CHAPTER 33: WHO IS OUR REAL DADDY?

"Y-Yeah, he is married—"

"See? You know that!" I snapped, my voice rising with fury. "Then why are you still insisting that your friend loves me? He’s married!"

"H-Hey, that’s not what I meant—"

"Then what are you trying to say? That I should become his mistress now? Is that what you want?" I demanded, eyes narrowing.

"Wait! Yes, he’s married, but from what I know... he doesn’t even love his wife." Alfonso blurted out.

"Oh, and that’s supposed to be my problem now?" I shot back, my voice dripping with disbelief.

"Why should I trust anything you say? For all I know, you’re just trying to win me over—to make me drop my guard—so you can help Rome take my child away from me!"

"Hey! We would never do that!" Dave shot back as well.

"If Rome really hurt you, then we won’t just stand by and tolerate it," he added, more composed now. "We’re not here to make excuses for him, Sylvia. Honestly... we just want him to realize what he did wrong. That’s all. But please—don’t think we came here with bad intentions. We’re not here to hurt you or the kids. That’s the last thing we’d ever do."

There was sincerity in his words—I could tell. And yet... doubt still lingered in me as I looked at the four of them. I didn’t want to risk it—not when it came to my children.

A long, heavy silence settled between the five of us.

I looked at them coldly, trying to keep my gaze firm and unwavering.

I turned my back on them. There was no point in talking to any of them.

"Wait, Sylvia!"

Calyx called out. But I didn’t even glance back. I kept walking, not bothering to acknowledge him.

II headed straight toward the children’s classroom, my steps brisk and deliberate.

I could feel all four of them trailing closely behind me.

When I stepped into the classroom, I saw the twins inside with their godmother, Amie. They were the only ones left in the room.

"Oh, Sylvia, there you are. Are you here to pick up the kids?" Amie greeted warmly the moment she saw me—but her words faltered halfway.

Her eyes flicked to the group behind me. She suddenly fell silent, likely taken aback by their unexpected presence.

"Uhm... who are they?" she whispered, her voice low—but not quite low enough. The four men behind me probably heard her.

"Good afternoon, Teacher." Alpheus spoke up politely, offering her a small, courteous smile.

Amie, who was rarely flustered, blushed faintly and gave him a shy nod in return.

I sighed inwardly. Just great. Looks like Alpheus managed to charm even Amie.

"Uhm... are you going to accompany my friend Sylvia again—I mean, Ms. Sylvia—to pick up the kids?" Amie asked.

"Ah... yes, if Sylvia will allow me to..." Alpheus replied cautiously, glancing in my direction.

"Haha! Of course she’ll let you," Amie said without a filter, looking both flustered and giddy. "Didn’t you say you’re the twins’ father?"

Her words instantly grabbed everyone’s attention—including the children’s.

"Huh? Really?! Mommy, is Mr. Alpheus our dad?!" Egypt blurted out in surprise, her eyes wide as she looked up at me.

I turned sharply to Alpheus and Amie, who both looked caught off guard. Alpheus scratched the back of his head awkwardly, while Amie suddenly avoided my gaze.

"No, sweetheart... he’s not your father." I said softly, choosing my words with care.

Egypt’s expression fell, disappointment clouding her little face.

"Oh... I thought I was finally going to meet my daddy.." she said quietly, her voice tinged with sadness.

"He’s not our daddy, Egypt," Paris chimed in, sounding slightly annoyed. "Can’t you tell? We don’t even look like him."

I turned to Paris in disbelief. Where the heck did she learn that?

"Paris, sweetheart," I said gently, "what makes you think you’d look like your father? I’m your mommy, remember? You get your looks from me!"

"Yes, Mommy, you’re our mom," Paris said, looking at me with a straight face. "But... we don’t really look like you."

She said it so casually, as if it were the most innocent thing in the world.

"Pfft—"

I immediately shot a glare at the four men nearby.

"E-ehem!... Ehem!"

"Paris, what made you say that?" Amie asked with an awkward smile.

"You do look like your mom. Your..."

Amie glanced at me briefly, her brow furrowing as she seemed to struggle to find the right words. "Your eyebrows and... uhm, the shape of your eyes are exactly like your m-mom’s..."

"No, we’re not, Teacher. We look in the mirror every day, so we know we’re not even a tiny bit like Mom."

W-what...

I heard another round of awkward coughing from the four men, likely trying their best not to react again.

My own daughter... saying that in front of everyone? I winced inwardly. I raised them on my own all these years, and now she’s just casually saying they don’t look like me?

"H-haha, sweetheart, I didn’t know you were such a jokester..." I forced a laugh, trying to brush it off. "Come on now, let’s just go home."

"But Mommy, wait!" Egypt protested, turning to me with wide, curious eyes. "If Mr. Alpheus isn’t our daddy... then who is? Is it one of them?"

She pointed innocently at the three men standing beside Alpheus.

The men immediately burst into awkward laughter, probably caught off guard again.

"Ahem..."

Alfonso cleared his throat and crouched down to meet Egypt’s gaze with a serious expression.

"I suppose... the time has come to tell you the truth..."

"What is it?" Egypt asked innocently.

"I couldn’t say it earlier because I was afraid of how your mommy would react," he said dramatically. "But seeing you now... something in me just felt brave enough to confess."

"Egypt, Paris... I am your real daddy."

He said it with a perfectly straight face, though the playful sparkle in his eyes completely betrayed him.

I shot him a glare sharp enough to burn holes.

"Really?" Egypt asked, blinking up at him, her brows furrowed in doubt.

Meanwhile, Paris narrowed her eyes, arms crossed, watching him with the same dead-serious stare that could make even adults squirm under the weight of her judgment.

Alfonso noticed the sharp glare I shot at him, but instead of backing down, he just laughed—mockingly, of course.

"Step aside, Alfonso!"

Calyx suddenly cut in, placing himself in front of the children.

"What nonsense are you saying in front of my kids?"

My kids?...

He cleared his throat dramatically and faced the girls, placing a hand on his chest. "Don’t believe your uncle, kids. I’m your real daddy."

"Huh? You too?" Egypt blinked in confusion. "Then... who really is our daddy?"

I couldn’t help but let out a loud sigh. Egypt was clearly getting swept up in their nonsense.

I glanced to the side and saw Alpheus and Dave trying to hold back their laughter. I shot them a glare too, but they only chuckled harder.

Dave finally sighed and stepped forward toward his two ridiculous friends.

"Would you two knock it off already?" he said, half-exasperated. "Can’t you see you’re confusing the poor girl?"

Then he crouched down slightly and turned to Egypt with a gentle smile. "Egypt, don’t believe a word your uncles are saying, okay? Everything they just said was nothing but a big joke."