Chapter 4
Lucas was back!
Without a second thought, Juliana scooped up the small figure hiding in the shrubs.
"Mommy, run!" The little one in her arms seemed even more panicked than she was.
Juliana bolted toward the other side of the estate, not daring to look back. The Sharp property was massive—she had no idea where she was going, just running instinctively toward more secluded areas.
"This way!" The 'Matty' in her arms suddenly pointed in a direction.
There was a tall, dense hedge wall with an inconspicuous gap at the bottom—probably a gardener's path. Juliana didn't hesitate, squeezing through with the child in her arms. The narrow trail wound away as the bodyguards' shouts and hurried footsteps gradually faded behind them.
Juliana ran until she was gasping for breath. Looking down at the disheveled little figure in her arms, her heart raced with shock and fear.
"Matthew! How on earth did you get here?!" This was the Sharp family estate—heavily guarded. How could a seven-year-old possibly sneak in undetected?
Damian flinched at her stern tone, answering quietly, "I... I followed you, Mommy."
Juliana looked into those eyes that so resembled her own. The anger dissipated, transforming into a helpless sigh. She didn't have time to investigate further right now. The priority was getting out of here immediately.
On the other side, the butler bowed. "Mr. Sharp, Ms. Wells waited quite some time for you. Ms. Hale... persuaded her to leave."
Lucas's expression darkened. He'd specifically carved out time today to have that woman come soothe his son, who was on a hunger strike in protest. Bianca couldn't manage his own son, but some other woman had won him over!
"Where's Dami?" He suppressed his displeasure.
"Master Damian is still in his room, refusing to come out."
Lucas strode upstairs and pushed open his son's door. Empty.
His voice turned ice-cold. "Where is he?"
The servants immediately scattered throughout the mansion to search. The result was the same—Damian was gone.
"Useless!" Lucas marched straight to the security room.
Just minutes earlier, that woman Juliana had been caught on camera carrying a small figure, running through a gap in the courtyard wall.
Her again!
This woman had some nerve! Once was coincidence. Twice was deliberate!
Fury blazed in Lucas's eyes.
"Boss..." The head bodyguard began tentatively.
"Find her!" Lucas ground out through clenched teeth. "And dig up everything—every single detail about what she's been doing abroad these seven years! I want to know exactly who she is to dare make moves against the Sharp family repeatedly!"
On the way home, Juliana called Paul. He and Mary had gone grocery shopping and wouldn't be back for a while. After hanging up, she glanced at 'Matty' sitting rigidly beside her. His white shirt was so filthy the original color was unrecognizable. He looked utterly bedraggled.
But Juliana's suspicions only grew stronger. Though Matty was clever, his temperament was quiet. He'd never do something like tailing her or infiltrating a wealthy estate. Today's behavior was completely out of character.
The car stopped downstairs. Juliana pulled him quickly upstairs. The moment they entered, she pointed toward the bathroom. "Go on, take those dirty clothes off and get cleaned up."
Damian looked around the unfamiliar environment with a mixture of shyness and curiosity. He nodded obediently.
"Need Mommy's help?" Juliana asked instinctively, watching him fumble with his shirt buttons.
"No!" Damian immediately refused, clutching the clean clothes Juliana had pulled from her suitcase as he ran into the bedroom. "I can do it myself!"
He slammed the door shut with a bang.
Juliana stared at the closed door, shaking her head helplessly. She chalked it up to him getting older and wanting privacy. She'd wait until he came out to get to the bottom of today's incident.
Inside the bedroom.
Damian hugged the clothes while curiously examining the room. It was warmly decorated, with many books and models he'd never seen on the desk. As he looked around, a small head suddenly popped up from behind the desk.
Damian froze.
Matthew lifted his head from behind a thick copy of Introduction to Astrophysics, finding himself face-to-face with a boy who looked exactly like him.
One wore a filthy white shirt, face smudged like a little tabby cat. The other wore clean loungewear, his expression cool and pristine.
Two pairs of identically shaped, identically colored eyes locked onto each other. The two adorable children stared at their mirror images, both rooted to the spot.
Damian's mind went blank looking at the clean, composed boy who'd emerged from behind the desk.
Matthew was more collected.
"Who are you?" Matthew spoke first.
Damian instinctively stepped back, clutching the clothes tighter, his eyes full of wariness and confusion. "I... I'm Damian. Who are you? Why are you in my mommy's house?"
He emphasized 'my mommy' heavily, with childish possessiveness.
Matthew's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. "I'm Matthew. This is my home."
Damian froze.
"My mother's name is Juliana," Matthew added.
"My father's name is Lucas," Damian shot back, unwilling to back down.
Both boys went still.
Damian remembered the warm embrace at the airport, the woman's panicked flight from the Sharp estate. Matthew thought of how, over the past seven years, Mom would sometimes look at his face and say softly that she had another child, somewhere far away.
All the fragments came together in that moment.
Matthew looked at this brother who was both familiar and foreign, stating the conclusion with absolute certainty:
"We're twins."
Not a question. A statement.
Damian's eyes instantly reddened. So that gentle woman really was his mommy.
Overwhelming grief and sudden joy crashed together. Tears welled uncontrollably in his eyes.
A gentle knock came at the door.
Juliana's warm voice drifted through. "Matty? Are you changed? Mommy washed some strawberries for you. They're really sweet."
Both little figures stiffened simultaneously!