Kaye averted her gaze as she met the intense stare of Mikhail.
"This is the reason why I'm against letting you leave the house alone. Now, you've run into that jerk again and he's claiming our son," Raon said in frustration.
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't expect to see him here. Timothy rarely used to come to the mall," Kaye fidgeted. "I just wanted to take Eros out to clear my mind."
Tristan sighed. "Don't blame yourself. What's done is done. Our problem now is how to keep Eros's true identity hidden from Timothy. I'm sure he'll use his influence to investigate."
"N-No... He can't find out about him! I won't let him take my son away from me!" she panicked.
"Kaye, calm down," Kurtis said, holding both of her shoulders. "He won't take Eros away from you. We won't let that happen, okay?"
Kaye nodded, biting her thumbnail anxiously.
"Tsk. If you hadn't left the mansion, none of this would've happened," Mikhail muttered.
"Stop blaming her," Raon snapped.
"Why? I'm just stating the truth," Mikhail retorted.
Kaye lowered her head, holding back tears.
"He's right... It's my fault," she admitted.
"No, Kaye... it's not," Tristan interjected.
"Come back to the mansion now, Kaye," Mikhail said.
She looked up at him, surprised.
"I'm not angry anymore," Mikhail added, looking away. He swallowed his pride to protect her once again.
"B-But... I chose Warren and left you," she stammered.
"I don't care!" Mikhail burst out. "Yes, it hurt, but I realized, who am I to stop you from loving someone else? I'm just your seventh husband, after all."
Kaye burst into tears and hugged him tightly, crying into his chest.
"H-Hey... Stop crying," Mikhail said softly.
"I'm so sorry for breaking your heart again. But believe me, I love you all equally," she sobbed.
Mikhail smiled and wiped away her tears. "I know," he said, then kissed her cheek.
The other men smiled, relieved to see the two reconciled.
"We should go home now and plan for dealing with Timothy," Kurtis suggested.
They all nodded, piling into the car and driving away.
.
.
....
As they returned to the mansion, Mikhail wasted no time and ordered his men to guard the mansion tightly. He also instructed Kira to conceal all information regarding Eros's identity, determined to ensure that Timothy would never discover he was Eros's real father.
After attending to Eros's case, they finally confronted Warren and Kaye's other close male friends. Warren, Shin, Troy, and Ivan found themselves facing Kaye's husbands, including Benjamin, her boyfriend.
"How deeply do you love my wife?" Mikhail's voice was firm as he locked eyes with Warren.
Warren met his gaze unwaveringly. "I love her more than life itself. I've vowed to protect her at any cost. She's been the only woman in my heart since our days in the Serolf Empire. No one can take my love away from her. Even if you object and try to separate us, I'll fight to be with her again. I love her deeply. And if you still doubt me, I'm willing to cut off my pinky finger to prove it."
Mikhail rolled his eyes at the dramatic gesture. "Fine, I get it. No need to cut off your finger. Kaye would beat me if you did that."
Tristan chuckled softly before Mikhail's serious tone brought him back to attention.
"Be serious, Lord Gawain," Mikhail urged.
Tristan scratched his head sheepishly. "My apologies, Your Majesty. Anyway..." His expression turned solemn. "I can sense the sincerity of your feelings for her. I've witnessed firsthand how you've protected Kaye from enemies, especially those who've attempted to kill her. Without your assistance, we wouldn't have been able to save her. And since Kaye loves you just as she loves us, I won't object any longer. Kaye has made her decision, and I respect it. Just promise us that you'll never hurt her."
Mikhail watched Tristan with a poker face, thinking that Tristan was so kind, and he's the type of guy who can easily get scammed.
"Haa! I'll be keeping a close eye on you. Dare to hurt her, and I'll be the one to behead you!" Haru warned Warren, punctuating his words with a stern glare and the 'I'm watching you' gesture.
"I promise I'll never hurt her. I love her," Warren assured them.
Kurtis cleared his throat. "Well, if it's you, then I'm fine with it. We know you, and I trust you. Better you than a stranger. If it were someone else, I'd have no qualms about running them over with a car."
Troy gulped nervously as he listened to their conversation. How scary these people are.
"You have a point. Let's all unite to keep anyone from getting too close to Kaye!" Haru declared.
Mikhail glanced at Raon, Kyle, and Benjamin. "Anything to say?"
"They've already said what I wanted to. All I want is Kaye's happiness. If you all no longer have any objections to Kaye being with Warren, then I am okay with it as well. I have no right to complain anyway; I'm only her sixth husband," Kyle explained.
"I agree. I respect everyone's decisions, especially Kaye's. If she's happy, then I am too," Benjamin added.
Mikhail turned to Raon. "And you?"
"Well... I no longer have any objections to Warren now that you've all decided. My questions are directed to these gentlemen," Raon's gaze bore into Troy, Shin, and Ivan. "I'm aware of your feelings for our wife, and I want to know how deeply you love her."
"I've courted Kaye since our time in the Serolf Empire, and despite her rejecting me multiple times, my love for her remains steadfast. If given the chance, I'm prepared to prove my love to her once more," Shin explained.
"Tch. Enough of that. We all know where this is going. You'll never give up, will you? Let Kaye decide if she wants you or not," Mikhail interjected.
Turning to the others, he continued, "The same goes for you. Confess your feelings to her directly and let her decide. I don't give a damn anymore. Just make sure that I will never see her crying because of you, or else I won't hesitate to bury you alive."
He already has enough with these men anyway.
"Don't worry, I'll never hurt her. My love for her is genuine," Ivan affirmed.
Troy trembled as all eyes turned to him, waiting for his response. "I... I've loved her from the start. I know I can't compete with you all, being just a mere butler, but... I truly love her and am prepared to protect her with my life!" Troy's voice quivered as he spoke.
"I can see... He's the weakest among us," Kurtis remarked.
"Yeah..." Raon agreed with a smirk.
"Hey... You guys are so mean," Troy protested.
Everyone laughed.
"Let's protect Kaye from anyone. Do not let other men approach her. Is that clear?" Mikhail's voice was firm.
"Understood, Your Majesty!" they all responded in unison.
A broad grin spread across Mikhail's face.
.
.
....
"Tsk. What do you mean you can't find any other information about Kaye's son?" Timothy asked his secretary angrily.
"I-I'm very sorry, sir. But we've tried everything. I even hired a private investigators to investigate, but they couldn't find anything about the child's info since the Fuentebella family was protecting him. I think they're responsible for why we can't find his data," his secretary explained.
Timothy sighed in frustration. The only information he had was the report from the civil registry office, stating on Eros's birth certificate that Isaac Fuentebella was his father.
But he didn't want to believe it; something was off about it. How did they already have a child together? He hadn't even seen Izekiel with her before he went to rehab. Izekiel had been missing in action in the past; he only met Mikhail and her other husbands.
And if he really was Izekiel's child, why did they need to hide his information?
They were clearly hiding something.
And he wanted to believe Eros was his son because of their resemblance. Kaye and he spent the night together on the island. And if he counted the months... She got pregnant after spending time with him on the island.
"Kaye... I will find out the truth. If he really is my son, I will do everything to make our family complete. I won't let him grow up believing that one of those bastards was his father," Timothy muttered.
He would fight for his right as his father.