After moving abroad, Maria still had some savings, so settling in wasn't that hard.

As soon as things were in place, she got Daniel Lewis enrolled in a school.

She thought he'd push back, but to her surprise, he said yes right away.

He told her he'd grown up, couldn't keep acting like a spoiled kid anymore, and wanted to ease her burden. Maria felt a mix of emotions inside and secretly promised herself she'd work hard to give her brother the best she could.

Thankfully, Daniel adapted quickly to the new environment.

He ended up applying for universities that same year and got into a top-tier school.

After hearing Richard Lewis and his wife had shown up in North City, he came back immediately and had been tracking them down these past few days.

Just as Maria's mind drifted back to old memories, her phone buzzed. The message read: "Found them."

Richard and his wife had set up a shell company in North City.

The company looked legit on the surface and had fooled quite a few people.

Maria shared the findings with Daniel, but she still couldn't figure out where they got the money to start it. Daniel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe it came from what your ex-husband's family gave your parents when you got married."

A cold smirk appeared on Maria's face as something clicked. "Yeah, makes sense."

Back then, she'd been lured into marrying James by the generous financial offer his family put on the table.

The company went bust, and the money was never in any company account-most likely they hid it in their own stash.

Maria had nothing more to say. She shook her head and looked in their direction, feeling nothing but bitter irony.

Once it all clicked, Daniel couldn't sit still. He jumped to his feet. "They dumped us, and now they're still trying to milk you? Are they even human? I'm going over to confront them!"

"Don't blow our cover!" Maria quickly pulled him back.

But their movements had already drawn attention.

Noticing Richard and his wife looking over, the siblings exchanged a glance and turned away calmly, pretending nothing had happened.

They didn't have a plan - just kept walking, trying not to get spotted.

They didn't know where they ended up, but the music from the main hall was barely audible now. Only then did they ease up a bit.

Sneaking a glance, Daniel spotted Richard scanning the crowd from not too far off. He tugged Maria's sleeve and whispered to her.

Maria didn't dare glance back. She bit her lip, dragged Daniel along, and ducked into the nearest private room.

The room was brightly lit and clearly reserved by someone. Maria was about to apologize and back out.

But then she saw someone familiar, her voice caught in her throat mid-apology, and she started coughing uncontrollably.

Daniel quickly patted her back and kept an eye on the door, worried Richard might walk in any second.

When he looked up again, he finally registered who was sitting in front of them, and his movements froze.

But Maria misread his intention, thinking he was about to step in. She grabbed his wrist and whispered, "Let me handle this. Don't say a word."

Daniel just gave a short hum, his gaze turning colder.

"Huh, Ms. Lewis switching men like changing shoes. David in the afternoon, now another guy at night?" James sneered, though his eyes were sharp and hostile.

His sharp brows furrowed, glare fixed on Daniel with undisguised animosity.

Maria's forehead creased slightly. Her fingers gave the slightest tremble, but her voice held firm. "Really? My ex-husband, defending David?"

James was clearly thrown off by her bold comeback. He froze, having no comeback for once.

Andrew tried to smooth things over, sensing the tension. "James said you're working as his assistant now, right? You're bound to bump into each other-no need to act like enemies. Come join us for a drink. We haven't seen each other in ages."

Andrew and James had been buddies since they were kids. A charming rich guy turned lawyer, surrounded by an ever-revolving door of girlfriends.

Back when Maria and James were married, Andrew would drop by their house now and then; she'd had quite a few interactions with him. They got along okay back then.

But with her relationship with James now in ruins, there was no way they'd return to that dynamic.

So she turned him down without hesitation. "No thanks. We just stepped into the wrong room. We're heading out now."

Then she grabbed Daniel's wrist, ready to leave. Deep down, though, she was getting worried-what if Richard Lewis was still after them?

"When did you become his assistant?" Daniel finally processed what was going on, gripping her hand tightly, his other hand shooting up to point at James like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Maria leaned closer and replied quietly, "I'll explain later at home."

Their closeness lit a fire in James's chest. He slammed his glass down, voice low and seething. "Point that finger again, and I swear none of you will see the sun come up tomorrow."

Daniel just chuckled and looked him straight in the eye. "Go ahead. Try me."

Maria knew James well enough; things would get ugly if it kept escalating. She gave Daniel a stern look. "Drop your hand. Right now. Or I'm gonna be pissed."

Daniel slowly lowered his hand. Maria's word was law to him.

James watched the whole thing unfold, anger boiling over. He stepped forward without thinking, shoving Daniel aside and pinning Maria against the wall with one arm.

She saw the fury burning in his eyes. but underneath, was that-was that lingering emotion?

For a second, Maria faltered. But then, she remembered how coldly he'd signed those divorce papers. Her voice came out sharp. "Quit staring at me like that. You're gonna give people the wrong idea-that you actually cared."

There was a flicker in James's eyes. He moved back a bit, scoffing. "Don't flatter yourself."

