William sighed heavily, "This has gotta be against the family code, right? If the Stirlings find out my dad has been keeping the truth

under wraps, they're gonna blhim for sure. Uncle Leopold's the head honcho, and he's bound to take it out on my dad, enforce

the family code."

Skyler scratched his head, "I don't think Leopold would do that. You're seeing the glass as half empty. Plus, he's putty in Angel's

hands, and if she's not on board, he won't budge."

William grimaced, "As if he listens to Mom. He's always picking fights with her, getting under her skin. Why else would she bail on

him and leave?"

Skyler was taken aback, "That's all Geoffrey's fault. He drove a wedge between them. Leopold's really into Angel, and she's got a

soft spot for him, too."

William furrowed his brow, "Mom's got a soft spot for my dad as well."

Skyler heaved a sigh, "I'm not exactly Team Mom and Dad myself because they're no good. But Leopold's a decent guy, not a

villain. Why not give him a chance to be your dad?"

"No way." William pouted, "lI only want my real dad. Ever since those creeps snatchedfrom the hospital, he's not my dad

anymore."

Skyler was troubled and thought, “Poor Leopold. If only he knew Liam was still alive, he'd be over the moon.”

"Alright, keep mulling it over." replied Skyler.

William slumped back onto the couch, "Skyler, how about we keep listening to those spooky tunes?"

Skyler waved him off, "Nah, let's call it a night. I'm not getting anything from it, and it's messing with my sleep."

"Okay." William nodded and retreated to his room.

Feeling peckish, Skyler headed downstairs to the kitchen for a snack. To his surprise, he ran into Leopold, who was whipping up

sbeef stew for Aurelia, and she had a craving for his home-cooked specialty.

The aroma hit Skyler, and he swallowed hard, "Leopold, that stew smells amazing."

Leopold could tell he was hungry, "I'll get sfor you too."

Skyler cracked a smile. Leopold was a solid guy. Why couldn't William accept him as his dad?

"Leopold, I bet William's starving too. How about making a bowl for him? He'd be stoked to eat your stew."

Leopold's face twitched, a frown forming, "He doesn't like my cooking. He prefers Arnold's."

He was sick of hearing William sing Arnold's praises and put him down.

Skyler said soothingly, "I bet your stew's just as good as Arnold's. William's just worried about getting too chummy with you and

afraid it'll upset Arnold, so he's keeping his distance. He's a thoughtful kid, and don't hold it against him."

"I'm not about to squabble with a kid." Leopold's tone was even.

Skyler took a sip of his yogurt drink before asking, "Leopold, do you know how to cheer up William?"

"lI don't need to care about William's feelings," Leopold replied coolly.

Skyler facepalmed, "What if Kane was upset? Would you comfort him?"

"Kane's a good kid, always content. He's never been unhappy," Leopold claimed.

Skyler was speechless. An emotional stampede thundered through his mind. True, William was a tad more eccentric and had a

fiercer temper than Kane.

That was why, even though they were spitting images of each other, he could tell them apart.

"Leopold, Angel would really appreciate it if you were nicer to William. If you treated him like your own, she'd be thrilled."

Leopold gave him a piercing look, his gaze sharp and probing, "Skyler, you know something about William's secret, don't you?"

Skyler hastily feigned confusion, "Secret? What secret? Does William have a secret?"

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