Araceli POV
I chopped vegetables slowly, and not long after, I heard footsteps.It was Raphael coming in.I lowered my eyes and continued to work."I'll do it."Raphael walked over and took the knife out of my hand."The carrots are to be diced, right?"He asked in a low voice, his eyes falling on my face.I lifted my eyes and looked at the man standing in front of me.He was wearing a black suit. He hadn't even changed and he came to ask if I needed any help.What I couldn't believe more was that he had taken the initiative to come into the kitchen.Who was he coming into the kitchen for? Essel? Valeria?Or, was it me?I pushed down the inexplicable surge of emotions and said lightly, "I was just talking to Maddox."Raphael smiled, "What were you talking about?""About Essel and Micah's mother."Raphael's hand jerked. After a few seconds, he drops the knife and looks me in the eye.Raphael's voiceAraceli POVMy heart suddenly skipped a beat.I took a deep breath and then said flatly, "Krish, Mr. Lancatser is just a partner of mine."Krish looked at me with mixed emotions in his eyes. I didn't know what he was thinking, only puzzled.He asked, "Valeria has called Mr. Lancaster daddy several times. Mommy, have you ever thought about getting together with Mr. Lancaster and making him really our daddy?"I looked at him incredulously."Krish, why would you think that?"I admitted that I probably did have a slight crush on Raphael, but so what?"Krish, I never thought about that. valeria hasn't had much exposure to the world and doesn't understand what daddy means yet. I'll take my time and tell me. I have nothing but gratitude for Mr. Lancaster."Krish said in a low voice, "Mommy, what are you going to do if Valeria's and my daddy finds us again?"I frowned slightly.I took care of the news quickly that morning, so Krish woul
Raphael POVI had only just gotten out of the car when I heard Essel's yelling from the house.I frowned slightly, a little annoyed, and pushed the door open."What's going on?"My voice was cold. I glanced at Essel and seemed to see her subconsciously shiver.There had been a bit of a problem with Royal Group over the past few days, so the entire company was in a very busy state, including me.I hadn't been home for two days.As soon as I got back, I saw Essel and Micah staring at each other. I knew they were arguing."What are you guys arguing about?"I pressed my eyebrows together and headed to the couch.Essel bit her lip and confessed, "Daddy, I know why Ms. Chancey isn't coming to our house! It's because Micah secretly attacked Ms. Chancey's company, so Ms. Chancey is worried that Micah will hurt Vallie to do it, so she decided never to come to our house again!"I frowned.It had been almost a month since Micah's atta
Araceli POVIt was slightly light.I opened my eyes with difficulty.I actually dreamed about that night five years ago again last night.I covered the dark circles under my eyes with thick concealer, washed up and then walked Krish and Valeria to daycare.I watched the kids walk in and then my phone rang.I glanced at the caller ID.An unfamiliar number.I stared at the number for a few seconds and put the call through."Is this Ms. Araceli Chancey?"An old voice came from the other end of the line.I frowned and said calmly, "Yes. May I ask who you are?""I'm Ramon's father, Robert Fleming," he said slowly, "Do you have a moment to talk to me, please?"My heart skipped a beat.My worst fears had come true after the revelation of my two children.Ramon could take a step back for the sake of the company, but the Fleming family is extraordinarily concerned about bloodline heritage, so how could they allow Ramo
Araceli POVAs soon as I heard Krish speak in such a tone, I knew that he must be about to say something very important.I dried the water from my hands, lifted my head, and said, "Let's go into the living room.""It's better not to let Valeria know about this for now." Krish took a few steps forward and handed me the paper in his hand. "Mummy, you'll know after you read this."I frowned suspiciously.I took the paper, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the black headline.It was a "paternity report".Why did Krish have this?I took a deep breath and continued to read on.The column for "Identified by" read "Raphael Lancaster" and "Krish Chancey".My eyes snapped open.I immediately looked down, and my eyes fell on the last column."It has been determined that there is a 99.99% or greater probability that the parties are paternity."My lips trembled.I clutched the paternity report, still feeling unbelievable.Krish and Raphael?Ho
Araceli POV"I don't remember..."Essel tilted her head, thinking."My dad said my birthday will be here once summer arrives. mrs. Chancey, will you get me a birthday present?"She looked at me with some delight.Maddox said, "Ms. Essel's birthday is the first of July."I clenched my fist violently and my heart skipped a beat.Krish and Valeria's birthdays were also the first of July.That night, I gave birth to them in the warehouse.At the time, Melany watched indifferently and did not save the two children I had given birth to in the first place.Melany could never have given birth!I had already guessed the truth, but at this point I still found it unbelievable.My two children had been taken away by Melany. She gave them to Royal Pack under the pretext that they were her children, thus prompting Raphael to marry her."Essel..."I took Essel into my arms, my eyes turning red.It turned out that the two children I had initially given b
