Chapter 2

Six years later, Penn Station. The moment Chloe stepped out of the station exit with her three sons, they instantly drew a massive wave of attention. The mother was dressed casually and comfortably, completely makeup-free, yet she was strikingly gorgeous-every subtle smile naturally captivated anyone who glanced her way. Beside her, the three little boys were irresistibly adorable. Their big, round eyes glistened above their face masks like liquid crystal, long eyelashes fluttering with every blink. They were so unbelievably cute they practically melted the hearts of everyone passing by. It was another one of those "reasons to have kids" moments in real life! Chloe paid no mind to the crowd's admiring gazes. Standing at the exit, she looked at the familiar yet somewhat foreign surroundings, overwhelmed with emotion. Six years ago, Liam's single accusation of her being "unfaithful" had thrown her into a storm of public outrage. A month later, when she discovered she was pregnant, it only seemed to validate his claims. The venomous gossip almost drowned her alive. Her adoptive parents, thoroughly humiliated by the scandal and seeing no remaining leverage in her, cut ties completely and kicked her out of the house. She knew the children belonged to that mysterious man from that night. She had considered getting an abortion, but after thinking long and hard, she couldn't bring herself to do it. They were her flesh and blood! It was fate that they had chosen her as their mother. No matter how tough life got, she was determined to bring them into the world and raise them. Fearing her ruined reputation would tarnish her children's futures, she fled NYC to live in the quiet countryside. Life as a single pregnant woman was brutally hard. Finding a job was her first major hurdle-most employers refused to hire a woman who was visibly expecting. Yet she couldn't afford not to work. She needed money. She needed to eat, pay for hospital bills, save for formula, set aside money for their future schooling... Eventually, she managed to land a job at a local restaurant. Terrified of getting fired, she worked harder than anyone else, refusing to take a single day off. This relentless pace ultimately led to severe malnutrition and extreme exhaustion. When she was nine months pregnant, her body gave out, and she collapsed on her walk home from work. Strangely enough, when she woke up again, she and her newborn babies were deep in the mountains. To this day, she still had no idea what had happened. Who had performed her C-section? Who had transported her and her babies into the mountains? And why had they sent mother and children deep into the wilderness? Their savior claimed he had found them by pure chance. Taking pity on their dire state, he had brought them back to his home. And that home became theirs for five whole years! Those five years were lighthearted, happy, and peaceful-completely carefree. However, as the boys grew bigger by the day, she had to face the reality of their education and future. The mountain life was wonderful, but apart from their savior, there was no one else around. When he passed away one day, the boys would be left completely isolated... Her children had worked hard to come into this world; they shouldn't spend their entire lives in obscurity without ever seeing what lay beyond. They deserved to experience the brightness and wonder of the world. So, after much deliberation, she bade farewell to their savior and led her boys down the mountain. She hadn't originally wanted to return to NYC-the trauma from six years ago still lingered in her mind. Who could have guessed that when she tried to register her kids' household status, she would discover she was still legally married?! She had been totally dumbfounded! She clearly remembered signing the divorce papers back then! Before she could piece together what had gone wrong, a bigger problem arose: because she was legally married, registering the children's household status meant Liam's name would automatically fill the "Father" column. The Martin family was an elite empire, and Liam hated her-he would never accept being a surprise baby daddy to someone else's kids! Which meant before she could properly register her boys, she had to settle the divorce first. Her return to NYC was strictly to find Liam and sign those papers for good. As for Liam himself, she bore him no grudge. She was the one who had wronged him first back then. When he called her unfaithful, he hadn't been wrong. If she held a grudge against anyone, it was that wild stranger from that night who had stolen her purity! They always said a man's word was as reliable as a ghost story, and it was the absolute truth. That night, that mystery man had promised to make her the happiest, most honored woman in the world. And what was the result? Ha! He had completely ruined her life! Just thinking about everything she had suffered made her want to beat him to a pulp! "Mommy, I need to pee," Little Samuel suddenly pulled