Chapter 2

Jay Ares received an unexpected gift. A newborn baby. As he looked at swaddled infant clamoring for food, a thick layer of frost seemed to cover Jay's handsome face. "Where’s the child's mother?" he asked through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing dangerously. How dare that woman take his seed and shun the responsibility of taking care of the child? "My apologies, sir,” replied the courier. “The child's mother has died in the hospital, from dystocia.". Jay tensed up and fell silent. He took a long time processing it, the flame in his eyes mixed with a hint of doubt. "Dead?" The person nodded grimly, took out his phone, and showed Jay the portrait of the deceased Rose. "Mr. Ares, this is Rose’s memorial portrait that we took of her. I can send it to you if you like—” Jay's eyes scanned the phone screen rapidly. The woman in the photo was bloated and her swollen face was as pale as a ghost. Her protuberant eyes were opened wide, staring right across the screen. Who could this be if not Rose? When Jay, who had OCD, saw Rose's dead image, all sympathy and mercy inside him vanished. "No! Tell me, where is she buried?" "No. 674 in Mountain's Fork Cemetery.” Jay clutched the child and hurried back into the house. In a nearby spot, Rose watched from the window of her brown car as Jay’s tall figure retreated into the house. There was a sour look in her eyes. Even the news of her death did not disrupt his calm expression. Perhaps she was only able to trick him so easily because he did not love her at all. Her yearning for the man may have finally fizzled out, forever. If two lifetimes’ worth of passionate love was unable to penetrate his heart, why should she keep trying? ... Five years later. Outside the capital city’s airport. Rose pushed her suitcase in front of her. She was wearing a baseball cap, a pair of giant sunglasses, and a dark mask. Her palm-sized face was mostly obscured, giving her a rather comical look. Behind her were two beautiful kids. The five-year-olds were rather taller than their same-age peers. The boy wore a red jersey with embroidered wings on the shoulders, paired with black slacks and black Nike shoes. The scooter under his feet was moving harmoniously with his body. The girl next to him fashioned a pair of pigtails. She wore a pink princess dress, and her face was as smooth and pale as an elf from a fantasy story. The kids could be likened to princes and princesses from an anime. As they walked, they garnered a fair amount of attention and compliments from people walking by. "Wow, what beautiful children! Are they child stars?" "What sort of genes must the parents have to give birth to such beautiful kids?” Robert and Rozette seemed accustomed to such scenes; they even posed for photos when people requested them. The passersby loved their charming photoshoots as well as their cheerful behavior as they interacted with others. "I’m Robert, the older brother." "I’m Rozette, the younger sister.” When Rose heard the twins handing out introductions yet again, she could no longer keep her cool. As she walked further in front, she turned around to reprimand them. “Robbie! Zetty! I’ve told you time and time again about human traffickers! Do you want to get abducted? Why would you give your names to strangers? Would it kill you if they don’t know your names?” The two children scrambled to catch up to their mother. The big brother looked at his mother’s annoyed face and pouted. "Mommy, why do you wrap yourself up like that? Are you Belikov?” Rose felt a little guilty. She had chosen her peculiar dress-code as she was worried about being recognized by Jay. After all, she had hoodwinked him five years ago and even faked her death. If she were to suddenly appear alive in front of him, he would probably kill her with his own two hands. Her mother was critically ill and wished to see her daughter and grandchildren one final time. If it were not for that, Rose would never have risked returning to the familiar city. Rose said dismissively, "What do you know? This is called fashion. It's the latest trend." When she realized her twins had taken off their sunglasses, Rose snapped at them sternly, "Put on your sunglasses." The two kids sighed resignedly and put on their sunglasses. The older brother, baby Robbie, looked like a tiny adult as he puffed up. "At least Mommy thinks it’s cool.” Rose sighed with relief when she saw that their sunglasses were back on and covering their highly iconic eyes. The mother and her kids wore the same type of sunglasses, they linked hands and walked side by side out of the airport. As she walked, Rose gave her kids a lecture. "Our domestic security is not good enough. There are human traffickers everywhere, so you two had better not run around..." Meanwhile, at the airport exit. Jay was directly approaching Rose. Seeing the familiar tall, slender figure caught Rose off guard. Rose's heart almost jumped out of her throat… She hastily added on, “Especially men who look like dogs in suits and ties. Who knows? Even if he's dressed well, he may be a beast underneath those clothes. Take a look at that man walking over there. Though he looks chic and elegant, he might be a cruel man. Most likely a human trafficker, at that. If you bump into men like him in the future, be sure to stay clear of them. Got it?” As Rose frantically tried to find a way to avoid Jay, he suddenly looked straight at her and smiled warmly. Rose was instantly rooted to the spot, her body petrified. Her mind was awhirl. ‘No, it can’t be. Has Jay changed in my five years of absence? His frozen iceberg of a face is... smiling? ‘For me? ‘Perhaps after five years of separation, he finally realized what he was missing out on?’ "Jay!" A gentle female voice from behind her swiftly shattered Rose's naive fantasy. Jay walked past Rose. His relaxed face momentarily betrayed a hint of annoyance—he had to take a curve to move around the trio blocking his way. Rose sighed softly. Really, why would this guy smile at her? He had always hated her. "Mommy, that man looks like a good person. How could he be a human trafficker..." Her eyes were popping with excitement and fascination, making her look cuter than ever. "What do you know? You can’t judge a book by its cover,” Rose murmured. She quickly pulled her child away. As she walked out of the airport, Rose could not help but take a last look behind her. She saw Jay smiling sincerely at the gorgeous woman. Jay even took the initiative to take her luggage, a gentle and considerate side of him that Rose had never seen before. "Scumbag!" Rose growled angrily to herself. She could not understand what he saw in that big-chested bimbo. Those were the ones who were high maintenance and fragile as porcelain, shattering the moment they were touched. Surely, they could not compare to the multifaceted Rose, who was capable of all sorts of things. She was not afraid of getting her hands dirty, she was a good housewife who could work outside as well, she was able to bear his children and bring up their kids well. All in all, she was all anyone could ask for in a wife and daughter-in-law, really.