NOT MY SON

Alice widened her eyes in disbelief at the temptation she had just heard from Sean Garendra.

"I'm sorry for teasing you. I like seeing your expression like that, hehe!" Sean chuckled at Alice's confused expression. Sean flashed a charming smile that made Alice's eyes seem to be drifting at his handsomeness.

Click!

Sean's finger snaps that sounded repeated, awakened Alice's daydream who didn't take her eyes off Sean's face.

"Come on, Miss. Don't make me feel like you want to kiss me again! And if it's true, I'll take it seriously and happily too," said Sean, crossing his arms over his chest, still laughing at Alice's innocent face.

"No, no, no! Thank you. Just forget the stupid words I said earlier!" Alice answered quickly and headed straight for the kitchen.

'What was that? Why does his smile seem to make me drown and forget myself? Those lips, ah! I guess I'm already insane from meeting him!' Alice smacked her forehead while shaking her head, cursing her madness this time.

Alice walked back with a cup of water in her hand and passed Sean who was sitting watching her.

"Miss Alice, can we talk for a moment?" call Sean.

Alice, who had turned her back on Sean first, turned around and faced Sean when Sean's call was heard.

***

Now, Alice was sitting opposite Sean. Tightness and pounding came back to Alice when she had to deal with this man.

"Sorry, our arrival caused a lot of unpleasant events tonight. We didn't come here to spoil the calm here, and it's only because Shine wants to meet you," Sean started the conversation.

"No problem. You told me that earlier. I love children after all!" Alice answered awkwardly.

"Not like that. I mean, Shine finds comfort in you. And this has just happened again after a long time," Sean continued his story.

"I? Why should I? I only helped him a little and because he's a sweet kid, so I like him. It's that simple, and I don't feel like I'm doing a great deed, Sir!" Alice tried to straighten out Sean's assumptions.

It's not good to get compliments like that especially from someone as rich as Sean Garendra.

"Back then, when Shine was three years old, she was kidnapped by irresponsible people. I don't know what they did, causing Shine to be traumatized until now. And at that time he was saved by a young woman like you, and Shine felt comfort in that woman," Sean seemed to stop his sentence for a moment.

"One day, Shine finds out that the woman he loves is only using her to benefit our family. And it turns out the woman was also the one who planned the kidnapping. Until now, the child still feels traumatized when close to other people, even though that person is good to him. Shine's trust seems to be locked away from everyone." Sean added.

"What is it that makes it difficult to talk to? But it seems Shine can speak fluently since he also spoke to me earlier?" asked a confused Alice.

"Shine will indeed speak fluently, but only to people, he considers kind and sincere. And it was also because he wanted to get his voice out. Otherwise, Shine would just be expressionless and it wasn't because of the kidnapping, but admittedly the impact of the kidnapping made him worse psychologically and made him more isolated, even with our own families," Sean added.

"So, Shine has been like that since birth?" asked Alice to which Sean answered with a curt nod of his head.

"I'm sorry, Sir. If I'm too presumptuous to ask. I wonder what was on my mind since the first time I found out that Shine was your child," Alice dared to ask.

"Please, just ask what you want to ask?" replied Sean casually.

"This is related to my rudeness to you this morning," Alice's words this time immediately brought Sean's mind back to remember what happened this morning with Alice.

"I apologize for mentioning you have a sexual disorder. It was said because that's how the news circulated. And now I don't want to waste time asking you about who is Shine's mother?"

"Why doesn't Shine's mother stay to take care of it? As far as I know, child development needs the important role of a mother. And I think Shine is like this because he doesn't get enough attention from her mother," Alice said firmly this time. For some reason, she felt sorry for the child's mental condition.

"You are right, Miss. Shine had never received his mother's love since birth. Because his mother died after giving birth to Shine," Sean replied, lowering his head.

Sean's expression was very sad. To make Alice feel guilty for saying something inappropriate to ask.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't mean to make you sad. I don't mean to remind you of your late wife. I'm sorry, sorry. I won't ask again about this. Please forget I ever asked. And if I ever hear someone say that Sean Garendra is gay again, I'll break that guy's neck right away!"

Alice's regret was evident. However, Sean smiled instead after lifting his face again and looking at Alice.

"Thank you, for your condolences for Shine's mother. But Shine's mother is not my wife. She's my older sister's wife. And Shine is not my biological son, Shine is not my son. He is my nephew, the only son of the first child in our family," Sean explained with patience and a smile that didn't fade at Alice.

"You mean? S-so the little one isn't your child?" Alice stammered and immediately got a smile with a shake of Sean's head.

"Wow, what a big surprise this is!" said Alice as she let out a shaky breath. She rubbed her forehead as if surprised to receive this kind of information.

"But, Sir! Why doesn't anyone know about your late brother or your little one's parents? And I'm also sure no one knows that the Garendras have three sons!" continued Alice speculating.

Considering that there is no one who does not know the Garendra family. And what everyone knows is that the only heirs to the Garendra family are Sean and Troy Garendra.

Alice thought too hard and forgot that it was none of her business. So, Alice decided not to get involved in this story.

"I'm sorry, Sir. For my impoliteness for asking such a question. Please forget it, and you don't have to answer it. I'll keep this story to myself," Alice said in response to the words that were said earlier.

"No problem, I don't mind telling you. And without you saying you'd keep this story to yourself, I already knew you weren't a newsworthy woman." Sean answered Alice's sentence.

"Of course no one knows that our family has three children. My brother was born in Switzerland and grew up there. Back then our family was not as successful as it is now. My parents set up a small business with our grandfather there. And my brother helped our grandfather since he was a teenager until grandfather died and the business that had begun to develop was handed over to my brother,"

"When I was a teenager, my father decided to try his luck in this country, where my mother was born. And fortunately, our business is growing rapidly and is famous until now. Because my brother did not want to leave our grandfather's business there, he remained there until the end of his life. And never came to this country once. So, of course, no one will know, that we are three brothers," Sean's reassuring smile appeared on Alice when Sean told her about his brother.

"I'm sorry if you're sad again because of what I just said," said Alice regretfully.

"It doesn't matter, because it's done and the story has reached here. You should also know that my brother and his wife died in a car accident after they came home from the hospital after giving birth to Shine," Sean continued with a tense and cold tone and expression on his face.

Alice could feel the anger emanating from Sean. The pain that was not poured through tears but was visible on Sean's face like someone who held a grudge.

'Enough! The problem is serious and only getting worse. I shouldn't have asked him many questions!' Alice sighed in her heart. She knew very well, the conversation that Sean said must have something to do with a grudge.

Alice had seen many such eyes, but this time it was different. Could it be because this time what she saw was Sean Garendra? Which turned out to have quite a complicated problem.

"Hmm, I'm sorry, Sir. Can you not continue this story? I mean, it's not that I don't sympathize with the story of the little guy or his parents, but I feel like I'm nothing to you guys, and the truth is that we're not close at all!" Alice gave a forced smile, but in Sean's eyes, Alice's forced smile was too cute to ignore.

"Miss Alice!" Sean called to Alice whose eyes were wandering everywhere because she was embarrassed when Sean kept glancing at her.

"Yes?" the answer is short.

"Have we met before?" Sean asked with a shady look.