Chapter 88

Jonathan carried Michael to his office. “Daddy! Daddy!” Michael looked at the tall, remarkably handsome man with sparkling eyes and called out eagerly, as if he had been holding it in for a long time. The person before him was his idol, Jonathan, and the most handsome and fitting man to be his father he had ever encountered. However, Jonathan’s eyes showed no trace of joy, only a hint of sadness and sympathy. He gently patted Michael’s head without saying a word.

Eventually, Jonathan called Christian over using the intercom. When Christian saw Michael in the office, his heart sank, but he maintained his composure and said, “Mr. Lynn, you’re looking for me?”

“Mr. Dunn!” Michael exclaimed.

“Mr. Dunn?” Jonathan smirked, realizing Michael was still unaware of his true parentage, and handed the DNA test report Michael had given him to Christian. Christian’s eyes flickered, and he quickly asked, “Mr. Lynn, can I speak with you alone for a moment?”

Jonathan glanced at the lively Michael on the couch and told another secretary to take the child out. “Go ahead.” Jonathan leaned back in his chair, his gaze on Christian becoming more scrutinizing.

Christian opened the DNA test report. His name was on it because he had used his own ID card for the test, even though the hair used was actually Jonathan’s. Christian explained to Jonathan, “Mr. Lynn, the child is actually my girlfriend’s. We dated in college. I didn’t know she was pregnant until we met again recently. She told me she had given birth to my son, and that’s how we got back together.”

“Oh?” Jonathan narrowed his eyes slightly, saying, “The receptionist asked where the child lives. He lives at Rosary Estates. Does your girlfriend live there, too?” Jonathan thought, ‘That’s where Teresa lives!’

Christian said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Lynn. I forgot to mention that my girlfriend is Mrs. Lynn’s roommate. They both used to work at NewEdge Media, and they got along pretty well.” He added, “We both graduated from Nareigh University of Finance and Economics. We were young and reckless, and I didn’t think about taking preventative measures back then. It was my mistake.”

Jonathan’s gaze remained sharp as he stared at Christian’s sweat-drenched forehead. He asked, “Why are you sweating so much?”

Christian quickly raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face. “Because… I’m afraid you’ll get angry. The child doesn’t know that I’m his father, and he has always wanted you to be his father because he really looks up to you.”

Hearing Christian’s words, Jonathan sneered. “I didn’t expect that you would pull something like this behind your innocent look.”

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble, Mr. Lynn,” Christian apologized.

Jonathan was silent for a few seconds. Then, he asked, “What’s the child’s name?”

“Mike,” Christian answered without hesitation, “Mike Johnson.”

“Mike Johnson,” Jonathan said slowly. “Not a bad name. It rolls off the tongue better than yours.”

“Yeah, my ex-girlfriend came up with it. The child took her last name,” said Christian. He was able to answer every question Jonathan threw at him.

Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing he had been overthinking, and sighed. “You can leave.”

“Yes, Mr. Lynn.” Christian left Jonathan’s office and let out a deep breath. His forehead and body were covered in sweat. He took off his blazer and found that the lining underneath was drenched. He went to an empty corner and called Teresa with trembling hands. “Mrs. Lynn, how clever of you! Mr. Lynn did ask about Mike, and I answered him exactly as you said. He didn’t suspect anything,” he said.

After a brief silence, Teresa responded, “Got it! Is Michael still with him?”

Christian replied, “Yes. Please don’t be mad at Sherry. She didn’t mean to lose Mike. He probably wants Mr. Lynn to be his father too much.”

Teresa was quiet for a few seconds before she said, “I’m not blaming her, but you must bring Michael back to me later. I’ll be waiting for him at home.”

“I understand. I’ll come up with an excuse to bring Mike back as soon as possible.” With that, Christian hung up the phone, shivering. He was not good at lying, especially in front of Jonathan.

When Sherry found out that Michael was missing, she immediately called Teresa and Christian. Christian had heard from a colleague that there was a little boy downstairs at the company looking for his father and insisting that Jonathan was his father. He immediately knew that the little boy was Michael. Christian was flustered; he had forgotten that the DNA test report was with Michael. Fortunately, Teresa remained calm. She told him not to panic and instructed him to say that the child was his and Sherry’s if Jonathan asked.

Chapter 88

“But Mr. Lynn will definitely ask for the child’s name. Sherry’s last name is Roth, and mine is Dunn. What should I do?” Christian asked.

“Just say his name is Mike Johnson. Jonathan hasn’t met Sherry, and he won’t bother looking her up. Even if he finds out her name, you just tell him that Sherry took her mother’s last name, and the child took her father’s last name, Johnson. He won’t suspect a thing,” replied Teresa.

“But…” Christian was still afraid. “Mike doesn’t look like me. He looks a lot more like his real father, Mr. Lynn.”

Teresa assured him, “Jonathan wouldn’t suspect me of being pregnant, let alone giving birth to his child. Just stay calm and answer him as I’ve told you.”

Teresa didn’t tell Christian the reason behind it. Back when she wanted a divorce, she had shown Jonathan her contraceptive pills to prove that she had been preventing pregnancy during their two years of marriage.

“Yes, Mrs. Lynn. I’ll do as you said.” Christian finally came back to his senses, thinking, ‘She and Mr. Lynn are a handful!’

As the saying went, “Wisdom comes with age.” Jonathan was a smart person, yet Teresa could predict exactly what he would ask and say. If it were Christian, he would have been completely flustered and unable to answer Jonathan’s questions effortlessly.

Christian let out a sigh of relief and muttered to himself while changing his clothes, “The city’s full of tricks. I’ll take Sherry back to a small town for retirement once I’ve made enough money.”

At Rosary Estates, Teresa was waiting for Christian to bring Michael back. She was not in the mood to work today. Her heart leaped into her throat when she found out that Michael was going to meet Jonathan. She had never worried about Michael; he was well-behaved and stayed put at home, but now it seemed that he was not as reassuring as she thought. ‘How did he find out about Horizonlead Group? Does he know the way? Would he get lost?’ she wondered. In any case, she could only feel at ease once Michael came back safely. Teresa contacted Miriam to come over to Rosary Estates and a moving company. ‘I have to move right now!’ she uttered inwardly.