Chapter 5 A STRANGER CALLED DADDY

Caleb stood at the edge of the park's sandbox, his tiny hands gripping a red plastic shovel, eyes focused on the mini fort he was building. His curly hair bounced with every excited movement, completely unaware that his world was about to shift.

Leah sat on a bench under a tree, her fingers twisted around each other as she watched her son play. Every few seconds, her gaze darted toward the entrance of the park.

Then she saw him.

Adrian. Dressed casually in jeans and a gray sweater, but he still looked like he walked straight out of a magazine. Polished. Powerful. Yet today, he looked nervous. Human.

He stopped a few feet from her, unsure.

Leah stood and met him halfway.

"He's right over there," she said quietly. "Please... be gentle."

Adrian nodded, his throat dry. "I've imagined this moment a hundred times."

She gave a stiff nod. "Let's hope it goes better than your imagination."

Adrian chuckled nervously but said nothing. He took a few steps toward Caleb.

The little boy looked up, squinting. "Mommy?" he called. "Who's that man?"

Leah stepped beside him. "Caleb, sweetie, this is Adrian. He's... he's someone very special."

Adrian knelt slowly. "Hi, Caleb. I'm your dad."

The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.

Caleb blinked, confused. "But... I don't have a daddy. That's what Mommy said."

Leah flinched.

Adrian didn't break eye contact. "She was trying to protect you. I wasn't around before, and that's my fault. But I'm here now. And if you'll let me... I'd like to know you."

Caleb's eyes narrowed with the wisdom only children possess. "Do you like dinosaurs?"

Adrian smiled, heart swelling. "I love dinosaurs."

Caleb considered this. "What's your favorite?"

"T-Rex," Adrian answered instantly.

Caleb cracked a smile. "Okay. You can sit."

He pointed to the sand next to him. Adrian sat without hesitation, his expensive jeans forgotten. Leah watched, stunned, as the most ruthless man she'd ever known picked up a plastic dinosaur and began mimicking growling sounds under her son's instruction.

For the first time in years, she saw something raw in Adrian-joy.

They played for nearly half an hour. Laughter echoed around them. When Leah finally called Caleb for his juice, Adrian sat beside her on the bench.

"He's perfect," Adrian whispered, watching his son sip through a straw.

Leah's voice trembled. "He's everything."

Silence.

"I missed five years," Adrian murmured. "I'll never forgive myself for that."

"You can't undo the past," she replied. "But maybe... if you're sincere, you can be part of his future."

"I want that."

Leah turned to him. "Then stay away from whatever you're hiding. I saw the scars, Adrian. On your body. In your eyes. You're still keeping secrets. And if those secrets touch my son-"

"They won't," he promised, eyes darkening. "I'd burn the world before I let it hurt him."

Leah wasn't sure if that comforted her-or terrified her.

---

Later That Night

Adrian stood in his penthouse study, staring at a manila file dropped on his desk.

"Sir," his bodyguard said. "We traced her movements. Someone's been watching her. A black sedan, unmarked, has followed her twice this week."

Adrian's jaw clenched. "Someone's digging."

"Possibly from your father's side."

He cursed. "Protect them. Both of them. I don't care what it takes."

He opened the file-and froze.

Inside was a blurry photo.

Of Caleb.

And a gun's red laser dot on his backpack.

Adrian's hand curled into a tight fist over the photo. His pulse thundered, anger igniting beneath his skin. Whoever dared to threaten his son was digging their own grave.

The bodyguard shifted uncomfortably. "Should we inform Ms. Leah?"

"No," Adrian growled. "Not yet. Telling her will only scare her-and Caleb. We'll handle this quietly. Secure every place they go. Double the surveillance. And find out who the hell is behind that car."

"Yes, sir."

As the door shut behind his guard, Adrian's shoulders sagged. The weight of being a father was heavier than he'd expected-especially with a target now painted on his child.

His phone buzzed.

Leah: He just fell asleep. He told me his new favorite dinosaur is T-Rex "because Daddy likes it."

A bittersweet smile crept across Adrian's face.

He typed back: Tell him T-Rex rules the kingdom. Just like he rules my heart.

There was no reply for a moment, then:

Leah: He's going to love you. I just hope the past doesn't ruin this.

Adrian's expression hardened. It won't. I'll make sure of it.

He set his phone down and opened a locked drawer. Inside was a sealed envelope stamped with his family's crest.

He hadn't touched it in years. But now... the threat to Leah and Caleb meant it was time to reopen wounds. The Devereux name had always been a double-edged sword. And Adrian had walked away from the family to protect himself-and now them.

But it looked like someone from the past wasn't ready to let go.

And this time, it wouldn't just be his life at stake-it would be his son's.

---

Meanwhile, in Leah's Apartment

Leah stood by Caleb's bed, brushing back his curls as he slept soundly. The innocence on his face made her chest ache.

Her phone pinged. Adrian again.

Adrian: We need to talk tomorrow. Somewhere safe. Somewhere private.

She stared at the screen.

Somewhere safe?

Why did those two words suddenly feel like a warning?

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