Charles shook his head, smiling. "Come on. Take your son. Don't sulk and talk nonsense," he said, slowly rising from the floor.
But Kairo didn't move.
He stayed sprawled on the couch, hugging the cushion like it was the only thing loyal to him. For a brief second, he seemed to realize he might have overreacted… but pride was a stubborn thing.
He glanced sideways at Sara. She was staring at him over her glasses. The glare was sharp and surgical.
He immediately looked away.
"No need. I'm fine," he muttered. "And I'm sorry. You don't have to go anywhere."
He turned his back to them dramatically, clutching the pillow tighter.
Charles chuckled under his breath. "I didn't know I gave birth to a dramatic man-child," he announced loudly.
Kairo heard it. He absolutely heard it. But he refused to react.
Sara's lips twitched, though she fought hard to keep her composure.
Charles leaned down toward Zayn, who blinked up at him innocently. "Zayn, baby… when you grow up, don't be dramatic like your father. Be a very handsome, intelligent, and mature man."
Still no movement from the couch. Kairo took a deep breath.
"I'm not dramatic or immature," he said firmly, still facing the other way.
Sara and Charles exchanged a glance at his stubborn back.
"I just want to be with my wife and my son," he added more quietly. "But I hardly get a chance." His voice lost its theatrical edge.
"Wife is busy working… Son is busy playing… The father figure is busy taunting. Nobody seems to care about me." He closed his eyes while muttering.
Charles smiled softly. For a moment, he wasn't looking at a grown man sulking on the couch. He was seeing a tiny five-year-old with puffy cheeks and stubborn tears, trapped inside that broad-shouldered body.
His heart warmed.
He turned to Sara. "You know what, Sara… back then, when Kairo was about five or six…"
Kairo's shoulders stiffened slightly. He didn't turn around. But he was absolutely listening.
"We took him to an amusement park," Charles continued, nostalgia coating his voice. Sara leaned forward, interested. Even Zayn shifted closer, sensing story time.
"There was this giant doll," Charles said thoughtfully. "A huge baby doll. Taller than him. Almost ten times his size."
Zayn's eyes widened dramatically. "That big?"
"Very big," Charles nodded seriously.
"And your dada," he continued, glancing at Kairo's turned back, "fell in love with that doll instantly."
Sara bit her lip to hide her smile.
"He demanded to buy it. Immediately."
"And?" Sara asked, already amused.
"And what? we refused," Charles said. "Because it was impossible. That thing was massive. We couldn't even fit it in the car."
Zayn gasped, completely immersed in the story. "So what happened, Grandpa?"
Charles chuckled. "Your dada… started throwing tantrums. A big dramatic performance."
Sara's hand covered her mouth.
"He rolled on the ground," Charles went on, unable to contain his laughter now. "Crying. Screaming. Hugging the display stand. People at the park stopped walking just to stare at us."
Sara chuckled, and Charles continued, the memory clearly entertaining him.
"Everyone at the park started staring at us," Charles continued, shaking his head. "Because he was being completely dramatic. Just like now."
Sara laughed louder. Even little Zayn giggled, not entirely understanding but delighted by the tone.
That was enough.
Kairo finally turned around, wearing a deeply offended expression.
Sara wiped the corner of her eye. "Then how did you calm him down?" she asked, clearly invested now.
Kairo shot her a warning glare. Charles, however, was thriving.
"How?" he repeated, laughing. "It was nearly embarrassing for us. He made me get a customised doll then and there, that looked exactly like that one."
"And even then," Charles added, "he wasn't convinced because the size wasn't accurate."
Sara burst out laughing again, fully shutting her laptop and placing it aside. Work forgotten. This was far more entertaining.
"So what finally worked?" she pressed.
"Then his mother bribed him with a mountain of chocolates and three ice creams. Just to get him back home safely."
Sara laughed so hard she leaned back against the couch.
Kairo stared at both of them in disbelief. "Why are you laughing? Don't you have work? I want that report completed on my desk by tomorrow morning." He ordered.
Sara blinked at him, stunned.
Charles immediately snapped back, though still smiling. "Why are you throwing orders at her?"
Kairo turned to him. "And why are you embarrassing me in front of my wife and child?"
Charles pointed triumphantly. "See, Sara? That dramatic child is still alive in him."
Sara dissolved into laughter again.
Completely exposed, Kairo grabbed a pillow and flung it at his father. Charles caught it effortlessly, laughing.
Zayn's eyes sparkled at the sudden escalation. An adult pillow fight. This was premium entertainment.
He clapped his hands excitedly.
But then…
Charles' laughter softened, eyes lowering slightly.
"And that was the last time I took him out like that," he said quietly.
The air shifted. Charles' smile faded completely.
"After that day… I never really took him anywhere again. Not as a father should," he said, drawing in a slow breath. Regret settled into his voice like evening fog. "I don't know why. I don't know what really happened… or when it happened. But somewhere along the way, I missed everything. From the smallest things to the biggest milestones… about my only baby boy."
Kairo's chest tightened. The teasing, the sulking, the mock anger… all of it dissolved in an instant.
Sara felt it too, the ache beneath Charles' words.
Charles let out a quiet, bitter chuckle. "I could have done better for him. Much better. But I chose not to. Sometimes unintentionally… sometimes intentionally."
His voice dropped to almost a whisper.
Kairo swallowed hard, his throat burning as old memories flickered back uninvited. Sara saw the shift. Saw how the air had grown too heavy.
So she smiled. "Anyways," she said lightly, "your baby boy is still dramatic and sulky, Dad. Just look at him. Throwing tantrums over not getting attention."
Charles let out a soft chuckle again.
Kairo glared at her.
She wiggled her eyebrows at him.
"Report tomorrow morning," Kairo declared stiffly. "On my desk."
Sara blinked at him innocently, then turned to Charles. "Do I really have to submit the report tomorrow, Dad?"
Charles immediately caught on. His eyes twinkled. "No, dear. Take your time."
Kairo's head snapped between them. Betrayal was written all over his face.
"But Director Sir is saying something else," Sara added dramatically.
Charles straightened. "I'm the founder here. I say take your time. No one has to follow the director's order in my presence."
Sara folded her hands obediently. "Thank you, Dad. From now on, I'll obey only your orders."
Kairo stared at them in disbelief. Sara wiggled her eyebrows again, teasing him.
"I hate you all… I want a divorce from all of you," Kairo declared dramatically, turning his back once again and hugging the pillow.
The room exploded in laughter. Zayn giggled the loudest, even though he understood nothing.
"Your wish will be granted soon, baby boy," Sara teased him sweetly.
"We'll draft the papers right after dinner," Charles added, teasing him more.
Kairo lay there on the couch, dramatically sulky, getting teased by the people he adored.