261: Sorry, old man.

Sorry, old man.

It was annoying, pretending Heaven didn't notice how Bear was observing her at his own discretion. Not that he was making it obvious, but she knew him from inside and out. She could tell he was observing her in silence.0

Just ask the damn question!

'Oh, god. At this point, I'll just straight up tell him to stop and admit I am indeed his dead boss.' Heaven rolled her eyes in irritation, sensing the pair of observant eyes behind her. 'I'd rather do that than feel like my life is under a microscope.'

"Mommy!!"

Heaven's face slowly lit up as soon as she saw her son coming out of school. The second Sebastian saw her standing outside the school, his face brightened up. He released his teacher's hand, running to his mother.

"Mommy~!" Sebastian stopped a step from Heaven, eyes twinkling in excitement. 

Heaven went to her knee, smiling. "How was school, baby?" she asked, taking his backpack from him. 

"It was good!" the little master grinned. "Mommy, didn't you have work?"

"They canceled my scenes today, so I thought I should fetch you."

The little master's plump cheek turned pinkish, holding her hand as she stood up. It was obvious how excited he was to see her fetching him from school. 

"Say goodbye to your teacher, Basti." Heaven tugged his hand, making the little master turn around.

"Bye, Teacher~!" 

The teacher, who was standing several steps from them, smiled, casting Heaven a look. This was not the first time Heaven fetched Sebastian, though she didn't do it daily. Even so, the school staff noticed changes in Sebastian since his mother returned from 'abroad.'

Even in school, Sebastian had been more active. Back then, the little master was just like an old man in a boy's body. Thus, most of his classmates were a bit scared of him. But now, Sebastian had become popular in his class because he was more… lenient. Or rather, approachable. 

As for the learning center… the school heard what happened there. However, it was more of a learning lesson for them to take care of their students and not tolerate bullying.

"Thank you for taking care of him, teacher," Heaven gently expressed to the teacher. 

"It's our duty, Mrs. Zhu." The teacher maintained her bright smile. "By the way Madam Zhu, there will be a parent-teacher meeting on Friday. Mr. Zhu usually comes, but I thought you might want to come as well."

"A parent-teacher meeting?" Heaven repeated in a questioning tone. 'What the hell is that?'

"Yes. The agenda is regarding the kid's field trip and the incoming school events they will participate in."

"Oh…" Heaven rocked her head in understanding. 'Right. Parent-teacher meeting — the meaning is obvious.'

"Alright." Heaven flashed her son's homeroom teacher a bright smile. "What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning, Ma'am."

"Okay. Got it." Heaven nodded, only to gaze down at her son when Sebastian inquired.

"Mommy, you're coming?" Sebastian blinked innocently.

"Of course." 

His eyes swirled in anticipation, melting his mother's heart at the sight of him. Heaven promised to help Sebastian with school, but she only made him lunch and gave him rides so far. 

"Anyway, thank you, Teacher." Heaven peeled her soft eyes from Sebastian to the teacher. "We'll go now."

"Yes. Take care, Madam." The teacher kept her friendly smile, shifting her attention to Sebastian. "Goodbye, Little Master."

"Bye, teacher!"

And with that being said, Heaven and Sebastian walked away, hand in hand. Heaven carried his backpack while Sebastian skipped his steps toward their ride. Bear was already standing by the backseat, opening the door for the two of them. 

"Basti, do you want to eat some ice cream?" Heaven inquired as soon as they settled in the backseat. 

"Hmmm." Sebastian pondered about it, glancing at the driver's seat as Bear entered the driver's seat. "Sure!" 

Heaven smiled, stroking his head before facing the driver's seat. "Bear, take us to that dessert shop we drove past earlier."

"The dessert shop?" Bear looked at her in the rear mirror, confused. 

'Goodness. Look how distracted he was.' Heaven sighed to herself, shaking her head as she felt a little sorry for him. 'Whatever.'

"We drove past it on the way here. Just take the same road. The shop looks like candy, so it stands out. You'll notice it immediately," she instructed indifferently and then shifted her attention to Sebastian. 

Bear didn't start the car immediately, watching her tend to her son. Another shallow breath slipped past his lips, shaking his head mildly. 

'What am I doing?'he told himself, starting up the car and driving to the shop she was talking about. 'Hera was dead. She's been dead for five years and there's no way she and Heaven Liu were one person. Bernard, I know you missed her so much and wish she didn't die. However, it's not right to have such a ridiculous conclusion that neither science nor reality could explain.'

Bear simply repeated the thoughts he kept telling himself, almost trapped in this loop of doubt and failing persuasion. Anyone who was in his shoes would understand how ridiculous the idea was. 

'It's probably someone else,' he continued, driving slowly to avoid accidents. 'Maybe it was Moose or Princess. It can be Fig or Gray or maybe Tiger. Though I'm sure among all those guys, Gray could have accessed the Reaper. I heard Gray had accessed it a few times under Hera's behest.'

Bear mentally nodded as he almost succeeded in convincing himself that was the case. But then, he spiraled back to the question;

What if Heaven was really Hera?

His other options were plausible, but there was just countless evidence that Heaven's action resembled Hera's. Even the way Heaven walked and how her hand usually rest in a certain position as if she had a habit of holding weapons. 

'I'm losing my mind.' Another deep exhale slipped past his lips, in deep distress at the thoughts filling his mind.

During the trip, Bear was lost in thought while Heaven watched him with pity. 

'Sorry, old man.' Heaven scrunched her face, looking away from him. 'I'll just wait for you until you make up your mind.'

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