Chapter 1

"Take that infertility diagnosis of yours and get out of here! We Gunners don't need a woman who can't carry on the family line. Leah is now back, and she spends all of her time with Mark ever since her return. Get your head out of the clouds!"

With that, Elizabeth Gunner flung Bianca Swift's diagnosis in her face.

Bianca was stunned as her mother-in-law, Elizabeth, yelled at her before leaving. But the only thing that stuck with Bianca was that Leah Swift had returned.

Had she lost to Leah in the end?

Bianca simply stayed inside the room, staring at the wall, until night fell. Around eight or so, she heard the sound of a car's engine outside. She knew that it was Mark Gunner who had returned home.

Shortly after, the door to Bianca's room was pushed open. The lights were promptly switched on before Mark strode inside. He was dressed in a suit today, which was tailored to his proportions. The suit made him look regal, but his handsome face was devoid of any emotion.

He walked over to Bianca and placed a sheaf of documents before her. "Let's split. Sign the divorce papers when you're ready."

Mark's voice was rich and pleasant, but there was no warmth to it.

Bianca had already anticipated this, but her heart still ached at his words. She couldn't stop herself from looking at Mark before asking, "Are you divorcing me because of my 'infertility?'"

But she already knew the answer.

Mark's gaze was chilly, and his tone grew even colder. "Don't try to make things seem worse than they are. You know better than anyone else why I married you in the first place."

Bianca's mind was a whirl of emotions as she looked at him. She certainly knew the reason—Mark's grandfather, Oliver Swift, had fallen ill. It was then decided that Mark should get married before his grandfather's condition worsened.

Mark was initially supposed to marry Leah, as she was the Swifts' only daughter. However, during a health check-up before their wedding, it was discovered that Leah wasn't related to the Swifts at all.

When the Swift family's patriarch found out about this, he had immediately started a search for Bianca, his actual biological granddaughter who had been lost.

And so, Bianca was to marry Mark instead.

On the day of the wedding, Leah had gone to see Bianca in private. In order to muddy their marriage, Leah had purposely fallen down the stairs and framed Bianca for it. She broke her leg and had to be sent abroad for treatment.

This incident made waves. Everyone pitied Leah, and they showed nothing but contempt for Bianca.

Bianca's biological parents called her an evil snake. They hated her because Leah was a smart woman, and she had been everyone's choice as Mark's future wife. They had also raised her for the past 19 years. Meanwhile, this newfound biological daughter of theirs was a cruel person.

Bianca wanted to laugh as she recalled the way Elizabeth had humiliated her earlier. None of them knew that she wasn't infertile at all. Mark had just never slept with her ever since they had gotten married.

Bianca felt more despondent the more she thought about it. Maybe she shouldn't have continued to stay with Mark when he would never love her. He certainly hadn't returned her feelings, no matter how hard she had tried to make their marriage work over the last two years.

But Bianca also couldn't come to terms with divorcing him. Why should she let this man dictate her life?

Bianca looked at the divorce papers before letting out a cold chuckle. "I can sign those divorce papers. But before that, you should serve me at least this once, no?"

"What?"

Mark froze, thinking that he had misheard her. But before he could respond, Bianca grabbed him by the collar and kissed him.

"What? You don't want to do this? I've done my part as your wife during these two years of marriage, like taking care of you. A housekeeper should be paid, and I'm simply taking my due payment. I'm not asking for much, am I?" Bianca intended to get a rise out of him.

Mark's gaze hardened. "Do you even have any shame? Don't think that you can get what you want with this tactic of yours!"

"Are you just unwilling, or are you actually incapable?" Bianca kicked her taunting up a notch. "Or are the rumors true, and you really can't get it up, Mr. Gunner?"

Instantly, Mark was enraged. "You're asking for it, Bianca! I'll show you what I'm truly capable of!"

With that, he grabbed Bianca's face and returned her kiss. In the end, Bianca gave in and slept with him.

…

Mark was still asleep when Bianca woke up the next day. She quietly packed her things. Once she was done, she placed the signed divorce agreement, a note, and a ten-dollar bill on the bedside table.

"You should never sleep with anyone again because you'll just scare them off! Here's ten bucks as a token of appreciation for last night. You're welcome!"

…

When Mark woke up, it was nearly noon. Bianca had long since left by then. The only evidence of last night was the clothes scattered on the floor.

His gaze darkened. He was still annoyed that he had fallen for Bianca's trap. How did she manage to rile him up?

So, what now? Was she planning to baby trap him and keep him in this marriage?

