Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 321

When Leo woke up, his hand automatically reached for the Crescent Moon Lamp by his bed.

The light was already off.

A sliver of morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, falling across his teddy bear picture book. Leo lay there for a few seconds, blinking slowly before turning his head.

Wren was sleeping next to him.

She hadn't gotten up at the crack of dawn like she did at the Langford Estate, nor was she frowning into her phone, saying, 'I understand.' She was sleeping on her side, her phone resting nearby with a dark screen.

Leo stared at her for a moment before carefully sitting up.

The bed wasn't big.

But he hadn't fallen off, and no one had woken him up in the middle of the night.

He looked down at his feet, still covered by his small blanket. He hugged his teddy bear book to his chest and noticed the two Desk Nameplates resting on the desk.

Wren.

Leo.

The two pieces of paper were stacked together.

He quietly slipped out of bed, shuffled over in his slippers, and reached out to touch his own name.

It was real.

It hadn't been changed.

When Wren woke up, the child was standing in front of the small desk.

She pushed herself up, her voice a little raspy. "You're awake?"

Leo turned around. "Mom, I didn't have any dreams today."

Wren's hand paused on the edge of the blanket.

"That's great."

He thought about it and added, "And I didn't wake up looking for the door."

Wren smiled and held out her hands. "Come here."

Leo ran over and threw himself into her arms.

This hug felt much more relaxed than the one last night. The little boy's body melted against hers, no longer as taut as a drawn string.

Breakfast consisted of milk, fried eggs, and rolls.

Leo sat at the small dining table, glancing left and right. The table was so small that once their plates and cups were set down, there was barely any room left. But he seemed to really like the closeness.

Wren sat across from him. He could bump his slippers against hers just by stretching his legs.

"Mom, what time is school today?"

"We leave at seven-forty." Wren slid her phone toward him. "We're making a new daily schedule today."

Leo, who still had a piece of roll in his mouth, immediately sat up straight.

"Do I have to write a lot of words?"

"Not at all." Wren pulled out a blank sheet of paper. "You get to place the stickers."

The little stickers she had bought last night finally came in handy.

A little sun meant waking up, a tiny book meant reading, a plate meant eating, and a crescent moon meant bedtime. There was also a tiny telephone sticker that Leo held in his hand for a long time.

"Is this for Dad?"

Wren handed him a pen. "It can be for Dad, or for Margaret, or for Ms. Miller. Whenever you miss someone, you can tell me ahead of time, and we'll schedule a call together."

Leo placed the telephone sticker next to seven o'clock in the evening.

"Is this time okay?"

"It is," Wren said. "But if you're sleepy, you can always call tomorrow instead."

He looked down and carefully wrote the word 'Call.'

His handwriting was slightly crooked, and he missed a stroke on one of the letters. When he noticed, his little face scrunched up.

Wren didn't fix it for him; she just handed him an eraser.

"Mhm."

"Can Dad see it too?"

Wren pulled the car to a stop outside the school gates.

"He can. I'll send it to him."

Leo looked down in thought. "Let Dad know what time the calls are."

"I will."

After dropping him off, Wren sent the photo of the schedule to Lawrence, along with a brief message:

"Leo's living arrangements will follow this schedule for now. Please confirm visitation and calls in advance. No last-minute changes."

Lawrence's reply came ten minutes later.

"Do you really need to send a simple schedule like it's a formal notice?"

Wren glanced at it and didn't reply.

Before she stepped into Stellaris, Mr. Lawson had already sent the first draft of the temporary custody arrangement to Lawrence. It clearly stated that Leo would reside with Wren for the time being. Lawrence was allotted two fixed video calls a week and one short visitation every weekend. Wren was designated as the primary contact for all school matters, and no other members of the Langford family were permitted to interfere without authorization.

At eleven o'clock, a Langford Estate car arrived at the gates of Wren's apartment complex.

When property management called her, Wren was in a Stellaris conference room editing a presentation.

"Ms. Whitaker, there's a car at the gate. They said they're delivering things for your son."

Wren stepped out into the hallway. "What kind of things?"

The property manager lowered his voice. "Quite a lot, actually. A bed, a wardrobe, a toy chest, and several large bags of clothes."

Wren closed her eyes.

She dialed the driver's number.

The driver picked up immediately. "Ma'am, Mr. Langford asked us to bring the young master's belongings over. Just the things he's used to. The kid's bed, the reading lamp, the air purifier, and some new clothes the family bought for him."