"Great-grandson!"
At the elite VIP lane in Chaojing International Airport, a sharply dressed elderly man with silver hair gasped and rushed straight toward a chubby little boy.
"You... you..." His eyes locked on the boy, and his mustache twitched with excitement. "He looks just like—unbelievably alike!"
"Sir," Sophia Collins gently pulled her son behind her, keeping her cool. "I think you’ve got the wrong person."
The old man shifted his gaze to Sophia, giving her a good once-over, his eyes lighting up like he'd just struck gold.
She was stunning. The kind of beauty that stopped you in your tracks. From her gleaming hair to her designer heels, she was decked out in top-tier couture. Not a thing on her looked out of place—like luxury was just her second skin.
"Sir?" Sophia called again when he didn’t respond.
"Oh, right." The man snapped out of it. "This kid... he’s yours?"
"My son," she answered, gently ruffling little Ethan Collins’ soft hair.
Eyes watering, the old man looked back at Ethan, voice quivering. "He looks exactly like my grandson did when he was little!"
Sophia glanced behind the man, taking in the flashy security detail. "You’re dressed real sharp, got quite the entourage. You’re not, uh, trying to scam us, are you?"
She ended the sentence with the kind of smile that was subtle but sharp.
The old man: “…”
“No, no! Not at all! Nothing like that!” he stammered. “Are you from Chaojing? Ever heard of Lucas Bennett?”
Sophia raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "You mean the Lucas Bennett? The guy pretty much running Chaojing?"
Everyone and their neighbor knew about him. He was practically a legend. But knowing of him and knowing him personally were two very different things.
"Exactly!" The old man lit up.
"I don’t know him personally," Sophia said, shaking her head. Her brother might be the governor of Chaojing, but that didn’t mean she had connections all over the place.
Her tone shifted slightly, lips curving into a composed, graceful little smile. "Don’t tell me you’re saying my kid looks like Lucas Bennett did as a child?"
"Yes!" The man grinned wide, his teeth almost too bright.
Sophia's smile froze for half a second, then turned sly, laced with her usual elegance. "Well, that works out. I was planning to get in touch with him anyway. So if he’s really the dad—would he be open to marrying me?"
The man's jaw just about hit the floor.
He’d heard of women hiding babies, or flat-out denying them—but this? Asking for marriage upfront? What kind of turnaround was that?
Was it because it was Lucas Bennett?
He was too stunned to form words.
Sophia’s expression remained delicately charming as she added, "If he’s already taken, that’s fine too. I’ll raise the child myself. He just needs to settle the financials. Visiting rights? Nah. I don’t want my kid fighting over their dad with someone else's."
The man: “…”
Why couldn’t he think of anything to say?!
"Sir?" she prompted again with a raised brow.
"No—he’s not married!" he finally blurted out.
Sophia paused, looked at Ethan and Aria Collins, and gave a radiant smile with sweet dimples popping out. "Good. But just in case—does he look decent? ‘Cause these little ones are major lookers. If he’s not… well, I’m shallow. Just being honest."
The man: “…”
"He’s good-looking! Very!" the old guy nearly shouted.
"Wonderful." Sophia nodded, then coolly pulled out a gold-embossed rose-colored name card from her almost-million-dollar limited edition handbag. She slipped it into the old man’s stunned hand. "Looking forward to your call."
And just like that, the old man stood there, frozen, staring at the card. Why did he suddenly feel like his grandson had just… been picked up?
Wait. His grandson was Lucas Bennett.
Who’d dare pick HIM up?!
“Goodbye, sir,” Sophia said with impeccable grace, then held her daughter and son’s little hands and walked off.