In the Apartment.
"Dean, Mommy is beautiful and gentle, so when you see her, you're not allowed to kiss her, got it?" Hilary sat across from Dean, seriously and proudly instructing him.
Dean scoffed coldly.
What nonsense. He had no interest in kissing any woman, not even his own mother, Emma Miler, whom he tried to avoid at all costs.
"Hey! Don't be disrespectful to my mommy. She's Her Majesty the Queen!" Hilary immediately picked up on his thoughts, glaring at him in disapproval.
'The Queen? Why not just call her Wu Zetian? Crazy kid,' Dean rolled his eyes at her and went back to his tablet.
"Dean, you're so mean!" Hilary was really offended by his attitude and shouted angrily.
"Come on, she's your mommy, not mine. I'm not interested in anyone else's mommy or any woman for that matter. Including you." Dean said impatiently as he got up and walked away.
Hilary was fuming!
Just the day before, Adam had told her that Dean was secretly living near that scumbag dad to find the right moment to take revenge for their mommy. This was a mission and mommy must never find out.
Even though Dean was her biological brother, the guy was so cold and eccentric that there were still things she couldn't tell him.
Like the fact that they were actually siblings, and that her mommy was also his mommy.
Plus, ever since bringing Dean home two nights ago, their mommy had been leaving early and returning late. By the time she came home, they were already asleep; and when she left in the morning, they were still in bed.
Dean still hadn't seen Mommy yet.
"Adam, Hilary, I'm home." Just then, the door opened and Claire walked in, smiling with a bag of fruit in hand.
"Mommy!" Hilary shouted with joy, rushing over to grab her slippers. She took Claire's hand, guided her to the sofa, then eagerly brought her a glass of warm water. Hopping up beside her, she started massaging her shoulders and back with a big grin.
Claire took a sip of water, and all the exhaustion of the day instantly melted away.
"Adam, come here. Mommy bought all your favorite fruits. Go wash them and eat while they're fresh." After a while, Claire glanced over, noticing that Adam was just sitting there playing with his phone, not even looking up.
Usually, when she came home from work, both kids would rush to greet her, one massaging her shoulders, the other her legs utterly sweet and thoughtful.
Those moments were when she truly felt the happiness of family.
But today…
Adam hadn't even glanced at her. He just sat there quietly playing a game, exuding a cold, aloof air that was hard to ignore.
In that moment, a face that looked exactly like Adam's flashed through her mind—that man she had sparred with earlier today.
She tilted her head to look at her son and sighed softly.
Adam was becoming more and more like Gilbert Watson, down to that same distant, emotionless aura.
Her heart sank.
If Adam ever appeared in front of Gilbert or worse, in front of the media. Their parent-child connection would be exposed in an instant.
And if that devil Gilbert found out he had a son, he'd stop at nothing to take Adam away.
And then there was Emma. Adam could never appear in front of that vicious woman. It would be far too dangerous.
"Not hungry." Dean replied coolly without even sparing her a glance.
Claire froze.
What was with this boy today?
"Adam, Hilary, it's getting late. Go get some rest. I'll take you to kindergarten the day after tomorrow," Claire said with a warm smile, thinking perhaps the kids were feeling down from staying home for too long.
"We're starting kindergarten already?" Dean looked up at once. "Which school?"
He was currently attending Blue Whale Noble Kindergarten, though he didn't like it one bit.
"Blue Sky Kindergarten," Claire replied with a gentle smile. Clearly, her son still wanted to go to school.
Dean's eyes lit up. He liked Blue Sky Kindergarten. Not bad!
"Mummy, what happened to your face?" Suddenly, Hilary's small, delicate fingers brushed against Claire's cheek, and she gasped.
There were five faint fingerprints. Someone had slapped her.
Hilary's large almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears.
Claire was caught off guard.
Because of the slap from Emma two days ago, Claire had been deliberately coming home late, hoping the kids wouldn't notice. As a single mother raising two children alone in America, she had long lost track of how many hardships they'd endured. Every time, the two little ones would worry themselves sick over her. Over time, they'd become extremely sensitive, and Claire had always tried to bear the weight of misfortune alone, never wanting them to see it.
She thought the marks on her face had faded, thought everything was fine but Hilary's sharp eyes had still caught it.
"Mummy… did someone hit you?" Hilary sniffled, her soft voice on the verge of tears.
Claire quickly turned her face away.
"Hilary, of course not. Mummy's strong. No one would dare hit me," she said with a laugh, picking her up and kissing her round cheek.
"No way… you're lying to me," Hilary turned around and tried to cup Claire's face with both hands, wanting to see for herself.
Claire had no choice but to explain, "Sweetheart, how could Mummy lie to you? I just had a mild allergic reaction from eating shrimp yesterday. I'm totally fine now."
"Really?" Doubt flickered in Hilary's beautiful eyes, but she nodded obediently. "Mummy, if anyone ever dares to bully you, Adam and I won't let them get away with it!"
"Thank you, Hilary, Adam." Claire's heart melted. "Alright now, it's getting late. Mummy still has to work overtime. Time for bed, you two."
She took Adam and Hilary to the bathroom. After they'd had their showers, the kids headed straight to bed on their own.
Claire, however, went into the study and buried herself in her work, diving into the meticulous world of perfume formulation.
Since Gilbert demanded proof of her abilities, she wouldn't just recreate her mother's classic formulas. She would craft new ones on top of them, aiming for a breakthrough success.
She picked up the black folder her grandmother had left her and retrieved her mother's perfume recipes.
Suddenly, a card slipped out and fell onto the desk.
She paused.
When she picked it up and looked closely.
It was a VIP bank card.
Her name was printed on it.
Stunned, she quickly rifled through the folder.
Sure enough.
She found a folded note.
As she read it, tears welled in her eyes.
It was a message from her grandmother, Gina:
"Claire, this is the last time your grandmother can help you. I've left all my savings for you. The money is in this card. It's only ten million, but I hope it helps ease your burden.
Take care of your two children. Find a man who truly loves you. Live a happy and fulfilling life.
The password is your mother's birthday. I hope you can revive the Zanna Perfume Shop and avenge your mother.
Stay strong. Grandma believes in you."