a deep breath. She wanted to keep him, but she also understood that she couldn't forcibly compete with Dominic, or else she would expose Chris and Elle.
Seeing Alessia's change in expression, Bianca understood that she probably understood her intention.
Pretty clever.
Bianca breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, released Alessia's hand, snorted coldly, and crossed her arms in a typical young mistress pose.
Alessia suppressed the tumultuous emotions in her heart, pursed her lips, and turned to negotiate terms with Dominic.
"I may not argue with you over the child, but I must have visitation rights."
Now, looking back on what the man had said, she realized he had misunderstood her. He thought she had abandoned her son back then.
It turned out that the man's dislike for her wasn't solely because she left that 'one-cent coin' behind.
She could understand his disgust towards her, but that didn't mean she would give up her son.
Asking for visitation rights now was also a tactical move.
"You don't deserve it," Dominic rejected without hesitation.
Alessia pretended to look disappointed and lowered her eyelids.
Dominic sneered. This woman was adept at playing mind games.
Christopher watched the atmosphere between Alessia and Dominic ease slightly and cleverly realized that the alarm had temporarily subsided.
At the right moment, Christopher walked out from behind Alessia without a word, and his little legs moved toward the courtyard of the opposite door.
Seeing his lively demeanor fade and his expression return to its usual poker face, Dominic's eyes darkened. He disdainfully shook off Alessia's hand and turned to leave.
Uncle Tom, who had long been dumbfounded, watched as his master and young master left, and he left with the gift he had brought.
His mind was filled with legal matters. How could he have expected that a mother would suddenly appear when he came to visit his neighbor?
Moreover, this woman, who was beautiful but seemed to have a bad temper, didn't resemble the former lady at all.
In an instant, the lively courtyard fell silent.
Bianca snorted coldly and also intended to leave.
At this moment, Alessia, unlike the desolation she had shown in Dominic's presence, spoke up. "Thank you."
Bianca's steps, which were about to leave, stopped reluctantly. She raised her chin proudly. "No need. I'm not doing this for you."
"I know, but still, thank you sincerely." Alessia expressed her gratitude from the bottom of her heart.
Although Bianca seemed afraid of his brother, she knew that Bianca loved her brother very much.
This time, standing on her side and helping to keep the man in the dark, it must have been for the sake of her son and daughter's dignity.
"It's up to you whether you thank me or not!"
Bianca still looked proud, but inwardly, she was excited and couldn't stop screaming.
Wow, this was Al, her idol! Her idol just said thank you to her!
Bianca cleared her throat, feeling the chaotic energy inside her about to burst out. She decided it was better to leave first. Before leaving, she thought for a moment and felt she should leave with a harsh word.
"Alessia, I'll be watching you. Don't think about taking Christopher away. I won't give you that chance. Christian and Eleanor are both children of Carter family. Sooner or later, they will return to our Carter family."
"Okay." Alessia nodded perfunctorily.
"Alessia!" Bianca gritted her teeth.
Here it comes again. Every time she faced Alessia, it felt like punching a cotton ball.
No, her fondness for Al would have to take a big hit.
Bianca's inner emotions were rich, but she heard Alessia's voice again.
"I heard you like Al. I have many rare editions of Al's dresses. If you want, you can go upstairs now and pick some."
Bianca sneered instinctively, ready to refuse.
As if she could be bought with such trivial favors?
However, just as Bianca was about to refuse, she abruptly stopped herself.
Al's rare edition dresses were priceless, and anyone in the high society would be able to boast for a long time if they could obtain one.
If she could get a few more for herself, wouldn't it mean that she was taking several steps closer to becoming the top socialite?
With this thought in mind, Bianca's attitude immediately changed.
***