CHAPTER 67: THE BEAR MEETS THE TWINS

"M-Mister! Can I have that SpongeBob balloon, please?"

Rome turned toward the tiny voice calling out to him from below.

"Your name?" he asked, crouching a little despite the suffocating heat inside the bear costume.

"Lilian!"

"Thank you, Lilian" he said softly, handing her the balloon.

Rome couldn’t help but sweat buckets inside the oversized bear costume.

His entire body felt like it was on fire under the harsh afternoon sun beating down on his back.

Earlier, he had been full of complaints about wearing such a ridiculous disguise.

But now, strangely enough—he had gotten somewhat used to it. It wasn’t comfortable by any means, but he had stopped complaining while handing out balloon after balloon to the growing number of children around him.

He had realized earlier that if he wanted any chance of seeing Paris and Egypt, he had to draw attention somehow especially from children their age. If he truly wanted to identify Sylvia’s twins, he had to do something—no matter how humiliating or pride-crushing it was.

Who would ever guess that the future chairman and heir of Hariston was standing in front of a school gate, dressed in a ridiculous bear costume, just to get a glimpse of Sylvia’s children?

And though he was nearly exhausted from the nonstop stream of excited kids, this was still the only way he could scan each of their faces up close, clinging to the small hope that one of them might be one of the twins.

But then-

Rome’s eyes landed on a little girl standing a bit farther away, her wide, sparkling eyes fixed on him. He unconsciously furrowed his brows. Something about her made his chest tighten, even from a distance.

Her gaze was locked on the balloons in his paw. The little girl quickly stepped forward and joined the line of children.

When it was finally her turn, Rome got a better look at her.

"Mister, can I have two of that balloon, please?" she asked without hesitation, pointing at the last two pink Barbie balloons.

"Hey! Don’t be greedy," another child behind her said. "You’re by yourself, so why are you asking for two?"

The little girl spun around with her hands confidently placed on her hips. "Because the other one is for my twin sister!"

Rome froze.

Twin sister?

His heart skipped a beat. Could it be—?

He slowly returned his gaze to the girl now turning back to him. Their eyes met.

Rome’s breath caught in his throat. The world seemed to stop moving altogether.

He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

It was like looking at a ghost.

No—more like looking into a mirror.

The features were unmistakable. The eyes. The slight pout in her lips. That determined brow.

There was no doubt.

There, standing right in front of him, was one of them.

He had just found her.

"Mister Bear, can I have two of those balloons? My sister and I both want the Barbie design!" the little girl asked innocently.

Rome still couldn’t move. He stood frozen in place, staring at the girl in front of him as he tried to memorize every detail of her face.

It was strange—of all the children who had come up to him asking for balloons, she was the only one who made his world suddenly stop.

The little girl’s features were uncanny. It wasn’t just a resemblance. No—she looked exactly like him.

If he ever had a daughter, especially a twin, this is exactly how she would look.

"Hey, Mr. Bear! I said can I have two of that balloon, please?"

Even the way she raised her brow, the color of her eyes—it was all him.

She was too adorable for him not to be completely mesmerized. Rome’s hands trembled slightly as he handed her the last two balloons he had.

She had to be Sylvia’s child.

He was certain.

Even though she didn’t resemble Sylvia, this child in front of him—she looked just like him.

There was no way he was mistaken.

"Hey, Mister Bear! That’s unfair!" a girl from the back of the line complained.

"Why did you give her both balloons when thereare still five of us waiting here? Can’t you see? Instead of giving her two, you should’ve at least given the last one to the rest of us!"

That snapped Rome out of his trance.

He hadn’t even noticed that more kids were still waiting in line. All of his attention had been completely absorbed by the girl who looked like his miniature reflection.

"Alright, calm down, kids. I think I still have six more balloons in my car," Rome said to the five children. "I’ll go get them for you, okay?"

He quickly turned around, hurried to his car to grab the remaining balloons, and handed them out to the children.

Then he turned his attention back to the little girl, who was about to walk away.

"W-wait... little girl!" he called out.

She stopped in her tracks and glanced back at him. He quickly walked up to her again.

