âI wonât tell just yet.â Abelâs eyes deepened. âThis identity is a bit special, and I wonât mention it unless itâs absolutely necessary.â
âHubby, youâre not the head of some arms smuggling syndicate, are you?â Emmeline, hugging Abelâs arms, probed in a whisper.
Abel reached out to ruffle her hair, smiling indulgently. âYouâre actually pretty close!â
âAbel,â Lewis immediately scowled, âWe canât engage in illegal activities!â
âYour fatherâs right,â Rosaline added with concern. âYou mustnât get involved with criminal organizations!â
âI havenât. Abel defended himself. âAnd the boys are still here. Donât let your imaginations run wild.â
âSo, Daddy.â Timothy blinked his obsidian-like eyes. âWhatâs your other identity, then?â
âWeâre so curious!â Helios Ryker pouted. âDaddy, please tell us.â
âYeah,â Endymion Ryker echoed. âDonât keep it from us. We want to know!â
Hesperus chimed in, âI know what Daddy has in mind.â
âWhat is it?â Timothy, Helios, and Endymion asked in unison.
âDaddy wants us to guess!â Hesperus said seriously, pursing his little lips. âIsnât that right, Daddy?â
Amused by his sons, Abel affectionately ruffled their heads one by one. âStar is absolutely right. I want you all to guess. So, from now on, try and guess what my other identity could be.â
âGrandpa, Grandma, Mommy, letâs all guess together!â Timothy urged, and Lewis and Rosaline nodded in agreement. âLetâs guess together.â
However, Emmeline thought otherwise. âYou can guess, but not right now. Now, I want you boys to eat and take a nap. You can figure it out after you wake up, okay?â
The four munchkins nodded in unison. âOkay. Letâs guess after our nap. Now, weâll eat and go to bed.â
âYou boys are so well-behaved!â Rosaline praised as she and Lewis helped the boys to their seats.
Before long, all the dishes from the two private rooms were served, and the whole family began to enjoy their meal.
Meanwhile, back at Struyria, Adrien brought Lizbeth over to the Ryker Mansion for lunch.
Officially, he had just taken over as the CEO of the Ryker Group and was coming to report to Oscar Ryker.
Secretly, he was here to discreetly check the surveillance and see if there were any suspicious traces of the Steiner mother and daughter on Oscarâs birthday.
Lizbeth was also a well-behaved and sensible girl.
On the way, she and Adrien had discussed their roles. So, when they arrived at the mansion, Adrien talked to Old Mr. Ryker for a while, and then Lizbeth said, âGrandpa. Iâve recently learned a set of massage techniques, and Adrien has praised me for being good at it. How about I give you a massage?â
âWell, that sounds good,â Oscar said happily. âMy shoulders have been aching lately. No matter how much money you have, you canât avoid getting old and having these aches and pains. Please help me with the massage!â
Lizbeth signaled to Adrien, and he said, âWell, Liz, you give Grandpa a good massage. Iâll go outside for a smoke.â
âNeed you go outside?â Oscar questioned. âIs the living room not big enough for you to smoke inside?â
âWell, Liz and I are planning to have a child, arenât we?â Adrien argued. âItâs not good for her to take in tobacco smoke, so Iâll stay away in the garden, where the air is better.â
âItâs for my great-grandchild, eh?â Oscar nodded approvingly. âAlright, go ahead to the garden. Itâll be a while before lunch is ready as well.â
âAlright.â At that, Adrien winked at Lizbeth. âGive Grandpa a good massage, alright? Iâll get you a gift later!â
âDonât bother buying,â Oscar said. âLizbeth, you can just grab a few from my birthday pile.â
âThat wonât do, Grandad,â Lizbeth quickly shook her head. âYour gifts are often worth tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions. I dare not just take them casually!â
âJust take it when I tell you to,â Oscar said. âI donât need so many, and can you imagine me taking them with me to the grave?â
âGrandad,â Lizbeth disagreed, âdonât say that. Youâll live to be a hundred, even older!â
âWell, youâll make this old man happy by picking out some gifts for yourself,â Oscar said. âTake whatever you like!â
âIn that case, Iâll gladly oblige. Lizbeth was also delighted. Having gifts to choose from was certainly worth celebrating.