Chapter 8

Willow rushed to her kids, but they got to the elevator first. “Wait for me!” she called out urgently as the elevator doors were closing. She charged into the elevator and nervously kept tapping the button to shut the doors. She didn’t have time to pick a floor to go to then. Jasper had been approaching nearer to her, and she was worried he would think about settling scores with her then. The doors slowly closed, and Jasper’s cold glare could be seen through the cracks when he walked over. Willow’s heart skipped a beat when she locked eyes with him; she couldn’t even breathe then. The doors were completely shut soon after, severing the contact between the two. Willow’s tensed-up shoulders drooped down in an instant. When she turned around, two pairs of black, tender-looking eyes were curiously gazing at her. “Why are you here, Mommy?” Julian asked cutely as he blinked. His lashes were really long, and he also had quite fair skin, which made others often mistake him as a girl. He’d probably look even better than an actual girl too. Willow suddenly thought Julian’s eyes looked quite similar to the man in the restroom… “I came here for an interview. I’ll be working here starting tomorrow. Why are you two here anyway? Where’s Grandma?" 'Also, why are they alone? What would happen if they had gotten lost...?' Willow showed a stern expression despite her worries. She’d let the children run wild no matter how playful they were, but she had to be strict regarding their safety. Julian lowered his head guiltily. He didn’t know how to explain the situation. Since he was a small boy, he knew not to lie to his mother. “We’re here to look for Mr. Jasper, Mommy. We wanted to apologize to him since you offended him last night.” Willow shifted her gaze to look at Tristan. His little face appeared stern, his youthful eyes had an unwavering glint, and his thick brows were furrowed tightly. Willow slowly realized... that his expression and features were really similar to the man she had met in the men's restroom just now! Was she hallucinating because of the shock Jasper had given her? Why did her babies look identical to that prominent figure?! ‘Right! Of course! It must be just shock…’ Willow put the thought in the back of her mind before she looked sternly at Tristan and Julian. “Did you two hear what I said to Grandma yesterday?” “Mhm.” Julian nodded and said, “You sounded so sad, Mommy. We’re sad because of it too. We don’t want you to work so hard…” Julian’s beautiful eyes were filled with tears; he was clearly heartbroken. The sight instantly moved Willow; tears formed in her eyes as she kneeled and gathered the children into her arms. “Thank you, sweeties. I’m never working too hard with you around. You have to promise me though: don’t wander out alone anymore. If you get lost, you might not see Mommy ever again…” Her eyes were tearing up; her heart was filled with warmth because of her little ones. “Okay. We won’t do it again.” Julian nodded before playfully winking at his brother. ‘All set! Mommy won’t blame us anymore! We weren’t lying either!’ While Willow was still in bliss, she completely forgot how the children knew who Jasper was, let alone come all the way here to Hughes Corporation just by hearing her conversation with Lara. Jasper turned his cold eyes away from the elevator after the door closed. ‘That woman runs pretty fast… How dare she try to seduce me every single time we meet?! She’s especially bold!’ When he returned to his office, his assistant—Tyson Ward, was waiting for him. “Mr. Jasper, there were two…” Jasper immediately cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “Were there any leaks of my whereabouts for the past two days?” “Don’t worry, Mr. Jasper. I’ve been handling your schedule the entire time. There’s no way it got leaked,” Tyson replied respectfully with a nod. Jasper shot him a sharp look. He clearly doubted those words. But after seeing the serious look on Tyson's face, Jasper looked away. ‘Well, when and where I go to the restroom isn’t a part of the schedule anyway… ‘The woman saw what she shouldn’t have after barging in at such a perfect time; it had nothing to do with my schedule…’ Jasper sat in his chair and picked up his pen before putting it down again. “What did you just say?” he asked with a meaningful look on his face. “Oh, two people were looking for you just now…” Tyson in the same respectful tone. “Was it for something important?” Jasper asked. “They wanted to apologize.” Since the children seemed so approachable, Tyson asked a few more questions. That said, Jasper wasn’t in the office then. He didn’t know when the man would be back, so he told the children to leave first and that he’d relay their message to him. Tyson kept his word despite believing that it was just some childish prank. Jasper clicked his pen before he started to work again. “Don’t let random strangers in next time,” he said without paying much mind to the situation. ‘Especially the ones who’d barge into my damn restroom!’ Tyson bowed and replied, “I understand. I’ll get the secretary on this.” “Hold it!” Jasper called out as he looked up. Tyson stopped in his tracks and asked, "Yes, sir? Is there anything else?” “Hang a sign outside the restroom! Ensure that everyone knows that it’s a male restroom and exclusively for the CEO!” Jasper instructed with a stern expression. The tallest floor of the building was his—everyone working for the corporation knew that. The only restroom on the floor was naturally reserved for the CEO. Nobody was allowed in, nor were they allowed to use it. That said, there’d always be oblivious people who’d barge in. Tyson paused before nodding his head. “Of course. I’ll get to it immediately.” - Willow took Tristan and Julian home. As they approached the entrance, wails of sorrow could be heard from outside. “Where am I supposed to look for them now?! What do I do?! Tristan! Julian! Where are you?!” Willow quickly opened the door. Lara sat on the ground, crying her heart out while she hammered the floor with her fist. She was at a complete loss, and there was an utterly miserable look on her face. Hailey and Lilith stood before her, and they quietly stared at the older woman. The pout on their faces made it clear that they were also quite dispirited. After hearing the door open, the eyes of the two girls lit up instantly before they ran at Willow. “Mommy! Tristan! Julian!” The girls pounced right into Willow’s arms, and she lightly patted their heads. Lara turned around and saw the few people standing at the doorway through her teary eyes. “One, two, three, four, five…” she counted with her fingers. Four kids and one adult. None of them were lost. She quickly wiped her tears and got off the ground; she furiously strutted right toward Willow before pulling her ear. “You little brat! You didn’t even bother telling me that you took the kids outside?! What were you thinking?! Huh?!”