At last, Daniel spoke, his voice heavy with tired surrender. "Fine. Take them. They belong to you now."

Olivia's tears ceased instantly, and she stretched both hands toward him, plainly asking him to pass over every piece of candy.

......

Madison had already been guided upstairs by a hotel staff member arranged by Daniel, and when she reached the door to the suite, a faint ripple of anxiety still stirred in her chest.

After all, the person she was about to face was Daniel.

The staff member pressed the doorbell, the door swung open, and he courteously gestured for Madison to enter.

She drew a steady breath, quietly reminding herself to be fearless, and walked into the suite.

Archie led her closer to where Daniel was seated.

Daniel lifted his eyes and fixed his gaze directly on Madison.

Uneasy, she scanned the room for Olivia, terrified the little girl might be distressed under Daniel's watch.

Instead, she spotted her lounging comfortably on the sofa, cheerfully enjoying several lollipops in different flavors.

She froze in astonishment. Emilia was practically falling apart outside, yet Olivia was inside here, perfectly content and savoring candy.

Shoving the thought aside, Madison quickly stepped forward. "Olivia, Mommy's here."

Olivia raised her head. The instant she saw Madison, she nearly called out "Aunt Madison", but Madison immediately shot her a meaningful glance.

Olivia blinked. Though she had no clue why Madison was pretending to be her mother, she caught the hint at once and played along. "Mommy, you're finally here."

Madison immediately pulled her into her arms.

Daniel observed them quietly. "You're her mother?"

Beneath the sharp weight of his stare, Madison felt her pulse hammering with nervous tension.

Making herself stay calm, she replied, "Yes. I already know what happened. Any damages caused will be completely paid for."

Daniel's eyes narrowed, as if he were attempting to see straight through her.

"You're not the one who spoke to me on the phone," he said.

Madison steeled herself, determined to persuade him and keep her identity from unraveling. "Sir, I was the one who answered your call. Are you implying that I'm not her mother?"

Daniel gave no response. He simply kept watching her, the unspoken pressure in the room growing heavier.

"If you doubt me," she said calmly, "you can call that number again right now and verify it."

Olivia looped her arms around Madison's neck and asked, "Mommy, can we go now?"

"Just wait a little, dear. I need to finish handling this with him first, and then we'll leave," Madison replied.

There was hardly any reason for Daniel to challenge Madison's claim, especially since Olivia had addressed her as "Mommy".

Yet Daniel was not a man who could be fooled so easily. "Then tell me why your daughter scrawled those words on my car, accusing me of being a heartless man who abandoned his wife and children! Do we even know each other?"

In truth, Madison and Daniel had encountered one another several times before, though that had been six or seven years ago, and naturally he didn't recognize her now.

"I'm sorry. She mistook your car for someone else's," Madison said.

"Mistook my car for someone else's?" Daniel repeated skeptically.

"Yes," she answered, drawing a slow breath as she forced tears to gather in her eyes. "Actually, her father betrayed me. When my mother passed away, he was busy celebrating his mistress's birthday instead. After I found out, I left him and took our children with me. Today, you were dressed very much the way he usually dresses, so my daughter confused you with that bastard."

Daniel's eyebrows knitted into a tight frown. It suddenly struck him that her account bore an unsettling resemblance to an incident from years ago, the time Emilia's mother had passed away while he himself had been busy celebrating Isabel's birthday.

For a brief, passing moment, the thought flickered through his mind that Madison might know something and was quietly making a mockery of him.

Yet almost immediately, he reminded himself that he had never kept a mistress. Nor did he possess the faintest recollection of the woman standing in front of him.

With that in mind, he reasoned that she couldn't possibly be taunting him and that he was merely letting his thoughts run wild.

Madison's explanation sounded plausible enough that Daniel found no obvious fault he could point to.

Even so, whenever his gaze drifted toward Olivia, an odd and persistent sense of familiarity stirred somewhere deep within him.

