CHAPTER 63: GREATEST TREASURES

"Say goodbye?" Rome’s voice was cold. "Didn’t you already do that when you said you were leaving? Miss Lincolm already knows you’re going—so why say goodbye again?"

"No... not to Miss Sylvia," Gabriel replied innocently. "I want to say goodbye to Egypt and Paris too—for taking care of me."

The moment I heard those words, it felt like ice water had been poured over me.

My feet froze at the doorway—I couldn’t move. And I wasn’t the only one.

The air shifted. Even Rome’s friends went completely still, as if they hadn’t expected that response either.

"Egypt and Paris?" Rome repeated, his voice low with suspicion. I didn’t need to look—I could feel his gaze turning toward me.

"Yes," Gabriel nodded. "They’re my good friends now. They comforted me and even invited me to their room. They’re really kind kids, Dad. That’s why I want to say goodbye to them before we go home."

"Kids?" Rome echoed. I could feel the chill in his tone growing colder by the second.

"Are those the voices I heard earlier when I stepped inside? Were they in the house the whole time?"

"Yes," Gabriel confirmed innocently. "They’re the same age as me—and they’re twins! And now that I think about it... they have names just like mine too! Their names are also places!"

My heart sank.

I couldn’t see Rome from where I stood, but I could feel his gaze—sharp and digging into me like he was trying to expose something I desperately wanted to keep hidden.

"Egypt and Paris, huh..." he muttered. "Interesting. I wonder why I didn’t see them. Now I’m curious."

"Uhm... you didn’t see them because they went into their room" Gabriel said, still unaware of the rising tension in the air.

"Miss Sylvia told them to stay inside and not come out unless she said so."

At that moment, I just wanted to cover Gabriel’s mouth—to stop him from saying any more. Why did he have to mention that?

How was I supposed to deal with this now?

Rome hadn’t seen the kids yet, so I needed to calm down. He might be a little curious, maybe even suspicious, but that’s all. He couldn’t prove anything—not with just that.

"H-haha... you know what, Gabriel? I think it’s best if we head home now." Alpheus suddenly cut in, his tone trying to lighten the mood. " I can tell Miss Sylvia is getting uncomfortable, and we’ve already caused her enough inconvenience."

"Your uncle’s right, Gabriel," Calyx added. "Miss Sylvia looks like she needs to rest now. It’s getting late, so it’s better if we give her—and Paris and Egypt, too—the space to relax."

"Okay..." Gabriel replied quietly.

But then Rome suddenly spoke again—his voice was cold.

"Paris and Egypt... how are they related to you?"

He wasn’t even facing me, but I knew the question was directed at me. And though I couldn’t see his eyes, I could feel the weight of his suspicion.

I forced myself to stay composed. I couldn’t afford to let even the slightest crack show. Slowly, I turned to face him, hiding every trace of fear in my voice.

"Why are you curious?" I asked calmly, meeting his icy gaze head-on.

I couldn’t back down now. If I showed even the smallest sign of hesitation, he’d only dig deeper.

"Their names," Rome said flatly. "It’s too strange to just be a coincidence. Are they... your children?"

I felt my knees nearly buckle at the directness of his question. He wasn’t even dancing around it—he went straight for the truth.

"N-no... they’re not my children. And please, don’t ask anything about them. We’re strangers, remember? I have no obligation to tell you anything about them. So just... leave."

He stared at me for a long time, as if studying every inch of my expression—trying to figure out whether I was lying.

When it seemed like he couldn’t find anything to confirm his suspicions, he finally turned away and gently took Gabriel’s hand.

Gabriel looked back at me, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

He knows. He knows that Egypt and Paris are my daughters. But I had to lie to his father—because I had no other choice.

I don’t need to see Rome anymore. Or any of the Haristons.

The other four glanced at me before leaving, and I could tell from their expressions that they were feeling guilty. Apologetic, even.

They must think they’ve done enough to distract Rome and help me. But no... their efforts weren’t enough to stop him.

