Chapter 4

Mom and Dad watched in disbelief as the three moguls, who'd never seen eye to eye, moved in sync through the crowd. They made a beeline toward the corner of the room where I was quietly eating cake.

A second ago, the three of them had been cold and expressionless. Now, their indifference and aloofness vanished as they surrounded me, greeting me with matching expressions of grievance, "Honey…"

A pin-drop silence filled the room.

Mom and Dad's belief system was shattered at that moment. The former pointed at me, her lips quivering. She looked like she was about to say something, but after a while, words eluded her. "No, this is impossible!"

Josie had completely lost her mind. A screech escaped her as she threw herself forward, a scowl twisting her delicately made-up face. She leveled an angry finger at me and yelled, "She's nothing! She's just a bumpkin who was brought back here on a whim! She's only my replacement!

"Moguls like you shouldn't turn on one another because of a shabby nobody like her! She can't possibly satisfy the three of you at once! The three of you must choose one of us now!"

Turn on one another? I swallowed the last bite of my cake and rubbed the space between my brows in exasperation.

Zane scoffed, eyeing Josie as one might a fool. He fished out his phone and linked it to the projection screen in the dinner hall through Bluetooth.

The interface for a WhatsApp group chat named "Happy Family" was immediately projected on the large screen. Pulled up on the page was a jam-packed weekly roster.

"Who said anything about turning on each other?" Zane lifted his chin, arrogance dripping from his tone. "I've got Mondays and Fridays with Laura. What are you going to do about it?"

Benjamin adjusted his gold-framed glasses and produced a document that bore an official letterhead and seal. "Before we came, we signed and had a top-tier legal team notarize an agreement to peacefully co-exist and share all our assets as a family.

"As long as Laura doesn't throw us out, we've got our week with her planned down to the day. We won't hijack each other's shifts or fight for Laura's attention."

Rowan stared at me like a territorial, emotionally wounded puppy. He grabbed me by the waist and snuggled against me. "It's Wednesday, which means it's my turn to pick you up from work, honey.

"These two broke the rule by showing up here and getting in my way. You'll dock their allowance, won't you?"

A deathly hush swept across the room.

Josie's dream of choosing her lover from a trio of moguls was shattered, taking the form of a nightmare where they'd rather come together in peace to become my lovers instead. She swayed on her feet, then collapsed on the ground in a heap.

"This is madness… You've all gone mad!"

Zane and Benjamin were about to fight Rowan for the right to drive me home tonight when a loud bang cut through the air.

A Jeep with an army license plate had driven through the wall, dragging gunpowder smoke and mud through the living room as it lurched haphazardly into the dining hall.

A man in a combat uniform leaped out of the car, sweeping his sharp gaze over the crowd until he locked in on the trio and me.

In a voice like thunder, he exploded, "What the hell are you guys fighting about? It's my turn to drive Laura home today! I was on a mission, braving bullets at the border, while you three fuckers turned my weekend shifts into Sunday shifts!

"Which of you changed the roster? Come on, let's take it outside!"

The man's long strides ate up the distance between us, his presence heavy and intimidating. However, he was about a foot away from me when he greeted me in a coy, almost forlorn tone, "I made it back, honey. Did you miss me?"

Josie, who was still on the ground, got a good look at the newcomer's face and felt her legs turn into jelly. She even wet herself on the expensive woven rug. "W-What are you doing here? Aren't you—"