The next day, Cooper headed back, leaving his sister still sound asleep. He called her up, asking, "Hey, is my little treasure with you?" Silence followed as Mia, half-asleep, answered the call and then promptly dozed off again with the phone by her pillow. Cooper, now at the airport, paused with his suitcase in hand when he heard nothing but silence on the line. "Hello? Sis? You there? Pig," he muttered with a smirk, knowing she must have fallen asleep again.

With a shrug, he decided to call Andre, his brother-in-law. "Hey, bro-in-law..." he greeted as soon as the call connected, only to be met with the familiar sound of a child's cries. Without missing a beat, he said, "I'll see you in half an hour." He hopped into a taxi and told the driver, "Cedillo Inc., please."

When he arrived at Cedillo Inc., he quickly realized he didn't have the same pull as his sister and nephew and was promptly stopped at the reception. With no other option, he called Andre again, "Can't get upstairs, man."

Andre made a quick call from his office, and soon enough, the receptionist was escorting Cooper inside, luggage in tow.

It was Cooper's first time visiting Cedillo Inc., and he couldn't help but be impressed. "So this is what a business empire looks like, huh? Pretty snazzy."

Impressive as it was, the CEO clearly had his hands full. Andre was trying to work while his son, Henry, was red-faced and bawling in his walker, snacks strewn about in his toddler rebellion.

Andre couldn't concentrate with the crying echoing through the office. Sending Henry to his doting grandparents wasn't ideal-they'd spoil him rotten. And leaving him with Mia wasn't much better; she was too exhausted. The house staff, overly cautious because he was Andre's son, treated him like royalty.

So, Andre decided to bring Henry to the office, where he watched him cry. Poor Henry was distressed because his walker's seat was missing-it was his go-to spot for lazy lounging. Today, it was gone, and he was too scared to sit, only able to stand and shuffle as the walker moved with him.

Five minutes later, Cooper got to Andre's office floor. As soon as he stepped off the elevator, he could hear his nephew sobbing. Without hesitation, he dropped his suitcase and followed the sound to the CEO's office.

He scooped up the little guy, giving him a big, silly kiss right on the cheek, startling Henry into a rare moment of silence. He blinked up at his uncle, momentarily forgetting his tears.

Andre, seeing Cooper's suitcase abandoned, went and brought it back inside. Henry, not recognizing anyone, saw his uncle as a stranger, cried again, and reached out for his dad.

Andre took him back, but Cooper wasn't ready to let go. "Why's he crying this time?" he asked.

Once Henry was back in his father's arms, he calmed down a bit, still sniffling with his little body shaking from leftover sobs.

Sitting on the couch, Andre explained, "I took out the seat from his walker. Trying to break his lazy habit, but he's not happy about it."

Cooper glanced at the walker. Sure enough, it was bare.

Henry eventually settled down, hugging his dad's face and sadly whispering, "Daddy."

Andre handed Henry back to Cooper. "Spend some time with your uncle; he flew back just to see you."

In a matter of minutes, the little guy was giggling at his uncle's antics. Cooper stood up, saying, "I'll leave my suitcase here. When you come by for dinner tonight, could you bring it over? My sister, that sleepyhead, is still out cold, and I'm taking my little buddy out." As they left, Cooper chatted away, marveling at the magic of family bonds. Somehow, being held by his uncle, Henry seemed to recognize him, sitting contentedly in the elevator as they left the building.

"Hey, kiddo, how about hitting the amusement park? Uncle Cooper's got you covered; you'll be the coolest baby there."

Henry just gave a tiny, thoughtful look.

"Silence is golden," Cooper joked, hailing a taxi.

That afternoon, Andre called Cooper multiple times. Each time, Cooper took a moment to answer. "Is Henry crying?" "Nope."

"Is he hungry? Time for his formula."

"Not really."

"Where are you guys?"

"Amusement park."

Andre was taken aback. "The amusement park? Really?"

His little son, still new to the world, couldn't even handle simple games yet, and here they were at an amusement park? "Don't give him anything weird to eat," Andre cautioned. "He's like your

Lovel

sister-sees food and wants it, no

matter what."

Cooper, watching his nephew gnaw on a bone, replied, "Don't worry, I took the meat off the chicken. Left him the bone to chew on; that's okay, right?" Andre could already picture his son, pitifully holding a bone. "It's fine, just get him something proper to eat."

"Relax, I've got this. I'll take better care of him than anyone."

With that, Cooper ended the call, tearing off a piece of burger bun. "Open wide, buddy."

Henry happily dropped the bone, munching on the tasty bun with gusto.

At the amusement park, Henry was quite the sight. While other kids could walk around, he needed to be held all the time, crying if he was put down.

Despite his chubby little self, he was

undeniably cute, and with his

dashing uncle, Cooper, in sleek black

attire, they made quite the pair, drawing the eyes of passersby.

Everyone wanted to pinch Henry's cheeks, but Cooper was quick to shield him, giving a cold stare to anyone who tried. "What do you want? he'd ask, his tall frame and

cool demeanor keeping people at bay.

When others sipped drinks, Henry's eyes followed. Cooper promptly bought him a drink, "Just a sip for you, and Uncle will finish it."

Seeing cotton candy, Cooper offered, "One lick, and Uncle will handle the rest."

Eyeing a candy apple, Cooper said, "Sorry, kiddo, those little teeth of yours aren't ready for this. Let's replace something else."

Henry happily tagged along with his uncle, enjoying all the treats.

As Michael clocked out for a break, he noticed a little kid sitting by a pavilion, as cute as a button, with skin fair and soft enough to rival any rich kid.

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