CHAPTER 5: FINALLY, I FOUND YOU

The day of the week finally arrived, and the twins were excited about the celebration at an expensive restaurant. They had even managed to surprise her that morning. As she grew older, she couldn't help but fear that one day she might wake up without her twins beside her—or worse, that she might be the one who would disappear from their lives.

But she wouldn't let that happen.

“Is Uncle Alejandro already there?” Yassh asked.

They were all riding in the same van, so Marco and Yvonne were there as well. She had also become friends with Marco, and their friendship hadn't been affected by his breakup with Yassh.

“Yes, he's already there, but he'll only stay for a while because he has somewhere else to go. After we finish here at the restaurant, I also need to return to the office to finish some work. Auntie Gina will take care of the twins,” Melody replied.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they immediately headed to the reserved VIP room. The children were delighted to see their favorite cartoon characters there, dressed in mascots. Honestly, this was already one of the happiest gifts Melody could receive. Seeing her children happy was enough to make her heart full, and the same went for Yassh's child.

After they finished eating, her Daddy said goodbye. The twins barely noticed his departure because they were too busy playing. She could clearly see the way Marco looked at Yassh. She truly felt sorry for the two of them. If it hadn't been for the problems in Marco's family, the two would probably have stayed together until they grew old.

When would she find someone who could possibly stay by her side until old age?

She quickly dismissed that thought from her mind. She wanted to smack herself for even thinking about it. After all, she had no plans of getting married again because of her past. Her only focus now was her children.

They didn't even notice how quickly time passed until evening came. Only then did she remember the unfinished work she had left behind. Yassh had already gone outside ahead of them, while she and her twin sons were playfully chasing each other as they exited the restaurant's VIP room.

She was startled when Liven suddenly ran and collided with a waitress, causing the juice she was carrying to spill.

“Oh, no! My dress!” a woman shrieked in an exaggerated voice.

“I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, he didn't mean to—”

At first, she thought the voice merely sounded familiar. But when she raised her eyes and saw the woman, she froze in place. Her entire body turned cold.

“What do you mean he didn't mean to?” the woman asked angrily before finally looking up at her. “Oh, look who we have here! No wonder you smell like trash. Ugh!” She looked Melody up and down before turning her attention to the twins.

The woman standing before her was none other than Tanny.

Melody immediately composed herself and signaled Auntie Gina to take the children outside.

“Excuse me, Grandma. Are you talking about our mom?” Lexus suddenly asked, adjusting his glasses.

“What are you saying, Lexus? She's only Auntie!” Liven corrected him. “I'm sorry, Auntie. I didn't mean to spill the juice on you.”

“G-Grandma? A-Auntie? Oh my—oh my gosh!” Tanny exclaimed in disbelief. “You're still so young, yet you already have such disrespectful mouths!”

Melody wanted to laugh at her sons' remarks. However, she noticed that they had already attracted the attention of everyone around them.

“M-Manang Gina, please take them outside,” she whispered.

“Okay, dear. Come on, children.”

“Babe, what happened?”

She suddenly turned toward the man who had just arrived. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel. After five years, she was finally seeing the man she had loved first again. He had improved a lot, but that didn't change how terrible his attitude was.

“Whoa, Melody?” Melvon suddenly exclaimed, looking at the twins as well.

“Lexus and Liven, go with Auntie Gina. I'll take care of this.”

“But, Mom—”

“No buts, Lexus. I said go. I'll handle this.”

“So, they're your children?” Tanny said with a mocking smile. “Whose children are they, anyway?” She grinned. “Why are you sending them away? Don't you want them to hear what you did back then? And who their Daddy is? You did an auction, right?” she said, her voice dripping with ridicule.

“An auction, huh?” Melvon added, as though he couldn't believe it.

“Are these what you got after selling yourself at an auction?” Tanny asked, looking at the twins again. “Good grief, Melody! You really stooped that low?” she added.

Melody clenched her fists. She wouldn't have had to do any of that if they hadn't ganged up on her in the first place. But what worried her most at that moment was what her children might hear.

“M-Mom, we'll wait for you outside,” Lexus said, as if he understood, his eyes fixed on hers. There seemed to be tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

He then pulled his younger brother, Liven, by the hand and followed Auntie Gina.

“So, how can you afford to come here? Don't tell me you're still with that sugar daddy you managed to snag, and he's the one giving you money, along with your decrepit father,” Tanny said with a laugh.

Melody smirked. “I don't need help from anyone else anymore. My father and I are stronger than before. That's why your sales have been declining—we've reclaimed the clients who were ours in the first place,” she replied.

An irritated expression crossed Tanny's face, and she clenched her fists as well.

“But we're not threatened. We've fallen once before, and we can easily bring you down again,” Melvon replied.

“In your dreams, Mr. Juarez. If you're trying to intimidate me, then you're just wasting your breath because I'm not afraid of you. Now, if you're done, I'm leaving!”

“Wait! You need to pay for my dress! Your son ruined it! And the broken glass, too! Let's see if you can even afford to pay for it!”

“I will—”

“Ma'am, someone has already paid for it and even gave us a large amount of money for the dress that was stained by the juice,” the Head Manager announced.

Melody furrowed her brows.

“Oh, is that your sugar daddy who paid for the mess?” Tanny said with a laugh.

She heard laughter coming from the people around them. She could no longer hold herself back. After thanking the waitress and the manager, she quickly left the place. She couldn't bear the humiliation anymore. It felt as though she might break down at any moment.

“But who paid for it? Yassh and the others aren't even here anymore.”

While the confrontation between Melody and Tanny was taking place, Apollo had just finished his meeting. He was on his way down the stairs when he noticed a woman's rather loud voice talking about an auction.

It caught his attention.

From a distance, he could clearly see a woman who looked almost exactly like the woman he had spent one night with. The memories of what had happened five years ago came rushing back.

“Mr. Luxerio, the woman escaped. She went through the window using the blanket. We believe she only just left, and our men are already searching for her,” Butler Geor informed him.

He immediately called off the meeting for that day and headed toward the hotel. His men were scattered throughout the area, but they couldn't find the woman. He only knew her name.

He continued searching for her. He even hired a detective to find her faster, but the photos they showed him were of a different woman named Sophia Santiago.

And now, the woman he had been searching for all this time was finally standing right in front of him!

He would never let her escape again.

He immediately called Epifanio.

“Hello, Bud?”

“Epi, come here to Luxerio Hotel right now. I've finally found the woman I've been searching for all this time. I need you to follow her.”

“Are you serious? Wait—fuck! I'm on my way!” He immediately hung up.

Epifanio was one of his friends, and Apollo had a reward prepared for him, even though he was wealthy himself. Well, all his friends were dickheads!

“Finally, I found you, Sophia,” he whispered with a smile—a smile whose meaning was impossible to decipher.