at her clothes, speaking up shyly. Chloe snapped back to reality. Gazing down at her three boys, her heart instantly melted with warmth. While that night six years ago had turned her life into a chaotic mess, gaining these three precious boys made everything worth it! Her three sons were her absolute pride and joy. Daniel was a little gentleman. He didn't speak much on a daily basis, but he exuded a powerful eldest-brother aura. With an exceptionally high IQ and EQ, every word and action carried the weight of a young patriarch. Ethan was the exact opposite of Daniel-lively, hyperactive, and mischievous to a fault. His interest: fighting! His hobby: fighting! His dream: fighting! His ultimate dream in life: to challenge the toughest opponent and reign supreme as the undisputed champion of the world! As for Samuel... he was a little crybaby. Born timid and lacking the sky-high IQ of his two older brothers, he was nevertheless a sweet, caring soul. Exceptionally attentive, he could already cook delicious meals at a tiny age. On top of that, he was a natural fashion genius-even the perfume Chloe currently wore was personally blended by Little Samuel. Give him a few pieces of fruit or a bouquet of flowers, and he could craft a completely unique, one-of-a-kind fragrance. No artificial additives or heavy chemicals-just a clean, natural hint of floral and fruity notes. And that wasn't all! Samuel also possessed an incredible talent for design, casually drafting clothing and jewelry concepts with effortless grace. Chloe had thought more than once that whoever ended up marrying her Little Samuel in the future would be the luckiest person alive. Chloe looked at Little Samuel with a gentle, affectionate smile. "Alright, Mommy will take you. Daniel, Ethan, do you two need to use the restroom?" Daniel and Ethan shook their heads in sync, answering in unison, "Nope!" "Then you two wait right here for Mommy and your brother. Don't wander off-I'll take Samuel inside." "Okay!" Chloe held Little Samuel's hand as they walked toward the restrooms. Arriving at the entrance, she squatted down to remind him: "Samuel, you go into the men's room, and Mommy will go into the women's room. If you finish first, just stand right here and wait for Mommy, okay?" "Mm-hmm!" Little Samuel nodded obediently, pumping his short little legs as he scampered into the men's room. Chloe smiled at his retreating figure before turning into the ladies' room. It wasn't long before Little Samuel came out. True to his word, he didn't wander around, standing right outside the restroom to wait for his mother. Suddenly, a group of suit-clad bodyguards marched over, escorting a glamorously dressed woman. Wearing oversized sunglasses and bold red lipstick, the woman was yelling angrily at the people around her: "Don't ever take low-budget scripts like that again! Filming out in the middle of nowhere is such a hassle! There aren't even direct flights back, forcing me to take a train! Is a train ride suitable for someone of my status? Just look at the people riding this thing-every single one of them is cheap, trashy, and repulsive!" Jessica's shrill voice was quite loud, causing passersby to frown in distaste. Her manager nodded frantically to appease her while the bodyguards aggressively cleared a path through the crowd. "Out of the way! Out of the way! Move back!" Little Samuel was caught completely off guard. Before he could even step aside, he was shoved hard. He landed flat on his bottom with a heavy thud. The sharp pain brought tears welling up in his eyes, but he was too scared to make a sound. "Whose kid is this? Get out of the way!" Jessica snapped coldly. Terrified by the intimidating crowd, Little Samuel sat on the floor with his mouth pouted, gazing up at Jessica through a blur of tears, too frightened to move. Jessica scowled. Looking at Little Samuel instantly reminded her of a thorn stuck in her side-a thorn the exact same age as this brat. A surge of malice burned through her. "I told you to get out of the way! Don't you know it's wrong to block people's path?!" Jessica spat maliciously. "How do your parents even raise you? Absolutely zero manners and upbringing!" With that, Jessica delivered a sharp kick with the tip of her high heel before strutting off on her stilettos. Little Samuel burst into loud wails. "Mommy... Big Bro... it hurts! Waaaaah..." Before Chloe could exit the restroom, Daniel and Ethan rushed over at the sound of his cries. Seeing him on the floor, they immediately crowded around him. "What happened, Samuel? What's wrong?!" Seeing his brothers, Little Samuel cried even harder, his small shoulders trembling as he sobbed out disjointed words: "That... that auntie kicked... kicked me... Big Bro, it hurts... waaaah..." Hearing this, Ethan instantly blew a fuse. Bullying his little brother?! Did she think he was dead?! "Daniel, watch Samuel! I'm gonna go settle the score!" Without another word, Ethan sprinted off, vanishing into the surging crowd within seconds.