Adam knew how sensitive Preethi is towards Akil and her duty as a mom.. So, no piece of loose mouth is going to question her dedication to Akil and get away with it.. not in front of him.. not even her own ex-husband.. not even if he was Akil's dad.

But Sridhar remained in his place without moving as he asked, "I am not getting out of this house without seeing Akil.. he is my son and I am his father. Nothing will ever change that. And nobody has the right to stop me from seeing him.. not even his own mother let alone you- an outsider.."

He had a slightly gloating smile on his face knowing he was right.

"Says the guy who did not even show his face to his son in 5 freaking years that he does not even recognize his own dad!! Akil is lucky he has Preethi as opposed to a Father like you who is too busy arguing." Adam retaliated coldly pushing him out towards the door.

But Sridhar still resisted. He did not defend himself but he still said stubbornly, "I am not going anywhere without seeing my son. And nothing is going to stop me!!"

In a couple of minutes they had argued, Sridhar observed that the only way to get under Adam's skin was to provoke Preethi or Akil.. when he said something bad about Preethi was the only time Adam actually reacted in any way.. when he called him names, all Adam gave was a look that said I am so much above you.. That look was a blow to his pride and ego and he wanted to put him in his place.. He wanted to get under his skin very badly.

And in all this, he did not think once about how it might affect Akil.. Seeing all the a.d.u.l.ts argue. He did not care even if he thought about it. He was here on his birthday after such a long time.. his father. As far as Sridhar was concerned, Akil should be grateful and happy for it.

Adam gave Sridhar a condescending look before saying to Bharath, "Bharath, bring Akil down.." Adam really wanted to avoid showing the bad sides of Sridhar.. because he knew it would make it so much more harder for the little kid. But looking at Sridhar now, he knew he would just pester and persist until he completely destroys himself and maybe take Akil down with him in the process. So, it was better for Akil to know now.. it's like stripping a?bandaid in one quick sweep. It might hurt like bitch now.. but that was it.

Bharath hesitated and looked around. Preethi gripped Adam's arms. That is when he saw that Preethi had moved closer to him.

"Trust me, okay? He will be fine. Nothing will happen.." Adam convinced her softly while Charan went ahead and gave Bharath a nod.

A few minutes later, Akil came back to the living room pattering on the floor with his small legs. He looked at the scene confused before going to Adam and Preethi.?When he looked at Sridhar smiling at him, Akil unconsciously shuffled away and hid behind Adam's legs.

Sridhar crouched down to his knees and looked at Akil hiding behind Adam.

"Hey, Akil. You don't have to be afraid of me.. I am your daddy.. Come on out from behind him. He is not your daddy. I brought you gifts for your birthday.. it's in the car. You wanna go see them.. Even if you don't like them, I will buy anything you want from here on!"

Even though the words were soft and caring, any a.d.u.l.t can tell that he was manipulating the kid to come with him rather than showing he actually cared about Akil.

"If you come with me, you can live in a big house with a big garden and all.." Sridhar continued.

Preethi was not having any of this shit.. just when she was going to explode all over again, Adam rubbed his hands over her shoulders soothingly and shook his head not to do anything. He then rubbed his hand over Akil's small head and asked, "What do you want to do, bud? Do you want to talk to him? Do you want to go to his car and take a look at what he bought for you?" His voice was gentle and soft as it always was when he talked to Akil.

But Akil did not budge from his place.. He did not answer out loud but he turned his face away from Sridhar and hugged Adam's legs.

Adam swatted down and picked Akil into his arms and asked, "Do you not want to see him, bud?"

Akil hesitated for a long while before giving a very small nod and hid his head in Adam's neck.

Adam just ruffled his hair and did not ask anymore.

Akil maybe a kid but he had a heightened sense of self and maturity. So, for him, the gift itself did not hold much but the fact of who bought it for him mattered.. It was apparent that Adam cared about him with the way he treated Akil.. and he also saw how Adam treated Preethi. So, something Adam bought him became something precious to him. Normal kids may have been tempted by Sridhar's offer but Akil was someone who grew up lonely.. even though he had his gran, grandad, and uncles, he did not have a mom or a dad to greet him home when he is done with school.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/rich-brat-sweet-revenge-of-a-lazy-princess_15043105205573105/you-got-your-answer-right-now-get-out!_50831161370404977">/book/rich-brat-sweet-revenge-of-a-lazy-princess_15043105205573105/you-got-your-answer-right-now-get-out!_50831161370404977</a> for visiting.

For kids like him, what's more, important is not the materialistic things.. it was things like today when Adam came to pick him up.. those were the things that really mattered.

"You got your answer, right? Now, get out!!" Adam said. His voice remained low and calm in front of Akil but the eyes told other things..

Sridhar would have fought but seeing Akil turn his face away from him and the way he was buried in Adam's arms.. he was once again let to think of 'what the hell went wrong in his life?'

Once all the drama was over, Akil cut the cake and made a wish..