CHAPTER 4: THE EASTWOOD HOTEL

"Host, your lucky stars are sleepy. Take them to the Eastwood Hotel to collect your next reward."

I stopped the baby cycle in the middle of the mall.

"The Eastwood Hotel? That's his family's hotel."

"Rest is necessary. Your lucky stars need a warm bed."

"I am not going anywhere near Ethan."

"Your lucky stars cannot sleep in a mall, Host."

"Then I will find another hotel."

"No other hotel has your reward."

I pressed my lips together. The system was right, and I hated it.

Aria made a soft, unhappy sound under her blanket. Then Ariella yawned, making a tiny, sleepy sound that melted my heart.

I looked down at my daughters. They were still so small, and they had already been through so much in just a few hours.

"Okay," I whispered. "One hour. Then we leave."

"Host, your reward is waiting at the hotel desk."

"Then the reward can wait until I've rested first."

"Rest is also a task, Host."

"Then I am completing it."

The taxi dropped us off at the Eastwood Hotel shortly after noon.

The doorman opened the glass doors for me, but his eyes quickly moved to the five baby seats.

"Ma'am, are all of them yours?"

"Every single one of them."

"They're beautiful. Are they quintuplets?"

"Yes. Five girls."

He let out a soft whistle.

"Five! My wife would faint if she saw them."

"Mine almost did," I said. "Twice."

He laughed and held the door wider.

"Welcome to the Eastwood, ma'am. Take your time."

I gave him a small smile and pushed the baby cycle into the hotel.

Inside, the floor was covered in white marble, and the gold railings shone under the bright lights. I moved slowly across the smooth floor, doing my best not to wake the girls.

"Clara?"

I knew that voice before I even turned around.

Ethan stood near the front desk in a dark suit. His eyes moved from the baby cycle to my face.

"Ethan," I said, keeping my voice calm and cold. "Of all the hotels in New York, you chose this one."

"I didn't choose anything. I came here to meet my lawyers."

"Then your lawyers can wait."

"What are you doing here?"

"Resting. My daughters are tired."

"You should be in a hospital bed."

"You should have thought of that before you gave me a card instead of a blanket."

A woman in a cream-colored dress stood beside him, holding his arm tightly.

Ava.

She looked at my daughters, then at me, before giving me a very wide smile.

"Oh, Ethan, is this her? She's smaller than I expected."

"She's not important," Ethan replied.

"Then why is she standing in our lobby?" Ava asked.

"Our lobby?" I said. "I thought it belonged to his mother."

Ava's smile changed, but she said nothing.

Before I could say anything else, another woman stepped in front of them.

It was Mia Sterling, Ava's sister. She wore diamonds on every finger, making sure everyone could see how expensive they were.

"Well, look who came crawling back," Mia said with a mocking smile. "Ethan, is this the mother of the jinxes?"

"Mia," Ethan warned.

"What? I'm only saying what everyone is thinking."

"Then think quietly," I replied.

Mia laughed and bent over the baby cycle to look at my daughters.

"Oh, they look like a bag of groceries. Did you buy them at the mall too?"

"No. I bought their coats at the mall. They already belonged to me."

Ava's smile became tight.

"Ethan, make her leave. She's causing a scene."

"I'm not causing anything," I said calmly. "I'm simply walking through a hotel lobby with my children."

"Those are not your children," Mia said. "Look at them. They don't look anything like Ethan."

I looked directly at her.

"Their father hasn't spent enough time looking at them to know who they look like."

Ethan's jaw tightened.

"Clara, not here."

"Then move. You're blocking my daughters' way."

"Your daughters?" Ava gave a quiet, mocking laugh. "You can't even afford to buy their clothes."

"I paid for everything they're wearing," I replied. "Every single piece."

"Even the shoes?" Mia laughed.

"Even the socks," I said.

"With whose money?" Mia asked.

"With the money your sister's husband threw at me."

"Ethan is Ava's now," Mia snapped. "Remember that."

"Then Ava should ask him why he is so careful with a card but so careless with a family."

Ava's face turned red. Mia opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

For a moment, both women looked as if they had swallowed something bitter.

Then Mia snapped her fingers at a bellboy who was walking past us.

"Get security! She's obviously not thinking clearly."

I stared at her.

"I'm not confused. I'm tired. There's a difference."

"Security, please!" Mia repeated, raising her voice.

"Don't you dare," Ethan said to the bellboy.

The young man stopped immediately.

"Mr. Sterling, are you sure?"

"I said don't."

The bellboy stepped back and stared at the floor.

Ethan did not look at Mia. He did not look at Ava either.

Instead, his eyes stayed on the baby cycle and the tiny faces wrapped in soft yellow and pink blankets.

Aria let out a small cry.

Alabella turned her head toward the sound, while Arianna stared at Mia with an expression that almost looked suspicious.

"Did you hear that?" Mia whispered. "She's already teaching them to stare at people."

"They're babies, Mia," Ava said. "They don't know anything."

"Then why are they looking at me like that?"

"Because you're loud," I said.

"How dare you!" Mia hissed. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes. You're the woman who called my daughters groceries."

Mia's cheeks turned red.

Before Mia could answer, Aurelia opened her eyes wide and stared straight at Ethan.

Something inside me changed.

The noise in the hotel lobby seemed to fade away. Mia continued talking, but I could no longer hear her clearly.

All I could see was Ethan standing beside the baby cycle, looking down at the five daughters he had refused to hold.

He slowly stepped closer.

"Ethan, don't," Ava whispered, pulling his sleeve. "Come away from them."

"Let go of me, Ava."

She let go. She looked as if he had slapped her.

For the first time, he seemed to be studying their tiny faces instead of looking away from them.

Then he spoke. His voice was much quieter than before.

"Clara," he said softly. "Which one is the one who looks like me?"

My throat tightened.

I wanted to laugh at the question. I wanted to remind him that he had called his own daughters useless only a few hours ago.

But I said nothing.

"Clara, I asked you a question."

"I heard you, Ethan."

"Then answer me."

"You gave up the right to ask when you walked out of that room."

His mouth opened, then closed. Ava and Mia stared at him in silence.

Then the air inside my head began to hum. The sound was sharp and bright, just like before.

"Ding! Host, your enemy has come to claim what he threw away."