CHAPTER 82: CAIRO

W-what did he just say? Did I hear him right?

My thoughts stumbled as his lips curved into that mocking grin.

"You’re not very good at hiding your emotions." he taunted, his voice low but sharp.

"I can tell just by looking at you, you’re still trying to deny everything."

I quickly pulled away from his grip, stumbling clumsily in the process. Maybe I looked ridiculous, but I didn’t care. Better that than let him see how shaken I truly was, shaken not by fear, but by anger.

I tried to mask my shock, tried to bury every emotion clawing its way to the surface, but his smirk only deepened, as if he could see straight through me.

"I-I don’t understand what you’re trying to say, Mr. Bear Man," I snapped. "So quit spouting nonsense."

The smirk slowly faded from his lips, replaced by a seriousness that made the air between us feel heavier.

"Nonsense?" His tone hardened. "Do you mean to tell me that what I said about the twins being mine is just... nonsense to you?"

"Yes."

I forced the word out and lifted my gaze to meet his, refusing to let my voice falter.

"If you think the reason I wanted to talk to you here is about the twins, you’re wrong. I wanted to speak to you because your presence will only make things uncomfortable. I know Egypt and Paris feel uneasy around a stranger, so I’m telling you now—don’t ever show yourself to us again. Especially not to them."

I tried to hold his gaze, tried to stand my ground, but the raw emotion flickering in his eyes felt like it was swallowing me whole.

I broke eye contact first, my chest tightening.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his jaw clench, his fists curling at his sides as though he was barely holding himself back from exploding.

Then, slowly, the storm in his expression eased. He looked straight at me again.

"H-how can you say that? Do you think I’m dumb enough not to know the twins are mine?"

He took a step closer. My heart lurched, and I instinctively moved back.

"Look at me, Sylvia," he demanded, his voice low and cold. "Look me in the eyes... and tell me truthfully that the twins aren’t my children."

Huh... that’s all he wants?

Slowly, I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes.

"The twins are not yours. They’re mine alone, and you are not their father. Remember that."

But just like earlier, I couldn’t hold his piercing stare for long. My eyes faltered, and I was forced to look away.

I thought my words would silence him, but instead, I saw something else ignite in his expression.

His lips pressed into a tight line, his jaw clenching hard, and I caught the slight movement of him swallowing back the storm of emotions swirling inside him.

"You’re not a good liar, Sylvia," he finally said.

"I know you’re trying to hide the truth—that the twins are my children. But you can’t fool me. They look far too much like me—like my female version, from the very first glance. Paris... Egypt... even their names sound like mine."

My eyes widened.

So he really investigated them?

That must be why he spied on them at school, even going so far as to wear that ridiculous bear costume just to get close.

But when? When did he first learn about the twins?

Was it that time he came to my house to fetch Gabriel and overheard their voices from outside?

Could that be possible? Or... was it his friends who fed him the truth?

H-huh...

My thoughts tangled in confusion until his voice broke through again.

"Tell me, Sylvia. Please. Just tell me they’re my daughters. If you do, I’ll try to forgive you for everything you’ve done to me."

My ears burned at his words, my chest tightening as I lifted my head to glare at him.

Forgive me?

Was he blaming me again, as if I had done something unforgivable to him?

"H-ha...haha..."

A bitter laugh escaped me.

"You’re funny, Rome. Truly funny. Forgive me? You must be the one suffering from amnesia, to forget all the things you did to me back then. And now, even my precious family, you dare claim them as yours?"

I locked my eyes on him, my earlier confusion drowned out by the rising tide of anger. The words I had rehearsed in my head vanished, leaving only the fury that had long been buried deep within me.

"I’ll tell you this once, so you’ll finally stop. The twins are not your children. If you keep insisting otherwise—just because they resemble you, or because their names sound similar to yours, then I’ll have no choice but to take legal action. I can file a case against you for harassment and defamation."

I watched a faint crease form on his forehead, but I didn’t stop.

"You already have your own family. Gabriel is your son, isn’t he? And I heard from Gabriel himself that you’re in the process of divorcing your wife. What do you think will happen if this goes to court?"

"..If I testify that you’re making false claims over children who are not legally yours, your wife could easily use that against you. It could complicate your divorce proceedings, damage your credibility, and even put your custody rights over Gabriel at risk. Do you really want to throw all of that away just to force a claim over children who have nothing to do with you?"

For a brief moment, I saw surprise flicker across his face—like he hadn’t expected me to bring up everything I’d learned from Gabriel himself.

If he’s determined to push this, I know I can deny everything and use every piece of information I have to stop him.

"Then use it against me."

His reply was cold, his voice carrying a chill that spread through my entire body. His eyes held no hesitation.

"Go ahead, use everything you just said against me. But before you do, I want one thing—I want a DNA test with the twins. If the results prove they are not mine, then you’ll be free to pursue all the charges you want, and I won’t interfere anymore. But in exchange, if the test proves they are my daughters, then you will have no choice but to acknowledge it and give me the rights I deserve as their father."

I clenched my fists tightly, anger and frustration burning in my chest.

He wasn’t backing down either. No matter what I said, it felt useless, like he had something hidden up his sleeve, something he thought he could use against me.

Tsk. I didn’t care anymore what he thought of me. The twins were mine, and I wasn’t going to give him even an inch of a right to claim them as his.

"H-haha... you sound so sure," I forced out a laugh, though the bitterness in my voice was impossible to hide. "What if I told you that you’re not their father at all—that Daniel is their real father?"

But instead of being shocked, instead of faltering even for a second, his serious gaze remained steady on me, as if he had been expecting those very words.

"You’re really going to keep denying it until the end," he muttered, his tone almost like a verdict rather than a question. "But Daniel is not—"

Mommy, someone is calling you~🎶🎶

His words were abruptly cut off by the sound of my ringtone, echoing far too loudly between us.

The timing was so precise, that both of us pause.

My ringtone. It was Egypt’s voice, her little recorded message that she had playfully set as my ringtone just a few days ago, before she got sick.

Of all times, it had to ring now.

For a moment, I didn’t know if I should answer. But I still slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out my phone. My eyes narrowed at the bright screen flashing before me.

My chest tightened.

The call ended before I could answer, but the name glaring at me from the caller ID left me frozen in place.

Cairo..

Everything else faded. My pulse quickened, my thoughts scattered. I barely even noticed Rome watching me.

"What happened?" His tone had shifted to concern.

I flinched at the sudden change in his voice before quickly averting my gaze. I couldn’t let him see me falter. Not now. Not in this confrontation where I was supposed to stand my ground.

But the name on that screen... it shattered every ounce of composure I had been clinging to. Just seeing it smothered even the fire of my argument with Rome.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to sound steady even though my insides churned.

"Let’s talk some other time. Not today. We’ll talk again when I’m not too busy entertaining all your claims, claims you don’t even have proof of."

Without giving him a chance to respond, I turned my back on him, my steps heavier than I wanted to admit.

"Sylvia... we’re not done talking yet. Please, don’t go..."

I heard him mutter behind me, his voice almost breaking.

But I kept walking, refusing to look back.

My thoughts were no longer on our argument, no longer about his claims regarding the twins because something else now weighed heavier on my mind.

Cairo...