Father-Son bickering

Every time the boy would ask him about his mother, Oliver's heart would ache. He knew Orion missed his mother but he had no other choice but to lie to him. "Didn't I already tell you, your mother is traveling abroad? She will be home soon." Oliver deliberately avoided looking into the innocent child's eyes. He felt guilty to lie to him.

"Dad, you have been saying that for the last two years. Is she really traveling or are you lying to me? I don't have any mother, do I?" Orion has always been very smart and observant. Since he was a child, he would catch on to things that would usually miss by other children of his age. He was very clever and precocious. Oliver would sometimes hide things from him to avoid his curious questions but this boy would eventually find out the truth. For his sake, Oliver moved all the pictures of Ava from the villa but this little guy eventually found those pictures. Although Oliver was proud of his intelligence but he also felt helpless sometimes.

"What are you talking about? Why wouldn't you have a mother?" Oliver's loving face immediately became serious, and his tone accentuated. He didn't know from where this little guy got this idea but he needed to make him believe that she was alive, especially now that Ava was back.

"If I have a mother then why didn't she come back? Does she not love Orion? Does she not want to see Orion?" The little boy's tone and eyes were full of blame.

"Orion, of course, your mother loves you. She just has some difficulty right now so she can't come back yet but son, trust me she will be home with you very soon. Today your father is promising you that." Oliver took the boy in his arm and gently patted his back and his deep eyes were full of determination.

Orion looked at his father and asked in a very serious tone, "Dad, you are not lying to me again, are you?"

Oliver was speechless, "Little brat, when did I lie to you?"

"Then tell me, the picture you keep staring at your phone, is that my mother?" Orion asked as he observed his father's reactions. Sure enough, at the mention of the picture, Oliver's face tensed up and Orion knew he was right. The woman in the picture was his mother.

Oliver felt his heart was pinched by something sharp. He looked at his son and said with a sad smile, "It's late, go to sleep."

Orion saw Oliver's sad smile, he become a little upset, and said in a little angry tone, "Dad, I don't like her. Every time you see her picture you become sad. I don't like it, I don't like to see my dad so sad."

The little guy's comments were making Oliver really uncomfortable, but he still felt grateful to his son for showing filial piety towards him, however, he was getting a little worried. He didn't even realize that unknowingly he was creating a distance between Ava and Orion. It's true that whenever he thought of Ava he would feel suffocated by the emptiness but right now Orion's question was making him even more suffocated. Oliver wished he could tell his son everything but the boy was still very young to understand all the complications, therefore Oliver had no other choice but to keep it quiet but he was really worried about how Orion will take it when he will bring Ava back home.

"Orion, what if dad likes the woman in the picture very much?" Oliver asked in a very serious but soft tone looking at his son with expectant eyes.

Orion thought for a while and said rolling his lips in a cute manner, "I still don't like her. I like my godmother."

Oliver sighed helplessly. He can't think about it right now, he will have to deal with it when the time comes. "Come on, now go to sleep quickly. If you don't sleep, you will not grow tall and girls will not like you." Oliver started to rub Orion's head gently.

"So what! I'm handsome." Orion said proudly.

Oliver was once again speechless he glared at him and said in a little angry tone, "Do you think being handsome is enough? You need to learn discipline and manners to become a good man"

"Dad, Orion is just a boy now, not a man. As long as I can act all cute, a lot of people will like me anyway." Orion replied innocently.

Listening to Orion's answer Oliver actually felt sad. His son's thoughts were already started to become twisted, he was becoming a proud child. If Only he would grow up under Ava's shadow he wouldn't think like that. Although, Lily, Ella, and Erika were there for him but they had their own life, end of the day Orion was on his own and learning from outsiders.

"Little brat, where are you learning all these from? You need a good education to live a good life. Don't follow your Aunt Erika. You think you can live a good life just by showing your face to everyone?" Oliver lifted the quilt and tucked the boy inside.

Orion looked at Oliver with an innocent face and said, "But Dad, Aunt Erika looks so good and lives her life by showing her face on the TV then why can't I do the same? I am so handsome don't you think it will be such a waste If I can't earn my living by selling my face?"

Oliver felt a headache, how could a three year's old child think so deeply about all this? "Brat, I think I will have to make sure not to let you see your Aunt and spoil you."

"No dad, my aunt is the one who loves me the most in the world and I love her too. Don't make her stop coming and see Orion. Please." Orion widen his eyes and said in a pleading tone.

Oliver's heart sank as he asked in a whisper, "And You don't love me?"

"Of course Dad, You are the one I love most in the world, and then it's Aunt Erika," Orion said with a big smile.

Unbelievable! Oliver shook his head helplessly; his three years old was so good at sweet-talking people. He took the boy in his arm and coaxed him to sleep.