The Lawyer’s Romance in Law
Chapter 169 I Am His Father

Chapter 169 I Am His Father

Elias looked at the little guy in front of him. He recalled how he said, 'Uncle Elias, you're not my father,' and he felt a little upset about it. He wondered when he would hear this kid finally call him 'dad.' He knew it would take time, but wasn't it about time for such a joyous thing to happen?

So, Elias shot a glance at the kid beside him as he started the fire before asking, "Aiden, how would you feel if I were your father?" The hidden meaning of the question clearly went over the boy's head. He blinked his big eyes naively and asked, "Didn't you say you know my daddy? How could you be my dad? Mommy said my dad was a sc*mbag who didn't want us. Uncle Elias, you don't seem like a sc*mbag." Elias was at a loss for words. Then, he tentatively brought up the topic, "How would you feel if I were your father? Would you be happy or disappointed?" Aiden pondered the question for a while before replying, "If you're my dad, then you could drive me around in those cars in your garage, right?"

A smile curled up on the man's lips. "Of course, I could even give them to you." The little brat giggled happily, "Then... if you're my dad, will your mommy and daddy scold me like how they scold you?" Children's logic truly knew no bounds. It was fascinating how his mind wandered so far.

Elias responded, "No, of course not. I would never let anyone scold you." He would never let anyone lay a finger on his son. How could he ever give someone leave to punish his son? Aiden widened his adorable eyes at his proclamation before finally announcing for all sundry, "Then, I will be happy to have you as my father!"

A gentle smile appeared on the man's face as his voice became softer. "Really?" Aiden nodded profusely while babbling in excitement, "Uh-huh! I can ride in all those cars you own! It will be awesome!" Elias muttered to himself, "All he thinks about are the cars in my garage."

Alas, how could he explain to Aiden that he truly was his biological father? Elias continued coaxing gently, "What if I were your dad? I should be more than qualified to be your dad, right?"

Whenever he thought about how his son had been calling Simon 'dad' for such a long time... Well, it would be an understatement to say that it made him upset. It almost made him feel like going over and beating up Simon again. To his dismay, Aiden hesitated as he stammered, "It's different... Uncle Simon is suitable for Mommy. Uncle Elias..."

Elias asked, "Am I not suitable for your mommy?" How could this little brat, who was only three years old, determine who was good or bad? He had really underestimated his precious son. "Mommy... She doesn't seem compatible with you. She seems more compatible with Uncle Simon."

Aiden had made up his mind. Although he liked the cars in Elias' garage, Elias had a bad temper. What would happen if he bullied Amanda in the future? On the other hand, Simon was different. He was calm and always gentle. He seemed like a better partner for Mommy.

Elias' mouth twitched at his son's unwittingly hurtful remarks. Did this brat even understand the concept of compatibility? He wanted to ask the boy just why he wasn't compatible with Amanda. Was it his appearance? Or, was it his family background?

He carried the little boy and placed him on his lap; a serious expression was painted on his face. "I want to know, what makes me unsuitable for your mommy? Why am I no better than Simon?" He couldn't understand why this little brat was so devoted to Simon.

Aiden looked at him, feeling a bit scared by his grave demeanor. Regardless, he said weakly, "Uncle Simon is very gentle, but Uncle Elias, you can be quite aggressive sometimes... What if you bully Mommy? She needs a man to protect her, and I want to replace someone to protect Mommy..."

Elias had no idea what to say in regard to his son's logic. He had truly underestimated just how sensitive his son was.

Nonetheless, Elias quickly realized that Aiden, although young, was quite filial and worried about a great number of things. He possessed a maturity that most of his peers lacked. Thus, Elias cleared his throat, trying to ease the awkwardness. "Have I ever been aggressive with you or your mommy? Do you remember when I got angry? There was a reason behind my rage. I don't get angry without a reason, do you understand?"

Aiden seemed to recall something and asked, "Then, why were you angry?" He couldn't forget the scene of Elias fighting. It was so scary.

To be fair, Elias' anger was indeed terrifying, any man would take a step back when faced with his wrath, let alone a three-year-old. The man fell silent for a few seconds before finally saying, "Some conflicts are between adults and aren't something you can understand right now, okay? You'll understand when you grow up. What you need to know is that I'm not someone who would lose his temper for no reason, and I would never hurt women, okay?"

Aiden looked at the man's earnest expression and nodded, "Okay, but you're not my dad. You said it yourself; it's just an 'if.""

Elias fell into silence again, contemplating how to make the child accept the fact that he was his father. If he just told him bluntly, the child probably wouldn't be able to process the fact.

"You should be hungry. Let me cook something for you." With that, Elias placed his son down and continued prepping the fire. Then, he set up the utensils and placed the pot to cook the noodles.

At that moment, Amanda walked out of the tent, stretching lazily as she asked, "What are you guys talking about?" She had overheard the conversation between the father and son, but she couldn't make out their conversation clearly, so she decided to check things out.

He replied sullenly, "Nothing..."

Unfortunately, Aiden immediately sold him out. "Uncle Elias asked if I would be happy if he were my dad."

Elias looked at his son in exasperation. He couldn't believe that this was his biological son; he was so young, yet he already knew how to throw his father under the bus! Amanda widened her eyes and glanced at the man cooking noodles. Didn't she tell him to take it slow? Why was he in such a rush to tell Aiden the truth?!

She forced a smile and crouched down beside her son. "Well, will you be happy?" Aiden innocently replied, "Yes, I would be happy! I can sit in all of Uncle Elias' cool cars." Was that all?

Amanda was stunned by Aiden's response and decided to wave him off, grumbling in resignation, "Go play with the other kids." To which her son happily responded with a chirp, "Okay!"

She watched her little child run away in the distance before rounding on Elias. "Didn't we agree to take it slow? Why are you in such a rush? Do you really want to claim him as your son this badly?" Elias scoffed. "What else should I do? Listen to him calling someone else 'Daddy' every day? I want him to call me Daddy when he's with me. I'm his father."

This possessiveness was something any man would feel. Who could tolerate their own child calling someone else 'Daddy'?

Amanda lowered her voice as she warned, "He won't be able to accept it right away if you suddenly blurt things out just like that. For the past four years, whenever he asked about his father, I told him that his father didn't want us. He's already old enough that the thought that his biological father has abandoned him has taken root..." Her voice gradually grew softer. She had been tarnishing his father's image for four years since she didn't want Aiden to hold on to any false hope for his biological father to suddenly reappear in their lives.