Chapter 44

Henry quickly opened the door as soon as he got to the entrance.

"Mom."

"Gabriel, you're really here!" Zoey crouched down and scooped Gabriel up in a big hug.

Travis had been chilling on the couch, watching cartoons. But when he saw Zoey hugging Gabriel, he jumped up. "Mom, what about me?"

Zoey reached out and pulled Travis into the hug too.

Claire let out a big sigh of relief, hands on her hips. "How could you two just take off like that? Zoey and I even called the cops. Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?"

Gabriel wriggled out of Zoey's arms. "Claire, we left a note on the table. Didn't you see it?"

Claire looked surprised for a second, then hurried back into the apartment to find the note.

She came back soon, holding a piece of paper with Gabriel's handwriting on it, explaining that he and Travis were hungry and had gone to Henry's house next door for food.

Claire handed the note to Zoey. "I put the shopping bags on the table when I got home, and they must've covered the note, so I didn't see it."

Zoey didn't blame Claire but gave her twin sons a serious look. "Even if you left a note, it's still not okay. This isn't Zephyria; you're not familiar with this place. What if something unexpected had happened?"

Gabriel and Travis immediately admitted their mistake. "Mom, we were wrong."

Seeing their obedient faces, Zoey found it hard to stay mad.

She sighed, reached out to touch her sons' heads, and then looked at Henry. "Mr. Windsor, thanks for looking after my sons. I owe you one."

Henry stared at her. "I need to talk to you alone."

Zoey was taken aback for a moment, then said to Claire, "Take Gabriel and Travis home first."

Claire nodded and gently took the kids by the hand.

Travis turned and waved to Henry. "Henry, thanks for treating Gabriel and me to lunch. When mom has time, she'll treat you to a big meal."

Henry smiled gently at Travis. "Okay."

Zoey was a bit surprised to see that Henry seemed to like her sons.

After Claire took Gabriel and Travis inside, Zoey didn't go into Henry's apartment but stood at the door and asked, "Mr. Windsor, what do you want to talk about?"

"Where's Manuel? Isn't he the father of the kids? Did he just drop them off and leave?" Henry's tone was cold, catching Zoey off guard.

She explained, "Mr. Windsor, you misunderstood. Manuel isn't their father. He's just a friend."

"If he's not the father, then who is?" Henry felt a strange sense of relief and immediately asked Zoey.

He had a faint hope in his heart, hoping Zoey would give the answer he wanted.

Zoey sighed. "Their father was hit by a truck and died."

Even though she sighed, Henry didn't see any sadness on her face. It seemed more like she was cursing.

Zoey noticed Henry's complicated expression after she answered. It wasn't sympathy; it looked more like anger, though she couldn't be sure.

To break the awkward silence, she spoke up, "Mr. Windsor, did you keep me here just for this?"

Henry's eyes dimmed a bit. "Forget it; you can go back."

Zoey returned home, feeling puzzled.

"Mr. Windsor asked you what?" Claire asked as soon as Zoey walked in.

Before Zoey could respond, Travis jumped off his chair, abandoning his yogurt, and ran over. "I know, I know. Henry must have confessed to mom and said he didn't mind Gabriel and me. He'd treat us like his own, right?"

Zoey's forehead twitched. "Why would you think that?"

"Because Henry obviously likes you, and Gabriel and I are so charming that he likes us too. Naturally, he wouldn't care if we're his biological kids or not."

Travis then crossed his arms and put one hand on his chin, thoughtfully. "Mom, don't you think Gabriel and I look a bit like Henry? Maybe we're destined to have a father-son bond."

Zoey's head hurt even more. "Alright, stop with the nonsense. He didn't confess to me, nor did he say he'd treat you as his sons. Instead, you went to his place without permission and made him prepare food for you, which means I owe him a favor. If you do this again, you'll be doing chores every day to earn your allowance, as a way to pay off the favor. I'm not joking."

Seeing Zoey's serious expression, Travis knew she wasn't just warning them.

He scratched his head. "Okay, mom, we won't go to Henry's place without your permission anymore."

Then he returned to his chair and continued eating his strawberry yogurt.

Claire asked Zoey, "Mr. Windsor didn't confess to you? Then did he ask when you'd treat him to a meal?"

Zoey shook her head. "He thought Manuel was the father of the kids and asked about his absence. I was genuinely surprised by his assumption."

Hearing this, Claire's eyes showed a guilty expression, and she couldn't help but touch her nose.

Zoey had been best friends with Claire for years and knew what it meant when she touched her nose.

"What's wrong? Are you hiding something from me?" Zoey frowned and immediately asked Claire.

Claire immediately looked guilty. "Zoey, it's probably my fault. I said something to Mr. Windsor yesterday that made him misunderstand. That's why he thought Manuel was the father when he saw him."

Hearing this, Zoey had a bad feeling.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Tell me, what did you say to Mr. Windsor?"

"It's nothing much. I just wanted Mr. Windsor to feel sorry for you, so I told him you got deceived in a relationship by a jerk while you were abroad. But I didn't mention you had kids. I never thought Gabriel and Travis would show up this morning."

Zoey finally understood why Henry left the restaurant with a gloomy face without greeting Manuel.

It turned out he mistook Manuel for that jerk.