Andrew sighed, pouring himself a drink and muttering under his breath, "Clueless, both of them."

Maria straightened her clothes, watching James warily. "What is it you're even trying to do?"

"Since you walked in on your own, did you really think I'd just let you walk away that easy?" James's voice was ice-cold, making the air feel a few degrees colder.

Maria didn't even flinch. She shot back, just as cold, "So I get the wrong room and suddenly that gives you permission to act like this?"

James had only meant to scare her a little, but she wasn't backing down at all. "Do you talk this tough when you're explaining things to David too?"

"Whatever happens between me and him-how's that any of your business?" she snapped, especially biting on those last few words.

But deep down, the pain hit hard. The man standing in front of her used to mean everything to her. And now, he was the one who wounded her the most.

James's jaw twitched, fists clenching until his knuckles went white.

Maria, not wanting to waste another minute with him, leaned toward her brother and whispered, "Let's just go. Ella's home, probably waiting for us."

Daniel Lewis was about to nod when James shot out a cruel line, his tone razor-sharp. "Carrying out your affair so well even your kid knows? Impressive."

Daniel's eyes flared red with rage. He turned on James, fuming. "You seriously got a death wish, don't you?"

He was at his limit. Just as he was about to step forward, Maria gripped his wrist tightly and blocked him with her body, muttering over and over to let it go.

Seeing this only riled James up more. He scoffed, "If he's that tough, let him take a swing."

Maria's glare was chilling. She locked eyes with James and said, "You're gonna regret this."

James snorted, "Regret what? Not punching him myself today?"

Maria gave a bitter chuckle, didn't even bother replying.

When she came back to the country, she'd already pictured what might happen if James ever found out who Ella really was.

At first, she figured he'd try to take the kid from her.

But then she remembered, James never loved her-so he probably wouldn't care about their child either.

Still, knowing how he was, he just might want custody. Because Ella had his blood.

She couldn't help but wonder-once James realized Ella was his daughter, and remembered what he'd just said today... how exactly would that make him feel?

She stared him down, so intently that James started to feel uneasy, though he quickly masked it, wearing that stone-cold face again as he looked to Daniel. "From the way you two talk, you knew she had a family and a kid, and still decided to play side piece?"

"Mind your damn business." Daniel snapped, now more convinced than ever that the divorce was the best thing that could've happened to his sister.

He'd met James a few times before-and clearly, the guy didn't remember him at all. And to throw out an accusation like that? It was obvious. His sister's heart must be icy cold now. No way she felt anything for this man anymore.

"Even if they got married abroad, bigamy's still illegal. You ever thought about what this means for you?" James's gaze grew colder - the guy in front of him was getting more ridiculous by the second.

"She didn't marry him. There was no marriage," Daniel Lewis blurted out, then froze the second he realized what he'd just said. James's eyebrow arched, clearly amused.

He'd been suspicious about Maria and David for a while. They'd suddenly appeared super close. So now... Ella might not even be David's kid?

Reading the look on his face, Maria cut in, voice like ice, "Stop guessing. I didn't marry David, but the child is his. He's swamped with work back here, and I've been overseas. We just haven't had the time - I came back this time to finally get married."

James's expression immediately darkened. "You better not count on that happening."

Maria let out a sharp laugh, completely unfazed, then grabbed Daniel's arm and headed for the door. Just as they reached it, she paused, nudging him to step out first - she had a few more words for James.

The door opened, closed again. James scoffed at her figure. Giving her an out, and she still lingers?

Maria spun around, crossing her arms in front of her with a sarcastic smirk. "You know, it's wild to me - we were married for two years, and you never even recognized my own brother. Impressive, really."

James blinked, taking a step toward her, a flicker of shock-maybe even hope-crossing his face. "Wait, what? Your brother?"

"That so-called 'side piece' you just mentioned is Daniel Lewis - my actual, blood-related little brother. We've been through everything together."

James was stunned. The two of them didn't look anything alike. how could they be siblings?

Now he remembered - she'd said she had a brother. There were a few brief meetings back then. But it had only been, what, five years? And he couldn't even remember Daniel's face. No wonder Daniel had looked at him like that earlier.

James frowned deeply, a wave of guilt hitting him hard.

Maria chuckled without humor. "Believe me or not, whatever. Just don't show up in my life ever again. As for the contract - my lawyer will handle it."

With that, she turned sharply and left, not sparing another glance.

James sat down heavily, emotions tangled up.

Andrew walked over, sighed, and handed him a drink. "Here. Maybe this'll knock some sense into you."

James drained the glass, fingers tracing the rim. "So, you think I messed up too?"

Andrew paused, then said quietly, "You used to be impulsive, yeah. but even in your worst moments, you never dragged kids into it."

James dropped his gaze. Thinking back, he realized how big he'd messed up - not recognizing Daniel, and then dragging an innocent child into the fight.

