Jeremy glanced at Ava briefly. "I'm just judging from your movements. Is my analysis correct? Is that what makes you a stiff woman?" Ava's breath came out quickly. "I regret coming to the airport with you. I should have gone to the hospital myself." "Aren't you afraid? Moore's men are still after you." "You threaten me?" Jeremy shook his head briefly. "I'm worried about your situation. You act bravely without thinking about the consequences." Ava leaned her head against the back of the seat, snorting in annoyance. "You want to bring up my decision to help Sophia some time ago?" "No—" "Stop the car. I'm tired of hearing your judgment." Jeremy ignored her. He focused on the road. The light at the intersection ahead showed green. If they're stuck at a red light, Ava would definitely get out. "I said stop the car. You don't have to drive me to the hospital." Jeremy instead stepped on the gas. "Jeremy?" Suddenly, something big hit them from the side. Window glass shattered. Som
Frank was silent for a moment. "Just focus on protecting yourself and Ava. I can take care of the rest." "Have you contacted Philip?" "Yes, but I will contact him again. I think it would be better for the twins to study from home if the situation is like this." "What about the other?" Silence filled the air again. "I'll call them." Suddenly, Kara's voice was heard faintly. "Frank ...." Jeremy knew the duration of his call would have to end soon. "Okay, don't hesitate to contact me if you need help." After a brief mumble, Frank lowered his phone. "What's wrong, Kara?" He tried to stay calm. Kara handed over her phone. The chat box with Susan was open. "My mother was watching the news. She said Mrs. Miller had an accident. Her injuries were serious enough that she had to be rushed to the hospital." Seeing Kara's pale face, Frank got up from the chair. Blinking uncertainly, he grasped her thin arms. "Please don't be surprised and don't panic." Kara's eyes suddenly widened. Her
A few moments passed. While waiting for Sean, Philip kept contacting Barbara. The twins were also worried when they saw him. "Uncle Philip, what actually happened? Why do we have to go home early?" Louis inquired as he lifted and dropped the small backpack on his back. Philip lowered the phone from his ear. Seeing the wrinkles on the toddlers' eyebrows, he stopped in his uneasy moves. "Does it have anything to do with the Moore family?" Emily asked before Philip could respond, leaving the man caught in a dilemma. Not getting an answer, Emily finally bowed her head. While touching the floor with the tip of her shoe, she muttered, "Please be honest, Uncle Philip. We are not ordinary children. We have been trained by Daddy to be braver and stronger." "Yes, we have also been taught how to strategize. We are no longer afraid of the enemy." Louis puffed out his cheeks and furrowed his brows, trying to look tough. However, Philip still couldn't bear to tell them about Barbara. "Jeremy
"Because the enemy threatened to harm Barbara if Philip came with someone else. They wanted Philip to save her alone." The twins' mouths were wide open. Their eyebrows conveyed seriousness. "If only Philip was allowed to know, why he told you?" "Because I threatened not to take you home if he didn't tell me." While twisting her fingers, Emily knitted her eyebrows. "But that sounds very dangerous. What if it's a trap? Philip doesn't have to face it alone." Louis' eyes flashed with enthusiasm. "How about we call Daddy? Daddy can save Auntie and Philip." "That's too risky, Young Master. If your father sends a rescue team, no matter how fast they are, the enemy will immediately find out. Philip and Barbara will actually be in greater danger." Louis' lips pursed. His brain worked very seriously. "Sean, aren't you Grandpa's top secret agent? You're an expert at sneaking around. Why don't you go save them? Secretly!" "Then you?" "Emily and I can follow you from behind. We've learned
