The Grand Return

Six Years Later

The biggest airport in the city was packed with hundreds of reporters, major media outlets, and thousands of excited fans. The multi-award-winning power couple — owners of multiple successful fashion brands across the continent — were arriving today with their adorable triplets.

The plane touched down smoothly, and the moment the doors opened, reporters surged forward. Multiple bodyguards, security personnel, and bouncers worked hard to create a path through the cheering crowd. Soon, the couple and their children appeared.

It was Lucy, walking gracefully side by side with a distinguished man. He carried two little boys in his arms while Lucy held a beautiful little girl. They paused for a moment, waving warmly to their fans before disappearing into a waiting private car.

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Somewhere in a small convenience store in a remote mountain village, Marcus and Jaycee stood among the locals, watching the news on TV. The arrival of the famous fashion couple had caused a nationwide sensation, and everyone had been eagerly anticipating it.

The father and son’s mouths hung open in disbelief. They could hardly believe their eyes.

“That’s my mom,” Jaycee exclaimed.

The people around them turned and sneered, calling him a liar. However, he made the worst mistake of his life by showing them an old photograph of the three of them together when he was five, their expressions changed. They finally believed him.

Then someone pointed an accusing finger at them. “So you’re the first family she talked about. The ones who maltreated her.”

“Oh my God. It’s actually them — the ones who deceived and betrayed her, then chased her away half-dead.”

The angry villagers quickly surrounded Marcus and Jaycee. “What are you doing hiding in the mountains, huh? Why aren’t you enjoying your wealth in the city?”

“Ptfff. Their bad deeds must have finally caught up with them. I heard they’ve been running from debtors. That’s why they’ve been hiding here for the past three years.”

The furious locals descended on them, beating them mercilessly. When the crowd finally dispersed, the father and son were left battered, bruised, and broken on the ground.

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After dragging themselves back to their shabby, worn-down one-bedroom apartment, Marcus and Jaycee reflected on how everything had fallen apart. After throwing Lucy out years ago, Marcus had officially married Clara, and that marked the beginning of their downfall.

Clara had no idea how to care for children. She refused to breastfeed the baby, claiming she didn’t want saggy breasts, and instead fed her formula while giving Jaycee junk food. Later, they discovered the baby also had lactose intolerance — just like Jaycee had as an infant. Still, Clara refused to breastfeed and hired a wet nurse instead.

She began going out with rich social circles, spending lavishly on shopping sprees and ignoring the children. The nannies they hired maltreated the kids, rarely feeding them properly and leaving them malnourished. Whenever the children complained, the nannies threatened to starve them even more. Jaycee’s dairy allergy flared up again, landing him in the hospital multiple times.

As the years passed, Marcus’s company started declining rapidly. Combined with Clara’s outrageous spending, it eventually went bankrupt. They were buried in massive debts, and history repeated itself.

Clara refused to endure hardship with them. She abandoned Marcus and the children, running off with another man. When debt collectors began threatening them, Marcus fled with the kids to the mountains to hide.

There, they survived by hawking coconut milk to tourists, as Marcus had no other practical survival skills like farming, fishing, hunting, or manual labor.

Almost a year later, Stella fell seriously ill and was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. With no money for proper treatment, Marcus could only bring her home and give her painkillers.

One quiet evening, Jaycee looked at their miserable state and couldn’t help regretting his past actions. He wished he could turn back time to cherish Lucy’s motherly love. He remembered that fateful evening clearly — Stella carrying the baby and placing her in Lucy’s bathtub, turning the tap on slowly. She had then lit sleeping incense and placed it outside Lucy’s door.

Stella had explained her plan to him, and he had agreed. When they realized Clara and Marcus were returning, Stella pushed him down the stairs. He cooperated because he desperately wanted to get rid of Lucy. As planned, he accused her of pushing him while trying to stop her from drowning his sister.