After the divorce, he begged

What's up?” Rebecca could tell Samuel had something on his mind.

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“It's nothing,” Samuel replied, trying to bury his thoughts. He believed his mom would always love him. “If some

other uncle confesses to you one day, maybe you could think about it.”

“Getting married again isn’t really on my mind,” Rebecca told him.

If it weren't for the worries and fears gnawing at his heart, Samuel never would've stood outside eavesdropping

on Rebecca’s conversation with lan.

He was barely over four-a little more mature than other kids, sure, but deep down, he was still just a child. Kids

are sensitive, always a little anxious, wondering if Mom or Dad might find someone new and have another family

someday.

She couldn't promise anything to Jeffrey, but she could promise herself.

Samuel asked softly, “Why?”

“Because I'm completely satisfied with our life right now,” Rebecca said honestly. “Being together with you and

your grandma just makesfeel really blessed.”

She had no interest in starting a new relationship with anybody else.

There just wasn’t room for anyone else in her world.

Samuel blinked his big eyes up at her, a little uncertain but hopeful.

Rebecca pinched his cheek and smiled softly. “Relax, sweetheart, I'll always love you. You're my one and only.

and that’s never going to change.”

Samuel kept quiet, but the small smile tugging at his lips made it clear how happy he was.

Rebecca couldn't help but smile herself.

At the end of the day, he’s still just a little kid.

I'm going downstairs to practice piano!” Samuel announced, his voice bubbling with excitement as he

scampered out of the room. When he got downstairs and saw Rebecca still hadn't cout, he pulled out his

phone and called Jeffrey,

Meanwhile, Jeffrey was in the Hanson Group’s conference room, discussing business.

When he saw the call coming in, Liam, ever the gentleman, said, “Go ahead, take it.”

Jeffrey answered the call right in front of him, his voice low and steady. “Hello?”

“I've got sgood news and sbad news. Which one do you want to hear first?” Samuel said, with a hint of

smugness in his voice.

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Chapter 277

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“The bad news,” Jeffrey said.

“lan confessed to Mom,” Samuel said on purpose, hoping his dad would actually notice what was going on. He

wasn’t expecting them to get back together or anything, but at least he wanted them to get along like regular

friends.

Jeffrey didn’t even blink. “Here's the good news: she said no.”

Samuel's childish voice cthrough the phone. “No, no, no.”

Jeffrey was confused. “What?”

Samuel got all serious, even though he was totally making it up. “Here’s the real good news: I'm finally making

progress on my mission to collect twelve dads.”

Jeffrey's eyes grew darker, a complicated look flashing through them.

‘Wait... what's Samuel trying to say?‘ Jeffrey wondered, getting a bit tense.

‘So Rebecca didn’t reject him? But didn’t agree, either? Or what's going on here?‘ he thought anxiously.

“The bad news is for you, but the good news is all mine,” Samuel explained. “I won't be calling you for the next

couple of days. | need to spend stbonding with my future new dad.”

Jeffrey just gave a short, almost mocking laugh.

Samuel was totally confused. “Why are you laughing?”

Jeffrey snapped out of it, piecing everything together. “Just because you say you're making progress doesn’t

mean you actually are. Even if the bar moved, it could just be back to zero again.”

Samuel: “...”

She definitely rejected him, didn’t she?’ Jeffrey thought, knowing how Rebecca was. He figured it out in an

instant.

It hadn't even been ten days since the divorce-and Rebecca isn’t someone who rushes into stuff like that, even if

it were two months later.

Besides, nobody understood her like he did, and nobody loved her the way he did. Divorcing her was the one

thing he regretted, but aside from that, he was certain no one could ever take care of her or love her better than

he could.

Sfor him.

Rebecca was the only one who could ever love him like that.

“Not a chance!” Samuel piped up, trying hard not to let his dad see through him. “If you want to live in denial,

that’s on you. I'm not the one doomed to be single for life.”

Hearing Samuel's tone, Jeffrey knew he'd gotten it exactly right.

Chapter 277

Samuel didn’t give him a chance to respond.

