A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 274 Natural Connection

"I'm saying it as it is! He's just as well-behaved as you were as a baby," Augustine muttered with discontent.

James didn't want to argue anymore and plopped on the sofa. He leaned over to look at the little boy. "Have you found his family yet?"

'Whom should I be looking for? His family is right here in this room.' But out loud, he said, "No, no. Not yet."

James frowned and was about to say something when

Charlotte came downstairs. She had overheard the conversation. "Why do you dislike the boy so much? Don't you think he looks a little like Arthur?"

James' frown deepened at her words. He had nothing to do with this stray baby, so why was he hearing that he looked like his own son? "Nope." Exactly which part of the baby looked like Arthur anyway? He was so small and wrinkly. Why were his grandparents thinking this way?

The old couple exchanged a furtive glance. Augustine helplessly shook his head while Charlotte sighed. How could James be so dense in the face of the obvious hints they had been handing out? He'd better not blame them in the future.

The maid finished fixing up the baby and placed him in the stroller. Then she pushed it out into the balcony to let the boy bask in the sun.

"What brings you here?" Augustine asked his grandson dryly.

"I was just passing by. I wanted to see if the baby's family had been found." "Why are you in such a rush to get rid of him? We've never asked you to take care of him, have we?"

James shut his mouth. Even if they had, he would never agree. That little monster had been cheeky enough to blow bubbles at him during their first meeting, and now it pooped in his hand.

Instead, he turned his attention to the tea a servant had brought in. "What's his surname anyway? And what's his full name?"

Augustine snorted. "You honestly expect the child to have a surname after knowing his circumstances? Why don't we just give him yours then?"

James' body language immediately shifted to a firm refusal, and his tone was cold as he said, "You're the one who picked him up. You should give him your own surname."

"You share the same surname though," Charlotte piped up.

"It's not entirely the same," James quickly retorted. "It may look and sound alike, but they carry different meanings."

What if Maria were to learn of this someday and misunderstand? What if she thought that he had an illegitimate child? Besides, it wasn't as if he was incapable of siring his own children, why should he keep someone else's child?

He was busy pouting to himself that he didn't notice Augustine's face light up with mischief. "If the child takes my surname, then you'll have to address him as Uncle from now on. If he takes yours, you have the freedom to ask him to call you however you want. Well, which choice do you prefer?"

James gaped at the old man, speechless.

Did he honestly mean to make him call a one-month-old baby Uncle? He had the urge to throw the child away again. In the end, though, he said through gritted teeth, "Whatever."

In any case, the child's family was bound to be found sooner or later. In the meantime, they could name him however they wanted.

"Let's wait and see how things turn out. It would be best to reunite the baby with his family, of course. But if we don't replace them, you can just keep him as your son."

"No," James declared. "I will have a son of my own flesh and blood in the future." He wasn't so pathetic that he needed to raise someone else's son.

There was a moment of silence before Augustine said, "You seem to be very resistant to this child."

"Precisely. He's not my biological son, he's in no way related to our family. I have no reason whatsoever to like him."

The couple sighed and said nothing. 'James is a fool through and through. Why can't he recognize his own son? What about the so-called natural connection and emotional draw between parent and child?' James didn't stay long, but before he left, he repeated the offer he had made countless times before. "Should I just ask Summer to look for the child's family?"

Charlotte instantly shook her head. "No, no. Thank you, but no. Clues are going to appear soon, I'm sure. You're busy enough as it is without us causing more trouble for you."

James eyed his grandparents, and it occurred for him for the first time that something was not right with the situation. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

As he made his way to the door, he heard the maid comment that the little guy was pooping again. His face twisted into an expression of disgust. 'What is wrong with that boy? Is there anything else he does besides shitting all over the place?'

At Miracle Cafe

Maria and Kent were sitting face to face. She spoke first. "I heard that you've been working hard during my absence. I just want to express my thanks."

"You're welcome, Maria," he answered with a smile. "This is something that I should do anyway. Since I'm working for you now, I'll do my best and won't cause you any trouble."

"Well, I'll stay in the shop in the next couple of days. I'll give you and Mike a week off each. You can take turns and take a breather."

Kent scratched his head sheepishly. "Thank you, Maria. But I'm fine, really. I don't have any place to go anyway. Please let Mike take the break instead."

Maria studied the boy in front of her quietly. Kent had never been simple or honest. When he had been friends with Ronald, he was a playboy who would fool around with women all day long. Now he was acting all sincere and well-behaved. She couldn't help wondering if reality had indeed done it part in smoothing his rough edges, or if he was acting this way on purpose.

She nodded slowly. "All right, then I'll convert your vacation time into a cash incentive. Thank you for your hard work."

"Not at all. Will you be going on a trip again?" His question sounded casual, like some other everyday thing.

"Not for the time being. I'm exhausted from traipsing around in these last months. Now that I'm back in town, I just want a good, long rest."

"But I've never seen any sceneries on your social media posts while you were on leave. I did see some shots of delicious food here and there though. If I didn't know better, I would have assumed that you were in H City this whole time."

Maria kept her expression neutral. "Do you think I've gotten fatter?"

Kent flushed and shook his head. "Yes, a little, but it's not that obvious. It doesn't lessen your beauty at all."

She chuckled and leaned back in her chair. "I'm afraid I never paid much attention to the views afforded by the places I visited; I was more focused on food. My weight gain is quite the testament to that."

He flashed her another smile. "I see. M Country is known for its large variety of delicacies; we should go out together when we get the chance."

"Oh, for sure"

They continued to exchange inane pleasantries, and when Kent exited the room, Maria put away the smile she had been sporting.

He was no child. She could tell he was clearly aware of what she had done to his parents. She was sure Kent harbored some hatred or, at the very least, some resentment toward her.

He had come to work specifically in her coffee shop for a reason.

Maria looked out the window. When she had left H City, the weather had been getting warmer. Now that she had returned, the city was on the cusp of autumn.

After leaving the cafe that evening, she headed to Augustine's place residence to see her son.

The little boy seemed to be well taken care of by the maid they had hired. The old couple had even moved their bed room to the first floor in order to accommodate the child's needs. It was more convenient this way.

Despite having a maid nursing the baby twenty-four hours a day, Charlotte refused to let her guard down and insisted on keeping him in sight at all times.

Maria held her little boy and cradled him to sleep, stroking his smooth and tender face lovingly. He was such a good boy.

After tucking him in his cradle, she knocked on the door of the couple's bedroom.

Fortunately, they were still awake. Maria dispensed with the greetings and walked right it, closing the door behind her. She went straight to the point. "Grandpa, Grandma, please ask Tami to sleep with the baby during the nights."

When she had been here last time, she had also asked them to make sure Tami was the one taking care of the baby as much as possible.

Her concerns about the hired maid didn't go unnoticed of course. Augustine nodded. "Okay, I understand. Don't worry, I'll see that Tami does so."

"Thank you, Grandpa, Grandma. I'm leaving now, have a good night."

"Yes, you, too. Drive carefully."

"Okay, bye."

After she had left, Charlotte turned to her husband. "Have you noticed how Maria seems to be worried about the maid we hired?"