The voice of her children running towards their direction made Aurora freeze automatically. Thanks to the unwelcomed distraction, Axel's hold around her waist and wrist loosened as he too was taken aback by the sudden interruption.
Using this to her advantage, Aurora broke free from him, taking two steps back as her gaze dropped to the little ones who came to stand in between her and Axel, with their backs to him.
"What…what are you two doing here? Hmm? Shouldn't you be getting settled instead of disturbing mummy when she's busy?" Aurora questioned, managing to give a firm stare at them to let them know she wouldn't tolerate disobedience.
"We were getting settled," Aura who inherited the blonde nature of her father's hair, said cutely. "But we saw lots of big-big black cars outside like in those movies with bad men and got scared." She stretched her arms out, emphasizing how big the luxury cars were.
"Not me. I wasn't scared, mummy. I was going to protect Aura," Aqua boasted, placing both hands on his waist.
However, seeing the quizzical look on his mum's face, he knew she could see through his façade. Quickly, he cleared his throat, still keeping up with his act.
"Umm, we wanted to come tell you, and," he paused, seeming to contemplate something briefly when he lifted his head again, sparks shining in his eyes, "he was the one who brought those many cars. He is bad, right?"
Aqua pointed at Axel who was still momentarily fazed by how they referred to his fiancé, and when his blue eyes locked with the striking ones of the little boy, he felt a strange tug in his chest.
"Is Mom alright?" Aura's amber-brown eyes met her mother's as she inquired sweetly, and Aurora hardly knew how to answer such a question when she wasn't alright.
So much had happened within a short span. All of her plans were ruined just by the appearance of the man she so much wanted to flee from.
Watching her shut her eyes and inhale sharply, Aqua's brows drew together. At once he pivoted, glaring at Axel. Seeing her brother take a protective stance, Aura rushed to his side.
As if on cue, their small hands pushed Axel away, creating enough distance to give their mother some air she could breathe.
"Leave our Mom alone!" Aqua yelled, his little voice only sounding cute and noisy in Axel's ears as he watched him protectively stand in front of his mother.
Axel arched a brow which only made Aura flinch and took a defensive approach as she hugged her mother's leg, as if to shield her from the scary-looking man.
"Mum," her melodious shaky voice called out.
Thrown off-guard by the intervention of two squirrels, Axel's pupils constricted upon registering what they referred his fiancé to.
"Mom?" he questioned with furrowed eyebrows, and that brought Aurora back to her senses.
She instinctively pulled her son behind her and turned around to address them quietly, sweat forming on her forehead at their sudden intrusion.
"Listen," Aurora began but Axel's words cut in.
"You have… children?" Axel's voice, which was filled with disbelief, made Aurora turn around to face him, and she kept her children hidden behind her.
However, Axel could see their little heads pop out from their Mother's back, their round eyes staring warily at him.
For a moment he didn't want to believe what his imagination displayed in his head, but then the resemblance between the little boy and him was like gazing at his childhood self.
"Not that it concerns you."
"Aurora, answer me." Axel had raised his voice a bit, scaring her kids and causing a shiver to run down her spine. She knew she had to end this conversation.
"I… I have to go now, please take your leave." Aurora immediately tried to dodge the numerous questions he would throw at her concerning the children, but he beat her to it.
"Who are these children? Where did they come from?"
"My womb." The sarcasm in her voice made his brows furrow. Of course, he knew where they came from. The resemblance they had to him was one he wasn't going to foolishly ignore, but he needed to hear them from the horse's mouth.
"Aurora."
"Axel," she uttered through gritted teeth, not wanting her dad to hear his name. "You're not welcome here, please take your leave and never return."
With that being said, Aurora quickly took her children away, leaving the flabbergasted Axel to stand by himself in the lobby.
When he recollected himself enough to react, she was already gone, but then, his heart soon picked up speed as he summed up the hypothesis in his head.
Were those his children?
Judging from their age, he could tell there was a high chance.
BRRRR! BRRRR!
The vibration of his phone in his pocket snapped his thoughts to the present. Axel instinctively reached a hand into his trouser pocket and brought out his phone, immediately receiving the caller.
It was Ace.
"Speak."
"Boss, I have some shocking news to deliver," came Ace's hesitant voice from the other end, and Axel's eyebrows creased as he awaited what other shocking news had to be disclosed to him.
"Madam's sudden return from her trip isn't the only thing. She's with twins, the tracker we sent said she delivered twins nine months after her disappearance."
Axel frown's deepened. "Your shocking news reached me a little too late," he said with a click of his tongue, "I saw the twins already, but now I have another task for you."
Axel's blue eyes were fixed on the stairs Aurora had climbed with the children, and a hint of possessiveness within them as he ordered, "9 months, right? Fine, find me the father of those children."
"Understood."
As soon as the call ended, his eyes narrowed. '9 months, did she…no, she wouldn't have gotten over me easily and slept with someone just after she ran away, right?'
Just the thought made him clench his fists as veins popped at the side of his head. 'Whoever you are, you'd be damned if you touched my woman.'