The boy was tall and lean, with clean–cut features and a gentle smile. The girl had long black hair down to her waist, braces on her teeth and the delicate features of a future beauty.
“Who… who are they?” Billy asked, panic flashing in his eyes.
“They’re my kids,” I said with pride.§
“Mom.“&
“Mom.”
They called out sweetly, walking straight toward me. My daughter clung to my arm affectionately as they sat beside me.
“Go ahead, kids. Tell everyone your names,” I said.”
The girl looked around and said in a soft, sweet voice, “My name is Chloe. This is my brother Caleb. Crystal Oldford is our mom.“}
“Crystal, have you lost your damn mind?” Billy snapped. “Where the hell did you find those kids? And what kind of sick joke is it to name them the same as mine?”
I smiled coldly. “Oh, so you can name your kids Chloe and Caleb, but I can’t?“}
Billy’s voice was rising. “Are you saying they’re really yours?“}
I nodded. “Yes. They’re my biological children. Same age as your two, also seniors in high school.”
Murmurs swept through the room.
People glanced between my kids and his.
Billy’s kids–dark–skinned, chubby, acne–covered–looked like they hadn’t seen a gym or skincare routine in their lives. Mine? Tall. Clean. Beautiful.
“Crystal’s kids are gorgeous,” someone whispered.
“Yeah, the girl is adorable. Look at those rosy cheeks. And the boy looks like he stepped out of a teen drama.“} “Compared to them, Billy’s kids couldn’t even be their assistants.”
Billy’s face twisted as he looked at his own children–plump, oily, awkward. The more he looked, the worse it got.
“Oh, I forgot to add more to that. Your kids hit puberty early, became overweight and developed violent tendencies,” I gave a sly smile.§ “You’re bullshitting!” Billy snapped.”
“Don’t believe me? Then maybe get them checked at the hospital next time you have a minute,” I said sweetly.
Then I turned to him with a mocking smile. “And another thing. Don’t you find it odd that your kids have the exact same names as mine?“} Billy’s hands were already shaking.
He tried to brush it off, but the panic was showing.}
“What are you getting at?“>
I tilted my head to the papers in Denise’s hand. “Take another look at the ownership transfer agreement you signed earlier.”}
He grabbed the document without thinking.
“What about it?”
“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” Denise said after a long look.
Caleb and Chloe nodded, smug.”
“Crystal, your fortune belongs to us now. Stop pretending you’ve got something up your sleeve,” Billy snapped.”
“Oh, Billy,” I sighed, shaking my head. “You were with me for over a decade and you didn’t learn a thing, did you?“}
Then I turned to Denise. “And you–you were just staff before Billy promoted you behind my back. Didn’t pick up anything useful along the way? Other than sleeping your way up the ladder?“}
I glanced at their twins, still signing desperately. “And you two… yeah, guess you didn’t learn much either. Definitely your parents‘ kids- same level of brilliance.”
I chuckled. “Not one of you realized–the ID numbers on the documents? They belong to my kids. Not yours. Chloe and Caleb aren’t exactly rare names, you know. But look at the birthdates. Two sets of different birthdays. Still didn’t raise any red flags?“N
“What?!“E
Panic set in as they scrambled to reread the contract.
Sure enough, the identity numbers listed were for my Chloe and Caleb–not theirs.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched their horrified faces.>>
No one knew this–but I had been given a second chance at life.
In my past life, when Billy showed up with a pair of twins, I trusted him blindly. I took those children in as my own, gave them the best of everything, molded them into elite students and sent them off to Princeton and Yale.%
At their graduation party, Billy got me drunk and while I was unconscious, had me sign over all of my assets to his and Denise’s children.!! When I woke up, my parents and I were kicked out of our home. Every last bit of my wealth was stolen.!!
My father collapsed from a heart attack that night and passed away.
My mother, devastated, slipped and cracked her skull while handling the funeral arrangements. She died, too!!
When I tried to confront Billy, he and Denise oushed me off a high–rise building. My body was shattered in multiple places. blood pooling
4:27 PM.
My mother, devastated, slipped and cracked her skull while handling the tuneral arrangements. She died, too.N
When I tried to confront Billy, he and Denise pushed me off a high–rise building. My body was shattered in multiple places, blood pooling beneath me. I was rushed to the hospital and barely pulled back from the brink of death, kept alive by a ventilator.
I could’ve survived–my injuries were treatable. But then I saw them. The very children I had raised with my own hands–those ungrateful bastards–reached over and pulled the plug.
