Chapter 5: Sweet Reminder

As his mother presents him another generous smile, Kieran hurriedly shakes his head at her delirious speculations, his tenacious head persistently refusing to accept her suggestive idea.

He wouldn't like it if she already had high expectations of him changing his mind later on, because that portion of her proposal is unbeneficial to his part. He doesn't want to hurt and disappoint her, but he can never agree to meet the person she mentioned.

He scowls, looking away as he purses his lips bitterly, "It'll be summer already." He does not want to waste his precious months on knowing his mother's douche right-hand man.

Ivie once again kissed his forehead before pressing her nose to his hair, inhaling his comforting scent. Yes, summer.

The timing is too perfect.

She sways their bodies gently from side to side, humming an unfamiliar soothing melody to ease her child's stiffness and sour mood.

Good things are really coming on their way.

Frankly, she's very much looking forward to this year's summer now that there are certain events she had already made plans with, specifically, the birthday surprise she had organized for him.

"Trust me on this one, sweetheart."

She can already feel this year's summer would indeed be great. She's thrilled and as much as she wants to blurt out the news to him but she shouldn't. She shouldn't spoil the grand surprise . . . because it's a surprise after all.

A month from now both of them would be enjoying the company of beautiful sunsets and salt seas. They'll run and escape together towards her deepest fantasy she wants to share with him, hoping he'll love it just as much as she does. It's a place where they could do whatever they want together with no limitations.

No eyes and no one to be conscious of.

She's sure he'd be ecstatic to see and feel the sea for the first time.

She figured out both of them would want to treasure their time together somewhere far away from the gawking eyes of their society, and when this brilliant idea popped up inside her head last year, she had lived her days wanting for such dream to turn into reality.

They will peacefully celebrate his fifth birthday this year with no more hiding inside this quiet and dull mansion and no more strict rules to follow and abide by.

She wants him to experience and acknowledge that there's still beauty in life, despite its cruel reality.

She fathoms how time had passed at a light speed. She didn't notice how fast the digits were flying on the calendar.

Kieran's finally turning five. Every single day, he was growing more bright, attentive, and curious--extremely curious. And it's only a matter of time before he starts questioning her about the missing presence of someone in their family, his biological father's absence to be precise.

Her throat went parched at such thought.

She understands the day she feared will someday come. Although she had pushed everything she could to support him and give him the love and treatment he deserves. But she knew her child deserved so much more than this and it pains her to know how indifferent he must have felt from the other children in the neighborhood.

The same environment she grew up in was already hard for her. She wanted to change that, but it turns out she couldn't. Her child has been experiencing the same drive her young self has for completeness--for a complete family.

He will consistently yearn for his father's love that she couldn't provide him.

How disappointing must it feel for him?

And how heartbreaking will it be for her?

As she and Kieran shared a comfortable silence, the servants resumed pacing confidentially around the mansion after seeing their young master was recharging from his mother's embrace, tamed and ever so docile.

"Mother, promise me you'd stay away from bastards in Luisiana." He whispered to her softly with a hint of drowsiness, his eyes fluttering to shut.

She rests her hand against the back of his head, pulling him close to her neck as she continues to rock their linked bodies before the little man in her arms fell into a deep sweet sleep while being cocooned in her familiar warmth.

"Indeed I will, sweetheart," she mutters more towards herself than to the sleeping child between her arms.

She swept his hair to the side while holding him lovingly.

Even without him telling her, she intends to do the same thing. She has to be extra cautious when she sets her foot in 'that' country, especially when there's a dangerous pest whose fame and authority overpowered the country's government itself.

Soon, light footsteps echoed inside the room.

"The young master's sleeping schedule is in great crisis, young miss. He's been having trouble falling asleep these days."

Butler Yang intrudes in a low voice, hating to break the mother and son moment laid before his eyes. The pitiful boy had no ounce of sleep since yesterday.

Of course, with the heiress's missing presence for the last three days, the young master just stood by the window and refused to leave the post until he sees the heiress arriving home, and not a single man in this house was capable of stopping him without losing their job and life.

Butler Yang couldn't find the heart to tell the boy that his mother wasn't coming home during the evenings he had hoped.

His gaze with a tale as old as time settled miraculously at the little man in deep slumber as he resumes speaking. "The charts from his records have been awful," He shakes his head, "With his stubbornness, the doctor suggested psychological treatment as his insomnia had gotten worst in the past days."

Without her inside the house, the young boy rarely sleeps in comfort and that is a known fact around the manor.

"I will take note of that," replied Ivie towards her butler while looking down at her child sleeping in her embrace, unaware of his sufferings until now.

Sadness and guilt flood her eyes. Of course, how could she forget? After seeing this place again, her head momentarily cast away the fact that she couldn't return to this house because of her thrice hectic schedule in the office.

Ivie turns her attention back to the butler yang, "Has he been eating well?"

Butler Yang nods, 'When the young master's been reminded of how disappointed you would be, young miss, he certainly didn't miss attending his meals, even his afternoon snacks.' His thoughts were loud but he insisted on keeping them to himself, only giving the heiress a delicate smile.

Ivie and her butler were both startled when her child suddenly moved in her arms.

"Don't go . . . just yet . . ." he mumbles in his sleep as his grip around her blouse tightens.

"Shh, I'm right here." She whispers to him, her eyes softening.

He's truly lovable and sweet, and those rough barriers he had around him, without doubt, would falter when he's in her arms—defenseless and docile.

"I'll excuse myself, young miss."

The butler bows and Ivie acknowledges his wish with a nod.

She rises from the couch, carrying her child in her arms and a butler immediately runs to her, offering to carry Kieran as carrying the young boy's weight all the way to the third floor will be agonizing for her small frame.

She passes her child to him gently and successfully but immediately Kieran's brows furrow in discomfort. Ivie raises her hand signaling him to wait. She took the hand cream she always applies to her hands and gently put an amp of its translucent cream in her palm. She rubs her hands together and then slowly applied the cream to the young butler's neck.

The butler stiffens and reddens from the small contact they shared, feeling his inside stirring at her exquisite fragrance up close, not the hand cream applied on his sensitive skin.

Upon smelling one of her scents approximately close, Kieran's furrowed brows relaxes, but his fingers refuse to release their grip from her white blouse. She chuckles and bends in to give his forehead a quick kiss. She stayed close to the butler to avoid further inconvenience as they trail towards the elevator.

The young butler could only hold his breath upon walking closely to his masters.

They waited for a little while before the elevator doors opened and as they stepped inside, worries start to hover her again upon thinking about the next weeks of her absence inside the mansion.

The continuous uneasiness she felt was filling the anxiousness she felt against her bottled-up fear.

For the last three days, she has been staying in the private chamber inside her office, and she was unable to sleep peacefully too. Aside from work, she was stressing over the possibility of coming across a man she's been hiding from. The man she wishes to not come across with and who by chance is also the main root of her son's frantic and peculiar behavior which surprisingly, he inherited the man's traits from.

Without an ounce of flaw . . .

No matter what she does to change and discipline Kieran, it looks like blood always finds its way into a person's nature. Kieran was growing more and more like him and she doesn't know if that's a good thing or a lifetime curse as her punishment.

She glances down at the peaceful expression on her child's sleeping face.

Kieran reminds her of him . . . every single day, but even so, she holds her child dearly close to her heart.

It's not his fault.

She doesn't know if such results she only knew are to be celebrated or weep over.

But there are too many things to prioritize in her life that she often wonders when she will ever have the freedom to live peacefully in a house of her own choice and with her son to live alone in peace?

And surely from the bottom of the list was her broken and mended heart, where it's the last issue she should bat her lashes to.