Raphael POVAt Royal Group.The mood in the meeting room was somber. Everyone had their heads down and looked very cautious.I sat in the main seat and tapped my fingers on the desk surface.My secretary, Laurel, stood up and whispered, "Mr. Lancaster, we're all here. Is the meeting ready to begin?"I frowned slightly."Is the representative from Creaty Company here?"Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out."Mr. Lancaster, how are you? I'm the assistant general manager of the Creaty Company. My name is Leanna Elliston."She stood up and said respectfully, "Ms. Chancey has given me full responsibility for this project with Royal Group..."My eyes turned cold. Everyone dared not look at me and lowered their heads.I pursed my lips and stared at Leanna.Was Araceli going to keep running away?Wouldn't she even see me?I took out my phone and dialed a number.When the phone beeped, I suddenly realized what I was doin
Araceli POVI just finished looking at the album and raised my wrist to look at my watch.It was already almost five o'clock in the afternoon.The day at Royal Pack went by too fast.I planned to pick up Valeria and Krish before coming to Royal Pack to cook dinner for Essel.Just then, the phone rang."Ms. Chancey, it's my daddy calling!"Essel hurriedly picked up the phone from the couch and handed it to me.Essel's smile was so sweet.I was impressed by her smile and my mood turned much better. I smiled and said, "Mr. Lancaster, hello.""I happen to be on an errand near Brizela Daycare, so I'll stop by and pick up Valeria and Krish. You don't have to make a special drive to pick them up."The cold man's voice came out of the phone. Instinctively, I wanted to refuse, because Valeria didn't like contact with strangers.But...I let out a small sigh of relief when I thought of Valeria's bright eyes whenever she saw Raphael.Perhaps this was t
Araceli POVMicah whispered, "I don't mind...""Great. Then I'll call you Micky from now on."I laughed."You guys go play in the living room. Dinner will be ready soon."Essel takes Valeria's hand and walks to the living room."Vallie, I got you a new puzzle today..."Krish and Micah looked at each other without saying anything, but I could feel that they were not so aggressive with each other anymore.I let out a small sigh of relief and walked into the kitchen.It didn't take long for footsteps to come from behind me.Raphael came striding into the kitchen."Why are you suddenly willing to come over to my house and cook dinner again?"Raphael asked slowly as he stood behind me.My hand lurched, then said blandly, "I've been too busy the past few days, that's why I haven't come over."Raphael looked at the side of my face and smiled coldly.I glanced at him a little uneasily, wondering if he had guessed that I was lying.Judging from
Araceli POVMicah suddenly runs toward the door and comes out with a bunch of gift boxes.He gave Valeria a doll of the latest model."Micah, you got a gift for Valeria, not Krish?"Raphael asks calmly.Micah nodded. "Of course I got gifts for everyone."He placed the bunny doll in Valeria's hand, then pulled a box out of his book bag and walked over in Krish's direction."This is a gift for you."Micah opened the box.It was a Rubik's Cube.He handed the cube over. "If you don't know how, I can teach you."Krish took the Rubik's Cube, played with it for a moment, raised his eyes, and said, "Thanks, I like it."Micah said calmly, then pulled another stack out of his book bag."Mommy, this is my gift to you."I froze.My heart suddenly overflowed with emotion and my voice became softer."Micah, thank you."I flipped the document in my hand over and froze.It was actually the share transfer lette
Araceli POVHospitals were perpetually filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant.Micah had a head injury that didn't require hospitalization and was bandaged up and picked up by Maddox and taken back to Royal Pack.I was worried about Valeria and asked Krish to follow them back to Royal Pack.Raphael watched me quietly, his eyes following me at all times.I sat down and asked, "When did you find out about this?""Last night." Raphael's voice was a little raspy. "I heard you on the phone when I went to look for you at Creaty Company."My lips pursed."Why didn't you tell me?" Raphael said in a single word.I lowered my eyes."I didn't take a paternity test to know if this was true, so I didn't tell you."Raphael stared at me for a long time, then suddenly smiled, "You actually offered me to be your boyfriend just to get close to Micah and Essel, right? You already knew Ramon wasn't the father of the baby, but you favored thi
Araceli POVShe laughed out loud, full of eeriness and hostility.I settled down and looked over at Micah.Micah seemed to be unconscious.I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to pounce on Melany and kill her, and kept waking Micah up with mind-link.Suddenly, a miracle appeared.Micah's eyes snapped open.He looked towards me, his gaze becoming very complicated in this instant.Seeing Micah open his eyes, I breathed a sigh of relief.I raised my eyes and stared coldly at Melany, saying word for word, "Do you realize what you're doing is stupid?""Araceli, you're still a bitch! You said yesterday that you would help me keep this secret, but today Raphael knows!" Melany sneered, "He hates me so much now that he can't wait to break me into pieces. Aren't you so proud of yourself? But let me tell you, I won't let you have your way! If I die, I'll let Micah die with me. I'll make you and Raphael live in remorse for the rest of your liv