A faint irritation began to simmer in his chest, and just as he opened his mouth to press the matter further, Archie walked in holding a file that contained someone's profile. "We've located the information on the person you asked us to look into."

It was Amelia's profile.

"Sir, are you done with your questions? I still have things I need to take care of. I'll pay for the damages. Please allow us to leave," Madison said.

Daniel offered no additional response. Taking the file from Archie, he said in a firm tone, "Take care of this situation immediately."

"Yes, sir," Archie answered.

Daniel then carried the file with him into the study.

Outside the hotel, Emilia sat in the car on the verge of panic, because more than twenty minutes had already passed and Madison still had not brought Olivia out.

She knew Daniel was far from an easy man to handle and feared Madison might struggle to deal with him.

"Leo, Asher, can either of you tell what's going on inside?" she asked.

Her sons were constantly tinkering with computers, and Leo in particular had a knack for breaking into surveillance systems.

Leo was already focused on his laptop. Since there were no cameras inside the hotel rooms, they had no way of seeing what was happening in there.

However, he managed to tap into the surveillance feed from the hallway.

He brought up the hotel footage and said, "Aunt Madison went into the room and hasn't come out yet."

Emilia's unease grew even heavier.

A moment later, Madison hurried out of a suite with Olivia cradled in her arms.

"Mom, it's them," Asher said.

The moment Emilia caught sight of Olivia, a powerful sense of relief swept over her.

She pushed the car door open, and Madison quickly slipped inside with the child.

"My dear," Emilia said as she instantly gathered the girl into her arms.

"Mommy." Olivia immediately tucked herself against Emilia's embrace.

Madison released a long breath. "That was way too close."

"What happened?" Emilia asked with worry etched in her voice.

"Just start driving. I'll explain everything on the way," Madison said.

"Alright," Emilia replied.

She settled Olivia in the back seat and started the car.

Inside the hotel, Daniel gazed at the file resting in his hands.

The document showed that Amelia was 29 years old and married. She had been employed at the auction house for five years.

"Archie!" Daniel called out abruptly.

Archie had only just finished taking care of Daniel's car when he was immediately called into the study. "Did you need something?"

"This profile is exactly the same as the one you handed me earlier," Daniel said with obvious displeasure.

Archie's expression turned uneasy; he had intended to dig deeply into Amelia's background and gather everything Daniel wanted, yet the report only contained the limited information he had uncovered. Other than that, he had no idea what further details he could possibly obtain.

"We were only able to uncover this much about her. Aside from that, the only other thing available is her auction performance over the last few years. Isn't this precisely the information you asked for?" Archie said carefully.

Daniel frowned when he heard that.

Although the report was already thorough, it still failed to give him the answer he was seeking.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Amelia resembled Emilia very closely. Even their names sounded alike.

Yet the information they had gathered showed no link between the two women. He wasn't sure if he was simply reading too much into things.

Still, something about it continued to feel off.

There were countless antique experts in Zloigas, yet his grandfather had insisted he come all the way to Klicta to bring Amelia back. He was certain his grandfather wouldn't make such a request without reason.

With a frown, he took out his phone and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window, watching a car speeding away below. Then he called Danny.

The line went through.

In a quiet tone, Daniel asked, "Grandpa, who exactly is Amelia Morgan?"

"Have you met her?" Danny replied instead of answering his question.

"Yes, I have," Daniel said.

Danny stayed silent for several seconds before sighing softly. "It seems that during those three years, you truly didn't care about Emilia at all. Otherwise, how could you fail to realize Amelia is actually her when she was standing right in front of you?"

Daniel's brows knit together in shock. "She's Emilia?"

He recalled that Amelia had spent five years working at the auction house, always wearing a white veil and refusing to reveal her face, though she had given him an inexplicably familiar feeling. So his suspicion had been correct.

At that thought, his expression grew colder.

He realized that his instincts had been correct the entire time, and that Amelia was indeed Emilia.

Now he finally understood why his grandfather had insisted he come here to bring her back.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. He finally realized why Emilia had been impossible to locate for five years—she had changed her name and hidden herself here. She must have recognized him immediately when they met at the auction house, which was why she had left without hesitation.

