Chapter 273
Emily's previously gentle expression suddenly froze.
She jerked her head up to look at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.
His eyebrows furrowed. "Is there a problem?"
Though his voice remained calm, it couldn't suppress the surge of emotions beneath.
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, unsure where to begin.
After pressing her lips together in silence for several seconds, she mentally replayed his words. "Alexander, we signed divorce papers years ago with the intention of ending our marriage. I appreciate your help now, but you don't need to go this far."
Previously, because of Eleanor, they had remained married for three years, only to become a resentful couple.
She couldn't possibly repeat those mistakes just because he felt guilty.
Their relationship should have ended three years ago.
"I'm serious about bringing you all back to the Foster family. I'll treat you well and regard the children as my own. No one will ever know their true identity."
Emily interrupted him, "Not everything can be hidden, and besides, I don't want any further connection with you. I'm grateful for your help with the public opinion situation, but that's as far as it goes."
Those words seemed to create an unbridgeable chasm between them, making his chest ache.
After staring at her intently for a long moment, he finally spoke softly, "Emily, I wronged you back then. Now I genuinely want to make amends. Can't you give me one chance?"
She lowered her gaze slightly, avoiding his eyes to prevent being swayed. "Let's not mention the past anymore. I'm content with my current life and don't want any more changes."
Without giving him another chance to speak, she pushed open the door and returned to the bedroom. "Wow, you're having so much fun! I want to join too!"
"Mommy, come quick!"
With the three of them playing so joyfully, Alexander naturally couldn't continue their previous conversation.
He stood there watching their warm, harmonious scene, suddenly realizing that this was the kind of life he had longed for since childhood.
He could have had this too, couldn't he?
But had he destroyed it with his own hands?
The next day, the Foster Group announced Alexander and Emily's marriage, publicly acknowledging the twins as their children.
When this news broke, all of Bellevue was shocked, sending ripples through the Foster family as well.
"You must bring them back!" Quentin's expression was grim, but even seated, his authority remained undiminished.
"Why?" Alexander scoffed, his eyes flashing with mockery. "I remember you never liked her. Have you changed your mind now?"
"Emily doesn't matter, but the Foster family's children absolutely cannot remain outside the family!"
He laughed coldly, the coldness in his eyes becoming more pronounced.
"If it's so important, why didn't you bring Daniel back years ago? What's the difference?"
Quentin's health wasn't good, and Alexander's sarcasm made his complexion worse, triggering a violent coughing fit.
Natalie had been reluctant to get involved in the father-son conflict, but seeing this, she spoke up. "Alexander, weren't you always hung up on Emily? Now that she has children, bring them back. The children should recognize their heritage."
They had no interest in Emily, but they clearly wanted the children at any cost.
Alexander pressed his tongue against his cheek, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And then what? Bring them back so you can torment them?"
"Alexander!" Quentin was furious, his expression turning extremely ugly. "Will you hand the mighty Foster Group to outsiders? You'd better bring them back quickly. If Daniel has children, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
All his life's work was invested in the Foster Group. Everything else was expendable in his eyes.
Alexander had understood this point when he fell into a coma after his car accident years ago.
But hearing it directly now still felt terrible.
"In your dreams!" he said coldly. "The children are mine. I'll give them a good life, but I won't let them become your pawns."
"Ungrateful son!" Quentin was truly enraged, grabbing an ashtray from the coffee table and hurling it at Alexander.
He didn't dodge. The ashtray hit his shoulder before falling to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Eleanor, who had come downstairs after hearing the commotion, witnessed this scene, her eyes filling with obvious panic.
"What are you doing?" She hurried down with her cane, approaching Alexander. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine."
Toward Eleanor, he was always respectful.
Alexander reached out to support her. "Grandmother, why did you come downstairs? The wind is strong these days. Don't catch a cold."
"How could I catch a cold in my own home?" She looked at the mess on the floor and sighed. "What's going on between you two? Can't you discuss things civilly instead of fighting?"
The tense atmosphere between Quentin and Alexander in the living room eased slightly with Eleanor's arrival, but the issue remained unresolved.
Natalie narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke at the right moment, "Mom, today's matter isn't just between Quentin and Alexander—it also concerns Emily. To handle this properly, we need your personal involvement."
She knew that both Alexander and Emily would listen to Eleanor.
If they wanted Emily and her children to return to the Foster family, Eleanor would need to step in.
"What's happened?" Eleanor's attention was clearly piqued.
"Mom!"
Before Natalie could continue, Alexander cut her off, "Grandmom is elderly. Let's not trouble her with this."
"How could this be troublesome? Your grandmom has always worried about you. She'll be delighted to learn you have children now." Natalie directly revealed the key point.
Eleanor's expression changed slightly, and her look toward Alexander grew stern. "Don't tell me Sophie is pregnant?"
"Grandmom, what are you thinking!" Alexander, thinking of Emily's cold attitude, quickly denied it, afraid of causing further misunderstanding.
"Not her? Don't tell me you've been fooling around with someone else?" Her expression darkened further. "How could you do this to Emily? I told you to keep your distance from Sophie, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've even had children with another woman?"
"Mom, what are you saying?" Natalie smiled. "The children are Alexander and Emily's—a set of twins. I met them once. They're adorable."
Eleanor's eyes brightened. "You and Emily have children? That's wonderful! Bring them home quickly. Oh my, I was hoping you two would have children three years ago, and now you actually do? And twins?"
Faced with Eleanor's obvious delight, Alexander's expression changed. "No, they can't come to the Foster family."