Without a word, Azka strode off, leaving Damian and Luna still standing in front of his room.
"What are you doing? Why are you just standing there dumbfounded like that? Let's go," Luna exclaimed when she saw Damian still rooted to the spot, while she was already halfway to catching up with Azka, who had gone into the elevator first.
Damian shook his head slowly, then followed with hurried steps. "I should get an award for staying professional even though I have a wife this noisy," he muttered softly.
"Azka, you're treating us, okay!" Luna called out.
The elevator doors closed slowly, taking the three of them down to the ground floor, leaving behind the top floor of the building that Azka had presided over all this time. Now, the place was quiet again. But behind that silence, there still lingered waves of emotion that had not completely subsided, especially in Azka's heart.
The restaurant was located on a street corner somewhat hidden from the hustle and bustle of Washington. The building had a classic European style, with large windows and climbing plants adorning its natural stone walls. That place had always been Azka's, Damian's, and Luna's choice since they were young, before their lives became complicated.
They sat in their usual corner of the room. A waiter who had worked at the restaurant for a long time immediately recognized them and took their order without much small talk, as if he already knew the habits of his old customers.
Azka, who now looked younger without his beard and mustache, stared blankly out the window.
"You look like a college kid now," Luna blurted out while sipping her lemon tea that had just arrived. "If I weren't married, maybe I'd fall in love with you again."
Damian shot his wife a sharp glance. "Did you just say 'again'? Don't tell me you once—"
Luna laughed and waved her hand. "Just kidding, honey. Don't be so tense."
Azka just snorted, then turned his gaze back to the city street, hoping his complicated thoughts could be diverted for a moment.
The food that was served looked appetizing, each dish looked delicious and varied, making Luna enthusiastic when she saw it.
"Speaking of which, you already picked up our child from school, right?" Damian asked Luna, who was devouring her food.
Luna nodded. "I already picked him up before coming here and took him to Mom's house. He said he wanted to play with Grandpa and Grandma."
Damian nodded in agreement, then turned to Azka, who had been the center of people's attention all this time. "Azka, eat before your food gets cold."
"Huh, what's this?" Luna said suddenly when she saw a trending news item on the internet, confusing Damian and Azka.
"Azka, look at this. Doesn't this kid look like you when you were little? People are saying the same thing," she said, showing the sensational news displayed on her phone screen.
On the screen was a photo of a handsome young boy sleeping in an airplane seat. The caption in the post sparked public opinion: "Met a handsome kid at the airport. He looks familiar, but who is it?"
Luna scrolled down. There was another post juxtaposing the boy's photo with an old photo of Azka when he was a child. Many people in the comments section agreed with their resemblance.
Azka took Luna's phone and began to examine it more closely.
The comments on social media were no less lively:
"Oh my god, he's so handsome even as a kid."
"If he had been born before me, I would have definitely taken him to the office and married him!"
"That kid's face looks exactly like Noah Xavier and Madeline Sinclair's youngest son. Although in a sachet version."
"Woah, could he be Azka Xavier's son? I heard he was once married, right?"
"Hey, handsome, are you still single?"
There were also absurd accounts that joined in speculating and commenting seriously or humorously, such as the account @singlemalepredator who wrote:
"For goodness sake, the world is not ready for two Azka Xaviers in one generation!"
"Who is this kid? Why does he look like me when I was little?" Azka thought to himself, confused.
Suddenly, Azka's phone rang. It was a call from his mother.
"Azka, have you seen the news that's trending on the internet?" Azka's mom's voice was heard on the other end of the line.
"I just saw it, Ma," Azka replied, still surprised by what he had just seen on Luna's phone.
"So, what do you think?" Mom asked, her voice worried yet full of concern.
"Think? Think what, Ma?" Azka replied, confused by the direction of his mother's conversation.
"You really are something, can't you think?" his Mom began to nag, her voice slightly raised. "You have to think about this seriously. What if that child is yours?"
"You did have a one-night stand with a foreign woman, and who knows, this could be a clue for your future. Mom also wants you to find that child and bring him home immediately!"
"If necessary, find the person who first posted the child's photo and ask for an explanation from them."
Azka just shook his head, rolling his eyes lazily. "Ma, seriously, I'm not sure this has anything to do with me. And why be so over the top? It's just a photo, Ma. It could just be a coincidence that they look alike."
But his mom wouldn't stop. "But what Mom said earlier could be true. The point is, you have to bring him home immediately!"
After hearing his mom say that, which only made his head spin even more, Azka then heard his Mom's voice, which sounded very happy.
"Oh dear, oh my goodness, oh Lord! I'm going to have a new grandchild!" Madeline exclaimed from the other end of the phone.
Azka sighed deeply, listening to his mom's enthusiasm. "Ma, I know you want a grandchild, but we have to be more careful about this. What if this is one of the traps set by our enemies or business rivals?"
"Azka doesn't want to take that risk."
Hearing that, Madeline's excitement suddenly stopped. However, with full conviction, she still tried to convince Azka that his worries might be wrong, and that this could all become something big, as long as they did something right now.
Azka stared at his phone screen doubtfully. "I'll think about it, Ma. But there's no guarantee that he's really my son."
"Good, you're starting to think. That doesn't matter. What's most important right now is to confirm the truth first!" Mom replied with a hopeful voice. "But don't wait too long, Azka. We have to be quick, before someone else takes that child from us first, especially if he really is your son."
"Grandchild, Grandma!" Madeline shouted hysterically with joy.
With one long breath, Azka could only resign himself to listening to his mom, who continued to give endless advice.
After hanging up his phone, Azka immediately ate his food while returning Luna's phone to its place.
"What happened?" Damian asked curiously, seeing Azka's expression still looking tired.
"Mom asked me to bring that kid home. Mom thinks that kid is my son," Azka replied briefly, swallowing his mouthful of food slowly.
"Seriously? Your mom thinks that?" he asked, surprised.
Azka nodded, his eyes narrowing as if trying to understand the situation. "Yeah. Mom even said we have to find out more about that kid. Who knows if it has anything to do with my past that I haven't known all this time."
"It's just, I'm afraid if this is a trap like usual," he continued.
Luna, who had been listening to the conversation, looked at Azka with a doubtful expression. "But... what if it's true? Don't you want to find out more?"
Azka leaned back in his chair, staring at his plate, which was now almost empty. "I don't know. This feels really weird."
Azka sighed, then said again,
"I did have a one-night stand, but I never thought it would end with a child either."
Damian patted Azka's shoulder, trying to offer support. "Sometimes things like this can come unexpectedly. Maybe this is the right time to find out more."
"Besides, our previous guess turned out to be right, that the woman was pregnant when you experienced morning sickness ten years ago," Damian said.
Azka took a long breath.
"I guess... but I don't know where to start."
Luna looked at him seriously.
"Maybe you can start by finding out who the child's parents are. Who first posted that photo, and then look for other additional information."
Azka fell silent, pondering Luna's suggestion.
"Maybe," Azka said, nodding.
"And I guess I have to do that and find out, whatever it takes. At least for today first."
The three of them continued their meal in silence, each contemplating what had just been revealed and what steps should be taken next.