Mark's expression turned cold. He thought he had guessed Bianca's plan. But just as he was about to get out of bed, he noticed the items by the bedside table.

Surprised, he picked up the note first.

"Never sleep with anyone again? Ten bucks as a token of appreciation?" he uttered as he read the note. Mark's gaze turned dark and heated.

How dare Bianca talk to him like this? She had to have a death wish!

Enraged, Mark flung the divorce agreement to the side. He didn't want to sign it now. The only thought currently on his mind was that he needed to make Bianca pay.

He quickly pulled on a robe and rushed downstairs. When Mark's butler saw him and his foul mood, he asked, "What happened, Mr. Gunner?"

"Where is Bianca?"

The butler paused before answering, "She left the house with her belongings earlier this morning. She… said that she won't be returning anymore."

Mark let out a cold laugh at that. Bianca's escape had been quick, but would she be able to keep evading him?

He promptly yelled for his assistant, Vanta Jones. "Bring Bianca back!"

Chapter 2

Six years later, in the nation of Yvidion, Bianca was in one of ZL Perfumes' labs, studying the data presented before her.

Suddenly, her computer froze, and the research center's networks became crippled from a coordinated attack. Alarms rang outside the lab.

"Are Aletta's kids at it again?"

"Aletta! Please save us!"

Bianca's co-workers poured into her lab, begging for help as a countdown timer beeped.

They had only ten seconds. Once those ten seconds were up, the research center's data would be completely wiped.

Bianca wanted to drop dead when she took stock of the situation. Immediately, she made a phone call.

"Honey, please, have mercy on us! I'll come home now! I'll leave the lab! Please stop this!"

A childish voice replied with an eerie tone, "Oh, isn't this our amazing and internationally renowned doctor slash perfumer, Ms. Aletta? What an unexpected caller we've got today. So, what's the purpose behind this call?"

The only thing Bianca could do was beg for forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry, honey. Mommy isn't doing this on purpose. We have this perfume line that we're launching soon, but the final formula just doesn't seem quite right.

"I've only been away for a few days… Anyway, I'll come home! Right now! So, stop attacking the lab's network. I'm asking this as your mother!"

The child on the other end of the call snorted. "So, you do remember that you still have a home. And here I thought that you've decided to move into the lab and forget about your two darling children!"

Bianca knew how her son was, so she laughed to make him pout less. "Of course not! The two of you are the most precious people in my life! I love you two!" She then made kissy noises.

Bianca's son cringed at that and immediately stopped his hacking attempts. "Hmph! That's more like it. I'm giving you half an hour to get back home, or I'll keep up my attack on the research center."

With that, he hung up sulkily.

Bianca let out a sigh of relief before turning over and flashing an "OK" sign to the others in the room. Once everyone else had left, she wiped the cold sweat beading her forehead and returned to her seat.

Her assistant, Anne Lewis, couldn't stop herself from giggling as she walked in. Who would have thought that a whole lab of professionals could be brought to their knees by a pair of children?

Bianca shook her head in exasperation at Anne's laughter. Everyone knew that her children were her actual bosses. They definitely took after their father, Mark.

Bianca had returned home to the Swift family's mansion after she had slept with Mark that night, only to be chased out by her biological parents. She had thought that Mark would no longer be in her life after that. But to her surprise, she had ended up pregnant with quadruplets.

Due to her constitution, Bianca might end up being infertile for good if she were to get an abortion. So, the doctors had advised her against it.

Bianca had no one to rely on in a foreign country. After a few days of thinking, she decided to have the children. Unfortunately, the birth didn't go smoothly. A boy and a girl didn't survive.

Only two children made it, and both of them were exceptionally smart.

The older child, Kevin Swift, was a responsible and serious boy. He loved programming and spoke four languages. He was also a good writer and artist. He was a multi-talented child if ever there was one.

The younger child, Erin Swift, was a bubbly girl. She took after Bianca, being interested in perfumery and the medical fields. She often had some thought-provoking insights and was also capable of formulating medicine.

Everyone loved the children. Bianca's heart melted at the thought of them.

"I'll just go straight home, Anne," Bianca said as she took off her lab coat. "The lab's going to be in trouble if I don't get home in half an hour."

"Go on, then." Anne giggled before she reminded her, "But don't forget to pack. We'll be flying back tomorrow."

Bianca frowned at that.

Other than her achievements in medicine, she and her friend, Jessica Fordham, had co-founded a fragrance house together in recent years called ZL Perfumes. The perfumes they had come up with had taken the world by storm. Many people sought them out for collaborations and such.

