CHAPTER 146: FAMILY

"Sylvia..."

I froze.

It felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs as I stared at the two people I never thought I would see again. My body refused to move; my mind went blank.

Slowly, I turned toward Sylvester. Though his expression remained calm, I caught the faint flicker of tension in his eyes.

"Syl..." The older man’s voice trembled. "My daughter."

My fists clenched tightly at my sides.

My daughter? Really?

When was the last time he called me that? I can’t even remember. And Sylvester... Stephenson... my two brothers. When was the last time I saw them together?

Five years? No—almost six. Six years since I told myself I would never see them again. And yet here they were, standing in front of me like ghosts that refused to stay buried.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice shaking despite my attempt to sound calm. The bitterness bled through no matter how hard I tried to hold it back. "Why now?"

I didn’t want them here. Not in the same room as my children. They weren’t my family anymore—they had no place in my life or in the family I built.

"We came to see Cairo.." Stephenson said simply.

I glared at him, anger rising like a slow-burning flame. Then I turned to Sylvester—the one who had planned all of this, the reason they were here in the first place.

Sylvester didn’t look away from my sharp gaze, he just stayed silent and calm. Of course he did. He was always the calculative one, always doing what he thought was right, no matter who got hurt in the process.

"You shouldn’t be here," I said firmly. "Cairo just woke up, and it’s already too crowded. He needs rest, not stress. And your presence—" I took a breath, forcing myself not to shout. "—isn’t helping him."

My words hung heavy in the air. Neither of them flinched, as if they had already expected my reaction.

"Is that how you treat us now?" Stephenson asked calmly, though I could see the irritation flicker behind his composed expression. "After we came all this way to see Cairo? I see you’re still the same—selfish and cowardly. A sister who didn’t even want to let us see our nephew."

The word sister made my jaw tighten. I glared at him.

"Don’t call me that," I hissed. "We’re no longer family—not now, not ever. And you—"

"Mom?"

The weak voice from the bed stopped me cold.

I turned, my heart twisting. Cairo was awake, his small hand clutching the blanket as he looked at the uninvited guests in confusion.

"U-uncles... and G-grandpa..." he murmured softly, his voice trembling.

Before I could react, Sergio, my father—stepped past me, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"C-Cairo, my dear grandson..." he said shakily, his tone heavy with emotion.

Stephenson quickly followed, steadying him by the arm as they entered the room—both walking right past me, as if I were invisible.

My nails dug into my palms as I tried to keep my composure. Calm down, Sylvia... you can’t lose it here.

Not in front of the kids. Not when Cairo was smiling faintly at them.

You have to stay calm. You have to act composed.

Even if every part of you wants to scream.

"My d-dear grandson... are you alright?"

Sergio asked, his usually firm voice softened by hesitation. But before he could step any closer to Cairo, he paused.

Egypt and Paris were sitting quietly beside Cairo, their little eyes darting between them like complete strangers who had suddenly appeared. Confusion filled their faces.

Paris, in particular, kept glancing at me, as if waiting for me to give her answers. She must’ve heard some of what I said earlier—words I never meant for their ears.

"I-I’m fine, Grandpa... you came..." Cairo’s voice trembled weakly, his small hands clutching his blanket.

Sergio hesitated. Even Stephenson, who usually acted so composed, seemed caught off guard. His gaze flickered to the twins, studying them as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"A-are you... Paris and Egypt?" Sergio asked, and for the first time in my life, I heard nervousness in his voice.

Sergio Lincom, the man who once ruled over everyone in our family and the business world with a single word and glare suddenly sounded unsure of himself.

The twins exchanged a look, then slowly nodded.

"I-I’m your grandfather..." he said softly, almost pleading.

But instead of replying, Egypt and Paris glanced at each other again before turning their eyes away from him.

I stepped forward, feeling their unease, and the moment I did, they hurried behind me like frightened little kittens hiding from a shadow.

Even I, as a child, had been terrified of Sergio. His cold stare could make anyone shrink. He had always been a man who demanded obedience, not affection. It wasn’t hard to imagine that the twins could feel that same intimidating aura from him.

"M-Mommy..." Egypt’s small voice trembled as she tugged lightly on my sleeve. "Who is he? Is he really our grandpa... like what he said? Is he... your father?"

I froze.

My breath hitched, my chest tightening painfully. Her question was so innocent.

