"Mom, Dad," Tristan called from his spot on the wingback chair in the family room, where they were watching an animated film just after dinner."Yes, son?" Sinjin turned his gaze away from the TV to look at Tristan. Eds had her legs on his lap and her head on a throw pillow, facing Tristan."Troy and I have talked about this, but we want answers from you," Tristan said."Is it something serious?" Eds inquired."Yes, Mom," Troy replied, nodding."What is it?" Sinjin asked."You and Mom are married now, and she has your surname. So what about us?" Tristan questioned, frowning. "Don't you want us to bear your name?"Sinjin and Eds exchanged silent glances, both wondering how they would explain the situation to the boys. It would be hard for them to accept that they would never bear his name unless Kyle gave up his rights over them. Although Sinjin enjoyed tackling problems that others found stressful, he wasn’t sure he could resolve this issue involving Eds' ex-fiancé. Sometimes, there
During dinner, Edselyn was unusually quiet, which Sinjin noticed. He wondered what was bothering her but didn't ask because of the boys. After dinner, he went to his home office to take an important call and didn't return until the boys had gone to bed. Before heading to his bedroom, he checked on them.He couldn't find Edselyn anywhere in the room, so he hurried to the balcony and saw her sitting on the beach without a blanket. He sighed, walked back into the room to grab a blanket, and then left to join her.When he came downstairs, Mrs. Bale asked, "Do you need anything else, sir?""No, thank you, Mrs. Bale," Sinjin replied with a smile."Okay, goodnight, sir," Mrs. Bale said, turning to leave."Actually... I need something," Sinjin blurted out. "A cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows, please.""Of course, sir." Mrs. Bale smiled and walked away.A few minutes later, Eds looked up as a hand extended a cup of hot chocolate to her. She accepted it, smiling at Sinjin. "Thank you." Sh
A week after Valentine's Day, after much contemplation on how to deal with Kyle, Sinjin decided to pay him a visit. He didn't inform Eds of his plan, knowing she would talk him out of it, but he hoped it wouldn't backfire. Sinjin trusted that Kyle was as greedy as his former employer had claimed, which would make everything easier for him.All he wanted was to see the bright smile light up his wife's face once again. She was good at pretending she was fine, but he knew she was worried about their sons, who were just as unhappy as she was. He had tried his best to cheer them up by buying drones, which they loved, but that happiness had lasted only for a short time.Sinjin owned many residential properties in Merendra, and by a twist of fate, Kyle happened to be a tenant in his ten-story apartment building on Greenbriar Avenue. The building, known as The Grandview, had originally been a failing hotel. The owner had approached Sinjin with the intent to sell, and Sinjin had bought it for
Kyle's head snapped up from the check to Sinjin's face upon hearing that. He studied Sinjin's face, looking for signs of a prank, but the stoic expression showed that he was dead serious. To keep this amount of money—money he would never earn in twenty lifetimes—he had to relinquish his rights over his children, over Edselyn. He was sorely tempted, but after what Sinjin had said, he knew he had to refuse."I should do that for one and a half billion dollars?" Kyle asked."Is it too small?" Sinjin inquired, arching a surprised brow. "1.25 billion, then.""Would you do that for money?" Kyle asked him. "Let go of your children and let them be raised by another man?""First of all, I wouldn't find myself in that situation at all," Sinjin replied confidently. "And even if I was dirt poor, I still wouldn't do it.""So, you want me to do it," Kyle muttered, chuckling humorlessly."I'm doing what's best for my sons," Sinjin said."Your sons?" Kyle scoffed in disbelief. "They're mine!""By blo
A week laterKyle leaned against his car, waiting for the school bell to ring, when a silver Mercedes Maybach S-Class with tinted windows pulled up next to him. He silently admired the car, wondering who its owner was. His question was soon answered as Sinjin gracefully exited the vehicle, dressed in a navy blue suit and a black shirt without a tie.Sinjin turned his head, surprised to see Kyle. He removed his sunglasses, hoping he was imagining Kyle's presence, but it was indeed Kyle in the flesh. Sinjin had been keeping tabs on Kyle since last week and knew that Kyle had recently started working at Helix Global, a rival of Sinjin's tech company. This was the first time Sinjin had encountered Kyle at the school since Eds informed him that Kyle had been spying on the boys. Sinjin hoped his interaction with the boys would signal to Kyle that his children did not want him around."What are you doing here?" Sinjin demanded as he approached Kyle."I should ask you the same thing," Kyle r
A Month laterSande poked her head through the office door. "Eds, there's someone here to see you," she informed her. "Should I let him in?""Him?" Eds' brows furrowed in confusion. "If it's Sinjin...""It's not Sinjin," Sande interjected. "His name's Ryan Goulding from Baker-Newman & Associates. He's Kyle's lawyer."Eds stared at Sande, paralyzed in her seat. The only explanation for Kyle hiring a lawyer and sending that very lawyer to meet her was clear. She cleared her throat quietly, stood up on unsteady legs, grabbed her phone from the table, and left the office.In the corner booth, a man in a suit was sipping coffee. Eds approached him slowly, trying to steady herself before reaching him. However, the man glanced up from his phone, noticed her, and stood, buttoning his suit jacket."Mrs. Santillan, my name is Ryan Goulding," he said, extending his hand. "I'm representing your ex, Kyle Neeson."Kyle had decided he was no longer willing to wait for her to properly introduce him t
As Sinjin and Eds stood in the dining room, waiting for the boys to come down for dinner, Sinjin asked, "Don't you think we need to tell them?""The news will upset them," Eds replied. "Let's wait.""It'll be worse if we wait longer." Sinjin reasoned. "They need to know what's happening."Behind them, two eager voices chimed in, "We need to know what?" Startled, they turned to find the boys standing there, eyes wide with curiosity."Hmm... What?" Sinjin said, trying to play it off. "Know what?""You said we need to know what's happening, Dad," Troy repeated. "So, what is it? Is it about the surprise you wanted to show us the other day?""Ah... that," Sinjin mumbled, licking his lips nervously. "No, that's still a surprise.""Then what?" Tristan whined. "Tell us already!""Let's have dinner first," Eds suggested. "We're having Mrs. Bale's famous brisket again.""Ooh! Awesome!" The boys exclaimed, clapping excitedly as they rushed to the table to take their seats."So, are we really tel
Two weeks laterKyle sat in the corner booth of a café, staring into his cup of coffee, lost in thought. It had been weeks since he had last seen his sons, and since he had taken Edselyn to court for joint custody. Despite his lawyer's assurances that they had a strong case, he remained skeptical. After all, he was up against the richest man in the world—a man who had everyone in his pocket, who was both feared and admired, and who seemed untouchable. Kyle felt like prey before a predator, and the thought only deepened his hatred for Sinjin.Sinjin could have any woman he desired with just the snap of his fingers, yet out of billions of women on Earth, he chose Edselyn. Kyle briefly wondered when Edselyn had started dating Sinjin, as the last he had heard, Sinjin was in a relationship with an A-list actress. However, that relationship had ended when the actress rejected Sinjin and chose to be with his best friend instead."You just had to go and marry someone like him, Eds," Kyle mut