Jessica was supposed to be in charge of ZL Perfumes' expansion back in Bianca's home country, Amaraise. However, Jessica's mother, Beatrice, had fallen seriously ill. Jessica was unable to divide her attention between her mother and the company. So, she had asked Bianca to go in her stead.

"Got it. See you at the airport tomorrow morning," Bianca replied dully before saying goodbye to Anne.

Bianca rushed home, only to be accosted by her children.

She was out of sorts when she got to the airport the next morning.

Meanwhile, her children were well put together. They looked like celebrities with their sunglasses on. It was as if their faces were sculpted by the heavens themselves.

Kevin and Erin drew a lot of attention as the family made their way through the airport. Some onlookers even pulled out their phones to take pictures of the children.

Anne laughed as she turned to Bianca. "It seems like your children are famous."

Bianca looked at them. "It does feel that way, doesn't it?"

Kevin heard her and immediately whirled around. "You've brought this upon yourself, Mommy. You were so engrossed in work that you've neglected yourself."

Erin usually took her brother's lead, so she promptly piped up, "That's right. If we weren't around, who knows what state you'd be in…"

Seeing how Kevin and Erin were about to launch into another lecture, Bianca quickly stopped them. "Alright, alright. You two have a point."

They boarded the plane shortly after that. For the next ten or so hours, Bianca was free from her children's nagging.

She still wasn't all that alert when they finally got off the plane. Still sleepy, Bianca went to the restroom to wash her face while Anne agreed to watch Kevin and Erin.

Bianca felt more alive after washing her face with cold water. When she walked out of the restroom, she was stunned.

Kevin had still been dressed in a set of casual clothes when he had disembarked from the plane. But now, he was dressed in a suit. He still had his sunglasses on.

Erin had also changed into a different outfit. She had exchanged her patterned dress for a pink princess-like one instead.

They looked ready to attend a formal event.

Bianca couldn't help but chuckle. She walked over to them and teased, "We're just going to see your Aunt Jessica, not attend some party. What's with the clothes? Do you really need to dress up like that?"

The two children stared at Bianca in confusion. Was this pretty lady addressing them?

Chapter 3

The two children stared at her with adorably confused expressions. Bianca found it incredibly cute. She couldn't stop herself from pinching their cheeks.

"Still, you look so cute dressed up like this. I'm sure Aunt Jessica will lose her mind once she sees you two!"

Bianca could already imagine Jessica squealing over their outfits.

"Come on, let's not keep Aunt Anne waiting."

But the girl timidly hid behind her brother. The boy also looked at Bianca before asking hesitantly, "Miss, did you… maybe mistake us for someone else?"

It was Bianca's turn to be surprised, but she then laughed. "Someone else? I carried the two of you for nine months. How could I ever mistake you for anyone else?

"And you'd even called me 'Miss' just now too! Did Erin get you to act out the plot of whatever TV show she's been watching recently?"

Erin loved role-playing and acting, and Bianca usually went along with it. "I can play along with this when we get home, but I have a lot of things to do now. Let's play later, alright? Come on, come with Mommy now…"

With that, Bianca reached out to take their hands, but the boy was still wary of her. Bianca chuckled. Did they get too into their roles?

"Are you acting out an amnesia plot now? If that's the case, I'll have to prove to you that I'm your mommy, right?" Bianca took out her phone and pulled up an album. "Here, these are your baby pictures. I have all of them here!"

The boy was stunned as he stared at the photos. He was sure he had never seen this pretty lady before, but she indeed had photos of them on her phone. To be more exact, the children in her photos looked exactly like them.

Just what was going on?

While the boy was still stuck in his confusion, Bianca had already put her phone away. She asked, "We can go now, right?"

Before they could reply, she took their hands and walked away. She never noticed that the children looked just that little bit different from Kevin and Erin.

The boy was hesitant. He had initially wanted to struggle, but the photos earlier and the odd sense of familiarity he felt with this lady made him have second thoughts. He had to get to the bottom of this situation.

Having thought that, he turned to comfort his younger sister. She was a timid girl who was scared of strangers. She would never let anyone but him, their father, or their grandparents touch her.

But to his surprise, she didn't look scared. Instead, she was looking at the woman in curiosity.

…

Meanwhile, Anne was still waiting with Kevin and Erin for Bianca to return. However, Bianca was still nowhere to be found.

Kevin turned to his sister. "We should look for Mommy. She's probably lost her way again."

Bianca had always had a bad sense of direction. This wasn't the first time she had gotten lost in the airport.

Anne thought so too. "I'll go with you two."

