Marcus had gone too far. He had taken the wrong path in life and hurt the people who meant the most to me. The moment he joined hands with Armond, he had struck off the debt we owed each other.
However, he never harmed me all this time. For that reason, I would never be able to forget him.
Anthony sensed my unhappiness and enveloped me in a hug. Patting me comfortingly, he said, “Don’t worry, you don’t owe him anything. I’ve already returned Marcus his wife and children.”
I was just going to scold him for being inappropriate with what he did, but Anthony said quickly, “It wasn’t me. It was Joseph who saved them while searching for our son. Anyway, Marcus thinks he owes me now.”
I would never wish my past suffering upon others. Luckily, the man I loved followed my wishes and drew the line at revenge.
A sense of uneasiness still permeated my relief. “Marcus may not appreciate our actions.”
In Marcus’ eyes, Camelia and Toby were just burdens. I doubt he would see them as fit bargaining chips for my safe return.
“Well, that’s on him. We’re basically even now, so you shouldn’t feel bad for him in the future.”
“Quick, come over here. Let’s get rid of any bad luck that’s still on you.”
I didn’t know where Cameron had heard about this old wives’ tale. She had arrived bright and early at the Stanhope residence, insisting on burning sage to get rid of any ill omen.
Amused, I gave in to her wishes.
A group followed my children and me into the living room. It seemed as lively as Christmas.
After I sat down, I spied an unusually lonely figure out of the corner of my eye.
Emma was standing at the foot of the staircase, smiling awkwardly but not daring to approach the crowd. She played with her hair from time to time to cover up her hesitation.
“Emma,” I called out to her. “Are you not happy that I’m home?”
Emma seemed shocked at the mention of her name. She replied happily, “Of course not! I’ve been waiting for all of you every day!”
I laughed. “Well, don’t you want to come here and see how the babies look like?”
A radiant smile appeared on Emma’s face. She came over excitedly and took the baby from my arms. She cooed to him, “Hello sweetie, your Aunt Emma is always going to remember how you look like. What a cutie pie!”
John must have given Emma a hard time over the kidnapping incident. She must have been suffering almost as much as we have. Now that it’s all over, we should just try to get on with our lives and make some happy memories.
“Hey, your kids are almost a month old, and you haven’t even named them. Some parents you are!” Emery teased, her usual tactlessness on full display.
Anthony and I exchanged a glance. He hinted for me to take the lead.
Actually, I had already thought of their names when we were in M Country.
I announced confidently, “Since they were born in winter, their nicknames will be Greg and Dee!”
“Greg? That’s a great name. Sweetie, oh, I should be calling you Greg now. I hope you’ll grow to become a strong man!” Emma cooed at my son happily. The baby boy wasn’t scared of strangers, and he had taken to Emma immediately as if they were truly related.
“Dee…” Emery said as she carried my daughter. “What about her full name?”
I pursed my lips before smiling at Anthony. Then, I turned to Emery. “She’ll share a surname with Summer, so her full name will be Audrey Stanhope. As for our son, we’ll name him Gregory, as in Gregory Featherstone. Since they were born during winter, we chose the name Gregory, hoping he’ll become a person capable of beating all odds in harsh situations, while Audrey represents the noble strength that will support both of them through the ups and downs of their lives.”
“Those are great names! Here, I bought matching anklets for them. Shall we put it on for them?” Cameron produced a jewelry box containing the two anklets before Emma and Emery placed them on the twins.
Once the anklets were secured, the man who had followed Zachary here suddenly stepped toward the center of the living room. He opened his briefcase on the table and took out two folders.
“Hello everyone, please allow me to announce some news.” The man cleared his throat as he commanded our attention. “As the legal counsel for the Moores, it is my pleasure to announce on behalf of Mr. Moore that Ms. Audrey Stanhope and Mr. Gregory Featherstone shall henceforth be assigned ten percent each of shares from the Moore Corporation. The net worth of said shares is approximately three point five billion.”
We all exchanged looks of delight after the lawyer’s announcement, ecstatic for the twins.
The lawyer then laid out the documents before me. He addressed me courteously, “Mrs. Featherstone, the contract will go into effect once we get the thumbprints of the children on the documents.”
He presented an inkpad to me as he waited for my next move.
I nodded my acknowledgement.
Glancing at the table, I couldn’t help but zero in on the ten percent and three-point five billion listed on the documents. My eyes burned at the sum.
After a moment of consideration, I lifted my hand and closed the contract before handing it back to the lawyer.
“Mrs. Featherstone, what are you doing?” The lawyer’s smile was frozen in place.
As the lawyer-in-charge, I knew he would earn a hefty sum once the contract was finalized. I felt sorry for depriving him of his windfall.
I didn’t answer him but instead looked at Zachary. “I’m sorry, Mr. Moore. I’m grateful for your gesture toward my children, but we can’t accept this.”
Zachary frowned in confusion. Cameron cut in before he could speak, “Please don’t feel pressured. It’s just a small gift for the kids.”
A small gift of three-point five billion? It seems that Cameron’s sense of money is getting distorted by her wealth.
“No,” I insisted. “They’re still young, and I don’t want them to feel weighed down by such a large inheritance.”
If the twins grew up with such an exorbitant inheritance looming over their heads, I was sure that they would burn out under the pressure and the expectations.
They may choose to go down this path in the future, but as their mother, I don’t want to impose this without them having a say.
“We’ll just see how it goes,” replied Anthony lightly. His decision was, however, firm like mine.
We were coaxing the babies to sleep that night when Anthony hugged me from behind. He muttered reluctantly, “I’ve forgotten how it feels like to wake up next to you.”
I remembered what I had promised him earlier and blushed. “Then you can stay here tonight. This bed is big enough for two.”
Armond was on the radar of Interpol, so he would be laying low for a while. As such, K City was a lot safer for us now. We no longer needed to pretend that we were separated.
I looked at Gregory and Audrey, who were both sleeping beside me. And with Summer sleeping right next door, I wished that the moment could last forever.
Anthony suddenly loosened his hug and gently turned me around to face him. “I can’t. Now’s not the time.”
I knitted my brows, confused.
Anthony continued, “Don’t forget, Armond isn’t our only enemy. Do you know where Armond brought you to earlier?”
“Wasn’t it his old residence overseas?” I asked.
“If only it were that simple.” Anthony shook his head. Just then, Audrey kicked off her blanket in her sleep. Anthony turned to tuck her in before he spoke. “Armond was already wanted by the Interpol for his involvement in the underground organ trade. He could never have founded a company that easily. The place you were at was the headquarters of Illiad International in M Country.”
“Wait, isn’t that company owned by Bill Young? Isn’t he a philanthropist famous for donating billions every year?” To say I was shocked was an understatement. Why is a philanthropist working with someone like Armond?
“The donations are real, though I’m not sure where the money comes from.” Anthony stared at me intently. “Dealing with Bill is going to be a lot harder than dealing with Armond. So I think it’s better to keep up our facade.”
He paused before dropping a kiss on my forehead. Backing out of the room slowly, he murmured, “Take care of yourself. You’re still sick, after all.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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