The silence in the VIP lounge was so thick you could hear the security guards'hearts pounding.
Julian Blackwood, the man who controlled the country's financial fate with a wave of his hand, was frozen in place.
He looked at Leo. The little boy returned his gaze with a coldness that Julian only saw in his own mirror every morning.
"Luke," Julian's voice came out as a dangerous whisper, without taking his eyes off the boy. "Tell me I'm hallucinating."
Luke wiped the sweat from his forehead with trembling hands. "Sir… if you're hallucinating, we all are. The boy… he's your image carved in miniature."
Leo stepped forward, crossing his small arms. He wasn't afraid in the least.
"You're blocking the way to the candy store," Leo said, his childish voice laced with refined disdain. "And your security is pathetic. I've already hacked into their radio system while we were waiting."
Julian felt a jolt in his chest. Besides having his face, the child had his arrogance and his temper.
"What's your name, kid?" Julian asked, crouching down until he was at Leo's eye level.
It was the first time in his life that Julian Blackwood had knelt down in front of someone. The security guards nearly fainted from the shock.
"I don't talk to strangers who don't have end-to-end encryption on their phones," Leo replied, with a smirk identical to Julian's.
At that moment, Mia tugged on Julian's suit sleeve. "This is Leo. I'm Mia! You're really rich, aren't you? Your watch costs enough to buy a gum factory."
Julian looked at Mia. Her sweetness was like a direct blow to his heart of ice. But her gaze… it was the gaze of that woman from that night.
Vanilla and jasmine. The scent was stronger now.
"Leo! Mia! I told you not to wander off!"
A firm, melodious female voice echoed through the hallway.
Julian froze. He recognized that voice. He had heard it in whispers and moans for five years in his deepest dreams.
Serena Vance appeared around the corner, her face flushed slightly from rushing.
She stopped abruptly when she saw the scene.
Her heart nearly stopped. The blood drained from her face, leaving her as pale as marble.
There, in the middle of the airport, the man she feared most in the world was on his knees before her children.
Julian rose slowly. His imposing height seemed to fill the entire space, robbing Serena of her breath.
Julian's dark eyes locked onto hers. It was a mixture of fury, desire, and an overwhelming realization.
"Serena?" His voice trembled, laced with latent possessiveness.
Serena regained her composure in an instant. She was "S" now. She was no longer prey.
"Mr. Blackwood," she said, her voice cold as steel, betraying not a single emotion. "I see my children have caused some disturbance to Your... Majesty."
She walked over to the twins and pulled them behind her, shielding them with her own body.
"Your children?" Julian took a step forward, his oppressive aura causing the journalists in the distance to recoil. "Are they yours, Serena?"
"Yes. Mine," she replied, holding his gaze. "Only mine."
Julian let out a short, humorless laugh that made Luke shudder. "That boy has my face, my expression, and, apparently, my IQ. Are you really going to try to lie to my face?"
"The world is full of coincidences, Mr. Blackwood," Serena retorted, taking Mia's hand. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have an appointment. Come on, kids."
She turned to leave, but Julian's hand shot out, gripping her wrist with unshakable firmness.
"We're not done," he growled, bringing his face close to hers. "You ran away once. You won't run away again."
Serena looked at his hand on her wrist and then into his eyes. "Let go of me. We're in a public place. You don't want a scandal to hurt Blackwood Corp's stock, do you?"
Julian squeezed her wrist for another second before letting her go. He knew she was right—for now.
He watched Serena walk away with the twins. Leo looked back one last time, shooting a defiant glance at the CEO.
"Boss… what do we do?" Luke asked, still in a daze. "The meeting with the cybersecurity expert starts in an hour."
Julian couldn't take his eyes off Serena's silhouette disappearing into the crowd.
"Cancel everything," Julian ordered, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. "And call Central Labs. I want a DNA extraction kit ready in my office."
"But sir… Ms. Vance is the 'S'specialist you hired," Luke reminded him.
Julian paused. A predatory, dark smile played on his lips.
"Then she'll walk right into my trap," Julian said, his voice hoarse with anticipation. "She thinks she can come back after five years with my heirs and act like we're strangers?"
He took the silver ring bearing the lotus crest out of his pocket and clenched it tightly.
"Luke, alert security. No one enters or leaves the Blackwood Corporation building today without my authorization."
Julian looked toward the horizon, his plan of attack already set.
"I'm going to get my wife and my kids back. And whoever made her run away five years ago… will wish they'd never been born."
Meanwhile, in the car on the way to the hotel, Serena was breathing heavily.
"Mommy, why is your heart beating so fast?" asked Mia, worried.
Leo, who was typing furiously on his tablet, looked up.
"Don't worry, Mia. I've already planted a virus on that rich man's phone," Leo said indifferently. "If he tries to bother Mom, I'll wipe out his bank account in five seconds."
Serena looked at her son, torn between pride and terror. She knew the war had just begun.
But what she didn't know was that, at that very moment, on his tablet, Leo had just received a message from an unknown sender.
The message contained only a photo: the lotus necklace Serena had lost five years ago.
And beneath the photo, a message: "Hello, mini-me. Tell your mom I found what she left behind. And that I'm coming to get the rest."