Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle

Chapter 410: No Visits

Gio arrived late, and he didn’t arrive alone.

Lucas Rochefort walked in beside him, his suit rumpled, his tie loosened, his expression carrying the particular exhaustion of a man who had been in back-to-back meetings for the past twelve hours and had only just escaped. He was Alex and Franz’s cousin, the Rochefort Group’s chief counsel, a position that meant he spent more time in conference rooms than anyone else in the family. He was good at his job. He was also, according to Lily, terrible at visiting.

"Uncle Lucas!" Lily’s voice cut across the garden. She was already running toward him, her pale blue dress swishing around her legs, her expression a mixture of delight and accusation. Leo followed at a slower pace, the whale tucked under his arm. When he reached Gio, he stopped and reached up, taking his uncle’s hand without explanation.

Gio looked down at the small fingers wrapped around his. He didn’t pull away. He never did anymore. Leo had started doing this a few months ago: reaching for Gio’s hand whenever they were in the same room, holding on without speaking, as if the contact itself was all the communication he needed. The first time it had happened, Gio hadn’t known what to do with it. He had stood very precisely in place and waited to see if Leo would let go on his own. Leo had not let go. He had held on for the better part of an hour, through dinner and the twins’ bedtime routine and most of a documentary about deep-sea fish that Gio hadn’t particularly wanted to watch. By the time Leo finally released his hand to go to sleep, Gio had stopped noticing the weight of it. He had stopped questioning it entirely after that. He just let the boy hold on.

"Why are you so late?" Lily demanded, planting herself in front of Lucas. "The party started hours ago. We already cut the cake. You missed the cake."

"I know. I’m sorry. Work ran long." Lucas crouched down to her level. "Where’s your Uncle Finn? He was supposed to be here before me."

"He’s not here yet. You’re the first one." Lily’s eyes narrowed. "And you haven’t visited us. Not once. Not for months. Leo, has Uncle Lucas visited us?"

Leo shook his head. "No visits," he said.

"See? Leo agrees. You never visit."

Lucas raised his hands in surrender. "I want to visit. I do. But your Aunt Arianne and Uncle Franz keep giving me too much work. I’m drowning in contracts. I dream about legal documents. It’s their fault."

Lily considered this with the gravity of a judge reviewing evidence. "That’s not a good excuse."

"It’s the only excuse I have."

"Did you at least bring a present?"

"I brought you a dollhouse. A big one. With furniture."

Lily’s expression flickered, delight breaking through the stern facade before she wrestled it back. "That’s acceptable. For now. But you have to visit more. Especially now. We have a new little brother. His name is Lexx. With an extra X. He’s very small and he sleeps a lot and you haven’t met him yet."

"I heard. That’s why I came. To meet him."

Lucas straightened up. "Can someone introduce me?"

"Come on. I’ll take you." Lily grabbed his hand and began pulling him through the garden. "He’s with Uncle Franz. He’s been awake all afternoon, which is unusual. He usually sleeps when there are people around. Maybe he knows you’re coming and wanted to stay awake for you."

"Or maybe he just wasn’t tired."

"That’s less interesting. I prefer my explanation."

Gio followed, Leo’s hand wrapped around his, the small procession weaving through clusters of relatives. When they reached Franz, who was standing near the dessert table with Lexx cradled against his chest, they found him already surrounded by a group of uncles and cousins who descended on Lucas the moment they spotted him.

"Lucas! Where have you been?"

"We haven’t seen you in months!"

"Are you sleeping at the office? You look terrible."

"I look distinguished," Lucas said. "There’s a difference. And I’ve been working so all of you can enjoy your retirement. And your yachts. I noticed the yachts."

"You should take a vacation."

"I’ll take a vacation when the company stops growing. So, never."

Lily tugged at Lucas’s sleeve. "Where’s your gift for Lexx?"

Lucas looked down at her, then at the baby in Franz’s arms. "I forgot."

"You forgot?" Lily’s voice was incredulous. "You forgot to bring a present for the baby?"

"I was in a hurry. I’ll bring one later. I promise."

"Uncle Lucas has a bad memory," Lily announced to no one in particular. "He’s getting old."

"I’m not old. I’m the same age as Alex and Arianne."

"But they already have children. And you don’t. You don’t even have a wife." Lily folded her arms. "So you’re behind."

Several of the surrounding uncles made sounds of agreement. One of them, a grey-haired man with Lucas’s nose, clapped him on the shoulder. "The child has a point. When are you going to settle down?"

"When the company stops growing," Lucas said again, more firmly. "So, never. Now can I please meet the baby before Lily finds more reasons to criticize my life choices?"

Franz moved Lexx in his arms. "He’s been awake for a while. He’s been calm with new people."

Lucas stepped forward, his expression softening as he looked at the baby. Lexx gazed back at him with dark, unblinking eyes. He was wrapped in a soft blue blanket, his tiny fingers visible at the edge, his cheeks round and full. He studied Lucas with the same serious attention he gave everything new.

Then Lucas reached out and took him.

Lexx’s face crumpled. His mouth opened. And a wail—loud, piercing, utterly disproportionate to his small size—split the air.

The relatives burst into laughter. Lucas stood frozen, the screaming baby in his arms, his expression a mixture of panic and wounded pride.

"What did I do? I didn’t do anything! I just picked him up!"

"He’s upset you didn’t bring a gift," Lily said, nodding sagely. "I told you. Babies know things."

"That’s not—babies don’t—" Lucas looked at Franz, desperate. "What do I do? How do I make him stop?"