“Where is your biological mother?”

Percy curled his lips, a knowing smirk flickering across his face.

“Aunt Lettie, my mom’s overseas. She’s not coming back anytime soon, so you won’t feel upset.”

I narrowed my eyes at the boy dressed in flashy designer brands. Twenty years in business had sharpened my instincts; his mockery wasn’t hidden at all. He was clearly implying that if his mother returned, I’d throw a jealous fit, make a scene, and embarrass myself.

He tilted his chin, eyes filled with contempt.

“Aunt Lettie, at your age, you really shouldn’t still be fussing over love and emotions. Isn’t that kind of talk embarrassing already?”

An illegitimate child, yet so arrogant. He thought he had me figured out.

I let out a cold, cutting laugh.

“Your biological mother couldn’t give you wealth or status, so now you want me to be your mother? And you’re not embarrassed to say that out loud?”

Vale’s face darkened, but before he could explode, Percy slammed the table.

“Lettie!”

Soup splashed across my face. I remained still, calmly looking at the group.

Vale spoke with obvious displeasure.

“Lettie, how could you say that about Hyacinth? She gave up her career to raise those two children; she’s sacrificed enough. How could you humiliate her in front of them?”

Margaret, dressed head-to-toe in Chanel, suddenly stood up, pride brimming in her expression as she glared at me.

“What good is your sharp tongue? My mom may not have earned money, but she had my dad’s love, and she has us. Once we get the company, she’ll have everything she deserves.”

“If anyone dares disrespect my mom, my brother and I won’t hesitate to break your legs and feed them to the fish.”

Looking at the righteous fury on these illegitimate children’s faces, I thought, how bold they’d become. Vale had raised something else.

He quickly tried to calm them down, soothing their temper before turning back to me, his voice softening.

“Lettie, you’ve seen it now. They are caring. If you treat them like a mother, they’ll treat you like their own.”

“Hyacinth’s had it tough, too. It all started that night, we were drunk, and the children happened by accident. I wanted her to terminate the pregnancy, but she refused. She promised she’d never interfere in our marriage and would raise the kids alone.”

“Lettie, try to understand her. She’s softhearted. She couldn’t bear to harm two innocent lives. Without her, Percy and Margaret wouldn’t even exist…”

As he spoke, Vale’s eyes reddened, his voice catching in his throat.

Listening to that twisted logic, I felt my anger rise to the brink of eruption. Still unwilling to give up completely, I asked one final question.

“What exactly do you want?”

He stammered for a long while, then finally whispered, barely above a breath.

“Hyacinth has been overseas for more than twenty years, and the kids are used to living with her. I want to give her the villa in the suburbs. In the future, I’ll spend Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with them, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with you, and Sundays depending on my mood.”

I clenched my fists, cold to the bone. At that moment, all illusions shattered.

“If you want a big happy family so badly, then let’s get a divorce.”

Vale’s face darkened.

“Lettie, I told you, it was just an accident. I still love you. We’ve been married twenty years, can you bring yourself to divorce me?”

I cut him off coldly, spitting out every word straight into his face.

“Vale, do you think you’re some kind of king? You truly have no shame.”

All these years, he had used my money to support his mistress and raise illegitimate children; now he wanted to keep both families, expecting me to go on being the fool who paid for it all.

Those two looked at me with nothing but contempt and disdain. I wasn’t blind. Who knew how many years they’d been mocking me behind my back?

There was a time I had thought, if it was just an accident, maybe I could throw some money their way and let it end there.

After all, I was the one who had fallen for Vale all those years ago. And I had loved him for twenty years.

Even though it hurt, I had once been willing to give him a second chance.

But now it was clear, it had always been my wishful thinking. In his eyes, in his heart, there was only Hyacinth and the children.

He wasn’t unwilling to divorce because he couldn’t bear to lose me, but because he couldn’t afford to lose his cash cow.

As my tone grew sharp, Vale’s face darkened. In the end, he gritted his teeth and made his final threat.

“Lettie, if you want a divorce, I’ll take half the assets. And forget about getting the company listed.”

He had calculated it well. He knew the company was like my own child, something I had built with my blood, sweat, and sleepless nights. I’d spent three years preparing for its IPO.

He was betting that I couldn’t let go of him. I couldn’t bring myself to let go of the company that I would surrender.

But what he didn’t realize was that my children weren’t just tied to one company. I had countless children.

Seeing the storm on my face, Vale softened his tone and coaxed gently.

“Lettie, you know I love you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have stayed by your side all these twenty years, leaving the kids behind.”

“I just made a mistake. That doesn’t mean I stopped loving you.”

“You once said that when we got older, we’d set the company aside and travel across the rivers and mountains together. Now that we have heirs, he can help manage the company. They both carry my blood, and you know their character. Isn’t that better than handing everything to outsiders?”

He spoke so gently, stringing together all sorts of reasoning like a rehearsed script. If it weren’t for the glances he exchanged with the children, I might’ve believed him, just a little.

But the fleeting glint of calculation in their eyes couldn’t be hidden.

When he insisted on being DINK back then, he had already started planning for this day, waiting until I was too old, past childbearing age.

Then he’d manipulate and coax, bringing in his mistress and illegitimate children to smoothly take over everything I built.

Behind my back, they laughed. “Who told you to be such a fool, blinded by love? You deserve to die alone and pitiful.”

I said nothing as they left, cheerful and smug.

