Chapter 536 He Called Out "Dad!"
Frederick rolled in around 8 PM.
The villa smelled amazing, like dinner was almost ready. Charlotte was in the kitchen, directing the servants around to get the food out. Under the corridor light, her eyes looked so soft.
When she saw Frederick, she said gently, "Where've you been? The kids have been waiting for a long time!"
Before he could answer, she added, "You're always the one telling everyone to be home on time, and now you're the one who's late!"
Frederick smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Just had some stuff to handle! It's not like I was out with a lover."
Charlotte blushed.
Frederick glanced around to make sure no one was listening and whispered, "After all these years, do I still need to tell you how I feel? A thousand young girls can't hold a candle to you."
Charlotte, always quick, shot back, "Are you saying I'm old?"
Frederick laughed. "No way!"
Under the corridor light, he looked at her with such tenderness.
He wasn't just saying it; Charlotte had kept her looks over the years. Maybe it was because the kids were good, the older ones looking after the younger ones, and with his help, Charlotte didn't have much to stress about. She was still as lovely as ever.
Frederick, as a man, was pretty content.
He held Charlotte as they walked into the living room and immediately saw Lola and Johnny.
Johnny, who he had kicked out last time, was back, lounging on the sofa reading a magazine like he had never left.
Frederick felt a warm twinge in his heart but kept his face stern. "You're back?"
Johnny quickly put down the magazine and stood up. "Yeah!"
Frederick took off his coat, and Johnny naturally took it and placed it on the sofa. He smiled casually. "Looks like you learned a thing or two while you were out."
Charlotte shot him a look. "Johnny just got back; don't bring up old stuff!"
Frederick looked at her and still smiled.
Charlotte sensed something was up. She suddenly guessed where he'd been and glanced at Johnny but didn't say anything.
Frederick sat down, took a couple of sips of water, and stood up. "Let's eat!"
As soon as he said that, Sienna hugged his arm. "Dad, I'm starving! You were out so long, Mom even thought you were with a lover!"
Frederick patted Sienna's head.
He let her sit next to him for dinner, with Johnny on the other side.
Johnny seemed a bit uneasy.
Frederick got up and opened a bottle of his special wine. "Let's have a drink!"
Charlotte saw him pour half a glass and thought it was too much, so she said, "It's not a special occasion, drink less."
Frederick poured another glass and handed it to Johnny.
He looked at his wife. "How do you know it's not a special occasion? Maybe I did find a lover?"
Charlotte filled his glass herself and said, "Then you should drink up!"
Frederick's handsome face had a slight flush. He said to the kids, "Your mom cares too much about me. See, she's always keeping an eye on me! What kind of man is successful? A man like me is successful."
Charlotte picked some food for him to shut him up.
Frederick was set on drinking with Johnny. "This wine's amazing; you'll love it."
Johnny took a small sip right away.
"Not bad!" Frederick downed his glass, the spicy drink burning its way down.
He thought about the day Johnny came back.
Even though Johnny wasn't his biological son, the love and effort he had put in were just as much as for his other kids. He had even given Johnny the most guidance in business. And Johnny had really stepped up!
Frederick knocked back a few more glasses, and Charlotte couldn't stop him. He kept saying, "I'm just so happy today!"
By the end, the bottle was almost empty. Frederick was drunk.
Charlotte helped him upstairs, saying, "Later, bring your dad's coat up. His phone's in the pocket, in case your grandpa calls."
Lola was about to get it.
Johnny stopped her. "I'll go! You eat more!"
His eyes showed a bit of reproach; Lola had been too busy watching the fun to eat much.
Lola didn't argue.
Johnny went to the sofa, picked up the coat, and was about to head upstairs when a piece of paper slipped out, folded neatly.
Curious, he opened it.
A few seconds later, he looked up towards the stairs, his eyes deep.
Sienna ran over. "Johnny, what are you looking at?"
Johnny put the document away and smiled faintly. "Nothing!"
Then he went upstairs.
In the master bedroom, Frederick was drunk, and Charlotte was taking care of him. He held her hand, his face flushed. "Charlotte, let's have another baby!"
Charlotte blushed. "At our age? Stop talking nonsense. The kids will laugh if they hear!"
Frederick pulled her down and kissed her. "How is that nonsense? I'm not old, and I can still have kids!"
Charlotte laughed in exasperation. "You might, but I can't!"
Frederick gently stroked her waist. "How can you not? Every time, it's as smooth as when you were young!"
The more he talked, the more outrageous he got. Charlotte got up, intending to let him sleep.
If he kept going, it would be too much.
But as she straightened up, she noticed Johnny standing at the door.
It was clear Johnny had heard their conversation, and his expression was quite peculiar, making Charlotte feel very uncomfortable.
Luckily, Johnny was considerate.
He came in, hung up the coat, and said softly, "You go downstairs and eat some more. I'll take care of Frederick."
Charlotte felt they should talk, so she went downstairs first.
After a few steps, she stopped. Turning back, she said, "Johnny, don't be mad about Frederick hitting you before."
Johnny smiled slightly. "I won't!"
Charlotte then went downstairs. The bedroom was dimly lit, and Frederick, feeling hot from the alcohol, had unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt and was now asking for water.
"I'll get it!" Johnny said softly.
He went to the living room, got a glass of warm water, and knelt by the bed. "Dad, drink some water!"
Frederick opened his eyes. He looked at the young man by the bed, so handsome and accomplished.
After a long pause, Frederick asked softly, "What did you call me?"
