Kane whispered, "It's not for her sake, I'm doing it for Nina and Mira." William replied, "Jelena isn't like that wicked woman Megan. She wouldn't mistreat them. At worst, they'd just be kids from a single- parent home. I'm a kid from a single-parent htoo, you know." Kane patted his shoulder, "William, if you wanted to chome, you wouldn't be from a single-parent hanymore." William's face set in a stubborn expression, "That's your home, not mine. His where Dad is." Kane blinked and asked softly, "What if your dad found a new stepmom?" William shook his head, "Dad said he's not marrying again. He only loved Mom, only wanted to marry Mom. If Uncle Leopold is mean to Mom, Dad and | will definitely take her back." Kane rubbed his forehead. Leopold had his work cut out for him, and he couldn't let Mom get snatched away by Arnold again.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Dad and Mom are doing fine now. They're not going to split up again." Pulling a face, William countered, "No way. They fought today. They're giving each other the cold shoulder. Didn't you notice?" Kane had a vague sense of it, but he felt they'd make up by tomorrow. They often did.
"They're just bickering, not really fighting. They'll make up by tomorrow." William scrunched his nose, "My dad never bickers with Mom. Why does Uncle Leopold always have to argue with her and make her mad? Uncle Leopold isn't nice to Mom at all." As he was speaking, Leopold happened to walk by and overheard every single word. His brow furrowed instinctively.
"William, don't always compareto your father." William stuck out his tongue at him, "You just can't measure up, scared to compare, right? No comparison, no harm done." Leopold was at a loss for words. If Aurelia was a porcupine, he was a mini version, prickly all over.
"Your mother is my wife for life, and she'll never go back to your father. No matter how mad you get, it won't change a thing. You may not accept me, and | won't force you. But remember, I'll always be your Uncle Leopold, and that can't change. As long as you're a Stirling, you need to showthe basic respect that's due. That's the house rule." "Con!" William puffed out his cheeks, "I'm just a kid. Kids speak their minds, say whatever they're thinking. You better not make Mom mad too often, or she'll definitely leave you again, and then you'll be the one crying." Leopold's world seemed to spin. William was deliberately opposing him, dead set on helping Arnold win Aurelia back.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Don't worry, that day will never come." "Who knows?" William turned his head and walked off towards the garden, hands behind his back, full of sass.
Kane sighed internally. Maybe William was holding a grudge inside, blaming Leopold for not protecting him, leading to his kidnapping by the bad guys. It was Arnold who had saved him, which was why he was so close to him.
"Dad, don't be mad at William. If you're patient with him, kinder to him, maybe he'll caround." "No need." Leopold took Kane's hand. He didn't have the patience to coddle Aurelia and Arnold's child.
Kane looked down. If Dad knew that William was actually Liam, he wouldn't think this way.
"Dad, have you ever considered that maybe Liam is still alive?" Leopold paused. He too hoped for a miracle, but he had seen the charred remains of the child with his own eyes. How could he still be alive? "Why bring up Liam all of a sudden?" Kane scratched his head, replying, "Just seeing William madethink of Liam. If he really was alive but didn't want to acknowledge you as his dad, would you be upset?"