Araceli POVThe night was getting late.The inner turmoil gradually ate away at me.Essel was sitting on the couch somewhat six-footed, staring out of the window with two blank eyes.Krish was sitting on the floor clutching his laptop. His fingers clicked quickly on the keyboard.After ten minutes, he looked up."Mommy, I found Micah. He's moving fast now and should be in a car."He tracked Micah's cell phone and was able to pinpoint Micah's location.I sent the location to my phone and stared at the map for a minute.I was getting more and more uneasy, as if a million ants were crawling inside."Why would Micah be at the docks so late?"The marina over there had once flourished, but now it was abandoned because the coastal environment was polluted.Not many people had been in that neighborhood for a long time after the factories moved away."Mommy, I feel bad..." Essel rubbed where her heart was. "I always feel as if
Araceli POVAt the Royal Pack.Essel reached for her cell phone and dialed two numbers. I distinctly heard a mechanical, cold female voice coming from her cell phone saying that Micah's phone was off."What's Micah doing? Why isn't he answering his phone?"Essel said with some concern."Normally, Mr. Micah doesn't turn off his cell phone. This is weird."Maddox scratched his head. "Mr. Micah's cell phone doesn't turn off all year round. But he should be back soon. Maybe we should wait a little longer."I didn't know why, but I'd been feeling uneasy.This uneasy feeling even prevented me from calming down to make dinner for the kids.I pursed my lips and said, "Maddox, do you have Micah's assistant or secretary's number? Call it and ask."Maddox nodded and immediately dialed a number.The call was quickly answered. maddox chatted with the person on the other end of the line for a few moments and quickly hung up."Okay,
Raphael POV"Raphael, I do love Essel and Micah, and you..."Melany paused and said, "Araceli can't love you at all. She approached you to take away Essel and Micah.You must stay away from Araceli! She'll get back at you for what happened five years ago..."I lifted my foot and stomped on Melany's calf bone.I didn't want to do this to a woman, but Melany was just too hateful. Even if I had one of my men beat her up instead of me, it wouldn't be able to quell my hatred."Raphael, you have to believe me. I have the recording to prove it!"Melany hurriedly and tremblingly picked up her cell phone.I frowned slightly.What recording?Soon, the recording began to play. I heard Araceli's voice."You don't like Raphael?""If it wasn't for the kids, I wouldn't have had any dealings with him at all..."Melany and Araceli's conversation came out clearly from the phone.Even though I already knew that Araceli's willingness to be
Raphael POVI was downstairs in Creaty's office within ten minutes, but Araceli never came down, so I had to go to the office to find her.I was about to knock on the door when I heard her on the phone with someone, so I stood at the door and waited for her.After a while, I heard her say that Krish had gone for a paternity test and that I was his father.I froze completely.There was no way Araceli could have known I was at the door and she spoke in a somber and despondent tone.There was no way she was lying.That meant Araceli was Essel and Micah's real mother.It also meant that Melany had been lying to me...I clenched my fists, veins rippling in my hands, and quickly descended the stairs and drove as fast as I could towards Eclipse.The car quickly pulled up in front of Eclipse's villa.I violently pushed open the car door, got out, and approached the door with large strides.The servants immediately greeted me respectfully when they saw it
Araceli POVI was in the middle of a meeting. Suddenly, my cell phone vibrated and the screen lit up."I'll be downstairs at your office in ten minutes."Raphael texted.I froze for a moment.What was he doing coming to see me?Soon another text came through."I promised Valeria I'd pick her up from school today."I put my phone down and made my way back to my office after summarizing the meeting.I cleaned up my desk and lifted my bag, ready to go downstairs and wait for Raphael.That was when my cell phone vibrated.It was Eliezer calling."Araceli, I heard that two men were outside your window last night trying to come in and kidnap Valeria and Krish. Is this true?"I froze."Eliezer, how do you know this?""The men I arranged for today found a shell casing when they were weeding your yard."Eliezer sighed and said, "Araceli, why don't you move back in with Grandma? It would be safer for you and the kids."I frowned and said, "Do
Araceli POVI pursed my lips.As soon as I sent the paternity reports of my two children and Raphael to him, the Fleming family would stop pestering me.However, I couldn't talk to Raphael about it.I was worried that Raphael would make the same choice as the Fleming family.If Valeria and Krish's identities were revealed, I would definitely not get custody of them."Raphael, this is between my Ramon, so it's better to leave it to me."I said slowly, "He's the children's real father no matter what..."Raphael stared at me for a few seconds without saying anything else.He sighed slightly and took out his cell phone.I didn't know what he was going to do and was a little confused.He made a call and said something. Soon, several sedans drove up. A group of men in black got out, put their hands behind their backs and stood in a line.Raphael had them patrol the neighborhood every half hour. Then he had them take the two men who had been placed in th