He had a puzzled look on his face, but he remained quiet.
Like father like son. Shaun thought the boy had lost his temper.
“Your daddy asked me to check your body because he was worried about the mole on your hand.He said it wasn't there before. That's why I need to take some of your blood,” Shaun explained quickly.
“A mole?” Jasper blinked and raised his arm to look for the mole. “Oh. This...” he trailed off as he frowned.
Suddenly, he realized that he might have given himself away, so he quickly changed his expression and looked at them with a pout.
“What's the big deal! It's just a mole, isn't it?” he exclaimed.
Benjamin remained silent.
Shaun couldn't help but let out a small laugh when he compared Jasper's calm expression to
Benjamin's. However, he stopped smiling when Benjamin glared at him.
“Gavin, it'll be over really quickly. Dr. Bailey will only take a little of your blood and check on you for a bit. Don't you want to give your daddy peace of mind?” Edwin said gently to Jasper. Jasper turned pale when he saw the little ball of blood on his tiny finger. He couldn't stand the sight of blood.
Benjamin furrowed at Jasper's reaction toward blood. What's the matter with him? He would endure the pain in the past, so why is he acting so timidly now?
“Hurry up and stop his bleeding already!” Benjamin shot Shaun a glare, making the latter hurry toward Jasper.
“Gavin, hang in there! Let me get a little bit blood... and you're done!” he remarked after squeezing Jasper's finger. After getting enough blood samples into the blood collection tube, Shaun quickly put a cotton swab against the wound. “Good job! You'll be fine soon!”
On the other hand, Jasper squeezed his eyes closed the entire time. Anyone would feel bad for him when one saw how mad and afraid he seemed.
Edwin quickly hugged him as he applied some pressure against the swab so that Shaun could pack his stuff more easily.
“Gavin, I'll be leaving now. I'll drop by and play with you some other time!” Shaun said and left in haste after seeing how Jasper ignored him. To be honest, he was also worried about Jasper and wanted to run the tests as soon as he could.
“Gavin, why don't you sleep for a little while longer?” Edwin continued to coax him.
Could it be that Daddy knows something is wrong? Jasper withered.
Suddenly, he felt someone's hand touching his head gently. He lifted his head and saw Benjamin's expressionless face without a second thought.
“Does it hurt?” Benjamin asked awkwardly. He wasn't good at comforting others.
Is Daddy always like this? How cold... No one would feel comforted if you acted like that, okay?
“What do you think? Do you wanna try getting pricked?” Jasper huffed, acting like he was unwilling to converse with him any longer.
Benjamin glanced at Jasper for a brief second without saying anything.
“Gavin, are you hungry? I'll make something for you, okay?” Edwin volunteered quickly out of worry after noticing the silence between them.
Jasper didn't reply, but his growling stomach did.
Edwin patted Jasper's head like a doting grandpa and removed the swab from Jasper's finger.
Once he was sure that Jasper's bleeding had stopped, he brought Jasper to the bed. “Rest a bit more, Gavin! I'll make something delicious for you!”
Jasper lay on Gavin's bed as he blushed. He turned to the other side of the room to avoid looking directly at Benjamin, only to see that Gavin's room was filled with many of his favorite robot figurines.
Wow! There are so many figurines here!
Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. It was a serious question.
If I am here in Gavin's place, then where is he? C-Could it be that he’s gone missing? No, that's not possible. If I can find my way home, I'm sure he can do it too! I'm sure my brother is not a dummy! But, if he comes home, I'll be exposed!
In the short time when Jasper was still acting innocent in front of Benjamin, ideas and strategies ran in his little mind.
Benjamin seemed to notice Jasper's gaze on the figurines, so he said, “I will get you whatever you like, okay?” He usually wouldn't coax his son like that—it was a rare sight.
Truthfully, Benjamin only got those figurines for Gavin because he noticed Gavin staring at them on the TV screen last time. Fortunately, the boy loved his presents.
Jasper was shocked to hear him say that. That's right. These belong to Gavin, not me.
“Really? Anything?” Jasper asked as he peeked at Benjamin.
“Of course.” Benjamin wasn't one who would go back on his word.
Jasper briefly grinned before he stopped smiling so that Benjamin wouldn't see through him.
“Daddy! I want another set of this!” Jasper declared. Yay! I can play it with Zachary and the rest when I switch back!
Jasper's heart sank when he didn't get a response from Benjamin. Could it be that Daddy's angry with my request? Well, the figurines do look expensive, though... He turned toward Benjamin cautiously.
“Are you sure you want another one of that?” Benjamin looked at him with a puzzled expression. Don't people usually want different things? Why would he want the same thing?
Seeing that Benjamin wasn't angry. Jasper nodded while sneaking glances at him. Benjamin's ice- cold heart softened up when he saw how adorable Jasper was acting.
“Okay. But some of these are one-of-a-kind items, and some are limited editions, so it might take some time for me to get them,” Benjamin said dotingly. As long as he loves it, I can also get the manufacturer to make another one.
“Thanks, M—” Jasper coughed before he corrected himself, “Daddy!”
Seeing how happy Jasper looked, Benjamin's eyes flickered as a warm and fuzzy feeling rose in his heart.
“How's your finger? Let me see,” he asked at the side of Gavin's bed.
In that instant, Jasper's body stiffened. Despite his fear, he extended his hand.
Benjamin gently took Jasper's hand to look at it before blowing his Little finger.
Jasper's heart pounded at his action, feeling elated. Huh? This feels... nice. Even though Daddy is as cold as ice and always looks scary, he seems to be caring.
At that moment, Benjamin's phone rang.
“Mr. Whitley still needs some more time to prepare your food. Why don't you take a short nap?”
Benjamin suggested before he left the room to pick up the call.
Seeing that Benjamin had left, Jasper started to look around Gavin's room in admiration. He occasionally picked up a few figurines to look at them more closely.
What he didn't know was that Benjamin was still outside of the room and could see in between the gap of the door. What's Gavin doing? However, the thought disappeared as soon as it emerged.
Without giving much thought to it, Benjamin walked toward his study.
After Jasper was done exploring Gavin's room, he walked out of the room and started to roam around the mansion.
Whoa! This place is enormous and pretty, like a castle! It wouldn't feel cramped even if Mommy and the rest came to live here together!
Jasper was behaving like a curious kitten as he explored upstairs before noticing a little light reflected off a smooth surface. His body stiffened a little. The next instant, he was rushing downstairs. Shoot! A hidden surveillance camera! Wait, there is more than one! Oh, no. I didn't give myself away, did I? I should be more careful before Gavin comes home.