Chapter 84 Chapter 84
Maxwell
Rafe’s company building was quiet when I arrived. The receptionist greeted me, but I didn’t slow down. I went straight to the private elevator that led to his floor.
When I stepped into his office, he was standing by the window, hands in his pockets, staring out at the city.
“Max,” he said, motioning me to a seat. “Took you long enough to make it.” He said.
“I was busy and tired, and didn't have plans of leaving the house again yesterday.” I said.
“Hmmmmmm, busy with Amelia I guess.” He said smiling.
I lowered myself into the chair across from him and folded my hands on my lap. “So, what’s so important that you wanted to see me in person?” I asked, trying to keep my tone casual, though the hint of curiosity crept in.
Rafe walked back to his desk and leaned against it instead of sitting. “I had a meeting at the park earlier. Supposed to meet with a client but he came really late.”
I raised a brow. “And?”
“And while I was waiting, I noticed two little girls playing near the fountain.” His voice changed slightly, less casual now. “Max, they looked exactly like your mom.”
I let out a short laugh. “You dragged me here because you saw two kids that resemble my mother?”
Rafe didn’t laugh. I watched his face more closely now. He wasn’t joking. “They had her eyes,” he continued quietly. “The same shape. Same sharp look, even the way one of them tilted her head when she smiled, it was too identical.”
I shook my head. “Lots of people have similar features.”
Without saying another word, Rafe unlocked his phone, he scrolled for a few seconds, then walked around the desk and handed it to me.
I took it casually. Then I looked at the screen and everything inside me went still. Two little girls, maybe four or five years old, one had her hair tied into two small puffs. The other was chasing her, laughing. The sunlight hit their faces clearly.
My throat went dry, the resemblance wasn’t small, It was undeniable. They looked like my mother, not just similar, they carried her face.
I swallowed slowly. “How…” My voice came out rough. “How is it possible for a child to look so much like someone unless they are related?”
Rafe watched me carefully. “That’s what I thought.”
I zoomed in on the picture, studying every detail. “These girls are related to her somehow,” I muttered. “There’s no other explanation.” A darker thought slipped into my mind, and my grip on the phone tightened.
“Could they be the child Rhea was talking about?” Rafe asked, but I shook my head.
“I don’t think so, she says it’s a boy and it’s just one, not two.” I said. “Did you trace them?” I asked quickly. “Did you follow them? Get their names? Their guardian’s number?”
Rafe shook his head. “I didn’t want to cause attention. I only snapped the picture because something felt off.”
I handed the phone back slowly, my pulse now beating hard in my ears.
“Send me those pictures please,” I said, my voice no longer casual. No humor left in me. “I think I need to find them, they might be mine, Rhea must have lied about the gender. I never trusted her from the beginning.” I said.
Rafe’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What if they belong to Declan, you can’t rule that out too. You said you saw him with a little girl around that age too?”
I stood up, adjusting my cuff slowly to hide the tension in my hands. “Still, I need to know but something tells me those girls belong to me. ” I said quietly, “this is getting crazy, Rafe, I will do anything to get to the bottom of this, they might be mine.” I repeated.
“Did you see who they were with?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“There was a woman sitting on a bench a few feet away,” he said. “I couldn’t see her face clearly. She left with them when my meeting finally started.”
I ran a hand through my hair, pacing once.
“We can go back to the park and ask around, ” Rafe added carefully. “It will be easier to find them since we have a picture.”
“I appreciate it,” I said quietly.
That night, I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, one arm wrapped loosely around Amelia as she rested on my chest. The room was dim, quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner. Her fingers traced lazy circles over my shirt, her body warm against mine.
She said something about a funny meeting we had with a crazy client today adding a dramatic imitation of him. Normally, I would have laughed, but I didn't. She lifted her head slightly and looked at me. “Are you okay, you seem off somehow.”
I forced a small smile. “I am just tired.”
Her eyes narrowed gently. She shifted so she was propped up on her elbow, studying my face. “No. You have been off since you came back from Rafe’s office. What happened?”
I hesitated.My hand rested on her back, but my mind was miles away. “Amelia,” I said slowly, “do you think Declan has a kid? Or children hidden somewhere?”
She blinked, clearly not expecting that. “Declan?” she repeated. “No, I am sure he doesn’t. Why would you even ask that?”
“You are sure?” I pressed.
“Yes,” she said firmly. “If he had kids, I would know. He doesn’t.”
I nodded slowly, then reached for my phone on the nightstand. My chest felt tight as I unlocked it and opened the message Rafe had sent earlier. “I need you to see something,” I said quietly.
She sat up properly now, curiosity replacing her earlier playfulness. I turned the phone toward her. The picture filled the screen. Two little girls, frozen in laughter under the sunlight.
Amelia’s body went rigid, she snatched the phone from me and got up abruptly. “Who….. who are they?” She stuttered
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Rafe saw them at the park today.”
She looked at the picture more closely, then her expression changed. “They…”
“Look like my mom,” I finished. “I am thinking,” I said carefully, “that either these are Rhea’s kids and she lied about having just one boy…”
The words felt heavy in my mouth. “Or,” I continued, my voice lowering, “someone out there has children for me and never told me.”
Amelia’s eyes widened slightly. “I need to use the toilet.” She said as she stood up and ran into the bathroom.