Chapter 525 Raising a Son in Vain
Oliver was chillin' in the sports car, eyes wide with excitement. "Whoa, this is like straight outta a movie! My dad's loaded! So rad!"
"Hey, Uncle, where we headed?" Oliver asked.
"Grub time."
"Oh, what are we munchin' on?" Oliver kept on.
"McDonald's."
Oliver lit up for a sec. "But Mom's always like, 'No junk food for you.'"
"Who cares what she says? We don't gotta follow her rules all the time." Caleb shrugged. If it wasn't for this, why else would he take Oliver to McDonald's?
"But I don't wanna make Mom mad," Oliver said.
"If she's mad, I'm even madder." Caleb frowned but kept the car at a safe speed. No way he was speeding with a kid in the car. "You'd rather I be mad?"
Oliver replied, "Yep, Mom's a total babe, and you don't mess with a babe."
Caleb felt like he was gonna lose it. 'So Susan can't be ticked off, but it's cool if I blow a fuse?'
"Think I'll toss you outta the car?" Caleb threatened.
"Nope."
Caleb was getting frustrated; he was sure Oliver wasn't his biological kid. He really wanted to ditch him.
McDonald's.
Caleb grabbed a Happy Meal.
Oliver looked a bit unsure.
"Dig in," Caleb said.
"Okay." Even though Oliver was a little genius, he was still a three-year-old and couldn't resist McDonald's. "Once every two months should be fine, Mom won't freak."
"So scared of her, is she that scary?" Caleb asked.
Oliver nibbled on a fry and shook his head. "Nah, Mom's the sweetest angel ever, not scary at all, and she's super fair."
"What about me? Am I not nice to you?" Caleb pressed.
"You're nice too." Just a bit unreasonable.
Caleb felt a bit better. "You're my kid, of course, I'm nice to you. I'll get you the biggest Lego set, the latest video games, and a sports car when you're older."
"Uncle, you trying to bribe me?" Oliver asked.
'Man, is Oliver too smart for his own good? Must be my awesome genes,' Caleb thought.
"Caleb, is it that Michael dude making you feel threatened?" Oliver continued.
Caleb sneered. "That guy? No way he compares to me."
Oliver shot back, "I think Michael's pretty cool. He's nice, gentle, and treats me and Mom well. Mom loves chatting with him."
Caleb's face darkened. "You like him a lot?"
"Yep," Oliver replied.
Caleb pushed, "Like him enough to want him as your dad?"
Oliver didn't really want that; a real dad was still better. But he said, "It's up to Mom. If she marries him, then he's my dad."
"Not happening!" Caleb said firmly, "Your mom's only marrying one guy, and that's me!"
Oliver kept munching on his fries, sounding way too grown-up, "Caleb, nothing's set in stone, especially with women. You can't predict or control it."
"Your mom loves me," Caleb shot back.
"For now."
"What do you mean 'for now'? Think she'll change her mind?" Caleb asked.
"Who knows? Mom's gorgeous, and lots of guys are after her. She'll compare them."
Caleb scoffed, "Do other guys have my looks and cash?"
Oliver retorted, "Maybe not, but they might be better in other ways. Like being more gentle, more considerate, better at taking care of people..."
"Impossible! No one's more gentle, considerate, or better at taking care of people than me. I've already put your mom on a pedestal. Isn't that enough?"
Oliver shook his head. "You're too bossy. Sure, some women dig that, but Mom? Not so much. She likes someone gentle and polite, like Michael, who respects her..."
"If you say his name again, I'll toss you out!"
Oliver wasn't fazed and even sighed. "See, you're even mean to a kid. Too bossy. No wonder Mom argues with you."
"That phony Michael acts all friendly, but she can't see through it. She doesn't avoid him and even defends him. How can I not be mad?" Caleb was burning with jealousy.
"Aren't you super confident? If you're so sure of yourself, what's there to worry about?" Oliver popped a chicken nugget into his mouth, chewing slowly. He didn't eat too much, just enough to satisfy his craving, otherwise, he'd get a stomachache and bother Susan.
"It's not about confidence. It's about your mom keeping her distance from other guys. It's a matter of principle!"
Oliver hit the nail on the head, "But Mom hasn't accepted you, has she?"
Caleb went silent.
Oliver continued, "Since Mom hasn't confirmed anything with you, she's free to choose. Meeting more guys, comparing them, and picking the best—nothing wrong with that."
"I think there's something wrong with your brain." Caleb pinched Oliver's cheek. "I'm your dad, why are you defending others?"
"I'm not defending others, I'm always defending Mom. Whoever she picks, I support."
Caleb was insanely jealous and asked, "So in your eyes, I'm just another guy chasing her?"
"Not exactly, you're my biological dad." Caleb barely felt relieved when Oliver added, "But like I said, everything revolves around Mom."
"Do you have to be so heartless?" Caleb asked.
"I listen to Mom."
Caleb saw it clearly, Oliver didn't care about him at all, so it was a waste to have him.
Oliver held back a bellyful of laughter. 'Messing with Dad is so much fun! Watching his frustrated face is hilarious. Stupid Dad, how did he, with such low emotional intelligence, father such a smart little genius? Well, thanks to Mom's good genes.'
Caleb was originally just throwing a tantrum out of jealousy, feeling a bit unhappy, but now he really felt a sense of crisis.
A son who only had Mom in his heart was completely unreliable.
As for Susan, she wasn't like other women who would endure anything for his money and the title of Mrs. Eilish. She was a very independent woman with her own principles. She didn't care about money, only about their relationship. If Caleb really pissed her off, she would definitely kick him out without hesitation.
'But haven't I been good enough to her?' The more Caleb thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. 'I'm just a bit bossy. But isn't that because I love her deeply?'
Caleb was feeling stifled when his phone rang.
Caleb had been eagerly waiting for this call day and night, but now he felt a bit conflicted.
"Uncle, aren't you gonna answer Mom's call?" Oliver asked.
Caleb snapped out of it and answered.
"Mom!" Oliver shouted happily.
"Caleb, did you take my son?" Susan asked.
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