"Philip?" Silence greeted him. There was no longer any voice. Only the sound of the turn signal clicking reminded him that time was running out. "Philip?" Frank called louder. His eyes started to fill with tears. Seeing his confusion, Barbara held her breath. Her heart was pounding and her throat was dry. "W-what happened? What's wrong with Philip?" With eyes filled with red streaks, Frank lowered his phone. His hands hung helplessly. "This is the consequence if you disobeyed. Take care of your taxi yourself. I have to save Philip and my kids." Barbara's knees became weak. She staggered until her back found a wall to lean against. "Philip?" Her face turned pale. When Frank walked over her shoulder, she forced her body to move, reaching for the phone on the table. Unfortunately, twice she made a call, twice Philip didn't pick up. Meanwhile, in the middle of a road, a car had overturned. The cars around were out of order. Some failed to dodge wooden blocks that rolled from a lar
Sean sighed heavily. "Didn't your boss instruct you to catch those kids without scratching them?" The leader of the group smiled crookedly. "Don't pretend to care. You're the one who brought them here." "I just remind you. Do you know why your boss gave you such instructions?" After taking a step closer, Sean lowered his tone. "Because if Frank Harper finds out that you hurt his children, you will be killed first, Turner. Your boss will be happy to throw you at his feet as a sacrifice." The curve of Turner's lips turned flat. A faint twitch appeared on his cheek. "You think I'm stupid? Frank Harper is different from his grandfather. He doesn't have that much guts." "Are you sure?" Sean raised an eyebrow before he untied the rope around his grandson's wrist. When all the family members were released, they gathered around to hug Sean. "Grandpa ...." "Dad ...." Sean hugged them for a moment then quickly pulled them towards the car. The twins now stood on the side of the thugs. Th
Kara rubbed Barbara's face patiently. "Then, let's go home. The sooner we get there, the sooner your brother can save them. You don't want to waste time, right? Every second is precious for Philip. Don't let it be too late to save him because ...." Kara deliberately let the sentence hung. Her tactic succeeded in suppressing Barbara's sobs. "Because what?" Barbara choked on her own breath. "No. You can't be late in saving Philip." "Then stand up!" Frank grabbed Barbara's other arm. Just at that moment, the phone in his pocket rang and a guard barged in with a pale face. "Sir, we got bad news!" Everyone in the room held their breath. "What is it?" "We've checked the list of car accidents that happened today." Frank's eyes widened. "Is one of them Philip's car?" The guard sighed heavily. "No, but there is a report that has just come in. There was a series of accidents due to a truck load containing wooden blocks collapsing. The nearest car tried to avoid it. But because it hit t
"Oh, it's cold in there," Emily muttered. "Come on, Louis. Push me up." After a while, Emily exclaimed, "Shrimp? Does it contain shrimp?" She grabbed a packet and showed it to Louis. "Yes, it contains shrimp." Frank's brow furrowed. "What about another box?" After waiting for a moment, Emily asked again, "Is this a fish?" "Yeah, it looks like fish fillet." Frank blinked faster and faster. "Is there no writing there at all?" When the twins were busy looking around, the car suddenly stopped. Knowing that, Louis and Emily looked at each other. "Have we arrived?" Louis sighed "Daddy, what should we do? The car stopped," Emily whispered, shrilly. Frank blinked. Louis' GPS stopped at the edge of the dock. As far as he knew, there was no loading dock nearby. "Kids, hide your watches in safe places. After that, pretend you're still tied." "Okay, Daddy." However, before the twins had time to move, the door was opened. Seeing that the duct tape had parted and the two toddlers were
Philip rushed in and grabbed Barbara's hand. Before he could say anything, Barbara was pushing again. After Briony came out, Barbara breathed a sigh of relief. “Philip .... Our child has been born.”Even though his head was nodding, Philip blinked in confusion. His mouth was agape, not knowing how to respond. "Yes ...," he sighed after a few moments. Briony's cries helped him regain his senses. "Wow," Philip blinked. He bent down, stroking his wife's hair with mixed feelings. "You're so great, Babe. You can give birth that fast." Barbara smiled proudly. "Our efforts weren't in vain, Phil. I was actually scared earlier. Briony's urge was very strong. But Louis and Emily forbade me to push. I tried to hold it in until finally, I gave in." Philip sighed in amazement and disbelief. Still looking stiff, he kissed Barbara's temple. "You're amazing, Babe. I'm glad you didn't encounter any major difficulties." Philip wiped the tears from her face. "I'm happy too. But where were you? I to
