Everett was taken aback by his son's sudden affection. It took a few seconds before he gathered himself and held the boy's small hand tightly in his own.
"Mr. Turner will be okay. Once he wakes up, I'll take you to the hospital to see him," he said.
Langston nodded, looking somewhat surprised at Everett's formality.
"Why... don't you insist that I call you 'dad'?" Langston asked. He had imagined all sorts of scenarios before coming back to the country.
He thought Everett might force him to call him dad’, or that Everett might despise him, or even deny his paternity. He had seen it allin TV s.
But none of his predictions had come true.
Everett, this so-called 'deadbeat dad’, had not pressured him into doing anything he didn't want to do, nor had he questioned his identity. Instead, he welcomed him home and provided excellent care.
"When you feel comfortable calling me that, you will," Everett said. He disliked anything forced, as it wouldn't be genuine.
Even though he had manipulated Dorothy in the past, he had still left the final decision up to her. If she hadn't sought him out, he wouldn't have used his money and power to coerce her.
"Aren't you afraid I'm trying to swindle you? Or that I'm not your kid at all?" Langston asked, tilting his head, pouring out all his doubts.
Everett squatted down, bringing his eyes level with Langston's. He reached out and pinched the boy's cheek. "If you managed to get into the Lopez Corporation's servers, then you should know that money isn't a big deal to me." As for the second question, all he had to do was look at Langston's face and he had his answer.
Everett didn't have a twin brother or anything of the sort. The mere fact that Langston bore such a striking resemblance to him provided the answer. Even in the unlikely scenario that Langston wasn't his biological child, their resemblance seemed like a twist of fate in its own right.
However, he suddenly remembered something Heather had said to him. She had claimed that Langston was her child.
It sounded absurd, but given his mother's favoritism towards Heather, it wasn't entirely impossible.
"Langston, would you be willing to tell me something about your mom?" Everett asked cautiously. He was afraid of provoking the boy's resentment.
Sure enough, the moment he mentioned it, Langston's defenses went up.
"No! Mommy said I can't!" Everett realized that a direct approach wasn't going to work.
He thought for a moment, then smiled. "How about this, you can ask me one question, and I promise not to lie. Anything you want to ask. Then... you tell me what your mom's last name is." Langston shook his head. "No!" Everett shrugged. "Alright then." He was about to get up when Langston suddenly grabbed him. "I can't tell you my mom's last name, but I can tell you the second letter in it." "That works!" Everett agreed immediately and squatted back down. "Ask your question.” Langston thought hard, then in a serious tone asked, "Why did you have me and then not take responsibility?" Everett paused, then answered solemnly, "I swear, I didn't know you existed." Langston was clearly not expecting that answer.
"Now can you tell me, what's the second letter in your mom's last name?" Langston pouted. "It's "a." Everett froze. "Your mom's last name wouldn't happen to be Sanchez, would it?"
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