Today was the first day of January.
For Oliver, it was nothing short of a monuntal event.
He sat in the back seat, legs swinging restlessly, his small face practically glued to the window as the snowy landscape passed by. The excitent radiating from him was almost tangible, filling the car with a restless energy that neither Axel nor Evelyn could ignore.
This was not just another family visit.
This was his first visit to the Knight family ho.
And Oliver had been counting down to it with the seriousness of a child preparing for a royal ceremony.
"Mommy, why haven’t we arrived yet?"
His cute little voice broke the brief quiet atmosphere of the car. And he has been doing it, like, maybe the tenth ti.
Evelyn turned slightly in her seat, smiling warmly at her impatient son.
"Now we’re close, sweetheart. We’ll arrive very soon, any minute now," she said gently, her tone calm and soothing with a hint of nonchalance.
Oliver narrowed his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "But Mommy," he replied with remarkable seriousness, "you already said that many tis."
Axel bit back a smile.
Oliver leaned forward slightly, his gaze shifting toward his father.
"Daddy, is it still far?"
Axel glanced at him through the rearview mirror, his expression perfectly composed. "Five minutes." He answered calmly.
Oliver’s eyes lit up.
"Five minutes?"
"Yes."
Oliver leaned back again, considering this information with dramatic intensity. "That is still a very long ti."
Evelyn laughed softly.
Axel chuckled under his breath.
"Well," Axel said casually, "why don’t you practice your singing? Five-minute practice should be enough, right? And by the ti you finish, we will have arrived."
Oliver blinked and turned his head toward his father once more, "Singing?"
"Yes, buddy," Axel continued smoothly. "Soone may ask you to sing today."
Oliver stared at his father, visibly horrified. "But, daddy, you know I can’t sing, right?"
Axel raised an eyebrow. "Oh? A few tis I heard you sing, and it sounds aweso."
Oliver nodded with complete confidence. "But I only sing in the shower."
Evelyn burst into laughter.
Axel nearly missed a turn.
"And your voice sounds terrific," Axel replied, fighting his amusent.
Oliver crossed his arms thoughtfully, then suddenly brightened when an idea crossed his mind. "Dad, Mom, how about I play the piano for them?"
Evelyn smiled. "Oh yeah. That’s a wonderful plan, sweetheart. They would be excited to hear it."
Oliver grinned, instantly satisfied.
"Yay! Yay! I can’t wait..." He returned his attention to the window, excitent once again taking over as he admired the snowy scenery outside.
The car gradually fell silent.
For a brief mont, peace settled between Axel and Evelyn.
But unlike Oliver’s excitent, Evelyn’s thoughts were far less lighthearted.
Although she had visited the Knight family ho before, today felt different.
Today, Oliver was with them.
Which ant—
Today, the family would truly et him.
And more importantly...
Alexander Knight would et him.
Evelyn’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap.
Until now, she still did not fully understand what had happened between Alexander Knight and her father. The past remained tangled, filled with grudges, pride, and wounds that had never completely healed.
And though Axel had reassured her countless tis...
Though he had promised his father would never harm Oliver...
A quiet unease still lingered in her chest.
Because conflicts between adults had a cruel way of spilling into innocent lives.
She feared resentnt.
Feared judgnt.
Feared that her son might beco an unintended target of old hatred.
Axel, sensing the subtle shift beside him, glanced briefly at her. His hand reached her shoulder and squeezed it gently.
"You’re thinking too much again," he whispered, just loud enough for Evelyn to hear.
Evelyn looked at him, startled. She shook her head, "I am not."
Axel smiled faintly before turning his attention back to the road ahead. "You always make that face when you’re worried."
"What face?"
"The one where you pretend you’re calm."
Evelyn sighed softly.
Axel reached over, gently squeezing her hand. "Eve," he said quietly, his voice steady and reassuring, "relax, everything will be alright."
She nodded, though the faint tension remained. "I know..."
Monts later, the large iron gates ca into view.
Oliver straightened instantly.
"Daddy! Look... That Great-grandpa house?"
Axel chuckled softly, cast a quick glance in the rearview mirror, and replied, "Yes, buddy. We’re here."
The gates slowly opened. And the car rolled forward into the vast Knight compound.
Oliver’s eyes widened the mont the mansion ca fully into view.
"Wow... look at that house. It’s huge."
His voice was filled with pure amazent, the kind only a child could express so honestly.
The excitent softened sothing inside Evelyn, easing the quiet tension that had been sitting heavily in her chest.
Axel chuckled softly from the driver’s seat. "Well," he said casually, "that’s your house too, buddy."
Oliver gasped. "My house?"
Evelyn smiled faintly. "Yes, sweetheart. It’s part of your family."
Before Oliver could respond, his attention was abruptly stolen.
"Oh! Mom! Dad! Look, look!" His small finger shot toward the entrance. "That’s Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma!"
As if the two adults in the front seats had sohow missed the very obvious sight of the elderly couple already waiting outside with visible anticipation.
Axel smirked. "Sharp eyes."
The car rolled smoothly to a stop.
Axel stepped out first, moving quickly to open the back door. His movents carried a natural urgency, though his expression remained calm.
"Buddy, hurry. Go greet them."
Oliver eagerly climbed down—
But barely had his shoes touched the ground when another figure erged from the house.
Amanda Knight.
And unlike the elders’ dignified pace, Amanda moved with impressive speed.
"Little Oliver!" Her voice rang with unmistakable joy as she practically rushed toward him. "Let Grandma carry you!"
Before Oliver could even process what was happening, Amanda had already scooped him up effortlessly, pulling him into a tight embrace.
She squeezed him as if he were a long-lost treasure.
Oliver blinked in surprise. "Granny..."
Amanda bead. "Oh, my sweet boy... Grandma misses you so much."
Oliver squird slightly, his cheeks turning pink. "Granny, but we just t three days ago."
"You are right, but I still miss you." Amanda smiled as she ruffled his smooth hair.
Axel and Evelyn held back a smile.
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