But Kevin refused. He said, "You don't have to, Aunt Anne. Just stay here and watch our things. We have so much luggage. It'll be hard to bring them all with us as we search for Mommy. We'll go. Don't worry, we won't get lost!"

Anne paused, but as these two kids were incredibly intelligent, she let them go. "Alright, go and look for her. Keep in touch with me!"

Kevin and Erin flashed "OK" signs at her before running off while holding each other's hands.

They had only just run off when Bianca came back to Anne with a boy and a girl in tow.

Anne was shocked to see Bianca with the children. "Why are you two back so soon? Didn't you just leave to look for your mother?"

And how did Kevin and Erin change their clothes so quickly?

Anne was confused. Just as she was about to question them further, Bianca's phone rang. It was Jessica. She quickly let go of the children's hands and answered the call.

Jessica's bright and energetic voice rang out from the other end as she asked, "Hey Bia, are you guys here yet? I'm over at the parking lot. You'll be able to see me the moment you get out of the airport."

"We're coming now!" As Bianca answered Jessica, she grabbed the children while hastily helping Anne with the luggage.

Anne also forgot about her questions as she left the airport with Bianca.

Meanwhile, the real Kevin and Erin were shocked as they watched Bianca walk away.

Erin blinked, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Kevin, did you… see that? Why do those two kids with Mommy look so much like us?" she asked in disbelief.

Kevin snapped out of his shock and nodded. "Yeah, I saw them."

"What's going on? Are we having an out-of-body experience?"

"You should watch less of your brain-dead TV shows, Erin," Kevin chastised as he patted his sister's head. He then put a hand to his chin and fell into deep thought.

Then, he said, "I don't know what's going on, but maybe… those two are our siblings too? Maybe we're all quadruplets! That's the only way Mommy could have mixed us up!"

"But how's that possible? Mommy did say that both our brother and sister didn't survive." Erin scratched her head, confused.

That was what stumped Kevin too.

Bianca had two sons and two daughters, in that order. He was the eldest while Erin was the youngest. The second and third children hadn't made it.

But now, the two children that Bianca had supposedly "lost" were here in Amaraise. This was fishy.

Kevin's mind worked faster than Erin's. He suspected that his "dead" brother and sister might have been stolen without Bianca's knowledge.

As for who could have done it, it might very well be their deadbeat father who had abandoned Bianca.

Just as Kevin deduced this, a few bodyguards in black appeared and surrounded them. The young man, who was seemingly their leader, looked frazzled.

"Gosh… We've been looking everywhere for you two!" he said while panting. He kept checking on Kevin and Erin as he did so.

Once he was certain that they weren't hurt, he continued, "I was wondering why I couldn't find you two. So, you've changed into different outfits! Quick, come with us. He's really angry now."

Before the children could react, he bent down and picked them up.

Erin was shocked, but she didn't struggle. She recognized this man. He was Vanta Jones, Mark's loyal assistant. She had seen his photo before, back when Kevin was looking into the Gunners.

Kevin was calmer than Erin. He narrowed his eyes. It seemed that he was right. Those two children were his brother and sister, and Mark was involved in this situation.

Kevin had intended to find a way to approach Mark and teach him a lesson before they had even boarded the plane out of Yvidion. It seemed that he didn't have to think of that now.

An idea popped up in his mind, and he shot Erin a look. Erin immediately understood Kevin's intent. She didn't reveal who they really were.

Vanta soon brought them to the VIP lounge at the airport. Kevin and Erin could immediately sense an oppressive air the moment they stepped inside. The source of the crushing atmosphere was Mark Gunner himself.

Chapter 4

Kevin and Erin simply stared at their deadbeat father when they first set eyes upon him. He didn't look any different from the photos they had looked up.

Mark had handsome features, and he was dressed in a navy bespoke suit that further heightened his imposing aura. The buttons on his jacket glinted in the light, and his pants further accentuated how long his legs were.

"Mr. Gunner, we've found the children," Vanta announced as he put Kevin and Erin down.

Mark's gaze shifted down to look at the children. There was an odd emotion in his eyes, which made the air in the VIP lounge feel even more oppressive.

But neither child felt scared when they met his gaze. Erin even leaned in toward Kevin and whispered, "Is this our dad? He's such a looker!"

Kevin glared at her and whispered back, "You can't compliment him! This is the jerk who abandoned us and Mommy! We're only here so that we can figure out what's going on with our other brother and sister, got it?"

Erin hadn't thought that far ahead, but she still listened to Kevin and nodded in understanding.

"Do you have anything to say?" Mark spoke up at last, his voice filled with displeasure. "Did you really think that you'd be safe from kidnappers and the like when you ran away from home?"

