Stephen would not end up in that terrible state if it hadnât been for saving the kids.
Nicole felt like she owed Stephen.
She suddenly felt the urge to call him âdadâ, but she hesitated. She rubbed her fingers nervously as the word âdadâ went back down her throat just as it reached the tip of her tongue.
Nicole thought about her mother being dazed while looking at the sky, falling into depression, and living a life in misery because of that manâ¦
She knew that none of it was Stephenâs fault, but she still couldnât get herself to call him âdadâ.
John stepped forward. âMrs. Seet, itâs time. Iâll take you and the children to the airport now.â
âCan I stay?â asked Nicole as she looked at Evan.
âNo!â
âNo!â
Evan and Stephen rejected her simultaneously.
Nicole stared at the two men. She understood what they were trying to doââit was too dangerous for her to stay there and they didnât want her to get hurt.
She could relate to their concern: she would also wish for her children to be far away from any dangerous place.
âBoth of you, be careful, okay? Weâll be leaving now.â
Nicole waved goodbye to the two men. The four little ones pouted. They werenât happy about leaving, but Evan had made things clear and they knew there was no point in arguing. Daddy has tons of ways to force us to leave. Hence, the kids waved goodbye as well.
Stephen glanced at his daughter; he was very reluctant to see her leave.
Still, all he could do was pray silently in his heart. Please, God. Please keep Nicole safe and happy for the rest of her life.
Nicole took her luggage. When she turned the corner with her kids, she vaguely caught Stephenâs eyes reddening with tears.
She walked out of the hotel and took a deep breath before pausing.
âJohn, wait.â
Nicole turned to her children and couched down to whisper to them.
The kids turned to one another, not understanding why their mommy had asked them to do that.
âHe sacrificed everything for the four of you, so you should do that for him. Go on now.â
The children were stunned; nevertheless, they walked back the way they came.
Stephen and Evan were strategizing their next move when the door to the room opened.
They shifted their attention to the entrance of the room, and Evan was surprised to see four tiny people standing there.
âDid you forget something?â
The children shook their heads.
âThen why did you come back?â
The quadruplets walked to Stephen and bowed to him simultaneously. âThank you for rescuing us, Grandpa,â said the children.
Stephen was shocked beyond words.
The kids called me Grandpa?
The sudden surprise knocked Stephen off his feet. After taking some time to gather himself, he felt his heart thumping with glee. He looked at his grandchildren and reached out to stroke their tiny heads.
âGood. Youâre all such adorable kids.â
Too bad Iâve lost everything. I donât even know what gift I can offer them now.
âThe next time we meet, Grandpa will get you all an amazing gift.â
âThank you, Grandpa.â
Evan smiled at his obedient and intelligent quadruplets.
Ambushing Stephen with an emotional bomb like that⦠Nicole mustâve been the mastermind behind this.
Evan suddenly thought that in addition to being smart, his wife was also a master at tossing such emotional bombs. I gotta praise her for this after I get home.
âAlright now. Off you go, kids. Youâll miss your flight if you stay any longer.â
The quadruplets nodded and bid their goodbyes again before walking out of the room single file.
Nina found it strange, so she asked, âWhy did Mommy tell us to greet Sir Musgrave as grandpa?â
Kyle deliberated before replying, âMaybe heâs the dad that Mommy has been looking for, and that would make him our grandpa.â
The mischievous Juan was taken aback and blurted, âHuh? In that case, donât we have yet another powerful figure backing us up?â
Maya thought about the luxurious estate and the army of servants and bodyguards there. Itâs so nice to have a grandpa that powerful.
âHaha, monsters and demons should move aside, for I have Grandpa next to me!â
Kyle was speechless.
And so was Juan.
And Nina, too.
All three of them turned to Maya and wondered, When did that plump idiot learn to exploit others?
Still, it was rather nice to have a grandpa that capable.
âBut I feel that Grandpa is in trouble.â
âItâs fine. Daddy is here, so the issue will be dealt with soon.â
âGood point. We should listen to Daddy and go home. Itâs been days since we last went to school, and I miss our teacher and classmates.â