Chapter 65: Custody Battle

Hearing Sienna's furious voice, Alexander gripped his phone tighter. It was just like five years ago—whenever Layla was angry, she'd call Sienna to vent. Alexander knew exactly what kind of venom would pour from her lips, yet he'd always chosen to turn a deaf ear.

"Sienna, I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apologies. The virus research has made a breakthrough—two more detox sessions and the toxins will be completely eliminated. Alexander, when that day comes, I hope we never see each other again."

After hanging up, Sienna was still seething. She stormed to the kitchen and downed a glass of water in one gulp.

Just as she set the glass down, her phone buzzed again—not a call this time, but a video chat. Seeing the caller ID, Sienna quickly answered.

"Mommy, it hurts so much!" William's tear-streaked face filled the screen as he thrust his injured hand toward the camera.

Sienna raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching with amusement. "Did a dog bite you?"

William nodded pitifully, his theatrical sobbing making Sienna chuckle despite herself.

The phone was quickly snatched away by Henry. "Mommy, don't listen to William's sob story. He insisted on bothering this dog that was minding its own business. When it ignored him, he started throwing rocks at it. That's when he got bitten."

Sienna could picture the scene perfectly—William, probably terrified but too stubborn to back down, provoking the poor animal until it retaliated.

"Mommy, you don't love me anymore!" William wailed dramatically, his performance so over-the-top that Sienna burst into laughter.

"Alright, I get it. I'll ask Ethan to have a doctor give you a rabies shot."

"I don't want a shot!" William's protests grew more frantic.

Henry was helpless. William's needle phobia was legendary—this was going to be a nightmare.

As Sienna studied Henry's face through the screen, her expression suddenly grew serious. "Henry, are you feeling unwell?"

Henry's face flushed with embarrassment. "Mommy, Mrs. Smith examined me. I'm fine now."

Mrs. Smith? Sienna realized he must mean James's mother, Amara—the internationally renowned genetic research expert. The knowledge eased her worry somewhat.

"Henry, if you're tired, tell Mommy. Don't push yourself. I know adjusting to a new environment is hard for you. I'll finish my work in two days and come see you both, okay?"

Henry nodded, tears pooling in his eyes. The sight made Sienna's heart ache.

"Mommy, I'll be good."

For any mother, watching her child suffer from a distance was a special kind of torture—helpless and heartbreaking.

"Henry, time for your medicine!" The gentle voice wasn't Elodie's or Haven's. Before Sienna could wonder who it was, a face appeared on the screen.

The woman was elegant and refined, with smooth skin marked only by laugh lines at the corners of her eyes. Her hair was a distinguished silver, and something about her face struck Sienna as oddly familiar and comforting.

"Mrs. Smith, I'm video chatting with Mommy!" Henry announced.

Amara paused, glancing down at the phone in Henry's hands. The face on the screen was almost identical to her own younger self—the resemblance was uncanny.

"You... are you Sable?" she whispered.

Sable? Sienna looked puzzled. "Mrs. Smith, I'm Sienna, James's classmate. Thank you so much for taking care of the three children."

Amara's hands trembled as she took the phone. This was her daughter—her own flesh and blood, and she was absolutely beautiful.

"No need to thank me. They're wonderful children, and I adore them. Sienna... are you doing well?"

Sienna smiled and nodded. "Thank you for asking, Mrs. Smith. I'm fine. Henry has a weak heart—new environments tend to trigger episodes. I left medication with Elodie and the others, specially formulated for Henry. William has a tendency toward intestinal blockages, but he's such a foodie that his diet needs constant monitoring..."

As Sienna methodically listed each child's care instructions, tears began streaming down Amara's face.

"These past few years, raising them alone... it must have been incredibly difficult."

Sienna was taken aback by Amara's tears, but found her own eyes misting in response. "With the children by my side, it wasn't difficult at all."

After the call ended, Amara retreated to her bedroom and broke down completely. Paxton informed Ethan, who found his mother sobbing behind her closed door.

"Mom, are you alright?"

Amara shook her head, her grief overwhelming. "It's all my fault. I was so obsessed with proving myself professionally. Even knowing I was about to give birth, I insisted on attending that research conference. And I lost Sable because of it. What good is being a genetic research expert when none of it matters compared to my daughter? I'm the reason she's suffered all these years. It's all my fault."

Ethan wrapped his arms around his mother. He knew Sienna's full story now—how her adoptive parents, despite being from a wealthy family, had treated her harshly. Only her academic excellence had saved her from worse treatment in the Blake household.

When the Blakes found their biological daughter, they'd severed all ties with Sienna without a second thought. Left without family and tormented by the Knight family, Sienna had fled the country in despair after her divorce.

Discovering her pregnancy abroad, she'd worked multiple jobs while studying, her belly growing larger each day. She'd given birth to triplets—all with medical conditions—and raised them alone. Amara couldn't bear to imagine how her daughter had endured such hardship.

"Mom, Sienna's still here, isn't she? We can bring her home and spend the rest of our lives making up for lost time. The three children are part of the Smith family now—isn't that wonderful?"

Amara nodded, thinking of her three precious grandchildren, her heart swelling with protective love.

"The Knight family can't be allowed near Sienna anymore. I heard she's even treating their illnesses—they're taking advantage of the fact that she has no family to protect her. Call your useless father immediately. Tell him to get to Novaria. Custody of those three children belongs to the Smith family."

Ethan nodded—he'd already set the wheels in motion, though the process was creating quite a stir and had caught Alexander's attention.

"Alexander, someone's trying to claim custody of your daughter. What's the matter—don't want her anymore?" Mason's call dripped with barely concealed glee.

Alexander's blood ran cold. "Who dares touch my daughter?"

Mason's smirk was audible through the phone. Hearing Alexander panic was absolutely delicious.

"Well, well. Remember that adoption arrangement you were so clever about? Now they're using the biological mother's family status to challenge it. Alexander, my friend, you've outsmarted yourself right into losing everything."

Alexander rubbed his temples. He'd originally planned to officially bring all three children into the Knight family, but Daniel's sudden poisoning had delayed the paperwork for months. With Henry and William's passports abroad, if Olivia's custody was transferred, he'd lose his wife and children in one fell swoop.

"You have the paternity test results. Get down there immediately and file the paperwork. We cannot let them remove Olivia from our custody."

Mason chuckled. "Already on it. You know, it's almost poetic—your wife doesn't want you, your kids barely know you. A regular one-man tragedy."