"Louis, Auntie is about to give birth!" Emily rose with a high arch of her eyebrows. "You’re right! We have to take her to the hospital!" Wasting no time, Louis grabbed Barbara's hand, pulling her to turn around. "Come on, Auntie. Let's go back to the car." However, Barbara shook her head. Her face was pale, her body tense. Her feet seemed to be glued to the earth. "What's wrong, Auntie?" "Call Philip," she muttered softly. "What?" "Call Philip!" The twins flinched. After one nod, they ran towards Philip. "Uncle Philip! Uncle Philip!" "Hey, where are you guys going?" Barbara exclaimed again. The twins braked. When they looked back, Barbara was waving. "Why did you leave me here alone?" Her voice was shrill. "You told us to call Uncle Philip!" Louis shook his head, not understanding. "Yeah, but don't leave me here." While limping, she inched closer to Louis and Emily. "One person calls him. One more person, hold me!" The twins blinked. Not because they didn't understand, b
"Hello, Orion," Emily whispered as the tiny baby in the box opened his eyes. Her hand reached out, trying to reach his chubby cheek. From the other side of the box, Louis also looked inside. "Hello, Oscar." "Louis?" Emily scolded with round eyes. "Why do you call him Oscar? This is our first meeting with him. Don't make a bad impression." Louis pursed his lips. "Okay, sorry. I'm used to it. Let me repeat." After clearing his throat, he looked down again. "Hello, Orion. It's me, Louis. I'm your cousin." Emily smiled slightly and nodded. "That's just right." After giving Louis thumbs up, she waved her hand downwards. "And I'm Emily. Nice to meet you, Orion." For a few moments, the two toddlers were busy observing Orion. Philip and Barbara were amused by their comments. "It turns out that Uncle Philip was right. Orion looks like both of his parents. His eyes are like Auntie's, while his nose and mouth are like Uncle's." "His chin also looks like Uncle’s, but his hair looks like
A nurse tried to calm Ava. However, the woman still shook her head, rejecting all the words directed at her. She was very weak. The pain seemed to knock out all the bones in her body. Her brain could no longer function normally. "No. I have no strength anymore. I can't continue." After taking a heavy breath, Jeremy bowed. The nurse had shifted. Jeremy had more freedom to stroke Ava's hair which was wet with sweat and her face which was flooded with tears. "Ava, can you hear me? Ava?" Their gazes finally met. Jeremy could see the desperation in those brown eyes. "I can't take it anymore, Jeremy. I can't. Let the doctor take it out. I can't take it anymore." Jeremy's chest felt like it had been torn apart. He almost choked with pain. Stroking Ava's shoulder, he shook his head. "No, I know you. You're not someone who never gives up, Ava. You can do it." "But I don't have the energy anymore, Jeremy." "There is. There definitely is." Jeremy grabbed Ava's shaking fingers. "This is f
"Look at this, Brandon." Louis placed a stack of photo paper on the table. Then, he showed them one by one to his friend. "This is a picture of Russell crying. This is a picture of him laughing. And this is a picture of Russell being angry." "Can babies get angry? Isn't he still too young to understand anything?" Brandon shook his head faintly. Louis shrugged. "I don't know about that. But when Russell sees something he doesn't like, his hands keep flapping and his mouth makes sounds ...." Louis imitated a baby's moan which made the librarian glance. "Russell also has sharp eyes, Brandon. If he feels annoyed by us, he will glare while furrowing his eyebrows." Emily touched the base of her eyebrows, checking to see if they were the same shape as Russell's eyebrows in the picture. Brandon smiled at Emily's expression. "I think he must be really cute when he's angry." "Yes!" Emily nodded quickly. "He's always cute, all the time. Louis, show him a picture of Russell in the shower."