"I was wondering why you suddenly wanted to grab drinks. Now I get it - ran into someone from the past," Andrew muttered, cracking open two more bottles. One of them he just handed straight to James.

Andrew had just gotten home when he got a call from James. The guy only said two words-"Night Palace."

Given how long they'd been friends, Andrew knew that was James-speak for "I'm in a bad mood." No questions asked, he headed out.

They'd barely sat down and ordered drinks when Maria walked in with someone else.

"So," Andrew started, raising an eyebrow, "you gonna tell me what's up with you and Maria today?" Then added with a smirk, "She's back-you should be thrilled, no?"

James completely ignored that last part and gave him a quick rundown of everything that'd gone down today.

"She has kids?" Andrew frowned slightly.

"With David," James replied through gritted teeth, practically chewing on that name.

Andrew had heard of David, but he didn't know all the drama between him and Maria. Judging by James's face turning forty shades of green, though, this was just the beginning of a mess.

Despite his own complicated love life, Andrew could see things more clearly than most-James included.

"She's back. Maybe think about not screwing it up again," he threw in casually.

"There's nothing to screw up. I'm not into her," James muttered, staring into his drink.

"Then why insist she stays as your assistant?"

"She vanished abroad without a word and came back flaunting her kid like nothing happened. Now she's pushing back? You think I'd let that slide?"

Andrew chuckled. His eyes had seen stuff-too much, probably.

"You heard her just now," James said. "She wants to take me to court. I'm putting that in your hands."

"Hard pass," Andrew shut him down immediately. "Honestly? I don't think she did anything wrong. I'm not about to be part of your revenge squad. You've got a whole legal team-go ask them."

James's lips twitched, maybe from annoyance, maybe something else, but he didn't argue.

Meanwhile, Maria had just spotted Daniel Lewis at the front. She instinctively glanced over to where Richard Lewis and his wife had been earlier.

"They gone yet?" she asked.

"Haven't seen them since I stepped out. Must've left already. Let's bounce too."

She nodded and looped her arm through his. "Come stay at home tonight, okay? Hotels are lame, and Ethan and Ella won't shut up about missing you."

Hearing the kids' names softened Daniel's expression a little. "Alright. I miss them too."

On their way home, the siblings spotted a little bakery and made a quick stop for some cake. Back when Maria was in the final months of her pregnancy in Seryndal, she could barely keep anything down-whatever she ate just came right back up.

They were strapped for cash and couldn't afford help, so everything was on their own shoulders. She didn't dare tell Daniel Lewis how bad it was; she worried he'd get too stressed and drop out of school altogether.

But she had no choice-she had two babies to feed. So every day, she'd rack her brain trying to cook something she could stomach. The only thing that went down okay was soft, fluffy cake-and she just so happened to like it too. She ended up baking it every other day.

After the twins were born, it was too early to tell what traits they'd inherited, but their love for cake? Totally passed down. Just one piece would quiet any tantrum. Didn't matter if they were crying or fussing-give 'em cake, problem solved. Daniel used to joke that these two were way too easy to please.

Now, years later, whenever they looked back, all the rough parts were kind of blurry. The sweet memories were what stuck.

When they pulled into the driveway, Ethan and Ella ran out beaming. The second they spotted Daniel, their excitement shot through the roof, and they basically launched themselves at him. He scooped them up, one in each arm, like it was nothing.

"Go wash your hands, then you can eat cake," Maria said, shaking the bag in her hand.

The four of them sat down together, watching TV and munching away. Warm, peaceful, and full of simple joy.

As night fell, Maria gave the twins a bath and tucked them in with a bedtime story. Once they were fast asleep, she kissed each of them on the forehead and went back to her room.

Sleep wasn't coming anytime soon. She picked up her phone and dialed. "Find out everything you can about the new company Richard Lewis and his wife just started. The more detailed the better. Let me know the second you get something."

Those two had been absolutely ruthless back then.

Well, she could play that game too.

Next, she made another call. "Mr. Smith, go to Bennett Group tomorrow. I've sent you the info. Just get me out of the contract, no matter what it takes-sue, pay, whatever."

There was no way she was going to keep working in the same place as James. Just seeing him made her sick.

The next morning, Maria woke up to the smell of breakfast. Ethan and Ella were already seated and eating in the dining room.

Daniel was nowhere to be seen-probably off chasing down more leads on Richard and his wife's whereabouts.

He'd picked up breakfast. That was typical of him-he might seem easygoing and a bit careless, but he was super thoughtful. He could even braid hair. Ella often said her uncle's braids were way better than her mom's, which always made Maria laugh and roll her eyes.

While they ate, Maria let the kids know she had something to handle today, and that Isabella would be coming over to hang out with them.

Even though Isabella seemed unreliable, she showed up in less than an hour.

Grabbing a piece of the cake Maria had bought the day before, Isabella mumbled through a mouthful, "Seriously, I'm like your live-in nanny. It's always me watching the kids. And when it's not me... it's still me."