Kevin and Erin froze when they heard that. Instantly, they understood what had happened. It seemed that their father hadn't been treating their siblings well. Why else would two young children run away?

Kevin was glad that he and Erin got to live with Bianca. She had never mistreated them or let them suffer in any way.

Having noticed that Mark seemed even more menacing than before, Vanta became worried that he would lose his temper. So, Vanta quickly said to Kevin and Erin, "Apologize to your father, quickly."

Vanta had been nervous ever since his two young charges disappeared. He kept an eye on Mark's expression as he explained to the children, "It's just a misunderstanding. Mr. Gunner isn't going to marry Ms. Leah.

"The Gunners and Swifts are only working together for a business project. They had simply gone to the next city over to discuss a project. They weren't avoiding you.

"Alright, don't be upset anymore. Ms. Leah is gone now."

Kevin now had a clearer picture. Their jerk of a father had no shame and wanted to marry Leah, the Swifts' illegitimate daughter. That was why their siblings had run away!

Kevin's expression turned icy, and he shot back, "A misunderstanding? How can it be just a misunderstanding? You threw Mommy aside because of Leah all those years ago! Is that not the truth?"

Kevin squashed his anger down. He didn't let Mark intimidate him as he enunciated each word. "It's not impossible that you'll also abandon me and my sister because of Leah. Things also just happened to go your way when we initially ran away from home, no?"

Mark's expression darkened at that. "Where did you hear this?" he barked.

Hardly anyone in the Gunner household dared to bring up that woman's name. How did the two children know of her?

Vanta shivered as he paled. His young charge was just as ill-tempered as ever.

Worried that the father and son would start fighting, he mustered up the courage to put himself between them. "Perhaps the household staff's tongues were a little loose, and that was how they heard of this. Please calm down, Mr. Gunner!"

He then turned to appease Kevin. "It's not like that. There's more to the story behind your father's divorce. He isn't going to abandon you—"

"Stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes. We're not dumb!" Kevin snorted as he pointed at Mark. "If he's as honest as he claims he is, then why would he keep stringing that woman along for so many years? My mother…"

Kevin nearly slipped up, but he quickly and calmly covered it up. "There was this TV show. The host said that we should be honest when we're displeased with someone. We shouldn't make things more complicated than they are. Don't think that you can lie to us just because we're kids!"

Kevin had an assured air around him as he played things by ear. He had no idea if he had gotten any of the details wrong, but he didn't care. Now that he had met his father, he had to give the man a piece of his mind. He had to stand up for his mother and his siblings!

Erin nodded as well, agreeing with him. "I think that he has a point…"

Mark was furious, but he was stunned when he heard Erin's angry, childish voice.

Vanta and the rest of the bodyguards also stared in shock, their eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Did she just… speak?

Nikki Gunner, the Gunner family's beloved princess, had been kidnapped two years ago. Despite escaping, she had never spoken again due to trauma.

She usually communicated by writing on a notepad. Her brother was the only one who ever understood what she wanted to convey whenever she didn't use the notepad.

And yet, she had just spoken.

Mark stared in shock, but he was delighted. Immediately, he stepped forward and asked in a gentle tone, "Nikki, what did you just say?"

Erin was startled by this. She didn't understand why her father was so emotional. Did she say anything of note? She certainly didn't think she did.

Vanta snapped out of his stupor and exclaimed excitedly, "Are you finally alright with speaking?"

"Nikki, can you… talk to Daddy once more?" Mark asked Erin carefully. His earlier anger had dissipated and was now replaced with excitement.

Kevin and Erin were confused. Mark's request was odd, but now that they thought about it, was this Nikki actually mute?

Erin immediately realized that she had slipped up. So, she pretended to be mute, keeping her lips sealed. She would blow her cover otherwise.

No matter how Mark cajoled her, he couldn't get Erin to talk again. His daughter was once again completely silent.

"She probably only spoke up just now because she was emotional. Let her be. She'll heal one day," Vanta comforted Mark when he saw the disappointment in his eyes.

Mark lowered his head. After a pause, he said, "Forget it."

As his precious daughter had brought him both joy and grief just now, he didn't want to keep scolding the children. "Today's incident was indeed a misunderstanding. I've told you two before that I won't be marrying Leah. So… don't ever run away from home again!"

With that, he scooped up Kevin and Erin, holding one child in each arm. His movements were smooth and practiced.

Kevin frowned. He wanted to wriggle free, but being held like this actually felt nice. And he also felt an odd sense of safety.

Erin felt the same way too. They were both still children, after all. They both kept quiet and let Mark take them away.