At that moment, it was quite apparent from the look on William's face how surprised he was when he saw the little boy who was holding Violet's hand.
The original plan was that Carla would drive Violet and Cody home before she headed back to the Seaview Villa with Sally.
But upon seeing that man waiting for them outside, it seemed that there wouldn't be a need to do that.
When she noticed William standing outside, Violet reflexively got in front of Cody as though she was trying to protect him from something.
Feeling a bit curious, Cody took a peek at the man who was standing in front of the car. For some reason, he felt somewhat familiar with him. That being said, he opted not to approach him.
"Let me just drive the two of you home. It's already a bit late, so you shouldn't be bothering Carla,"
William said as he walked toward them.
As he spoke, his eyes were completely glued to the boy hiding behind Violet.
It took the best of him to hold back his smile and it was plain to see that this boy was his son because he resembled him so much.
"So... Violet, what do you say? Why don't you just head back in William's car?"
Carla suggested, albeit reluctantly. This was the first time William had ever met his son, so they would probably need to get some family time. It would be better for her to leave the three of them to themselves.
At the end of the day, blood is thicker than water.
"Come on, Violet! Let's go."
Before Violet could give any response, William grabbed a hold of her hand and led her into his car.
After a futile struggle, Violet got into the car even though she really would've preferred not to.
"Sir, I can do it myself. You don't have to help me."
Turning down William's offer, Cody climbed up to the backseat all by himself.
Hearing the word "sir" made William turn frigid for a second, filling his chest with pain and bitterness.
After shutting the door, he got in the driver's seat.
Taking a look at the woman sitting right beside him and the boy at the backseat of his car, William had conflicting emotions. Being treated like a stranger by his son made him feel so empty deep inside. But at the same time, he also felt glad that he was able to make a bit of progress in his relationship with Violet and Cody. After all these years of waiting for a chance to reconnect with her, he could finally feel a sense of relief.
Outside the An Manor, even Carla felt at ease as she watched the three of them drive away in William's car.
She sincerely hoped that Violet and William could still settle their differences somehow and get a bit closer to each other this time around.
That was the way relationships worked sometimes.
It doesn't take too much to hurt someone, but in contrast, it would most definitely take a lot for their wounds to heal.
Once a person had gotten hurt, the scar would forever be there every single time they look at it.
mediately stopped him from packing things into her suitcase. "You don't have to clean up this place. We're only planning to stay here for one or two days. Besides, Cody will have to go back to school, so we really won't be staying for too long."
It seemed that William wasn't able to hear a thing she said as he simply continued packing their belongings.
"Violet, I'm not going to let you live here, not even for a single day. Come on and take Cody. You're going to leave this place with me!"
However, Violet simply stayed put while staring straight into his eyes.
Seeing as she wasn't planning to do as he said, William carried Cody in his arms and walked out the door as he pulled the luggage behind him.
When she saw him take Cody away, Violet went into a state of panic and quickly ran after him.
"William, what the hell are you doing? Put my son down this instant!"
William was pacing fast, so by the time Violet came to her senses and ran out of the room to go after him, he had already gone down the stairs, bringing Cody and the suitcase with him.
"Wait a minute, Miss! You haven't checked out yet."
The receptionist stopped Violet in her tracks when she reached the lobby.
As that was happening, William exited the hotel holding Cody in his hand. Then, he put the suitcase into the trunk right away.
"Sir, let's wait for mommy. I don't want to leave her behind..."
The four-year-old boy stared at William with an apprehensive look in his eyes.
He might have been curious about this man's identity and even felt safe being around him, but he had no intention of leaving her mother whatsoever.
"Don't worry. You're not going to leave your mother. I just want the two of you to live a better life."
Upon telling him that, William opened the car door and put Cody in the backseat.
"Sir... I was just wondering. Are you my daddy?"
Cody asked from out of the blue, his eyes beginning to well up with tears.