Chapter 112: I’m Gonna Be a Father!
Callian sat at his office desk, his fingers tapped rhythmically against the polished wood.
He seed fazed out... far from the spreadsheets and contracts spread before him.
Across from him, Rylan lounged in a chair, scrolling through his phone.
"You’ve been unusually quiet today," Rylan remarked, setting his phone down.
Callian glanced at him, a small, uncharacteristic smile tugged at his lips. "Eira’s pregnant."
Rylan froze. "What?"
"Keep your voice down," Callian warned.
Rylan leaned forward, his eyes wide with shock and excitent. "You’re serious?"
"Dead serious," Callian said, the smile growing. "But you can’t tell anyone. Not yet."
"Not even Mother?"
"Especially not Leina," Callian replied sharply.
Rylan leaned back, crossing his arms. "Well, congratulations. That’s... wow. You’re gonna be a dad."
"I know," Callian said softly, almost to himself. "It feels unreal."
Rylan studied him for a mont. "You’re happy about this, aren’t you?"
Callian nodded. "More than I thought I’d be. But..."
"But what?"
"There are things I need to deal with first," Callian admitted. "Henry, Beatrice, Mita, Vanessa—they’re all loose ends I can’t afford to leave hanging."
Rylan frowned. "You’re still worried about them? I thought you handled most of that."
Callian shook his head. "Not enough. Marion’s death left too many unanswered questions. Beatrice knows too much, and Vanessa... well, you know how she is. And Mita—she’s a wildcard I can’t predict."
"So, what’s the plan?" Rylan asked seriously.
Callian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "One step at a ti. First, I’ll tie up the remaining threads with Henry’s affairs. Then, I’ll make sure Beatrice and Vanessa don’t beco problems. As for Mita... I’ll figure it out."
"You sound like you’re cleaning up after a hurricane," Rylan joked lightly, though his eyes held concern.
Callian didn’t laugh. "It’s more like making sure the hurricane doesn’t strike again."
Rylan nodded, understanding his brother’s words.
After a mont, Rylan asked, "Are you sure you’re not going to tell Mom about Eira?"
Callian’s jaw tightened. "I don’t have a mother."
Rylan’s face fell, and for a mont, neither of them spoke. The silence again was deep and overwhelming, filled with mories neither wanted to acknowledge.
"Callian..." Rylan began cautiously.
Callian cut him off. "She stopped being my mother the day she raised her hand at Eira. Don’t bring her up."
Rylan’s gaze softened, his usual playful tone imdiately replaced with sothing more serious.
"You can’t keep shutting it out. She’s still out there, isn’t she?"
"I don’t care," Callian said coldly. "She abandoned for Mita, Rylan. She chose herself over her family. That’s all there is to it."
Rylan looked down. "Do you ever think about Ava?"
The ntion of their sister’s na hit Callian like a blow to the chest.
He closed his eyes briefly, the mory of her face flashing in his brain.
"Every day," Callian admitted.
"She was so small," Rylan muttered. "I still rember how she used to follow you around, calling you ’Cal-Cal.’"
Callian’s lips twitched at the nickna, but the sadness in his eyes didn’t fade. "She was just a kid. She deserved better than what she got."
"We all did," Rylan said quietly. "But losing her... it broke us, didn’t it?"
Callian nodded, distant from his words. "She was the glue that held us together. When she died, everything fell apart. Dad couldn’t handle it. Mom..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
"Drinking," Rylan finished for him, bitterness creeping into his tone. "Left us to deal with the pieces."
Callian’s hand clenched into a fist on the desk. "I promised myself I’d never let anything like that happen again. Not to my family."
"You’ve done a good job of keeping that promise," Rylan replied. "Look at you now—Eira, the baby on the way... You’re building sothing good, Cal."
Callian’s eyes t his brother’s. "I’m trying. But there’s still so much that could go wrong."
"That’s life," Rylan said with a shrug. "But you’re not doing this alone. You’ve got , and you’ve got Eira. We’ll figure it out, like we always do."
Callian gave a small nod, the weight on his shoulders felt a little lighter. "Thanks, Rylan."
"Anyti," Rylan grinned, though the sadness stayed longer in his eyes. "Now, let’s get back to work before anyone starts poking around again."
Callian chuckled lightly, the air eased. But as he turned back to his desk, the mories of Ava were still there.
Callian blad himself for what he did and the death he caused to his sister. Even if everyone said it wasn’t his fault, Callian still blad himself.
He couldn’t change what had happened, but he could fight to protect the future he was building—for himself, for Eira, and for the child they were about to bring into the world.
"If it’s a girl, I’m gonna na her Aurora," Rylan interrupted.
"It’s my child, not yours, Rylan."
"Does it matter? I will be the godfather anyway. I’m going to turn that child against you and make her love more than she will love you."
"If you do that, you will die before she says ’Dada.’" Callian glared at his brother.
"You wouldn’t dare. You’re just jealous because your daughter is going to love more."
"If it’s a boy—" Callian started but was cut off.
"If it’s a boy... Henry would make a good and cool na," Rylan joked.
It took Callian less than a minute to throw the pen at his brother.
"Oi! I’m sure Eira would—"
This ti, a book hit Rylan’s shoulder.
"Don’t bring that na here, even as a joke. My son will be nothing like that man."
"I’m sorry..."
"You should be... anyway, the scandal with Mita damaged the investors. We need a plan to get everything back."
"How about we hold a business event?"
Callian frowned. "For what?"
"For all the entrepreneurs, of course."
"Interesting. Who made you co up with this idea?"
"Sana’s brother is struggling. I offered money, but she was too proud to accept it. I wanna help."
"So, you think holding a business event for entrepreneurs would bring us cash?"
"No, but it would gather attention, and who knows what talent they are holding. It could be beneficial to us."
"Rylan, you and Sana...?"
"It doesn’t matter. I want to marry her."
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