บท 22: Chapter 22

That night was a fluke.

It was an unexpected event that should not have happened, but by some luck, she landed on his lap, or bed, for that matter, without him lifting a finger.

Frankly, he only came to his brother's bachelor's party to convince him not to go through with the wedding. But his stubborn brother would not even hear him out.

"Nothing you say would make me change my mind. I love Jules, and I will marry her." Dale announced determinedly.

However, unlike his brother, he was more committed to getting rid of her. He wanted her out of their lives. He did not want his brother to marry her. And he was willing to go the extra mile.

Still, seducing the bride was not on his agenda. He only intended to offer her money that she would find hard to refuse.

Or if that did not work, he also had a few tricks up his sleeves he could use to persuade her to change her mind.

"But..." As he recalled that night one more time. "Fuck!" He was not expecting what happened when he accidentally bumped into her after leaving his brother's party.

It was like fate was working in his favor. It presented him with an opportunity, and he took advantage of it. Nonetheless, he did not intend the situation to get out of hand.

Regardless, he still accomplished his goal of getting rid of her for good. Somehow, she sabotaged her wedding when she slept with him.

No sane woman in love would have been that intimate with him the night before her wedding. Damn! He could still, but he stopped.

He should not be thinking about that night because that was over. It was just a means to an end, nothing more. Just like what this arranged marriage would be.

"Is everything arranged, Phil?" He finally stood from his desk and moved out of his private study, barking orders at the man already waiting for him outside his door.

"Yes, Sir." His assistant confidently spoke, proving once again why he had kept his services all these years.

He did not want incompetent people working closely with him. He did not like sloppy work, even if it was just the tiniest details.

But Phil had worked twenty-five hours a day and eight days a week, going above and beyond his call of duty, demonstrating why he depended on him to run his place.

"Is there anything else you want me to do?" His most trusted help stood straight before him, like a soldier, waiting patiently for his next orders.

At that moment, he had none. "If I forgot anything else, I trust you will know what to do." Damon patted the elderly gentleman on the shoulder before passing him.

He guessed the older man would know more about these things than he did. Therefore, he trusted he would do a better job of deciding what was best.

"As you wish, Sir." The man agreed with him with no complaints as he walked in the opposite direction, ready to do the rest of his duties.

On the other hand, he walked toward the main door where his car was already waiting. Not a minute later, the car moved toward his first stop.

A few minutes later, he was walking in the white hallway, passing through several people on the way. But he did not care about any of them. He only had one thing in his mind.

"Are you guys ready?" He said as he walked through the door.

His eyes landed on the woman, who quickly turned to see him. But she neither smiled, spoke, or showed a reaction as her face remained passive while glancing at him before looking away again.

"Just give us a minute," Jules responded as she returned to whatever she was doing.

He scanned the room, seeing a bag packed and zipped tight on the couch. And the boy had already changed to some casual clothes.

"Are we living in your house?" The boy finally spoke when he saw him.

He moved closer to the bed until his eyes connected to two similar green eyes looking directly at him. It was like staring in a mirror.

If he did not have the DNA done, those eyes would prove that he was the father. Their green eyes were almost identical.

Unlike Dale, who took his eyes off their mother, his and Oliver came from his father, Walter. And besides that, they had the same hair and nose. The kid looked like him when he was about his age.

"Yes," Damon answered as he stepped closer. "You and your Mom will be living with me." He assured the boy, seeing that he kept glancing at his mother for confirmation.

"Mom said that you will marry her." The boy stated, but it sounded like a question. "And then, I should call you Dad." He continued, but the hesitation in his voice became more prominent.

Honestly, he was not expecting that. In truth, he had no idea how to respond to that. The boy had caught him off guard. He thought he would have more time before they would tell him about their relationship.

"I thought I should break the news to him so he will not be surprised about our new living arrangement," Jules explained as she held her son's hands while standing on the other side of the bed.

"Ok." He had nothing against that. On the other hand, he thought it was wise. At least that would save him from the awkward conversation.

He guessed he still had to learn how to deal with a child. Most of his experience with young ones was from looking from afar. He could not even remember the last time he directly spoke to a child.

"And since we are getting married, you will technically become his father." He heard how she emphasized the word technically as if that should be the operative word.

Suddenly, he realized what she did. He believed he just outplayed him.

Smart move.

But was that wise?