CHAPTER 77: BEHIND THE SAME FACE

Sylvia’s Point of View...

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Two days later.....

"Mom, are you alright?"

I looked at Paris, surprised. We were tidying up after our meal, and I hadn’t realized how long I’d been staring blankly at the plate in my hands, forgetting to wash it.

"Y-yes, sweetheart, I’m okay." I smiled faintly and reached out to pat her head.

"Mom, if you’re not okay, you don’t have to force yourself to wash the dishes. I can take care of it myself so you can rest for a while."

Her words made me smile, even though there was worry in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, you don’t need to worry about me. I can handle this on my own."

Paris pouted at that, her little lips forming a stubborn curve.

"But Mom... you’ve hardly rested since last night. You stayed up so late taking care of Egypt that you’ve completely forgotten to take care of yourself. What if you get sick, too? I don’t think I could handle looking after both you and Egypt at the same time."

I couldn’t help but smile at her concern. Her cheeks were so round and soft that I gave in and pinched them gently. My Paris—so young, yet already so thoughtful and mature.

"Don’t worry, Mommy is strong. I’ve never been sick, not even once, so it won’t happen that you’ll need to take care of both me and Egypt. Instead, how about you help me prepare Egypt’s medicine, hmm?"

Paris nodded, though she still seemed worried.

It had been two days since that incident at school, when I rushed over after Amie called me, panicked, saying someone was bullying the twins. That very same night, Egypt came down with a fever.

Since then, she’d been bedridden, and this was now her second day absent from school. Paris, on the other hand, insisted on skipping classes as well—she wanted to stay home and help me look after her twin sister.

"Okay, here’s what you need to buy at the store."

I carefully wrote down the list of medicines Paris had to get from the small pharmacy on the street corner, just a few meters away from our house.

Handing her the note, I crouched down to meet her eyes.

"Take care, alright? Don’t talk to strangers, and call me right away if anything happens."

I pressed my old spare phone into her little hands.

"If something happens, promise me you’ll call, okay?"

She nodded firmly. "Okay, Mommy." Then she slipped out the door.

Haist...

I sank into a chair, exhausted. But after only a few minutes, worry pushed me back to my feet. Carrying a small basin of warm water, I went straight to the bedroom where Egypt lay.

"Egypt, baby, is anything hurting?" I asked softly as I gently wiped her feverish body with a damp towel.

I couldn’t stop myself from worrying—her skin still felt hot to the touch.

Unlike yesterday, her fever had gone down a little, but I kept a close watch, anxious it might suddenly spike again. If it did, I knew I’d have to rush her to the hospital.

Egypt weakly shook her head, too drained even to open her eyes. My heart ached at the sight.

She had always been the more fragile one, easily falling sick. And it was always around this time—close to her and Paris’s birthday—that her body would give in.

"My poor baby..." I whispered, brushing her damp hair away from her face.

Even though I felt my own strength waning and the beginnings of fatigue pressing in, I ignored it. Egypt needed me more.

Bzzz... bzzz...

My phone buzzed on the table. Picking it up, I saw Amie’s message pop up on the screen:

"How’s Egypt? Is she okay? I’ll come visit you later. Let’s just take her to the hospital so she can get treated right away."

I let out a small sigh of relief. Amie had been messaging me constantly ever since Egypt fell ill—and not just her. Alpheus and even some unknown numbers had been sending me messages too.

I didn’t need to check who they were; I already knew they must be Rome’s friends, pestering me about why the kids hadn’t been showing up at school.

I told Amie not to reveal anything about the twins’ condition, so she must be feeling pressured now, trying to keep their questions at bay.

They couldn’t visit either, since I had already forbidden anyone from coming over once Rome found out where I lived.

It was good, in a way—the silence gave me peace. But at the same time, it felt... lonely.

I don’t know why, but I don’t want people interfering in my life anymore. I’ve been hurt too many times, and opening up to others—whether they were part of my past or not has always been difficult.

