Chapter 514 Reasoning
Gilbert gave a nod.
By six in the evening, Louis, Diana, and Lon headed home together.
Hestia was a bit taken aback seeing the trio, but she welcomed them with a warm smile.
"Mom, I'm thinking of crashing at Mr. Fisher's for a bit," Lon said after a pause, not mentioning Noe tagging along. "Did you get the cash?"
Hestia looked confused. "The money is from Gilbert?"
"Yeah."
"Money for you to stay there?"
"Yeah."
"I'll send it back." Hestia thought it was some kind of scam and had ignored it.
"Hestia, chill. Lon's just gonna stay for a bit, whether it's a day, a week, or a month, it's up to you," Louis said, handing over some papers. "You can jot down your terms on this."
Hestia took it and skimmed through.
After flipping a few pages, she hit the custody part and her face tightened.
"I'm not giving him custody," Hestia said flat out.
"I'll have Mr. Fisher whip up a new agreement," Louis said, confident with his trap for Gilbert. "He'll tweak the terms."
Hestia's face grew more serious, clearly puzzled how a kid could talk like this. Wasn't he just four?
"He sent you the money, so just take it. As the dad, he should be paying child support," Louis said, sounding way too mature for his age. "With it, you won't be as strapped raising Lon and Noe."
Legally, there was nothing wrong with that.
Hestia clearly didn't want to take the money.
Lon and Diana tried to reason with her, and even though they were just kids, they made a lot of sense.
Meanwhile, Louis took the agreement downstairs.
Gilbert had been waiting in the car. When he saw Louis waddling over, he got out, eyes on the papers in Louis's hand. "Is it signed?"
"No," Louis said confidently.
Gilbert's brows knitted. "What do you mean?"
"There are issues with this agreement," Louis said seriously. "We agreed Lon and Noe would stay at your place, but not giving you custody."
Hearing this, Gilbert got it.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Louis, are you playing games with me?"
"You're being too greedy," Louis said coolly.
Over the years, Hestia had busted her butt raising two kids alone. It was only fair for Gilbert to chip in.
"I don't have time for this," Gilbert said, clearly annoyed. "If you tick me off, Hestia won't see a dime."
Louis frowned. Hadn't she already gotten some cash?
"Get her to sign this, and I'll give her whatever she wants," Gilbert said, clearly fed up with the kids. "Otherwise, she'll get a court notice soon."
Louis didn't say a word.
Gilbert kept going, "In this lawsuit, Hestia doesn't stand a chance. Income, job, lifestyle, living environment—I've got her beat in all of them."
For a five-year-old, the court would look at all that stuff.
"Sure, those things matter, but Lon and Noe's wishes count too," Louis said in his soft voice.
This kid's logic made Gilbert question his age. Could a normal four-year-old talk like this?
"Plus," Louis added. "You tried to make Hestia abort them before they were born. Just for that, you won't win."
"No one can prove that," Gilbert said. The whole thing had been covered up, and no one would back Hestia.
"The hospital has surveillance," Louis said.
"Surveillance from five years ago? You think that still exists?" For the first time, Gilbert thought Louis sounded like a kid.
Louis met his gaze and said, "If it ever existed, my mom can find it."
His certainty made Gilbert even more curious about Daphne's identity.
What kind of person could be close to Evan and marry the owner of the Reynolds Group?
Why was there almost no info about Daphne in their circle?
"Gilbert, I don't know why you're so set on this custody thing, but I still wanna talk," Louis said, changing his tone, hoping for a peaceful resolution. "I'm a kid, and I know how important a mom is. If you use dirty tricks to get custody, Lon will hate you forever."
"I can give him the best living conditions," Gilbert said, trying to stay calm.
"What kids need is love," Louis said seriously.
Gilbert frowned, and after a bit, he asked, "Isn't a dad important too?"
"Yeah," Louis said, even though he had his issues with Benjamin, he still liked him. "But you've been MIA for five years. You didn't watch them grow. Popping up now and trying to take them from their mom doesn't bring them love or warmth."
"If it were you, would you like this dad?" Louis added.
Gilbert's eyes widened, and he was momentarily lost in thought.
After a while, he asked in a complex tone, "Then what do you think I should do?"
"Show them enough respect and let them know you're not a threat," Louis said, sounding way older than his years. "And most importantly, don't fight for custody."
"What if I insist on fighting?" Gilbert asked after a long silence.
"Then you'll just push Hestia and Lon further away," Louis said seriously. "Even if you win custody, you won't get any of their love."
This statement hit Gilbert like a ton of bricks.
Honestly, he didn't know why he was fighting for custody.
When he found out Hestia hadn't aborted the kids and had raised them, his first reaction was to find her.
Seeing Hestia's fear and distance, his first reaction was to take the kids away.
Looking back, it seemed wrong.
Gilbert's eyes were complicated as he looked at Louis and said in a hoarse voice, "Thanks."
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