"Oh, look at Russell, Louis. Isn't he very handsome? He's clean and smells good." Emily put her nose closer to Russell's face. When she managed to kiss that very soft cheek, she giggled holding back her laughter. She didn't want to disturb Kara who was sleeping in Frank's arms. "Yes, he is very handsome. He looks like me. Isn't that right, Grandma?" Louis raised his gaze towards the woman holding Russell. Susan smiled amusedly. "Yes, he looks like you. Only his nose is a little sharper." Louis' lips immediately pursed. His forefinger pointed at his own nose. "How sharp do you want Russell's nose to be? My nose is already very sharp." Susan chuckled at Louis' answer. "I’m just joking, Louis. It doesn't matter whose nose is sharper. What's important is that you're both healthy." Louis nodded in agreement. His hands then rose to touch the baby's feet. "Grandma, is Russell heavy?" Susan raised her eyebrows. "Do you want to carry him?" Louis glanced at Emily. "How about you try fir
"Hello, Good Boy," Kara held Russell carefully, as if the little creature was a very fragile pearl. Tears could not stop running down her face. After kissing the baby who was covered in a towel, Kara whispered again, "This is Mommy, Russell. I'm happy that I can finally hug you like this." While biting his lips, Frank also bowed. He stroked the tiny back then kissed his head. "And this is Daddy, Russell. Daddy is also happy that you are finally here." Still with a wide smile and red eyes, Frank looked at Kara gently. Before the pool of emotion dripped again, he quickly kissed her forehead. Kara closed her eyes accepting the warmth. "Thank you for giving birth to our son, Queen Bee," Frank whispered hoarsely. Kara smiled wider and nodded faintly. "Thank you for accompanying me here." "That's what I should have done a long time ago." Frank stroked her cheek before kissing her again. "Daddy, we want to see Russell too! Can we come closer?" Emily asked, jumping a little on the chai
Kara was sitting on the bed. Her head rested on the broad shoulder next to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to catch her breath."Is there any news from the Twins?" she asked quietly. Frank shook his head. His hands kept to massage Kara's fingers. "You don't need to worry about them, Queen Bee. They are independent and intelligent children. They will understand that you have to give birth soon. Let's celebrate their birthday after Russell is born, hmm?" After a short nod, Kara turned her head further. "Are you crying?" Frank's eyebrows pulled together. Moving his head away so that it would be easier to see her, he shook his head. "Why do you think I'm crying?" "Your voice is shaky, Frank." Pursing his lips, Frank took a deep breath. "I'm not crying." "Then why are your eyes red and watery?" Frank blinked firmly. "I'm not crying," he repeated with more emphasis. Still out of breath, Kara let out a laugh. Her head tilted slightly, waiting for his tears to fall. "Are you sure?"
"Hello, Brandon. Welcome to our event," Louis shook his classmate's hand. "Hello, Louis. Happy birthday. I hope you live a long and healthy life," the blonde boy said, occasionally glancing at Emily. "Thank you, Brandon. Did you come alone?" Brandon nodded. "Yes, my parents had to attend another event. So, only the driver took me here." After one blink, Brandon offered his hand to Emily. "Happy birthday too, Emily. You're so beautiful tonight." Emily shook Brandon's hand with a sweet smile. "Thanks, Brandon. You also look cool tonight. The jacket suits you." Brandon blushed. His lips twitched to suppress the excitement in his chest. "Thank you, Emily. I deliberately asked my mother to look for the best outfit. I want to look cool at this event." "Your mom has a good sense of fashion," Emily nodded before glancing to the side. "Louis, I think you should try a regular tie like Brandon. You're five years old. It's time for you to leave that bow tie behind. You should try somethin