Then Jude handed the other apple to Leo.

He had fallen behind Summer because he was buying the treats, so he had witnessed the entire scene unfold.

Bending down, Jude flashed a bright, arrogant smile and nudged the candy toward Leo.

"Here, you get one too. Don't take his. It's filthy. You'll get sick."

Leo's eyes grew hot at the phrase 'you get one too' coming from a total stranger.

But he looked up at Summer first.

Jude looked at Summer too, his bright, youthful eyes silently pleading with her. "Let him have it. If other kids get something, our kid should get it too."

Looking at the candied treat in her hand, Summer suddenly felt a sense of relief. She smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Only then did Leo happily accept the caramel apple. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Thank you, Dad!"

Jude, who was just about to stand up, was so shocked he nearly lost his footing. Stunned, he slowly turned his head to look at Summer with a questioning gaze.

What the hell?!

Summer looked equally shocked, her eyes filled with apology. Read this novel at nove⁠lceo.com for the best experience.

"Leo Sterling!" Xavier barked furiously, a suffocating aura of dominance radiating from him.

Leo turned around, caramel apple in hand, and bowed politely to Xavier. "Goodbye, Mister!"

Then, grabbing Summer with one hand and a stiff-as-a-board Jude with the other, he turned and walked away.

Xavier stood rooted to the spot, his face livid. He stared fiercely at their retreating figures as if trying to burn a hole through their backs.

It wasn't until they got into the car and drove completely out of sight that Xavier finally snapped out of it. He released his clenched fists and led Hunter away without a word.

Lily finally recovered her senses as well. "Xavier, Summer probably hired that toy boy just to make you mad. Don't take it to heart."

Xavier's expression was murderously dark, emitting a terrifyingly low pressure. He completely ignored Lily.

"Xavier, Leo is still little. He doesn't understand anything. Summer must have manipulated him. Please don't be angry, okay? It hurts me to see you like this."

"Xavier. Xavier, say something to me."

After a long pause, Xavier finally calmed down slightly. He pulled Lily into a hug. "I'm sorry, Lily. That wasn't directed at you."

Lily gently rubbed his back. "It's okay, Xavier. I understand. What Summer did was completely out of line. I'd be furious too. How could she teach her own child to call another man Dad?"

Xavier said nothing, but the dark venom in his eyes was impossibly thick.

Meanwhile, in Jude's G-Wagon. Read the latest chapters at NovelCEO.

"I'm sorry, Jude. Did I scare you?" Leo, sitting in the backseat, apologized to Jude, who was sitting next to him.

"You definitely scared me." Jude told the truth, dramatically patting his chest.

Leo lowered his head, his eyes rimmed red, his voice muffled. "Actually, that man at the school gate... he's my father."

Jude had suspected as much, given how aggressively tense the atmosphere at the gate had been.

But hearing it straight from Leo's mouth still shocked him.

Jude replayed the scene in his head.

He had seen that man on the news before. It was Xavier Sterling, the richest man in Empire City.

Rumor had it that Xavier wasn't married, but not only was he married, his wife was Jude's colleague, and they had a five-year-old son.

What was even more explosive was that Xavier had another woman standing next to him, and that woman was holding a little boy about the same age as Leo.

Jude's gears turned, and he figured out the gist of it.

He hadn't realized his brilliant coworker had it this rough. He had heard the legends about Summer.

A former prodigy with unparalleled technical skills, she was supposed to join the national elite tech team but gave up a blazing career for a man.

Every time their old professor brought it up, he would beat his chest in agony, warning Jude to use her as a cautionary tale: love was poison, and he should never touch it.