Leonardo's POV
I watched as Joseph understood my silent plea, taking the rose and placing it in Veronica's hands while clapping his little hands with pure joy.
Seeing our son so happy, Veronica bent down and kissed his small face.
"Thank you, my son!" she said warmly.
I widened my eyes in disbelief. "Hey, those flowers are from me! Don't I deserve a reward too?"
"In your dreams!" Veronica shot me a sharp look.
I observed my son proudly shake his little head, clearly choosing his mother's side over mine.
Defeated! It was obvious—my son would always be more popular than me!
A wave of jealousy hit me. How dare my own son betray me to support his mother?
We continued dinner, and soon Darren's elaborate display of 999 red roses rolled up to our table.
The blooms drew excited gasps from Ashley's friends.
"Amazing! 999 roses! Ashley, you're incredibly fortunate!" one gushed.
"Darren's really pulling out all the stops!" another added.
