“What’s happening? Why am I here? And where are you right now?” Ian questioned impatiently.
“I’m at your house, Ian. We look exactly the same, that’s why everyone blundered! If I’m correct, I think we’re twins,” Matteo said solemnly.
“Twins?” Ian repeated after him.
His two hands gripped the receiver as he tried to make sense of what he just heard.
“Yes, we’re twins. I went to your dad’s office today to look for him because he bullied Mommy. But after I got there, everyone started calling me ‘Ian’. Even your dad got it wrong. That’s why I think we’re twins.”
“Are you sure?” Ian asked again.
“Yeah! Of course! Think about it. I’m sure Mommy and Vivi thought you were Matteo too, right? That means we really look the same! And only twins look the same, isn’t it?” Matteo insisted.
Ian fell into silence.
What he said is right.
But Ian still had his doubts. He craned his neck and looked at Sasha cooking in the kitchen, and recalled having a blast with Vivian, eating all the food he had never tried before.
His face turned sour before he finally spoke again.
“If we’re really twins, why did she abandon me? Daddy even said she died.”
“What?” Matteo blurted out in surprise.
What is he talking about?
Is he talking about Mommy? Is he blaming Mommy right now? And he even said Mommy’s dead!
“Hey! Daddy is a liar! Mommy’s not dead! Mommy also told us Daddy’s dead. But is he?”
Once again, Ian was rendered speechless.
He puffed his cheeks and sulked as he thought about those two annoying adults who had lied.
Meanwhile, Matteo cleared his throat, getting ready to brief Ian about their plan of action.
“Things are complicated between the adults, so we should take whatever they say with a pinch of salt. What we need to do right now is find out why they went their ways. We also have to find out why both of us ended up separated.”
“That’s a clever idea, but how are we gonna do it?” Ian asked.
“Hm… Lemme think… What about we meet up first? I think it’s just a matter of time before Daddy and Mommy realize something’s off. We need to go back to our respective homes before they find out.”
Ian contemplated his suggestion in silence before giving him an answer. Mommy already knew about my existence, but I doubt Daddy knows about Matteo and Vivian, else he would have demanded that she let him meet them.
Matteo’s right. We need to keep things the way they are and make sure none of them finds out.
“Alright, let’s meet,” Ian finally agreed.
“Matt, Vivi! Time to eat! I made pork ribs and fried chicken. They are your favorite!”
Sasha’s called out for the children when she was done cooking.
Matteo heard her from the phone and a blissful smile curved on his bright little eyes. “Alright, off you go, Ian. I think Mommy’s calling you. You’ve never really spent time with her, so enjoy your time at home. She’s the best person in the entire world. I’m sure you’ll like her!”
Ian smacked his lips and glared at the receiver before slamming it back on the switch hook.
“Who called, Matt?” Sasha was putting the plates on the table when she realized Ian looked upset.
“I don’t know. Just some random stranger,” he answered gloomily.
“Okay…”
Sasha was busy setting up the table and decided to just drop the topic. “Come over, Matt. Have some spaghetti. And here are your favorite pork ribs.”
Beside her, Vivian clung to Sasha’s leg and looked at her with watery eyes. “What about me, Mommy? I want my favorite fried chicken too!”
“Of course, sweetie! Come, get a seat. Let’s you a big piece of fried chicken.”
It was such a heartwarming scene—the mother and two children gathered around the table for a meal.
The apartment was plain and was not the very least luxurious. It did not have the opulence of Royal Court One at Frontier Bay, but it had the warmth of a family. It was just another usual day where the family got around for a simple meal—yet they found joy in the simple pleasures of life. This was not something Ian had ever experienced in the cold and empty house back at Frontier Bay.
Ian lowered his head and looked at the mountain of food on his plate and dug in—his heart was full.
Meanwhile, Matteo was also having lunch with his family today. Sebastian cooked, and the two sat quietly at the table as they ate.
Halfway through the meal, Berta came over and announced the arrival of a guest.
“Mr. Hayes, Ms. Green’s here. She brought some honey lemonade for Ian.”
