Since when did young people talk to their elders like this?
“I can't give you what you're asking for. But a mother can grant her son a request.”
“Can I kiss you? Mom.”
“Okay.”
I nodded.
A kiss landed softly on my forehead. Then my eyelids. Then my cheeks……
Hold on—wasn't that a few too many?
I knew he was happy with me as a stepmother.
But this was a little much.
At dinner that evening.
Edgar came downstairs with Patsy draped all over him.
I didn't say a word, just waited until he sat down before I started eating.
During the meal, they brought up Fred.
“That boy still hasn't come around?”
“Stubborn as ever.”
Patsy looked at me with open pride：“You have no idea how amazing our Fred is. Top of his class at Kingsbridge University, and he's got real backbone—won't touch his parents' money. Of course, being that proud can backfire sometimes, right?”
I thought of Fred swiping his card at the mall without blinking.
"Principled" was not the word that came to mind.
“He's young. It's normal.”
“You've never had children, so you wouldn't understand. Kids these days are little tyrants, impossible to manage. Honestly, I envy you. Not being able to have kids means you never have to deal with any of it.”
Unbidden, what surfaced in my mind was Fred's face—the way it always flushed red, and those wet, earnest eyes whenever he looked at me.
I thought they had the wrong idea about their own child.
Fred was perfectly well-behaved.
After more than a month of looking after him, there was no trace left of the beaten-down boy I'd first taken in. He practically glowed now, and he clung to me a little more each day.
I decided the timing was right.
Today, I would bring him home.
A family couldn't stay scattered forever.
That evening, I waited for Fred outside the school gates.
This time, two friends came out with him.
The moment Fred spotted me, he jogged over and took my hand.
His friends started in from behind：“No wonder you've been ditching my sister—you've been hiding someone like her this whole time.”
Fred frowned：“She's not your sister.”
His friend shook his head：“If I had someone this pretty and loaded looking out for me, I'd keep her hidden. No way I'd let you guys anywhere near her.”
I had no idea what they were going on about.
I looked up and caught Fred's gaze.
“Ready to go home?”
He didn't answer. The other boy jumped in：“Home? What's your deal with him exactly? Do I still have a shot?”
I glanced at Fred, unsure how to answer.
I was afraid that blurting out our relationship in front of his friends would put him in an awkward spot.
After all, the whole illegitimate-son thing seemed to bother him.
Fred slung his arm around my shoulders, looked down at me, and raised one brow：“She's my mom.”
I don't know why, but those two words from his mouth turned my knees to water.
Still, seeing that he wasn't ashamed of it put me at ease.
I cleared my throat and turned to his two friends：“Hi. I'm his mother. Please look after him for me.”
Then I took Fred's hand as naturally as breathing：“Come on. Your dad's been waiting for us.”
In the car.
He was quiet for a long time.
I noticed how he kept opening his mouth and stopping himself, so I asked：“What's wrong?”
He wasn't having second thoughts, was he?
“Nothing. Just… turns out I mistook you for someone else.”
“Hm?”
He turned to look at me, a quiet smile surfacing：“But that's not so bad either.”
“By the way, when you said you wanted to come home and see Dad, what did you mean?”
“Your dad misses you. Let's go back together.”
He froze for a second, then scratched his head：“Isn't that a little fast?”
“Not at all—he's been waiting a long time for this.”
The smile at the corner of Fred's mouth kept growing wider.
My heart finally settled.
See? He wanted to come home too.
It was their approach to the boy that had been all wrong.
Good thing they had me.
Otherwise this family would've fallen apart.
Walking into the villa with Fred at my side,
I felt a strange surge of pride.
Especially when I saw Edgar's eyes glistening with tears. That feeling swelled even more.
We traditional wives really can do anything.
“Fred? What are you doing here?”
“What's going on? Why did you bring me to Edgar's house?”
“Why are you with my son?”
Three faces stared at each other in open shock as I led Fred by the hand, right up to Edgar and Patsy.
“Honey, all that matters now is the four of us making this family work.”
