"Hmph I don't care," the child pouted, "my real daddy doesn't love me, but you do."

Julian smiled softly, "Is that true?"

"Hmm," the child continued to pout, "so why won't you let me call you daddy?"

"Because you're technically my brother," Julian shrugged.

"Brother?" Gradis asked. The whole situation was flying over her head and she was forming situations in her head that didn't sit right with her.

"Hmm," Julian replied, trying his best to keep the child away from his phone, "Matheio was adopted into the family a few days ago by my dad."

"The mean grandpa?" Matheio sulked, s.h.i.+vering slightly as he remembered the man, "I don't like him because he doesn't like me."

Julian's expression darkened. Of course, the child thought that way, when the person that was supposed to love him and provide him with a better home than an orphanage, wouldn't even bat an eye at the kid. The thought of it angered Julian. How he had to be the one to take Matheio home after his father brought him out of the orphanage. How he had to watch his father take a few pictures with the paparazzi and disregard Matheio who was practically begging to be noticed. And especially hated how he drove them a few blocks away from the orphanage and left them alone on the side of the street while he took a separate car to work.

Julian looked down at the child in his arms and smiled. 'Thank G.o.d I was there.'

"Daddy am I cute?" Matheio asked with a charming smile on his tiny face.

Julian's face went blank for a moment, before he smirked, "Why do you ask?"

"Cuz' you keep staring at me," Matheio giggled.

"Hahaha," Gradis chuckled.

"I guess you are," Julian praised, pinching Matheio's cheeks softly.

"OW!" He shrieked, slapping away Julian's hand, "Don��t be mean daddy!"

"Hahahaha," Gradis continued to laugh, imagining what action Julian would have done to get Matheio to react like that.

"Is that mommy?" Matheio asked, his eyes trailing to the phone, "I wanna see mommy."

*Silence*

Julian looked at the phone and then back to Matheio. There was no reply from Gradis. 'Ah.. of course,' Julian thought to himself with a sad smile, 'she wouldn't want to see him. There was no reason for her to anyway… what was I expecting?'

"N-no um," Julian began to explain, "… it's complicat-"

"Ok! I wanna see you too!"

The words rolled off her tongue before she could stop them. There was something about the way the kid had asked that just made her want to give in.

Julian froze for a moment, the words Gradis had said hadn't seeped into his head yet. There was a slight delay in his reaction as he tried to figure out how to feel about this.

"MOMMY SAID SHE WANTS TO SEE ME!" Matheio shouted, snapping Julian out of his thoughts.

"Ah- um.." Julian stuttered, his mouth unable to form a sentence.

"What are you doing dad? HURRY UP AND SHOW ME, MOMMY!!" Matheio scolded, hitting Julian.

"Ok ok," Julian sighed, avoiding Matheio's. .h.i.ts to the best he could without dropping him. He looked down at Matheio who stared up at him, practically shaking in excitement and smiled, "gimme a second."

Gradis nervously waited on the other end, the situation finally sinking in. 'Mommy?! I agreed to be called mommy?' she pondered, 'have I lost my mind?!"

BUZZ BUZZ

She looked up to her phone at the incoming facetime request, looked at her position on the floor, and ran to the half-wall, opening her computer and propped her phone on it. Then she quickly ran to the sink, rinsed the blood off her hand, and then used a few paper towels to wipe away the water. Finally, she picked out a few pieces of broken screen pieces in her hand as she sat down on the silver stool, brushed her hair with her fingers, and accepted the call.

"Hi!" She greeted, cringing slightly at the high levels of chirpiness her voice had in that one word.