Chapter 489
489
The more they talked it through, the clearer everything became. Caitlin turned to Hayden with gratitude in her eyes.
“Seriously, thank you. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have found such an important lead.”
“That’s all?” Hayden teased. “No invitation to visit your home? Mr. Vanderbilt, am I welcome?”
Sebastian gave a relaxed smile. “Of course you’re welcome. Let’s go.”
With the family connection settled and no threat of Hayden trying to steal Caitlin away, Sebastian made a polite gesture toward the door.
Hayden picked up his car keys, grinning. “Alright then, time to visit the legendary Vanderbilt estate.”
Caitlin and Sebastian chuckled and followed him out.
Their cars pulled into the grand Vanderbilt estate. After parking, Sebastian and Caitlin stepped out, followed by Hayden, whose assistant opened the trunk and began unloading several neatly packaged gift boxes.
“You didn’t have to bring gifts,” Caitlin laughed. “Really, that’s too much.”
“It’s my first visit,” Hayden replied smoothly. “Can’t show up empty–handed.”
He was a man who paid attention to detail–never missing a step when it came to etiquette.
“You’re too thoughtful,” Caitlin said. “Come on, we can walk in from here.”
As they walked through the lush gardens of the Vanderbilt property, Hayden looked around and nodded in approval.
“Not bad at all. You two are living the good life.”
From a distance, the sounds of children playing floated over. Hayden glanced that way.
“Sounds like there are a few kids over there. Are some of them yours?”
Sebastian nodded. Hayden laughed.
“I heard Caitlin gave you quadruplets. What, did you save the world in your past life or something?”
“Maybe,” Sebastian said with a grin, pulling Caitlin close. “What can I say? I’m just lucky. Not everyone gets to be this blessed.”
“You’re right about that,” Hayden said, amused.
As they got closer to the lawn, Hayden could instantly tell which kids were theirs. Four children–three boys and a girl–were grouped together, identical in height and appearance.
The little girl noticed them first. She turned, then came running toward them.
“Daddy! Mommy!”
“Patricia!” Caitlin scooped her daughter up into her arms.
Patricia clung to her, then peeked curiously at the unfamiliar man beside them.
“This must be Patricia,” Hayden said. “She’s gorgeous–like a real–life Barbie doll.”
Patricia blinked her big eyes, resting her chin on her mom’s shoulder, still a little wary.
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“ This is Hayden.” Calitin said gently. “He’s family. Say hesta!
Since the kidnapping incident, Patricia had been shy around strangers. The stayed aunt, Ruding her fare
Hayden motioned to his assistant, who brought over a gift bow
“Hi, Patricia. I brought you a little something”
Patricia didn’t reach for it, so Caitlin took it for her.
“She’s been a bit shy lately, but thank you. She’ll love it.”
Hayden had already heard about the kidnapping. “No worries. So how do you tell the boy’s apart? They look eeartly t
Just then, the three boys came running over. Hayden blinked–same height, same face, even the same outfit.
“How do you even tell them apart?” he asked, incredulous..
“Even I get them mixed up sometimes,” Sebastian admitted. “But their mom? Never.”
Caitlin introduced them, pointing as she spoke.
“This one’s Howard, that one’s Bruce, and he’s Arthur. Boys, this is Hayden.”
“Hi, Hayden!” they chimed in unison.
“Nice! Three handsome little gentlemen!” Hayden smiled.
His assistant handed out more gifts–carefully selected, limited–edition mechanical toys that needed to be assembled. Each child, including Quenton and i Kyle, even Kyle from the Xenos family, got one.
The kids were thrilled. Arthur quickly warmed up to Hayden and tugged his sleeve.
“This is awesome! Can you show me how to build it?”
“Sure thing,” Hayden said, crouching down.
Soon enough, the famous “Fixer” of Departure City had become the star of the playground, surrounded by giggling kids as he helped assemble the toyd
He was surprisingly good with children–charming, patient, and funny. Within minutes, he had completely won them over.
Caitlin watched from a distance, unable to hold back a smile.
So this was the truth of men, wasn’t it? No matter their age, there was always a kid inside.
The afternoon passed with laughter and play. Afterward, Hayden was formally introduced to the rest of the Vanderbilt family. Everyone received him
warmly.
Dinner that evening was grand and lively. The table overflowed with delicious dishes, and the mood was cheerful. Hayden, who had never grown up in a warm household, found himself deeply moved.
He couldn’t help but envy Sebastian–not for his wealth, but for this sense of family, of home.
For the first time in a long while, Hayden wondered what it might feel like to have that kind of life. Maybe… it v building one of his own.
for him to start thinking about
When dinner ended, Hayden said his goodbyes. Before he left, Sebastian invited him to stay in New York a couple more days.
“Tomorrow is Caitlin’s birthday,” he said. “We’d love for you to come.”
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Hayden agreed without hesitation.
“Of course. I’ll even bring a gift. I’ll have to think carefully. What should
That night, after tucking the kids into bed, Caitlin returned to the master suite:
Fresh out of the shower, she had just stepped out when Sebastian pinned her gently against the door, his warm breath Brucken her din ackle Ba knees weak.
As he leaned in for a kiss, Caitlin’s phone rang.
“Hold on,” she murmured. “Someone’s calling-”
“Nope,” Sebastian said firmly, capturing her wrists and pressing her back to the wall, his voice low and possessive
“I just want to be with you. No interruptions.”
She was breathless, pinned by his warmth. But the phone kept ringing persistently.
“It could be important,” she said softly, cupping his face in her hands.