“Gonna go practice piano now, talk later!” Samuel added, ending the call before Jeffrey could say anything

else.

Once the call ended, Liam, sitting across from Jeffrey, asked tentatively, “Was that Samuel calling you?”

“What did he want?” Jeffrey replied as he put away his phone. All his earlier warmth vanished, replaced instantly

by that natural, powerful aura-an authority that made everyone around nervous.

Liam couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Why does this guy’s aura feel even more intimidating than Stephen’s?‘ Liam thought, a little shaken.

“Mr. Hanson,” Gregory leaned in and dropped his voice, his tone all business. “The partners will be here in ten

minutes.”

Jeffrey glanced at his watch.

Just as he was about to tell Liam to leave, Liam jumped in. “Let's cut to the chase. I'm here to ask if you're

behind what's going on with the Jenkins family.”

Jeffrey lifted his gaze.

He stayed silent, but the quiet power in his eyes made the room tense.

“So, are you trying to keep stuff about Rebecca off the intebecause she’s got custody of Samuel?” Liam

asked, probing.

Liam honestly had no clue what was really happening between Jeffrey and Rebecca.

Sure, there were plenty of rumors going around about Rebecca being Jeffrey's favorite, but Liam didn’t take

any

of that at face value. To him, it seemed more likely Jeffrey was just building up his public persona—as the CEO of

the Hanson Group, having that romantic guy reputation wasn’t a bad look at all.

“Go on,” Jeffrey said, his tone unreadable.

Liam jumped in, “I can get Rebecca to hand over custody of Samuel to you.”

Jeffrey didn’t even blink. “What's the catch?”

Liam replied, “You stay out of the Quinn family’s business from now on.”

“Liam, you sure seem pretty confident,” Jeffrey said, glancing over at him with a cold, steady gaze. “What makes

you think you could getcustody when | couldn’t manage it myself?”

Liam paused and picked his words. “Rebecca and | are cousins, after all. She actually listens to me—at least a

little.”

“So you

you think

your words matter more than her ex-husband’s?” Jeffrey replied, his tone casual and distant.

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Chapter 277

Liam just stared, speechless.

On the outside, Liam was all composure, but inside, he was losing his mind.

‘Husband? Yeah right. Liam scoffed silently.

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“You two couldn’t have hated each other more when you split up. Like your words even mean anything to her

now? Besides, who ever thought custody was something you could just get by talking?‘ he muttered to himself.

“If you've got a problem with that, we can just drop it,” Jeffrey said, tilting his chin and keeping that signature icy

composure. “The door’s right there-don’t expect a warm send-off.”

Liam was totally stunned, his mind drawing a blank.

Liam looked at Jeffrey like he'd just witnessed something supernatural.

If he weren't such a hardcore skeptic, he'd almost suspect Jeffrey had skind of mind-reading superpower.

“You've got two things mixed up,” Jeffrey said, cool as ever. “First off, it was my choice to let Rebecca have

custody of Samuel. Second, Samuel's last name's actually Jensen-he takes after his mom.”

Liam's brow furrowed, a look of disbelief crossing his face.

‘Seriously? That's impossible,” he thought, completely blindsided.

“Rebecca and | might be divorced, but that doesn’t mean you—or anyone else—gets to mess with her,” Jeffrey

said, rising to his feet and staring down at Liam with an icy, intimidating glare. “If | ever catch you doing

something like this again, Mr. Quinn, your businesses might just get shut down for good.”

Gregory Baker moved the chair out of the way, and Jeffrey strode out of the conference room without a second

glance.

As he walked past Liam, Jeffrey fixed him with a cold, meaningful stare. “That warning goes too.”

for

your father

“I'll make sure my father gets your message,” Liam managed, swallowing his frustration. Facing someone like

Jeffrey, he knew better than to pick a fight.

Jeffrey strode out with Gregory, not once glancing back.

Back in the Executive Office, Gregory looked at him with a gossipy gleam in his eyes. “Mr. Hanson, since when

have you been helping Ms. Jensen? Weren't you the one who told us not to keep tabs on her?”

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Chapter 278

Chapter 278

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