Chapter 483

His mother had warned him to stay miles away from this man.

Without hesitation, Henry turned on his heel and marched away.

"Henry Thorne!" Dominic's voice cut through the air like a whip when he noticed the boy deliberately avoiding him.

Henry's pace faltered slightly, but he kept moving forward.

Dominic had no choice but to jog after the stubborn child.

Planting himself firmly in Henry's path, Dominic demanded, "Why are you wandering alone? Where's Sophia?"

"Get away from me!" Henry spat, refusing to meet his eyes. "Didn't you promise me one wish? I'm cashing it in now. Stay out of my life! Never come near me again!"

A strange mixture of irritation and guilt churned in Dominic's chest as he took in Henry's conflicted expression.

This wasn't how he wanted his relationship with Evelyn's son to be!

Severing ties with Henry would inevitably damage his already fragile connection with Evelyn.

If only he hadn't lost control that day, nearly choking the life out of this boy... Evelyn wouldn't have banned him from Mooncrest Manor.

"I want to apologize," Dominic said, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly. "I'm truly sorry."

Henry blinked in shock. Was he hearing correctly?

Since when did the proud Dominic Blackwood ever admit wrongdoing?

"I don't want your stupid apology!" Henry shouted, leaving no room for reconciliation.

Swinging his backpack over his shoulder, he stormed toward the park gates.

Concerned for his safety, Dominic followed. "Let me drive you home."

"No!" Henry yelled without turning back.

In one swift motion, Dominic scooped him up. "You're going home whether you like it or not! Stop struggling! I'll leave as soon as you're safe inside."

Meanwhile at Thornfield Industries, Michael burst into Evelyn's office and urgently pulled her away from her desk.

"What's happening?" Evelyn asked, her brows knitting together.

"Big trouble!" Michael's face was grave. "If I hadn't seen the news, we wouldn't have known about Henry's secret! He participated in the National Youth Coding Olympiad! He won, but now there's controversy."

Evelyn's face paled. "What kind of trouble? Is Henry okay? Where is he now?"

"Dominic Blackwood took him home!"

"What does Dominic have to do with this?!"

"Sophia was the one who entered Henry in the competition," Michael explained as they rushed to the elevator. "She bypassed all preliminary rounds straight to finals! Other contestants are protesting the results."

Evelyn stood frozen.

"How did Sophia manage that?"

"Even scarier - she kept it from Dominic too. She's definitely not as simple-minded as we thought!" Michael said with conviction. "At her current cognitive level, she's perfectly capable of independence."

Though somewhat relieved, Evelyn pressed, "But is Henry alright?"

"He should be fine physically, but his hatred for Dominic runs deep... They're together right now... I dread to imagine that confrontation," Michael shrugged.

Cold sweat trickled down Evelyn's back.

When Henry arrived at Mooncrest Manor, he immediately barricaded himself in his room.

Dominic waited in the living room for Evelyn's return.

The silence was deafening, doing nothing to calm the storm raging in his mind.

He'd always noticed Henry bore some resemblance to him.

But today he realized it wasn't just physical - the boy's fiery temper mirrored his own!

Dominic couldn't stop the nagging thought: Did Evelyn really just adopt this temperamental child?

Was Henry truly not his son?!