Araceli POV
It was slightly light.
I opened my eyes with difficulty.
I actually dreamed about that night five years ago again last night.
I covered the dark circles under my eyes with thick concealer, washed up and then walked Krish and Valeria to daycare.
I watched the kids walk in and then my phone rang.
I glanced at the caller ID.
An unfamiliar number.
I stared at the number for a few seconds and put the call through.
"Is this Ms. Araceli Chancey?"
An old voice came from the other end of the line.
I frowned and said calmly, "Yes. May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Ramon's father, Robert Fleming," he said slowly, "Do you have a moment to talk to me, please?"
My heart skipped a beat.
My worst fears had come true after the revelation of my two children.
Ramon could take a step back for the sake of the company, but the Fleming family is extraordinarily concerned about bloodline heritage, so how could they allow Ramon's biological children to stray?
I pursed my lips and said, "Mr. Fleming, may I ask what you would like to talk to me about?"
"You raised those two children, so we're not going to take custody of you out of hand. You don't have to worry," Robert said, word for word, "but we must see the children. You'd better come to France with the two children, or ask Ramon to take them back to France..."
"No."
I refused coldly and without hesitation.
I pursed my lips. "They're my children, and they have nothing to do with you and your family!"
"Ms. Chancey, are you kidding me? Ramon is their father! I'm their grandfather!"
Robert laughed mockingly, "You should be glad that Ramon's wife hasn't given birth to a son in all these years, otherwise you wouldn't have a chance to enter our family! I've already spoken to Ramon's wife about this matter. I have agreed to take both children back into the Fleming family, so what are you not happy about? Or, do you have any conditions?"
"Mr. Fleming, if you are calling me because you want me to give you my children, please contact my lawyer directly."
I hung up the phone and looked out the car window. The street was noisy, pedestrians were coming and going, nothing unusual, but I always had a bad feeling in my heart.
In the afternoon, after I had picked up my two children and gone home, my phone rang again. Again, it was a number from France, but not the same number from the morning.
I wanted to hang up, but I was afraid I would miss some crucial information.
I knew I had to be patient when dealing with this. It was not something to be rushed.
I wiped my hands and put the phone through. A gentle woman's voice came from the other end.
"Hello Ms. Chancey, this is Ramon's wife. My name is Gracelyn Fleming."
I sneered.
In order to take away my two children, the Fleming family had actually called Ramon's wife to talk to me.
How much anger did this woman have to hold back before she called me?
I said calmly, "Mrs. Fleming, what can I do for you?"
"Ms. Chancey, I know what you're thinking, but I had to make this call."
Gracelyn said frankly, "I'm not going to divorce Ramon no matter what. If you don't want your children to be called 'feral' by everyone, you'd better get them to France quickly. I can assure you that all of us will be good to the children."
I couldn't help but laugh, "Your husband disgusts me as much as you do."
Gracelyn continued, "I know that night five years ago was an accident. He was drunk, so it's normal for him to do things like that, but you..."
Gracelyn sneered, "You went out of your way to become Ramon's mistress and secretly gave birth to his child. Isn't that what you want to rely on to enter the Fleming family? I'm sorry to tell you that you will never be able to replace me in your life!"
I suddenly felt some pity for her.
Her husband had cheated on her, but she was still able to excuse him.
"Mrs. Fleming, no matter what you say, there is no way I will ever let my son and daughter back into the Fleming family. i will never give up custody of my children!"
I finished coldly and hung up the phone.
I put the phone down and slowly turned around to meet a pair of deep eyes.
"Krish..."
There was something disturbing in my heart.
Did Krish hear what I just said to Gracelyn?
Krish lifted his eyes and said slowly, "Mommy, who's on the phone with you?"
"Krish..." My throat was dry. "I was just talking to my secretary about a project..."
"Mummy, I came in when you answered the phone," Krish said slowly, "Mummy, I'm not a little boy anymore. I can help."
I sighed in a deep voice.
I really wanted to keep things from them about who their father was for the rest of my life.
But...
Ramon was the biological father of the children, and Krish and Valeria were connected to the Fleming family by blood.
This was something I couldn't stop.
One day, someone from the Fleming family would appear before them and told them the truth.
I couldn't hide the natural attraction of blood.
In that case, I would rather tell the truth myself.
"Krish, you asked me when you were very young who your and Valeria's father was. Do you remember?" I smile bitterly, "A week ago, he came to my door, wanting custody of you two."
Krish's eyes widened, and he looked shocked.
"My and Valeria's biological father..."
"Yes. He's the president of the Fleming Group, Ramon Fleming."
I crouched down and put a hand on Krish's shoulder. "Your real father wants you to go back to France with Valeria. That's where the Fleming family settled. What do you think?"
My voice was relaxed, but my eyes were a little tense.
If Krish wanted to go back to his father, would I have a second choice but to let go?
Krish's eyebrows furrowed tightly.
After a moment, Krish opened his lips, just to say something, but then paused...
He pursed his lips and asked, "Mommy, Valeria and I are going to be with you forever. The place where you are is our home."
I breathed a sigh of relief and had some tears in my eyes.
"That's good. I will protect you and Valeria and won't let anyone take you away from me."
"Mommy, did Ramon get to you?" Krish said in a slow voice, "Can we win the case?"
I smiled, "I hired a very good lawyer to help us. His name is Kenneth Easton, and he was referred to me by Mr. Lancaster. I don't think there's much of a problem winning the case. Honey, don't worry about it. Go play with Valeria for a while. Dinner will be ready soon."
Krish nodded and walked out of the kitchen.
...
We finished dinner, and Krish walked into the room with a piece of paper and said in a low voice, "Mommy, I have something to tell you."