Chapter 13 Proud of You

Harry had always been independent, so Galatea wasn't overly worried when he headed off to the bathroom by himself.

As soon as he saw them enter a children's clothing store, Caspian raced across the street to the bank, knowing that two days had passed. If his dad hadn't found him by now, there would have likely been missing person flyers everywhere. The fact that everything was calm meant that his dad might have thought Harry was him and had been taken back by mistake.

Caspian withdrew some money from the account Alaric had set up for him, then went back to the store and bought the clothes Galatea had hesitated to purchase, he also picked up a pair of pajamas from a specialty store that Elisa was fond of.

"What took you so long?" asked Galatea and Elisa, who had been waiting for quite some time.

"Honestly, I didn't go to the restroom," Caspian confessed, bringing forward the items he was hiding behind his back. "Mom, Elisa, these are for you."

When they saw the clothes, Galatea was utterly astonished, and so was Elisa, who quickly inquired, "Did you buy these for us?"

"Yes."

"Where did you get the money? I saw earlier that these clothes were very expensive!" Elisa asked.

"Yeah, Harry, you have to explain this!" How could a five-year-old afford such pricey clothes?” Galatea chimed in.

Caspian pursed his lips and finally revealed, "Mom, I've been keeping something from you. I entered an international kids' math competition, and I won first place. There was a significant cash prize."

He wasn't lying; he had indeed participated in an international kids' math competition, secured first place, and received a substantial cash reward.

Galatea and Elisa looked at each other, shocked once more.

"When did this happen? How come I had no idea?" Galatea questioned.

"Right," echoed Elisa, struggling to believe it. "When did this happen? We're practically inseparable. How could you enter a math competition without me knowing?"

Caspian wasn't sure if his story would hold up but proceeded anyway. "I'll show you on the computer when we get back home."

Once home, Caspian logged onto the website of the organization that held the math competition. Because he had won first place, his photo was featured there. He deliberately zoomed in on his picture, covering his name, Caspian, with his hand. "Look at this."

Galatea and Elisa rubbed their eyes vigorously, and once they were sure, Galatea couldn't contain her elation. It was an overwhelming rush of excitement and pride that she found hard to put into words.

"You've been keeping such great news under wraps?" Galatea burst with pride. "First place in the Global Youth Math Competition! You're incredible! How come I never knew about this?" Galatea was beside herself with joy, hugging him tightly, covering his face with kisses.

"Yeah, Harry, you're just amazing! You're my hero!" Elisa laughed out loud.

Caspian blushed at their praises. He'd always had a knack for math; even his teachers said he was a prodigy.

He'd been rather nonchalant about the prize at the time, confident he would win it. Still, despite his expectations, he had hoped for a reaction like this from his parents, but they had shown none.

Alaric was pleased, but that was expected. His tone, however, was casual: "I knew you'd be first. How about a reward—pick out a gift for yourself."

And Orion? She didn't seem happy at all, not a trace of pride to be seen.

"So, how much prize money did you get?" Elisa was always curious about the cash. "Spill it!"

"It's a lot of money."

"Elisa, since this is Harry's hard-earned reward, let's not pry. He can keep it as his private savings," Galatea said, beaming with happiness.

"All right then." Elisa saw an opportunity to push her luck. "Now that my brother's hit the jackpot, he can't forget his little sister. How about using your winnings to buy me snacks for a month?"

"My money is your money. Whatever you want, Elisa, I'll buy it for you," Caspian replied, showing his fondness for his sister.

"Really?" Elisa was ecstatic, jumping up to hug Caspian. "Harry, I absolutely adore you!"

Caspian couldn't help but laugh. He realized that after two days at Galatea's house, his mood had been incredibly stable, and he felt no discomfort whatsoever. Could it be that his ailment was due to his resistance to Orion?

As night fell and the sky darkened, Orion started to panic.

"Caspian!" she shouted.

Harry wasn't yet accustomed to responding to that name. He heard her but didn't react and continued playing with his Legos.

"Caspian, I'm calling you. Did you hear me?" Orion yelled twice, but after no response, she charged in, clearly irritated.

Harry looked up to see her displeasure and thought to himself, is this how a mother should look at her child?

No wonder Caspian felt the need to run away!

"What do you want?" Harry replied, his voice tinged with annoyance.

“Take your meds!” Orion tossed the pills at him, wary of her previous experience with him. See, whenever Caspian's alter surfaced, it usually happened at night, and the guy would always get belligerent, especially towards her. Orion had this nagging fear of getting blamed, so she made it a point to steer clear of him after dark.

The command blind-sided Harry, leaving him dumbfounded. Was Caspian sick or something?

"What meds?" Harry was clueless about Caspian's ailment, and he certainly didn't feel ill himself, "I'm not taking anything!"

"Caspian, let me make this crystal clear: you need these pills. If you don't—"

"And what then?" Harry challenged her with a defiant glare, "You going to hit me?"

"You're my son, and when you don't listen, I have every right to discipline you. Now come here and take your medicine like a good boy!" she demanded.

Harry was certain of one thing: this had to be Caspian's stepmother. A real mom would be too heartbroken to act this callous if her own child fell ill. There's no way a birth mother would ever use this tone when coaxing her kid to take medicine.

"I said no!" Harry's stubbornness infuriated Orion, who yanked him by his collar, forcing his mouth open to down the meds. Luckily, Harry's reflexes were sharp, and he shoved Orion away, littering her face with the pills.

Orion was seething and ready to explode, but then she heard Alaric returning downstairs, and she abruptly switched to the role of a victim on the verge of tears. However, Harry beat her to the punch.