His expression darkened completely as anger surged inside him. He sneered inwardly, thinking how cleverly she had concealed herself.

"Daniel, bring Emilia back," Danny said.

"I will," Daniel replied before ending the call and striding out of the room.

Archie had no idea what had just happened.

All he could sense was that Daniel's presence had suddenly become terrifying.

He had only felt that same terrifying aura from Daniel once before—when Daniel learned five years ago that Emilia intended to have an abortion and divorce him.

Isabel had just reached the doorway of Daniel's suite when she saw him walking out. She was about to call his name, but he paid her no attention at all.

She quickly grabbed Archie. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure either," Archie answered hastily as he hurried after Daniel.

Isabel's brows furrowed. It had been a long time since she had seen Daniel in such a hurry. She wondered what could have happened.

Daniel got into the car and immediately called the auction house manager.

"Hello, Mr. Wright," the manager greeted respectfully.

"Is Amelia at the auction house?" Daniel asked.

"She's currently on leave. If you require someone to appraise antiques or…" the manager began.

Daniel hung up before he could finish speaking.

He suspected Amelia had taken leave because she feared being exposed and had deliberately gone into hiding.

"Sir, where should we go?" Archie asked from the passenger seat.

"Send someone right away to find out Amelia's address," Daniel ordered coldly.

Seeing the obvious anger in Daniel's expression, Archie didn't dare ask more questions and immediately passed the order to his team.

Daniel was convinced Emilia wouldn't manage to escape this time.

Before returning home, Emilia brought Madison and the children to a restaurant so they could have something to eat. As they sat there, Madison carefully went over everything that had taken place at the hotel.

Daniel hadn't demanded any form of compensation. After questioning Emilia for a while, he merely told Archie to escort her and Olivia downstairs.

Emilia understood that those questions had come from Daniel's clear suspicion regarding Madison's identity.

Even though the matter had ended without major trouble, she still worried that Daniel might piece things together if he examined the situation closely.

While this thought lingered in her mind, the manager called and asked, "Amelia, did you happen to see Mr. Wright?"

"Mr. Wright?" Emilia knitted her brows. "No, I didn't. What's going on?"

"He called earlier asking whether you were at the auction house. I told him you weren't here, and he sounded quite upset. I think he's trying to find you," the manager explained.

When Emilia heard that, alarm shot through her instantly.

She became convinced that he must have noticed something; otherwise, he would have no reason to look for her.

"Did he say anything else?" she asked quickly.

"No. As soon as he learned you weren't there, he hung up angrily. Amelia, he's a very influential man, so try not to offend him," the manager said worriedly.

"I understand. Thanks for telling me that," Emilia replied before ending the call.

Noticing Emilia's expression darken, Madison asked, "What's wrong?"

"Could you take them to your place first and help me arrange some plane tickets? Any destination will do. I have to return home right away to collect my documents," Emilia said urgently.

Madison stared at her in disbelief. "You're leaving?"

Emilia answered without hesitation, "Daniel has probably realized who I am. He's looking for me."

Surprise flashed across Madison's face. "What should we do? And the kids?"

"He most likely doesn't know about them yet," Emilia replied.

The man she had contacted earlier had helped hide the truth about her children, so Daniel wouldn't be able to discover them—at least not for the moment.

"There's no time to explain. Leo, Asher, and Olivia, go with Madison for now. I'll come find you later," Emilia said.

Facing Daniel herself didn't frighten her. What truly worried her was that he might trace her movements and eventually discover the children.

She knew very well that he had the ability to do exactly that. And she could never allow him to learn about them and take them away from her.

Seeing how anxious Emilia looked, the children quietly followed Madison as she had asked.

They said, "Mommy, be careful."

"I will," Emilia replied.

She drove quickly back to her duplex apartment. Without bothering to switch on the lights, she rushed straight upstairs to her bedroom, pulled her documents from the cabinet, and prepared to leave.

