The next day, Calliope kept her promise to Baber and went to the hospital to pick


    him up.


    Baber had been ready for a while, eagerly waiting for her. As soon as he saw her, his face lit up with excitement.


    "Mommy! You''re finally here! I''ve been all set and waiting!"


    The little guy was dressed in a casual outfit, a small crossbody bag slung over his shoulder, and his hands stuffed coolly into his pockets. He looked both dashing and adorable.


    Calliope ruffled his hair. "You feeling okay today? No difort?"


    "Nope! After you gave me that treatment, I felt way better!"


    "Good. If anything feels off, you tell me right away."


    Calliope smiled at him warmly, took his hand, and led him out of the hospital.


    Of course, Upton doted on his son immensely and had always gone to great lengths to protect him. That meant Baber never left the house without a full security team in tow.


    Even though Calliope had asked Upton to tone things down, he still insisted on assigning some highly skilled bodyguards to apany them. So they still had four guards tailing them as they left.


    Two ck cars pulled out from the hospital and headed straight for the amusement park.


    Since it was the weekend, the ce was packed with families and excited kids. Baber''s eyes gleamed with thrill and anticipation as he took in the bustling surroundings.


    "Great! Everything looks so fun! Mommy, you have to go on all the rides with me!"


    "Of course! Your dad never takes you to ces like this, huh?"


    Calliope knew Upton well enough to know he wasn''t the type of guy who''d take Baber to an amusement park. Honestly, she doubted he had ever set foot in one, even as a kid. Genius types like him were usually a little different from the rest of the world.


    Calliope and Baber strolled into the park, stopping at a food stand to grab a couple of hot dogs. They ate as they plotted their first rides.


    "Mr. Thorne, perhaps it would be better to avoid street food."


    One of the bodyguards, watching Baber chomp down on his food, frowned in


    concern.


    "Rx, he has a stronger stomach than his big-shot dad. A little hot dog won''t hurt him," Calliope said between bites. "You guys wanna grab some too? My treat."


    "That won''t be necessary."


    Few minutester, all four bodyguards were holding hot dogs of their own.


    Calliope was left speechless.


    "You guys bought tickets too, right? That means you can go on the rides with us," Baber uttered earnestly. "Since we''re here, it''ll be a pit taking the most of it!"


    not


    "We are here to ensure your safety, Mr. Thorne. You and Ms. Jewell should enjoy


    the rides."


    Seriousness was written all over the bodyguards'' faces.


    "Let them be, Baber. Let''s go have some real fun."


    And so, Calliope took Baber away.


    Work Started with the carousel, t


    their way through roller


    bumper cars...


    Then came the haunted house.


    The moment they approached it, the bodyguards felt nervous.


    "Perhaps it would be best to skip this


    one.


    The


    e still a kid, m


    sation may not be


    "


    "I''m not scared," Baber said, ncing at the four men. "Wait... don''t tell me you


    guys are scared?"


    "No, absolutely not! Our priority is to protect you!" the bodyguards stated, a picture of firmness.


    Calliope couldn''t hold back herughter.


    It was obvious - they were terrified.


    "If you''re too scared, you can wait outside. Don''t worry, I''ll keep Baber safe."


    "No can do. Our focus must remain on Mr. Thorne at all times."


    So in the end, they followed them in. What followed was a series of loud, unrestrained screams.


    The four bodyguards, who, instead of protecting, ended up clinging to Calliope and Baber for dear life.