As soon as they were gone, it was like all the strength drained from my body.

I collapsed onto the floor, unable to hold myself up any longer. My mind was still in chaos, but at the very least, I’d managed to keep the twins and Rome from crossing paths.

I stared down at my trembling hands.

The way Rome cared for Gabriel... would he be like that with the twins, too?

Haha. What am I even thinking right now?

I must not have recovered from everything that just happened. That’s probably why I’m entertaining such ridiculous thoughts.

"Mom? Did Gabriel already leave?"

I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Egypt’s voice. She and Paris had just stepped out of our room.

They both looked worried as they hurried to my side.

"What happened, Mom? Did they hurt you?" Egypt asked, trying to help me up.

But I had no strength left to lift myself, so she gave up and sat beside me instead.

"I heard a lot of voices earlier. Did they do something to you?"

But I didn’t answer. I just kept staring at Egypt’s concerned face, unable to say a word.

I unconsciously reached my hand toward her and gently touched her face. If Rome were to see this face... would he recognize them right away as his daughters?

"Mom?"

Paris’s voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

She looked worried as she slowly sat on the floor beside Egypt, mimicking her position.

"Tell us... did Gabriel’s dad say something bad to you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "Did they try to frame you—say that you kidnapped Gabriel or something?"

I froze, stunned by her words.

Unlike Egypt, who looked more curious than anything, Paris seemed... angry?

"W-Why would you say that, Paris?"

"They’re Haristons, Mom," she replied surely. "People like them are proud and egoistic. Maybe they think it’s easier to put the blame on someone like us—accuse us of kidnapping Gabriel—instead of admitting it was their fault for not taking care of him properly."

I nearly slapped my forehead in disbelief.

Where was all this coming from?

I honestly thought that by now, she’d be bombarding me with questions—why I didn’t let them out of the room, why I didn’t let them see Gabriel’s dad.

But instead, she misunderstood the entire thing... and in a completely different way.

I reached over and gently ruffled her hair.

In some strange way, I felt relieved.

What she assumed was far from what I feared she might ask.

"Kids... there’s nothing like that," I said softly. "Gabriel’s dad didn’t say anything bad. He just... thanked us. He was genuinely grateful we looked after Gabriel. And yes, he was really worried about him."

I paused, then gave them a small, reassuring smile.

"He also promised that from now on, he won’t ever neglect Gabriel again. So... let’s not talk about what happened anymore, okay?"

The two of them exchanged glances, as if silently reading each other’s thoughts. Then, after a moment, they both nodded.

"Okay now. Can you help Mommy get up, please? You know... facing them earlier was so exhausting." I said with a small, tired smile.

Without hesitation, the twins rushed over and gently helped me to my feet.

"Mom, are you really that tired? Do you want me to give you a massage?" Paris asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"Yes, please" I replied, my smile growing a little wider as I looked at the two of them.

They are my greatest treasures—something I will never, ever give up for anyone.

Not even for Rome.

Even if he finds out they’re his children...

I won’t let him hurt my daughter the way he once hurt me.

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Third Person POV

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"Mom looked really exhausted earlier..."

Egypt whispered, lying beside Paris on the bed.

The two of them stared quietly at their mom, who had finally fallen into a deep sleep after they took turns giving her a massage.

"Do you think Gabriel’s dad had something to do with it—like, why she looked so panicked earlier?"

Paris didn’t answer right away. Her brows were furrowed as she scrolled through something on their mom’s phone.

"Yes. I didn’t want to ask Mom directly about Gabriel’s dad," she finally said, "but I have a feeling she knows him... personally. Look—this is what the article says about him."

Egypt shifted closer, peering at the screen.

They had been quietly searching for information about Gabriel’s father—and after a few tries, they finally found a name connected to the Hariston family.

"So his name is Rome Hariston?" Egypt said slowly, reading the name out loud as more details about the man popped up on the screen.