His hands were still trembling slightly, and he wasn’t ready to let her go just yet—he still wanted to see her a little longer. He couldn’t explain why, but his heart was pounding wildly in his chest.

His eyes locked on hers. He couldn’t stop the trembling in his voice.

"N-name, please...?"

"My name? Why do you want to know my name?" the little girl asked curiously, her big eyes blinking up at him.

Rome crouched down to her level, trying to hide his nervousness.

"I-It’s because you’re really adorable. And I want to be friends with an adorable kid like you."

"Oh, is that so?" she said, her face lighting up with delight.

"My name is Egypt! Egypt Lincolm, Mr. Bear!" she declared brightly.

She beamed as she introduced herself, and for a moment, Rome froze.

The name struck him like lightning. Egypt Lincolm.

He didn’t even realize his lips had begun to curve into an unmistakable smile.

Just as he had suspected, this little girl must be one of the twins. Egypt. What a beautiful name—one that suited her perfectly.

Strangely enough, he found himself liking her name more than any other he’d ever heard. When he was a kid, he used to hate his own name—Rome—because it was unusual.

He was often teased for being named after a place. It made him feel like an outsider, as if his name hadn’t even been given much thought.

But now, hearing this sweet little girl share a name also tied to a place, something gentle tugged at his chest.

For the first time, that uniqueness felt like a blessing.

"It’s such a beautiful name—just like—"

"Egypt!"

Rome stopped mid-sentence when a high-pitched voice called out from behind.

He turned his head—and his heart skipped a beat.

Walking toward them was another little girl—who looked exactly like Egypt. Same bright eyes. Same soft features. Same adorable expression.

She must be Paris.

"I told you not to wander off on your own without me, didn’t I?" Paris scolded breathlessly, eyes wide with worry as she hurried toward her sister. "What if a stranger tried to kidnap you?"

She hadn’t even noticed Rome yet. But Rome—he was still frozen in place, his heart thundering in his chest.

It was as if the world had stopped turning.

The moment he laid eyes on them, something inside him clicked into place.

He still wasn’t entirely sure if they were his daughters... but his heart?

His heart was pounding so fast it was as if it already knew—these two little girls were his.

"But I was only gone for a moment! And besides, Mr. Bear doesn’t look like a bad animal at all. Look at him— isn’t he cute?" Egypt said, turning her gaze toward Rome.

At that moment, Paris finally shifted her attention to him, her brows drawn together in suspicion.

Rome didn’t know why, but the instant Egypt called him cute, he instinctively struck a wacky pose, trying to look as silly and harmless as possible.

Paris’s expression, however, didn’t change in the slightest. If anything, one eyebrow arched higher before both knitted together in a sharp frown.

"He’s not cute at all"

She said flatly, making Rome freeze mid-pose.

"I didn’t know you were a fan of ugly bears, Egypt. You have a weird taste in animals."

"He’s not ugly!" Egypt shot back, pouting. "You just don’t appreciate him because the only cute things you know are cats."

Rome’s gaze shifted between the two girls. Despite having the exact same face, their personalities couldn’t be more different.

Egypt was gentle and soft-looking, while Paris seemed protective, sharp-tongued, and more mature in the way she spoke. Just from observing their reactions, Rome could already guess—Paris was probably the older twin.

"And this one’s for you." Egypt handed Paris a balloon.

"I know you like the Barbie design too, so I’m giving you the other one. Now, say thank you to Mr. Bear" she added with a sweet smile.

Rome noticed the faint pink creeping up Paris’s ears as she accepted the balloon. She glanced at him briefly.

"Is this... something I have to pay for?"

"H-huh? N-no... it’s free," Rome couldn’t help but stammer. He hadn’t expected Paris to talk to him directly.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yes."

"Okay. Thank you for this. Bye."

She turned around, taking Egypt’s hand and starting to walk away.

Rome’s eyes widened. Was that it? After standing for hours under the suffocating heat, trapped in this ridiculous costume, was that really going to be his only interaction with them?

No way. He wasn’t ready to let them go—not yet. He wanted to see them just a little longer.

"W-wait!" he blurted out, taking a small step forward. "Uh... do you mind if I treat you both to some ice cream?"