But when she reached the downstairs area of the apartment, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

A faint point of fire flickered somewhere in the dark. The air carried the lingering smell of cigarette smoke.

Her heart jolted violently.

"Trying to run?" From the darkness, a low voice drifted out.

Emilia recognized it at once.

Moonlight poured through the window, revealing Daniel sitting on the sofa. She had rushed in earlier and never noticed he was there.

For a brief instant, her mind emptied completely.

Then a sharp click sounded, and bright light flooded the room.

The sudden brightness made Emilia instinctively shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw Daniel sitting on the sofa with commanding presence, a cigarette held between his long fingers. He slowly exhaled a stream of smoke while his penetrating eyes remained fixed on her, his gaze so sharp it felt as though it might tear her apart at any moment.

Her body stiffened immediately.

At that moment she realized that she had truly been exposed. Not only had he found her, but he had come straight to her home.

She forced herself to stay calm, determined not to let him see her anxiety.

The living room and kitchen were downstairs, while the bedrooms were upstairs. Emilia had no idea whether Daniel had gone upstairs. If he had, he would have discovered the children's existence.

"It's been five years since our last meeting. So should I call you Emilia, or Amelia now?" Daniel said coldly.

Emilia pressed her teeth into her lower lip and inhaled slowly before speaking. "Do you actually know anything about the law? Forcing your way into someone's home is against it."

Daniel showed no sign that her words mattered to him. He rose to his feet, and his height alone made him feel overpoweringly imposing.

When he advanced a step, she instinctively retreated.

In that instant, the presence around him turned sharply threatening.

Her first instinct was to bolt, but his hand closed around her wrist and jerked her backward roughly.

He shoved her against the wall and trapped both of her hands there.

Tilting her chin up, Emilia locked eyes with him, anger burning fiercely in her gaze. "What exactly do you want?"

He looked straight at her, noticing that her appearance had changed compared with five years earlier; she had grown more refined and striking.

In those days, she never touched cosmetics, yet now the faintest makeup made her look effortlessly breathtaking.

Her eyes had changed. The warmth that once appeared whenever she looked at him was gone, replaced by coldness and resentment.

The way she regarded him sent a brief sting through his chest. He despised seeing that expression directed at him.

"Why were you running?" he demanded while looming over her. "You vanished without a single word five years ago. Don't you think I deserve an explanation?"

She met his stare with open defiance. "You seriously don't know why I left? You were in love with Isabel, so I divorced you to let you be with her. Or is that still not enough for you?"

His brows drew together sharply as anger crept into his gaze. "What made you believe I loved Isabel?"

"Oh? If it isn't Isabel, then who is it you love? Me?" she shot back loudly.

The whole thing struck her as absurd. He might never have openly admitted it, yet everyone already knew he was devoted to Isabel. For her birthday he had even reserved an entire venue and launched a breathtaking fireworks display just for her.

Emilia had personally witnessed the way he treated Isabel as though she were the most precious person alive, indulging her in everything, keeping her constantly at his side, and appearing together everywhere day after day.

She had also been convinced the two of them were already married.

In her mind, Isabel had become his wife, and he had even given Isabel her heirloom diamond bracelet merely to please her.

Because of that, she refused to believe a single word of his claim that he wasn't in love with Isabel.

Inside, she sneered at him, thinking he seemed unaware that some truths didn't require spoken confession for others to grasp them.

She twisted sharply, pulling her hand out of his grip.

His eyes hardened into a chilling glare, and he offered no reply to what she had asked.

She continued, "Do you need me to remind you that we're already divorced? Your wife is Isabel, yet you barged into my home. Aren't you worried she'll lose her temper if she hears about this?"

Each sentence she spoke dripped with biting sarcasm, and her stare was as piercing as ever.

Daniel felt as though the woman before him was nothing like the one he once knew.

He admitted to himself that he had always been generous toward Isabel; they had once been together, though the relationship had ultimately failed and ended long ago.