Johnny's nostrils flared slightly. He stared at Frederick for a long time, then suddenly said in a trembling voice, "Do you still want me as your son?"
Frederick looked at him, then gently closed his eyes and smiled. "What else can I do? I raised you myself; am I supposed to give you away? Parents don't do that!"
He had hit him and driven him out of the house. But deep down, he regretted it deeply.
Even though he had his reservations, Johnny understood. He didn't mention the document at all, just lightly touched Frederick's forehead and said in a suppressed, hoarse voice, "Dad, drink some water."
Frederick's eyebrows twitched slightly. Clearly, he heard it; he wasn't that drunk.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and finally, he chuckled. "Are you thinking about getting married? Coming to annoy me! From childhood to now, I've never heard you call me that."
Johnny mumbled a vague acknowledgment.
After a while, he added, "It's not because of Lola."
Then what was it? Because Frederick had raised him and nurtured him.
In his youth, he felt stifled and wanted to leave this home.
It wasn't that he didn't like it; he felt unworthy.
He never dared to believe that such a privileged man would treat him as his own son. He preferred to think of himself as just a blood bank.
As the years went by, he missed home while living abroad. Besides missing Lola, he also missed Frederick. He missed the days by his side. In the study at night, Frederick would have the servants prepare food for him. When he made mistakes, Frederick would patiently correct him. In high school, when he won first place in the city, Frederick went to see him receive the award. Frederick even placed the trophy in the study, proudly telling everyone that Johnny had won it. How impressive!
After Kingsley took over the Hawkins Group, Johnny began to realize. This invincible man would also grow old. He still looked handsome but was no longer young. He would call him at Christmas and ask, "Johnny, are you coming home this year?"
Johnny lay down.
From childhood to now, he had never lain in Frederick and Charlotte's bed. He always felt different from the other kids, but now he lay on the bed and softly called out, "Dad."
Frederick closed his eyes and smiled gently.
After a while, he lightly patted his shoulder and back. "Silly boy! Why are you so sentimental all of a sudden!"
Johnny went downstairs.
The servants had already cleaned up the dishes and were tidying up. Charlotte came over after finishing her tasks. "Johnny, how is Frederick?"
Johnny said softly, "Mom, you should rest."
Charlotte was slightly stunned, then smiled. "Alright, I'll go upstairs first! Frederick gets restless when he drinks."
With that, she went up to the second floor.
Johnny went outside and smoked two cigarettes. Just as he was about to go back in, he ran into Kingsley.
Kingsley had just finished lecturing Sienna and also wanted to smoke a couple of cigarettes.
So, Johnny stayed.
When men smoke together, they didn't talk much, especially when one was proud and the other was pretentious.
Finally, Kingsley couldn't help but speak, "You've settled things with Mom and Dad, so the next step is to settle things with Lola?"
Johnny held the cigarette between his long fingers.
He slowly exhaled a smoke ring and said leisurely, "Lola is also my sister!"
Kingsley sneered. "I've never seen anyone go after their sister like you do!"
At a critical moment, Johnny's face was quite thick-skinned. He stubbed out the cigarette and smiled. "I couldn't help it!"
He winked. "In the future, I can give you pocket money too."
Kingsley laughed mockingly!
Johnny went back to his room, stayed for a while, then went up to the third floor, where Lola's room was.
Sienna saw Johnny coming and climbed down from the bed, her face slightly red. "Johnny, are you going to sleep here tonight?"
Johnny nodded. "Yes, I'll sleep here tonight."
Sienna glanced at Lola.
Fortunately, Lola had a thick skin and remained unfazed under such scrutiny. Sienna responded, "Then I'll go back!"
Then Sienna ran off quickly.
Lola leaned against the headboard. She casually flipped through a magazine. "You seem different tonight."
Johnny, however, wanted to talk about something else, "Does Sienna always cling to you like this?"
Lola was cold to others but good to Sienna. And Natalie, Molly, and Sienna all liked to be around her.
He was a bit jealous.
Lola knew what he was thinking and smiled. "What's up with you today?"
Johnny leaned in and kissed her.
Lola didn't want to do it at home; Johnny's sexual needs were too strong. Once they started, it would definitely make noise, and no soundproofing could help. She didn't want to be stared at by others tomorrow. So she pushed against his shoulder. "You can sleep here, but you have to behave."
Johnny didn't actually have that intention tonight. He was just happy and wanted to kiss her and hold her.
He even had a secret thought that if he became Frederick's son, he would actually be Lola's brother. Thinking about those nights when he had Lola under him made him feel hot.
Lola turned off the light.
They embraced in bed, and she whispered, "Let me guess, did you make up with Dad?"
Johnny chuckled lightly. "We call it making up; between me and Dad, it's more like letting go of past grievances."
"Did we make up?"
Johnny trapped her in his arms, his face close to hers, and said softly, "I think we did! Otherwise, you saw those documents and didn't get mad at me?"
Lola couldn't help but bite his shoulder.
How sneaky, turning off her phone on purpose and letting her into the study deliberately. Lola really felt that being targeted by Johnny was quite miserable. How could she have attracted such a person when she was young!
Johnny knew she was still angry. He admitted he was despicable and shameless. On such a night, he was willing to humble himself, to coax her, "Lola, can we start over? I won't do anything you don't like anymore. Let's be an ordinary couple, like Mom and Dad."
Lola stroked his face and asked softly, "Are you very envious of them? Johnny, my parents have been through more than we have!"
Johnny hugged her. After a long time, he said softly, "Will you give it a try with me?"
Lola was silent for a while, then asked him, "When did you realize you liked me?"
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