Suddenly There Are Three (Bailey and Artemis) novel Chapter 261

Chapter 261

Artemis felt a sharp pain spread slowly from his abdomen.

After the initial shock, he chuckled softly and gradually relaxed his tense body, allowing the boy in his arms to bite his stomach hard. His eyes brimmed with affection as he stretched a hand to stroke Zayron's head.

It was the look that only a father would have while gazing at his child.

“You sure are a clever little one, deliberately choosing to bite the spot where there are no bones. Have you lost your baby teeth? If you haven't, then you'd better be careful. Don't bite too hard. I'm worried you'll hurt your gums.”

Zayron slowly let go, then sprawled on Artemis' stomach gloomily and began to cry.

A tender expression crossed Artemis' face, and he stroked Zayron's head even more gently. “Aren't you going to bite me anymore? If you haven't vented enough, you can choose another spot and continue biting. I'm not afraid of pain as long as it makes you happy.”

“Are you really my dad?” Zayron asked.

He did not feel any strong emotions toward Simon. How should I put this? I don't feel the father-son bond where blood is thicker than water when I'm with him. If the results from the paternity test hadn't reined in my imagination, I would never have believed he was my father. However, reality told me there was no way that flashy guy was my biological father.

Artemis gently pushed Zayron away and crouched to his eye level. Then he patted the latter's cheek with his large palm.

“You look a lot like me, so I thought at first that you'd inherited Simon's genes. However, the facts show that only a biological father-son pair would share similar features. You don't have to doubt our relationship because I instructed someone to run a paternity test. You're my son. I'm sorry for all the suffering your mother and the three of you endured all these years. I promise I'll never let any one of you suffer in the slightest again.”

Zayron pursed his lips. After hastily wiping away his tears, he turned toward the bed and glanced at Maxton. He raised his eyebrows and asked, “You let him inherit the Luther family's assets, so what will you leave for me? If I said I wanted to become the Luther family's heir, would you name me as your successor?”

“You little rascal,” Artemis chided teasingly. Then, he leaned close to the boy's ear and said, “Don't worry. Apart from being the head of Luther Group, I hold many other positions. So, there's more than enough for your inheritance.”

A glint flashed across Zayron's eyes as he blinked at Artemis. “I heard the head of the world's most powerful force, Tarragon, is a Chanaean. You—”

Artemis smiled without saying anything. Reaching out and gently ruffling his son's hair, he said with a grin, “You're still young, so you should live a carefree life. When you're older, I'll show you the things you can deal with.”

Zayron stared at him silently.

Artemis stood up slowly and led Zayron over to the bed. “Your mommy doesn't know the truth yet. I'll find a suitable opportunity to come clean with her. Neither of you is to let it slip.”

Meanwhile, Justin was lying on his front on a bed in the Revelle residence's infirmary while Veronique applied ointment to the backs of his legs.

“Although you didn't injure your tendons this time, you fractured your bone. Try to walk as little as possible for a month. Otherwise, you'll start experiencing sharp pains that'll get excruciating during colder weather and when it rains.”

Justin murmured an acknowledgment. “I'll take note of that. The tests on my closest relatives are being done secretly. I'll let you know once we find a suitable bone marrow.”

Veronique rose to her feet. Gazing at his broad back, she asked, “And what if there are no matches with Zephyr's bone marrow among your closest relatives? What should we do then?”

As soon as she uttered that question, a deathly silence descended over the room.

Justin finally turned his head toward her after several minutes. Enunciating every word slowly and clearly, he replied, “In that case, we'll have to fall back on our last resort. We'll conceive a child with the same parents as Zephyr, then use the newborn's cord blood to save him.”

Veronique pressed her red lips together tightly.