After marrying Emilia, however kindly he still treated Isabel, he had never crossed the line into betraying his wife. That was why he couldn't comprehend why Emilia carried such resentment.

What angered him even more was that she had terminated the pregnancy over something he considered insignificant and then disappeared for five entire years.

The mere memory of the abortion set his temper blazing.

He believed she had absolutely no right to make that decision without telling him.

He said in a frigid tone, "Haven't you stirred up enough chaos already? Who allowed you to get an abortion back then?"

Inside, Emilia released a silent, mocking scoff, realizing that in his mind everything she had done amounted to nothing more than causing chaos.

Disappointment in both him and their marriage weighed heavily on her. She no longer wanted anything to do with him.

She pulled the door open. "Leave."

"Answer what I asked," Daniel ordered sharply.

"I wanted a divorce, and I chose to end the pregnancy. So what? There was never any love between us, was there? You never cared about us at all. Why would I stay with you and endure your contempt?" Emilia said sharply.

His expression darkened. He couldn't understand how she had developed such profound misconceptions about him.

In his mind, he had never stopped caring about her or their unborn child.

"Get out," Emilia said coldly. "You're not welcome here."

Daniel inclined his head slightly. "That's fine, but you won't be running away from me anymore."

Her face darkened. "What do you want?"

"You know exactly why I'm here. Come back to Zloigas with me," he said.

"Not happening," she snapped.

She tried to break away, yet escape proved impossible; he hauled her back against him and held her tightly. "Did you really think I'd just let you walk away once I finally found you? You're not getting away again."

His gaze turned glacial, and his voice matched it in cold sharpness.

Without saying anything else, he dragged her straight outside, into the elevator, and down to the lobby, where his car was already waiting beyond the apartment building.

Several of his men had the area surrounded.

He pushed her toward the vehicle and forced her into the back seat.

"You jerk!" she shouted.

After she was inside, he climbed in beside her.

A cold smile curled across his lips. "And what about you? Aren't you just as terrible?"

"What did you just say?" Emilia demanded.

"You divorced me, ended our child's life, disappeared for five years without giving me even a single chance to explain, and left everyone who cared about you worrying themselves sick all that time. Of course that makes you a terrible woman," Daniel said.

Inside, Emilia laughed bitterly at his accusation.

After her mother passed away, there had been no one left in Zloigas who truly cared about her.

Daniel reached out and drew her firmly against him. "Do you remember my grandfather? You vanished without a word. He spent five years worrying about you and even became seriously ill because of it. Don't you feel even the slightest guilt?"

At the mention of Danny, Emilia stiffened. The old man had always treated her kindly. Over the past five years, thoughts of him had crossed her mind more than once.

Yet she knew without doubt that everything between her and Daniel had already ended permanently.

Whether it was Daniel or Danny, she was certain neither of them would ever allow her to raise Daniel's children by herself.

She couldn't risk letting them learn about the kids, and she could never bear being separated from them. That was why she couldn't go back.

"Drive," Daniel commanded.

The driver turned the ignition at once and pulled the car into motion.

A heavy wave of despair settled over Emilia.

Once he decided he was taking her back, she knew there was no chance of slipping away.

Even so, something from their earlier exchange made her realize he still had no idea about the children. That realization brought her a small measure of relief.

As long as their existence remained unknown, the situation was at least somewhat manageable, so for now she would deal with whatever came as it happened.

At that moment, a ringtone suddenly broke the silence.

Emilia stiffened immediately, her nerves jumping; she reached toward her pocket but found it empty, and when she glanced down she noticed the phone lying on the seat where it had fallen during the scuffle.

She hurried to grab it, but a broad hand seized it before her fingers could reach it.

Daniel's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the caller ID glowing on the screen.

The name displayed was Asher.

A tremor ran through her, and she lunged forward, trying to take it back. "Give it to me."

He lifted his arm higher, keeping the device well beyond her reach.

"Sit down," he said in a cold voice.

Watching how agitated she had become, he decided he would see exactly who the caller was, since the name Asher clearly sounded like a man.

He accepted the call without hesitation.