Chapter 150: Baby, is that you?

Chapter 150: Baby, is that you?

Kayden

"You met your mother and didn’t bother to tell me?" Leo repeated, stepping fully into the room. "Also, you are hiding out in Gabriella’s home and didn’t bother to call me, Kayden!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the walls.

Rhoda stepped forward to meet him halfway across the room. She grabbed his hands and rubbed them gently, her maternal instinct kicking in to de-escalate the tension. "Hello, son. Calm down and just listen. Maybe Kayden had his reasons."

Leo’s eyes widened as he looked at his mother. "Mom, don’t let sentiment cloud the facts. He didn’t even tell me he was here, and I only found out because I saw Gabriella’s post on Instagram. It’s an illogical risk for someone in his position."

Rhoda turned toward Gabriella, her brow furrowing into a frown.

"Sorry, babe, I couldn’t hide it," Gabriella responded with a sheepish shrug. "But I swear, I only told him Kayden was here a few minutes ago."

Leo scoffed, dismissing the excuse, and turned his fiery gaze back to me. "How long have you known about your mother?" he demanded.

"Since that night Rhys brought me to your clinic."

"What!" Leo’s voice rose an octave. He angrily stomped his foot on the ground. "You’ve known about your mother for that long, and you didn’t see fit to include me in the data set? That’s months of omitted information, Kayden!"

I shrugged, my own irritation beginning to form. "I don’t think I was obligated to tell you about that, and besides, it must have skipped my mind. And it’s easy for you to talk—you never told me you were an Enigma. You hid your status from me for years!"

"That was a necessary precaution based on society," Leo countered, moving away from his mother and heading toward me until he was standing just five feet away. "While I acknowledge I’m not technically entitled to your private history, we had an agreement. So, does Rhys know about this?"

I nodded.

Leo scoffed and stomped his foot yet again. "You prioritized telling Rhys over me. That’s a significant lapse in judgment regarding our friendship."

"Son, stop stomping your feet like a little kid and also talk in a language everyone understands. Kayden must have had his reasons. Let’s settle this over tea or something," Rhoda suggested, throwing Gabriella a desperate look asking for help.

"Your mother is right. Both of you should—"

Leo cut Gabriella off before she could finish as he took another step closer to me. "I can’t believe you told Rhys before me. We both agreed that when you found your mother, you’d tell me, Kayden. Now, if I hadn’t come here tonight, were you ever going to tell me?"

"I wanted to!" I yelled back at him, my voice cracking. "With the games and everything surrounding me, I couldn’t. Linda was just too irrelevant for me to prioritize, and maybe that’s why I forgot to tell you."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Yet you remembered to tell Rhys. Your memory seems to be highly selective when it comes to the Captain."

"He figured it out on his own."

Leo gave me a confused look, his anger momentarily replaced by a frown. "Explain the sequence of events. How did he find out?"

"Don’t stare at me like that. He found out through his grandfather and..."

There were collective gasps from everyone present in the room, but Leo’s was by far the loudest.

"His grandfather knows?" he demanded. Before I could even reply, he threw another question at me. "Does this mean the probability of him knowing you’re an Omega is now one hundred percent?"

"He knows?" Rhoda also asked, her voice hushed with concern.

I responded with a slow, heavy nod.

Leo started pacing the small space like a caged animal. "This is a nightmare. The risk level just spiked. That old man is going to weaponize your secret. He is—"

"Calm down," I told him, sighing deeply. "Rhys is holding him on a leash right now. It’s why..."

"Why both of you decided to pretend," Leo finished the sentence for me.

I frowned at him, my heart skipping a beat. "Did Rhys tell you anything?"

He shook his head. "Neither of you possess the acting range to pull that off. The way you look at each other makes the ’feud’ statistically impossible to believe," he said, raising two fingers in a mocking gesture.

"How is he?" I asked, my voice softening.

"Functionally impaired. You should call him before his mental state deteriorates further. He has been obsessively pursuing evidence to prove you are not a bully."

My eyes widened at the sudden revelation. Knowing that Rhys was fighting for me made the weight of the scandal feel a little lighter.