My gaze fell on the clock on my phone. It had been almost fifteen minutes since I sent Paris out.

Why is she taking so long? My chest tightened, and my heartbeat quickened. Don’t tell me—

I immediately stood up, grabbed my jacket, and hurried toward the door.

The pharmacy was close by—barely five minutes away. She should have been back already... unless something had happened to her.

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On the other hand...

"Ms. Flora, I’d like to buy the medicines on this list, please," Paris said politely as she handed over the note.

"Thank you."

After receiving the bag of medicines, she turned to leave. But as she tucked the change into her pocket, one of the coins slipped from her hand and rolled across the floor into a corner.

Paris quickly chased after it, crouching down to pick it up. Just as her fingers were about to reach the coin, a shadow loomed over her. A shoe stepped in front of her hand, blocking her from retrieving it.

Slowly, Paris lifted her gaze, her small heart skipping a beat.

"Here."

Paris froze, her small hand suspended in mid-air as she squinted up at the man offering her the coin.

His face was shadowed by the sunlight behind him. For a moment, she didn’t take the coin—her eyes were still adjusting, still trying to make out his features.

And when she finally saw his face clearly, she turned stiff as stone.

The man’s face... it was too familiar.

"H-hey, are you okay?"

The man waved a hand in front of her.

"Are you... my dad?"

Paris hadn’t realized she’d spoken the words aloud until they slipped out. Her chest tightened, her thoughts tumbling in confusion.

The resemblance was undeniable—his features mirrored hers and Egypt’s so closely. He was one of the men they secretly suspected might be their father.

"Huh? Did you say something, baby girl?" the man asked, tilting his head as though he hadn’t heard her properly.

Paris stayed silent, clutching the medicine bag and the coin so tightly in her hands that her knuckles turned white.

Egypt needed her medicine soon, but Paris’s feet refused to move. It was as if they were rooted to the ground in front of this stranger who looked so much like her.

"What’s your name, baby girl?" the man asked again, flashing her a friendly smile.

Paris’s lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t answer. If he really is my dad, she thought, he would recognize me just by looking. He should know... without asking.

But the man before her looked completely clueless.

"I’m sorry if I startled you," he said after a moment, glancing toward the expensive-looking car parked beside him.

"But my car broke down all of a sudden." He gestured toward it. "You see, it stopped working, and I need someone to keep an eye on it for me while I call my driver. If it’s okay with you... could you watch the car for just a minute?"

Paris didn’t answer right away. She just stood there, staring at the man.

"Oh... you don’t talk? Or are you just shy?" the man asked gently. "I’m sorry if I startled you, I didn’t mean to..."

Ring—

His phone suddenly rang. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips for a moment, but it quickly disappeared as he turned back to Paris with a calm expression.

"Wait, I need to take this call. Can I ask you a simple favor? Please stay here for a while—I’ll be back in a moment, okay?" he said before turning around and stepping away.

Paris was left standing there, unsure of what to do. Her mother had always warned her not to talk to strangers, but this man looked so much like her and Egypt that it unsettled her.

"Paris!"

She turned at the sound of her name.

"Mom..."

"What happened to you? I was getting worried—I thought something bad had happened since you were taking so long. Come on, let’s go home. Egypt needs to take her medicine already."

Paris had no choice but to run back toward her mom.

’That man probably isn’t our father’ she told herself silently.

’Maybe it’s just a coincidence that he resembles us. Egypt needs me, and I shouldn’t stay here any longer. There’s no reason to follow him’

Meanwhile...

"Oh, she already left?"

A shadowed figure muttered from the sideline, eyes fixed on Paris as she walked away.

"What a pity. I really wanted to see her reaction."

It was Greece, watching intently from a corner where she couldn’t see him. A sly grin crossed his face.

"Paris Lincolm... Paris, huh? Haha. Sylvia really must be a fan of our strange names—she even gave one to her twins. How amusing..."