The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 263

Chapter 233: Sebastien Meets Caleb pt 2-2

Caleb shook his head, smiling proudly. “That sounds like Tom. Once he catches you making a mistake about dinosaurs, he won’t let it go.”

Claim

“I loved it,” Sebastien said, taking another bite of his meal. “The boy has strong opinions and he isn’t afraid to correct an adult. He takes after his mother. Did you know he told me a T-Rex could not actually sprint as fast as a car?” Sebastien said, a dry grin appearing on his face. “He cited three different papers.”

Caleb laughed, nodding his head. “Tom has been working on his dinosaur naming and categories for several months. He considers it a personal mission. He will not let any error slide.”

“He told me I must study harder before our next call,” Sebastien noted. “I have taken notes.”

The waiter arrived back at our table and quietly cleared away our empty dinner plates. A moment later, he returned with a tray of desserts. He set down a warm chocolate tart in front of Caleb, a plate of fresh berries for me, and a traditional French apple tart for Sebastien.

“Can I get you anything else to go with these?” the waiter asked, setting down a fresh pot of coffee.

‘This is perfect, thank you,” I said, smiling at him.

As the waiter walked away, Sebastien picked up his small dessert fork and tapped the edge of his plate. The shift in his mood was obvious; the heavy topics of the evening were officially behind us. He looked across the table at Caleb and me, his eyes bright with a new thought.

“You both must bring the children to France soon,” Sebastien said, before taking a bite of his tart. “Specifically to Lyon. I would like to show you the city.”

Caleb smiled, picking up his spoon. “Lyon is beautiful. I haven’t been there in a couple of years. What do you think, Bella?”

“I would love that,” I said, tasting a berry. “But we would have to plan around the children’s schedules. Tom is still so young, and traveling with a baby can be difficult.”

“We will handle all the travel logistics, do not worry about that Sebastien insisted, waving his fork dismissively. “But I was actually thinking about Tom while looking over our corporate offices last week. I wonder if he would find the Marchetti Group’s Lyon headquarters interesting.”

Caleb paused, looking amused. “Our five-year-old? Why would he care about a corporate headquarters?”

“Because of its history and architecture,” Sebastien explained, looking directly at Caleb. “The building dates from 1887. There are parts of the lower floors that have been largely unchanged since then. I think that might appeal to a child with strong feelings about history.”

Caleb let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as he ate a bite of his chocolate tart. “He’ll have questions, Sebastien. A lot of them. He doesn’t just look at old buildings; he wants to know who built them, why they built them, and what happened to the original materials.”

“Good,” Sebastien said simply, his expression completely serious. “I will attempt to answer them correctly.”

“He’ll fact-check you on anything biological or geological too,” Caleb warned, leaning forward with a grin. “If you tell him a wall is made of limestone, you better be ready to explain which era that limestone came

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Chapter 233 Schachen Meets Caleb pi 2-2

from.

Clam

“I have been warned about this,” Sebastien said. A visible, dry warmth appeared in his eyes-a look I was

finally beginning to recognize as his personal version of affection. “I have been studying every night since Enzo told me about the dinosaur incident. I am reading up on European architectural history as we speak.”

Caleb laughed-a real, unguarded laugh that was completely surprised out of him. Sebastien’s strict expression shifted into something that wasn’t quite a full smile, but it was much warmer than his usual stiff composure.

I sat back in my chair, watching the two of them share a nice moment over dessert. It felt strange to see them like this. After everything we had been through, it seemed impossible that the three of us were sitting at a dinner table together. But underneath that strange feeling, there was something else. It was a feeling that was simply, quietly good.

When the dinner ended, we walked out of the restaurant together. The cool night air hit us as we stood by the valet station.

I turned to Sebastien and stepped forward. Without warning, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. He froze completely, his body going stiff with shock.

“Goodbye, Dad,” I whispered against his shoulder.

He pulled back slightly, his eyes wide and surprised. “Bella…”

“I need to call you Dad,” I said, looking up at him. “You are my dad. Please take care of yourself.”

Before he could say anything else, I quickly turned around and walked toward our car. I refused to look back at him, forcing my eyes forward because I knew if i turned around, I would start to cry.

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