Sergio, Stephenson, and Sylvester were all staring at me, waiting—perhaps wanting to hear whether I would still deny them or acknowledge the truth in front of my children.

I wanted to protect the twins from this mess, from all the bitterness that once tore me apart. But lying would only confuse them more. And yet... admitting it would bring back everything I’d been trying to bury all these years.

Before I could find the words, Sergio spoke again, his voice sounding almost regretful.

"Sylvia..." he said slowly, his eyes flickering between me and the children. "I... I didn’t come here to argue. I just... wanted to see my grandchildren. Even once."

I clenched my fists. Grandchildren... The word left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"You’ve seen them now," I replied sharply, trying to keep my tone steady even as my heart twisted. "So you can leave."

Sergio looked as if I had slapped him. Even Stephenson’s usual arrogance faltered for a moment, and Sylvester who had been silent all this time finally spoke.

"Syl... please. This isn’t about what happened in the past anymore." He looked at Cairo, then at the twins. "They deserve to know about us—your family... and maybe—maybe we all deserve a chance to make things right."

I turned to him, my jaw tightening. "Make things right? After everything that happened? You think showing up here, pretending you care, will fix everything?"

The room went silent.

And for the first time in a long while, I met Sergio’s eyes again and what I saw there wasn’t coldness, but something I never thought I’d see from him.

Regret.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The silence was suffocating. Heavy.

Sergio opened his mouth as if to speak again, but before he could, Egypt tugged gently at the hem of my shirt.

"Mommy..." she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "If he’s... your father... does that mean they’re... also our family?"

Family.

I forced myself to breathe, even though it felt like my chest was tightening.

"I..." I began, my voice trembling despite trying to hold it steady.

But Stephenson stepped forward, taking a careful breath.

"Yes, Egypt, Paris..." he said, his tone surprisingly gentle for someone who had been bristling with annoyance seconds ago.

"We’re... we’re part of your mommy’s family. I’m your mom’s brother, Stephenson Lincolm, and this one right here is our older brother, Sylvester. And our dad"—he glanced toward Sergio, who still couldn’t take his eyes off the twins—"is your grandfather."

The twins stared at him cautiously, still half-hidden behind me.

"Mom... you never told us that you still have brothers and a father..." Egypt whispered, though everyone heard it.

That simple line pierced me. It wasn’t even an accusation. Just confusion... pure curiosity... and innocence.

I swallowed, trying to keep my voice from cracking.

"I had my reasons," I said quietly. "Reasons... and I had nothing to do with them anymore. That’s why I didn’t tell you about them—because I wanted to protect you."

Stephenson scoffed under his breath. "Protect them? From us?"

I shot him a cold look. "Don’t start with me."

But Egypt’s small, trembling voice broke the rising tension.

"Mom... it’s okay." She tried to smile, as if she wanted to diffuse the situation. "I’m happy they came. I... I want to know them."

My heart twisted.

Egypt had always been gentle, always trying to understand and always wanting to be the peacemaker. And I could sense she was trying to calm the situation.

"Sylvia..." Sergio said quietly. "I know... I have no right to ask anything from you. Not after... everything."

His eyes softened—tired, guilty, desperate.

"But please... even just for today... let us stay by the boy’s side. Let me look at my grandson without you turning me away."

My throat tightened.

For years, I imagined this man showing remorse. But now that the moment was here... all I felt was confusion. Anger. Pain. Fear.

And beneath all of it... exhaustion. Because fighting them—fighting the past—was so much harder than pretending I was fine.

I looked at Cairo, then at the twins hiding behind me.

Their little faces were full of worry.

They were already confused. Already frightened. And dragging this out... arguing in front of them... would only make everything worse.

So I forced myself to breathe through the storm.

"Fine," I whispered. "You can stay."

The three men stiffened in surprise.

"But only because Cairo wants it," I continued, raising a firm hand before anyone could speak. "Don’t think this changes anything between us."

Stephenson looked away sharply. Sergio’s shoulders dropped—relief mixed with sorrow. Sylvester simply nodded.

I stepped aside, still standing protectively in front of the twins.

"You have half an hour to visit," I added coldly. "No more."

As they approached Cairo’s bed cautiously, the twins tightened their grip on my hands. Their innocence... reminded me why I ran from that family in the first place.

Why I had sworn I’d never let them near my children.