"Really?" I asked.

"I don’t deal in fabrications, Kayden. You can choose to believe the report or not," he replied, maintaining a perfectly straight face.

Rhoda let out a light chuckle and then placed a hand around Leo’s neck in a firm side-hug. "See, I told you, Kayden. Rhys seems to be head-over-heels in love with you. I think he is a sweet boy."

"You haven’t even met the subject yet, Mom, and—" Leo groaned as Rhoda pinned her arm at the back of his head. "Mom, stop!" He tapped her hand frantically as he began to choke. "This is an unnecessary use of force!" he groaned as his face turned a deep shade of red.

"Because you were too quick to attack Kayden. There is a reason why he didn’t tell you about that woman. And as for you, Kayden," Rhoda moved closer to me, her arm still hooked behind Leo’s head, and grabbed my ear with her free hand. "There is a reason why Leo didn’t tell you about his Enigma status."

I cried out in pain as she pulled my ear sharply.

"I don’t want both of my children arguing like idiots. So right now, I need you both to apologize to one another."

"Mom!" Leo and I both shouted at the same time.

Rhoda pulled my ear harder and pinned her head behind Leo’s even more firmly. "Apologize or this physical correction continues," she said, and then she burst into laughter. "Now!"

"Sorry!" Leo and I both blurted out at the same time.

"I am sorry!" we yelled in unison.

Rhoda chuckled and finally let go of us.

I rubbed my hand over my throbbing ear, while Leo sat on the ground, groaning and regaining his composure.

"You nearly caused permanent damage, Mom!" he yelled.

Rhoda just shrugged, looking entirely unbothered.

Gabriella laughed from her spot near the entrance. "I love how Rhoda always manages the two of you," she muttered.

Rhoda flipped her blonde hair and sat on the edge of the bed. "So, boys, what is the way forward? How do we clear Kayden’s name, and when should I meet this evil woman?"

I dropped my hand from my ear. "I should call Rhys first to stabilize his situation. And as for Linda, I am already formulating a plan. It will happen when I go public."

"You are coming out as an Omega, son?" Rhoda asked, rushing toward me and placing her hand on my back.

Gabriella also joined us. "Transitioning from a public Alpha to an Omega is a high-risk decision, Kayden. Is the Calder boy the reason for this?"

I shook my head firmly. "No. I just want to be proud of my own status," I answered, looking at Gabriella and then Rhoda. "Thank you both for everything you’ve done for me," I told them, before turning back to face Leo, who was still groaning on the floor. "And you too, brother."

He rolled his eyes. "Your sentimentality is noted."

"I am proud of you always, my son," Rhoda said.

Gabriella nodded in agreement and they both pulled me into a hug.

Then Rhoda turned around and smiled at Leo. "Family hug!" she shouted, pulling my hand toward him.

"Absolutely not!" Leo yelled, but he was ignored.

Rhoda engulfed him in a bone-crunching hug while Gabriella leaned in to cover us all. I groaned uncomfortably as we were squeezed together, but in that moment, I knew that these people were the strongest support system I had.

A moment later, Rhoda and Gabriella walked out of the room, leaving me alone with Leo.

"How is Rhys?" I asked again.

Leo said nothing and simply handed me his phone. "Communicate with him yourself," he said, walking toward the door. "His stress levels have reached a critical point. He is likely on the verge of a total breakdown if he doesn’t receive confirmation of your safety soon."

"Than—" I tried to thank him, but he was already gone.

I looked at the device in my hand and typed in Rhys’s number. It rang four times, and he didn’t pick up.

I started pacing the room as I tried again. It rang two times, and on the third ring, he finally picked up.

"Hello, Doc? Please tell me there is good news."

"Rhys..."

"Kayden? Baby, is that you?"

Hearing him say "baby" made my eyes well up with tears. My heart pounded with excitement, my body shaking just from the sound of his voice.

"Kayden, is that you?" he asked again, his voice sounding breathless and desperate.

"Yes, baby," I responded slowly, a tear finally escaping and rolling down my cheek. "This is me."