MasukHis name was Elijah, an Interpol agent.Back when they were hunting down the Scorpions, he had once fought alongside Paul.He admired my resilience. But even more, he respected the ninety-nine dads standing behind me.The first time he came to meet the family, the house had set up nine tables.Ninety-nine dads took turns interrogating him as if he were a criminal suspect.They tested his alcohol tolerance, investigated his family history back eighteen generations, and Elijah survived all of it.Facing ninety-nine pairs of scrutinizing eyes, he only said one sentence.“I’ll protect Ariel with my life. Just like all of you did.”Instantly, every hardened man in the room had red eyes.The wedding was held on Stephen’s private island.I wore a wedding dress, and the red carpet stretched endlessly ahead.The ninety-nine dads lined up one by one, each taking turns walking me forward.Each man walked exactly one meter beside me.At the very end, James placed my hand into Elijah’s
The exam hall was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat.I gripped my pen and wrote rapidly.The final essay prompt was titled: “The Power Behind Me”.In my mind, ninety-nine faces flashed past.Some fierce, some refined, and some wild and untamed.I wrote about the mutual salvation between an abandoned child and a group of desperate men and ten years of struggling from darkness toward the light.I wrote about how, for me, they traded knives for pens and guns for calculators. And for them, I fought desperately to live in the sunlight.My pen moved across the paper as tears dripped onto the exam sheet one by one.The proctor walked over.Without saying a word, he quietly placed two tissues on the corner of my desk.That night, after the exams ended, the house held a massive celebration party.I placed my college application form in front of all ninety-nine dads.“I want to apply to the National Defense University.”“Clang!” Paul got so excited that he dropped his wine
Farther away, Dad Number Seven, Joe, had brought in a squad of blond-haired international mercenaries.Their firepower was overwhelming, completely cutting off every possible escape route for the enemy.I sat in the freezing basement chair, staring at the flames and gunfire flashing across the surveillance screens.My hands were trembling, but my eyes had never been steadier.Suddenly, “Boom!”A deafening explosion shook the room.Behind me, the safe room door, the one supposedly capable of withstanding rocket attacks, was blown open with a massive hole.Three masked men rushed in holding rifles, their dark gun barrels pointed directly at me.My mind went completely blank.At that critical moment, the ceiling above suddenly slid open without a sound.Robert, dressed in black tactical gear, dropped upside down from the ventilation shaft like a hunting cheetah.“You dare touch my daughter?!”Alone, he charged straight at the three armed attackers. His movements were so fast t
My entire body tensed. “Then what about you guys—”“We’re not afraid.”Paul stood up. He had already changed into a clean black tactical uniform, his eyes sharp as an eagle’s.“But your safety matters most. Starting today, you’ll temporarily stop going to school and study at home while we strengthen security.”I immediately shook my head.“No way, Dad. There are only two months left until the SATs. I want to keep going to school.”My gaze swept across every single one of them.“And if everyone has to hide because of me, then I’d rather—”“Don’t be stupid!”James cut me off immediately and made the final decision. “You’ll keep going to school. But we’re arranging personal protection for you.”The next day, when I walked into the classroom, two “transfer students” followed behind me.Dad Number Ninety-Two, Bradley, and Dad Number Thirty-Eight, Caleb.Both were former top-tier mercenaries.With their crew cuts and school uniforms matching mine, disguised as eighteen-year-old
Daniel trembled all over.As if all the strength in his body had been drained out of him, he collapsed to the ground.After a long silence, he squeezed out a single word with all his remaining strength.“…I choose the second.”Then James’ gaze shifted back to Macy.“As for you.“Tomorrow, you publicly apologize in front of the entire school to Ariel and every student you’ve ever bullied.“Next, you voluntarily withdraw from school and transfer to a behavioral correction institution for psychological and behavioral intervention.“Lastly, you need to complete five hundred hours of community service. No substitutes.”Macy’s body shook violently, like a leaf in a storm.I looked at her and added one final line.“If you truly change, three years from now, I’ll let you work in my charity foundation.”Macy jerked her head up, her eyes filled with complete disbelief.After everything was settled, the Fullers were taken away.My ninety-nine dads immediately surrounded me again, fu
“Now, in your personal trust fund… there’s roughly this amount.”My hands trembled as I flipped open the first page.Staring at a long string of zeros stretched across the document, my hand shook so badly that the file nearly slipped to the floor.James eventually took it back from me and gently patted my head.“We originally planned to wait until your SATs were over, until you became an adult, before telling you all this.“But now someone has gone after our little girl. We can’t keep it from you anymore.“Ariel, from today on, you don’t have to endure anything anymore.“If the sky falls, ninety-nine dads will hold it up for you.”Just then, the doorbell rang.Eric, who was closest to the entrance, opened the door.Outside stood Macy and Daniel.Both were shaking violently, each holding large and small gift boxes.…The two of them stood stiffly at the entrance like chickens whose feathers had been plucked clean.Dad Number Ninety-Five, Isaac, let them in with a completel







