Chapter 171: We Have to Meet After All

He hadn’t expected her to ask that. Felix felt a flicker of panic, but thankfully, his face was buried against her, so she couldn’t see his expression—or the alarm written all over it.

He shook his head frantically, pretending to throw a childish tantrum. "I don’t have a dad! He doesn’t care about me, so I don’t want him anymore! All I need is my mommy."

Seeing how worked up he was, Amanda didn’t press the issue. She just held him and whispered a few comforting words. Felix finally settled down. He stealthily peeked up at her before guiltily looking away. ’I swear, this will be the only lie,’ he promised himself. ’I’ll tell her everything else, just not about Dad.’

Thankfully, Amanda didn’t ask anything else. She reached out and stroked his head. "We can talk about it later, then."

’If I’m going to raise this child, I’ll have to talk to his current family eventually.’

’There’s no rush. I have plenty of time.’

Thinking of something else, she asked, "So, is Jean at your dad’s house right now?"

He had found out from Jean yesterday that his mom knew about the two of them, so he didn’t hide it. He just nodded. "Yeah."

So her suspicions had been correct. The boys really had switched places at the airport. "Is he doing okay?"

"Yeah. He’s really smart. He knows how to look out for himself, no matter where he is."

’That’s true.’

"Mommy," Felix suddenly said, lifting his head from her arms. "Can I really stay with you from now on?"

"Yes. Mommy will talk to that family and get custody of you."

’Before, I didn’t even know this child existed. Now that I do, there’s no way I’m letting him go. He’s my son, and I can raise him myself. It’ll be fine if his current family is reasonable. But if they refuse to let him go... Heh, then they can’t blame me for not being polite.’

"Huh?" Felix froze for a second, then mumbled, "You two have to meet?"

’The whole reason I didn’t tell her who Dad is was because I didn’t want her to find out!’

Unaware of the boys’ plan, Amanda nodded. "Of course we do. We have to talk. Your official records are still with his family, and they need to be transferred over."

"Oh," Felix replied listlessly. ’I think I get it now. This must be why Jean was so afraid of me staying with Mom. He must have realized this would happen. If Mom wants me, she has to talk to Dad. And then... she’ll find out everything.’

’All our effort will have been for nothing.’

’I’m so torn. I want to be with Mommy, but I don’t want her to know who Daddy is.’

’This is so frustrating!’

’Why can’t I have it both ways?’

Seeing his little brow all scrunched up with such a serious, troubled expression, as if he were facing some monumental problem, Amanda couldn’t help but smile. She reached up and smoothed his furrowed brow. "Don’t be scared," she said softly. "Just leave it to Mommy to handle."

"Okay." ’I guess we’ll just have to take it one step at a time,’ he thought.

Felix’s little face scrunched up. He felt like the confrontation was inevitable, and he couldn’t help but worry.

But he had no solution. It felt like they’d hit a dead end, and thinking about it so hard was starting to give him a headache.

Suddenly, he found himself being lifted into the air. He let out a little yelp and instinctively tightened his arms around her neck.

Amanda chuckled, holding him steady. "Stop worrying. Just leave everything to Mommy, okay? Kids shouldn’t think so much, or you won’t grow tall."

At that, Felix instantly tensed up. "I’m going to be very, very tall when I grow up!"

’Mom and Dad are both tall, so I’ll be tall too.’

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay. Just be happy, and you’ll grow tall."

"Yeah."

Knowing she wouldn’t abandon him even after getting the Jade Pendant, Felix relaxed considerably. He wasn’t so afraid of the auction anymore.

She had him wash his face and change his clothes, and then the two of them headed out.

The auction was being held at The Nimbus Hotel, a five-star hotel in Aethelburg. Its large venue made it a popular choice for conferences, which was why it had been chosen for the auction as well.

There were a lot of items up for auction today, so a large crowd had gathered. Some people had even arrived in town early just for this event. It was easy to imagine how bustling it would be.

Hayden Grant had already gotten the tickets from his brother and was waiting by the hotel entrance. Spotting them, he strode over. "Megan, you’re here."

"Yeah." Amanda nodded in greeting.

Hayden Grant seemed to be in a good mood. Looking at the boy in her arms, he couldn’t resist a playful jab, poking the child’s chubby bottom. "Aren’t you a little old to be carried by your mommy? Have you no shame?"

"Nope." Felix squirmed, twisting his head to glare at Hayden. He tightened his arms around Amanda’s neck and shot him a defiant look. "You’re just jealous. Mommy’s holding me, not you, so you’re just salty."

Hayden was speechless. The little brat was as sharp-tongued as ever, always knowing exactly where to hit him where it hurt.

But then, the thought of Megan holding him—upright, no less—made him shudder. The mental image was too horrifying to even contemplate.

"Stop talking nonsense. I just can’t stand to see a little pudgeball like you tiring out my Megan."

Hearing that, Felix retorted, a little annoyed, "She’s *my* mommy."

As he spoke, he hugged Amanda even tighter, his possessiveness on full display.

"Alright, alright, she’s yours," Hayden said, rolling his eyes at him. "Loosen your grip a little. Don’t choke Megan."

Realizing he really had been squeezing too hard, Felix quickly loosened his arms. "Sorry, Mommy! I didn’t mean to."

He pouted and blew on her neck as if to make it better. Amanda shook her head. "I’m fine."

Then she looked at Hayden with some exasperation. "Why do you always have to tease him?"

"It’s fun," Hayden shot a glance at Felix, muttering, "He’s so goofy."

He was immediately met with a death glare from Amanda, and he quickly surrendered. "Alright, alright, I’ll stop."

Only then did Amanda look away. "Let’s go."

The auction wasn’t until that evening, so with a few hours to kill, Amanda decided to get two rooms. They could wait there and head down right before it started.

As she and Hayden walked side-by-side to the elevator, Felix kept turning his head to bicker with him. Amanda found it amusing. She had no idea how those two managed to be at each other’s throats the moment they met. Despite a twenty-year age gap, they could still go at it so intensely. It was really something.

But she could tell they were just playing around and didn’t genuinely dislike each other, so she didn’t interfere.

When they reached her room door, Amanda said, "Alright, we’ll see you in a bit."

Now that she had spoken, the two finally called a truce. Felix obediently waved at Hayden. "Bye-bye, Uncle!"

The glee in his voice was hard to miss.

’Finally! I don’t have to see that stinky uncle anymore! I’m so happy!’

Guessing his thoughts, Hayden gave a small roll of his eyes. "Little brat."

To prevent them from starting up again, Amanda quickly swiped the key card and pushed the door open. Felix didn’t get a chance to fire back a retort, and once he saw it was just him and his mom in the room, he quickly forgot all about it.

Setting him down on a chair, Amanda looked at his triumphant expression with amusement. She gave his nose a gentle tap and said fondly, "That made you happy, huh?"

"Yep." Felix swung his dangling legs. "Uncle is so immature."

Amanda smiled and stroked his little cheek. "That’s just your uncle messing with you."

’I know.’

He wrinkled his nose and said, "Alright, fine. I guess I’ll be a little nicer to him from now on."

"Good."