The CEO’S Unplanned Heir novel (Aurelia and Leopold)
Chapter 975

Leopold strolled over, his large hand reaching out to ruffle her hair affectionately. "You don't have to worry about that, sweetheart.

He's one of the Stirling family, my nephew. How could I possibly let him down?" Aurelia sighed internally. Leopold, with his aloof demeanor, was never going to bond with William the way Arnold did. Getting him to acknowledge and accept his flesh and blood was going to be a tough cookie to crack.

If she were to spill the beans about the truth, Leopold, with his domineering nature, would undoubtedly snatch the boy away from Arnold in a heartbeat. That would likely send the father-son relationship into a deep freeze, maybe even breeding resentment in William that could last a lifetime.

"I just wish you and William could get along like father and son," she said, holding onto a sliver of hope.

From Leopold's point of view, her wish was a tall order. William had always kept him at arm's length, showing no signs of ever seeing him as a dad.

"The bond he has with Arnold is irreplaceable," Leopold stated bluntly, an inconvenient truth for himself as the biological father.

Aurelia thought to herself, bitterly, that this wasn't a good sign for Leopold's relationship with William.

"William's just a kid. If you show him kindness, he'll warm up to you. I have to get back to work now." Maybe it was simply a case of thin blood ties between them. Otherwise, why would the child have been taken at birth, leaving him and his real dad as strangers? On Monday, Raines returned from abroad.

Aurelia and Sheryl got busy setting up a family dinner to welchim home.

Raines was slim and tall, with handsome, delicate features but a rather pale complexion that suggested fragile health.

He was dressed in a turtleneck sweater and a long-sleeved coat, wrapped up tightly as if he was very susceptible to the cold.

Following him was a stunning woman named Lisbeth, his personal assistant and caretaker, responsible for his daily needs. After all, with his memory issues, it was handy to have someone to remember things for him.

Fredric and Leopold approached.

Fredric clapped Raines on the shoulder. "Raines, it's been too long. I've almost forgotten what you look like!" Raines had lived abroad for so long that Fredric's memory of him was still that of a teenager.

Scratching his head with a somewhat foreign look, Raines asked, "You are... my older brother?" "That's right, I'm your big brother," Fredric chuckled, pointing to the man beside him. "And this is Leopold. Arnold has been off in the Arctic and won't be back for a few days." Raines smiled. "I can't believe how much Leopold's grown. My memory's not so good and I hardly recognize anyone from home." "Don't worry, I'll help you get reacquainted. Let's go say hi to Jessica," Fredric said with a warm smile.

Jessica was seated on the couch and pulled Raines down beside her. "Raines, you've gotten so thin. I'm going to have the cook prepare snutritious soup with ginseng to build your strength." "Thanks, Jessica," Raines said, rubbing his hands together, appearing a bit restrained. After all, he'd spent most of his tabroad and wasn't familiar with the family back home.

"You should stay a while this time. If you want, settle down in Elysium. We can bring your mother over to spend her twilight years here," Jessica offered kindly.

After Chad had been bewitched by Magnolia, he had abandoned Raines' mother, sending her and their son away. The result was a bout of depression for her.

Raines had had his accident and suffered a head injury because of his mother's depressive episodes.

After Chad passed away, Jessica had wanted to bring them back, but Raines had refused. He was accustomed to living abroad and didn't plan on returning.

"Mom's doing fine overseas. I think she'd struggle to adjust if she cback," Raines replied.

"Suit yourselves," Jessica sighed. As a woman, it's often better to be free-spirited. Otherwise, you might just end up hurting yourself.

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