The Bound Between Us

Chapter 938

Joseph never beat around the bush-he said what he meant and didn't bother hiding it. He might be arrogant, but he wasn't clueless.

So when Mr. and Mrs. Walker suddenly wanted to make him their godson, Joseph knew there had to be something more going on. He remembered how Autumn had argued with him at the hospital, all for Daria's sake. The motive was pretty obvious.

He'd heard plenty of stories about mothers gaining status through their kids, but this was the first time he'd seen a father try to do the same.

Feiman looked at Joseph, totally confused, his eyes practically shouting, "What's going on?"

Joseph's blunt response made Mr. Walker laugh. He hadn't thought much of Joseph before, but now, he actually found him a bit admirable. The guy was genuine and straightforward said exactly what was on his mind.

Most people, offered the chance to be the Walkers' godson, would have grinned ear to ear and agreed without a second thought. But Joseph? You could see in his eyes he just wasn't interested.

Mr. Walker didn't know much about Joseph beyond the gossip—he was Feiman's illegitimate son, owned a company, showed up in the tabloids all the time, and changed girlfriends like he changed shirts. Even his wedding with Julie had ended in disaster.

But Joseph had stepped up and acknowledged Daria as his son. That counted for something. He'd never confirmed publicly that Julie was Daria's mom, but everyone knew she'd married Joseph because she was pregnant.

Mr. Walker glanced at Autumn, then smiled at Joseph. "You don't have to give us an answer now. These things are a matter of fate. If you're not interested, that's fine—it just means it wasn't meant to be. As for this 'dad getting status through his son' stuff, well, Daria's a lovable kid. My wife and I are getting older, no kids of our own, and the thought of having family around, maybe even grandkids someday, is nice. But it all comes down to fate, right, Feiman?"

Feiman nodded eagerly. "Exactly, fate is what matters. Mr. Walker thinks highly of Joseph, and that's a good thing. Let's let Joseph think about it. Mr. Walker, let me pour you a drink."

Joseph didn't say a word. Autumn was anxious, but Mr. Walker shot her a look, telling her not to push.

It was all pretty sudden-no need to rush.

urge to ask about Daria and got in

did Feiman finally turn to Joseph. "Joseph, what's going on? Why does Mr. Walker suddenly

idea," Joseph said, not even bothering

Walker was really polite at dinner,

you want me to be someone else's son?

join the Salstrom family tree, let

but tried to keep it together. "It's a great opportunity. The Walkers have no kids-if they want to help you, that's a huge advantage. If you turn them down and Mr. Walker takes it the wrong

wasn't his own father, he'd probably say, "Why don't you go be their

"No thanks."

dropped that and

become Mr. Walker's godson. Even if it meant offending the Walkers, he didn't

Joseph lived for the

1

moment—parties, women,

truly had his heart. These days, the only one

was just odd. Until he figured out what that was

get tangled up with

to trade his kid for some

mind, canceled his

he asked the nanny where Daria was.