The Valentine family's villa.
Eliza hummed joyfully as she prepared dinner in the kitchen.
Demarion moved over a small stool and sat in the center of the kitchen. He rested his chin on both hands and tilted his head to look at Eliza. "Mommy."
Eliza, who was busy cutting the vegetables, paused and looked at him. "What's wrong?"
"If only you were my biological mommy."
He stared into her eyes seriously and said, "You know, our eyes look the same. What if you actually turn out to be my biological mother?"
Eliza smiled helplessly as she turned around to continue doing her task at hand. "I've never given birth to children..."
She stopped abruptly.
She did have a miscarriage five years before.
Did that count as having experience in giving birth?
Eliza's heart ached when she thought about her past. She changed the topic instantly, "Have you never seen your biological mother before?"
"No, I've never seen her before."
Demarion shook his head while saying, "I heard that my mother died while giving birth to us."
"Despite what they told us, I still believe that my mother is still alive somewhere in this world! She's still waiting for us to find her!"
Listening to Demarion's goal, Eliza's heart went out to him.
She cut off a small piece of ham and stuffed it into Demarion's mouth. Then, she squatted down and hugged him. "Hold on to that dream. You'll definitely meet her one day."
"Once you grow up into an adult, you can go and find her!"
Demarion could feel the warmth of her body. While eating the piece of ham, he thought dejectedly,
"If only Eliza is my real mother..."
A small part of Demarion still yearned to meet his own mother.
In the study upstairs.
Braint sat in the office with his arms crossed. Opposite him was Beau. He was a spitting image of his father.
"Why did you forgive that woman?"
Eliza was almost ravished because of Esme's evil schemes.
"How can he let that evil woman go, after the things that she had done to mommy?" Braint thought.
Beau looked at him indifferently. "Of course I didn't forgive her."
Esme was still advancing her career. In the future, Beau would have plenty of opportunities to make her suffer in the business field.
For now, he could only do so much to teach her a lesson.
If Beau made the incident into a big issue, he wouldn't be able to satiate the public's curiosity.
Demarion and Braint were at risk of exposing their identities, which could jeopardize their peaceful lives at the moment.
Though Beau had full confidence that he could silence the media with his power, he still wouldn't want to risk his children's safety.
It was a promise he had to uphold to someone special.
"What do you mean by that?"
Seeing that Beau wasn't uttering a word, Braint bit his lip and asked with frustration.
Compared to Demarion, Braint was a lot more mature and collected. Demarion, on the other hand, was more like a typical child who could explore his emotions without a care of the consequences.
Beau looked at him and smiled, "You really do care for Eliza, huh?"
Braint blushed and turned his face away. "She's part of our family after all."
Beau crossed his arms around his chest and sized him up. "Is that the only reason why you're acting like this?"
"Yes."
Braint jumped off the desk and said, "Since you refuse to help me, I will deal with that evil woman myself."
After that, he strode out of the study.
"Wait a minute."
Beau, who was sitting on the chair, pointed to the box on the table and said, "Take that box to Eliza and tell her that it's a gift from you."
Braint picked up the small box and glanced at it. "Are these some kind of branded cosmetics?"
He looked at Beau sternly.
"Daddy isn't the type who likes to send gifts, unless... he did something wrong to mommy," Braint thought with suspicion.
Beau felt uneasy after experiencing his son's death stare.
He coughed awkwardly and said, "I asked your cousin to look out for Eliza today."
"Oh, that idiot messed up again."
Sighing, Braint held on to the box and walked out. "I'll forgive you for now."
Looking at his son's back, Beau chuckled as he shook his head helplessly.
"Hello, uncle!"
The moment Braint left, Beau's phone rang. "Is Eliza home?" Matthew's voice echoed from the receiver.
"I bet she told you about her resignation as a stuntwoman, right?"
"Is she happy?"
Beau narrowed his eyes sinisterly and replied, "Yes, she is over the moon."
"I told you, you can always count on me!"
"I did a good job, right?"
"Yes. Since you're so diligent in carrying out my orders, I'm sure you'll be more than happy to work for me without pay for the next few months."
Judging from Beau's tone, Matthew knew that he had done something wrong.
After a while, Matthew calmed down his nerves and replied, "Uncle, don't you worry, I'll find a better way to make Eliza happy!"
"That sounds more like it."
Beau said in an indifferent tone, "Your salary next month depends on the decisions you make. So, make sure you think properly before doing anything."
Upon hearing that, Matthew broke out in a cold sweat.
He came to a realization that transferring Eliza to another job post was a stupid move.
After dinner, Eliza returned to her room with Braint's gift.
She had heard about that brand of cosmetics before. It was a luxury brand which she could never afford.
She didn't expect Braint to give her something so expensive, and it was just right after she complained about having to bask under the hot sun for the entire day. He was incredibly thoughtful of her.
Eliza sat in front of her dressing table and took a few pictures with the cosmetic products. Then, she opened the bottle carefully and applied it to her face. She bragged to Graciana on the phone, "Look at what my son gave me! It really does miracles to my skin!"
Beau leaned against the door. He could not help but smile when he noticed how pleased she was.
How could such a small gift make her so happy?
She was giddy enough to show off to her friends.
"I'm so jealous of you! I also want to have two handsome and thoughtful children!"
Graciana replied enviously, "Actually, I am very curious about your husband's real looks."
"I heard that he looks horrendous. It just doesn't make sense for him to have beautiful children."
Eliza pursed her lips. "My husband is not ugly..."
Beau smiled when he heard the way Eliza addressed him.
For some reason, he felt elated when she called him 'her husband'. It brought him back to that day, where she was soaked wet in the bathtub, looking all provocative and seductive.
"When are you going to show me your husband's face then?"
"I don't want to. I figure that he wants to maintain a low profile since nobody really knows his real looks. I want to respect his privacy."
"Stop lying! I know he doesn't have great looks!"
"I'm not lying! You're just jealous!"
Just when the ladies were busy bickering with one another, the butler, Alfredo John, called out to Beau.
"Sir!"
Alfredo came upstairs to serve the children some warm milk. While ascending the stairs, he saw Beau leaning against the door.
Graciana and Eliza stopped bickering the moment they heard Alfredo.
Quickly, she turned to look outside.
It seemed like Beau had been standing there for quite a while now.
"Eliza, I'm sure your husband looks like a monster! Or else, you won't be that reluctant to show me his face!"
Graciana's cheeky voice echoed through the receiver.
Petrified, Eliza turned and switched off her phone. "I...I'm just fooling around with my friend...," Eliza stuttered.
"Are you guys joking about me?"
Beau closed the door and approached her with an emotionless expression.
Feeling his intimidating aura, Eliza backed off instinctively. She accidentally tripped over the edge of the bed and fell on the bed.
Beau towered over her by pressing her arms to the side.
He grabbed the phone swiftly and pressed the 'video call' button.
Soon, Graciana's stunned face appeared on the phone.
Beau turned off the volume and looked down at her. "Eliza."
"Am I really that ugly to you?" She could feel his breath near her cheeks at such a close distance.