Soon after, social media was filled with their happy photos, family shopping sprees, and a grand airport welcome with 999 roses for the mistress’s glorious return.

For three straight days, Vale didn’t come home. I knew he was at the suburban villa, far too happy to even think of me.

Each day, he sent a message, reminding me to handle the equity transfer as soon as possible, always ending with a kissy-face emoji.

[Wifey, Hyacinth just got back. She’s unfamiliar with everything here. Once I get her settled, I’ll come back to you. Love you!]

I stared coldly at the screen, watching him buy her a luxury car and a designer watch, and then post a picture with a peace sign, full of pride.

The caption read, [After twenty years of storms and trials, I can finally hold you openly.]

Men like him weren’t just deceitful; they were masters at hiding it.

After twenty-two years, he finally didn’t have to pretend anymore.

I calmly gave his post a like.

That single reaction made them believe I had surrendered, that the transfer of the company to the twins was already set in stone.

After all, even if I divorced him, I’d lose both love and money. So why not bow my head, win some favor, and earn myself a few so-called “relatives”?

Besides, I was already over fifty. Without biological children, what use was more wealth?

Vale had already begun contacting reporters and searching for a venue to hold a press conference.

Secretary Larkin Scott arrived with a stack of documents in hand, ready to escort me. Vale smiled and reminded me warmly, “Make sure the listing goes smoothly. Once it's done, the market value will jump by a hundred million. It’ll be easier for Percy and Margaret to take over.”

Larkin added with a polite smile, “Yes, with family involved, everything will move faster. After all, blood runs thicker than water.”

Vale didn’t catch the subtle weight behind those words. He assumed I had already discussed everything with Larkin.

After all, Larkin had been by my side since graduating from college, both my secretary and personal assistant. He was nearly forty now and still unmarried.

There had always been whispers in the company about me and him, but the truth was, we were clean.

The moment I stepped out the door, I turned to Larkin with a calm look.

“How many have you found?”

“Twenty-eight confirmed so far,” he replied. “Some are still submitting documents, and others came in with everything. I’m handling it.”

“Good. Make sure their food and lodging are taken care of. When the time comes, bring them all over.”

In the days that followed, I didn’t go home. I stayed at the company, sorting through every account, every detail.

When I finally walked back into the house, the first thing I saw was the fish tank, completely empty.

Laughter floated in from the kitchen. Hyacinth came out wearing an apron, smiling, holding a plate of freshly cooked fish.

On that plate was my koi. Worth twenty million.

Our eyes met. I had seen her photo before, and I recognized her instantly.

The two children were lounging on the sofa, legs propped up, phones in hand. From the kitchen, Vale’s cheerful voice rang out.

In that moment, fury rushed straight to my head.

"Who told you to cook my fish? Taking without asking is theft. Don’t you even know that much?"

From the kitchen, Vale’s voice rang out cheerfully, “Hyacinth, come taste the soup, does it need more salt?”

The two kids suddenly stood up, faces twisted with indignation.

“What do you mean, theft?”

“Yeah, this is our dad’s house. That means it’s ours too. What’s wrong with eating a fish?”

I let out a cold laugh.

“That koi was bought at a Canadian auction for twenty million. And you’re asking what’s wrong?”

The girl still hadn’t grasped the weight of the situation. She let out a gasp.

“Wow! A twenty-million fish? Quick, take a picture! I finally have something to flex on my besties. Let’s see who dares show off next.”

Vale poked his head out from the kitchen. The moment he saw me, guilt flickered across his face.

“Lettie, you’re back. You hadn’t come home in days, so I brought them over for a meal...”

I sneered.

“So you cooked my koi?”

He lowered his gaze. “You knew how much it was worth.”

Then he mumbled weakly, “Lettie, Hyacinth didn’t mean it. The kids wanted braised fish, but there wasn’t any at home…”

“When I saw it, Hyacinth had already killed the fish. Since it was already dead, it would’ve been a waste not to cook it, right? It’s not like strangers were the ones eating it.”

My gaze landed on the empty fish tank, and my chest tightened. That koi, I had raised it for five years, spending no less than two hundred thousand dollars a month. And now, with just one careless sentence, “it was already killed”, it was gone.

I took a slow breath, forcing down the fury that boiled beneath the surface. My expression turned to ice.

“She can accompany the fish, get out. Or I’ll call the police right now.”

The boy shot up instantly, his face twisted with arrogance.

“Old woman, who are you telling to get out? Call the police? Try it. I’ll break your legs.”

The girl stood as well, eyes blazing with indignation.

“You better show respect to my mom. She’s our real mother. If you keep acting like this, don’t expect us to treat you like family in the future.”

I lifted my eyes and looked at the two of them. Shameless. Just like Hyacinth.

Hyacinth stood between the two children, one eyebrow raised with a crooked grin, like an old scoundrel enjoying the chaos.

I had no desire to waste words on them. My gaze shifted to Vale.

“Vale, it’s time we had a proper talk.”

I turned and sat on the sofa. Vale glanced at the three beside him, then hesitated before sitting across from me.

It felt like a tribunal, four against one.

The two children glared at me. Hyacinth wore a look of complete detachment, as if none of it concerned her.

I didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“Vale, send them abroad immediately. I’ll provide ten million for living expenses. Otherwise, we’ll finish this conversation at the police station.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Hyacinth slammed her palm on the table.