Claimed by Three: My Triple Mate Bond

Fortune at Midnight I

I smiled to myself, turned around, and headed to the court where I had met that old lady.

On the way, I passed by some stores and made mental notes to explore them later and buy goodies for the kids.

When I arrived at the court, I walked up to a lady working on a computer.

I greeted her and asked about the old lady, providing vivid descriptions of her appearance, what she had come for, and even her home.

What I heard broke my heart. The old lady had come to the court to sign her will and surrender possession of her most cherished belonging.

Unfortunately, her husband’s children were trying to take everything their father had left for her. On top of that, she had cancer and was expected to pass away that year.

I was told she had gone to the hospital after leaving the court to undergo chemotherapy, but complications arose, and she lost her life, struggling painfully to breathe and hold on.

I thanked the lady for the information and left. On my way out, I stopped at one of the stores I had noted earlier, bought a few items for my kids, and even picked up a flower.

I walked for a few minutes until I reached the cemetery where I was told she had been buried.

Finding her tombstone, I decided to spend some time there, reflecting on the kind old lady.

Old beauty, gone in the blink of an eye. It hurt to think about the pain she must have endured. I sat in a lotus position beside her grave.

"Why did you die without saying goodbye?" I asked, not addressing anyone in particular. I already missed her like a child would miss their mother.

I had never had a mother and didn’t know what it was like to have one. But maybe, through her, I had experienced a glimpse of it.

"At least a goodbye would’ve been nice. I could’ve learned how it feels to see your children grow or to have a husband—a man who loves you as if his life depends on it."

‘Melissa, it’s alright. It’s getting extremely late.’

I checked my watch and realized it was evening. I needed to prepare dinner and look for a job. Standing up, I dusted off my clothes and said, "Rest in peace."

When I arrived at the park, I saw the kids playing around animals, while their mates kept their distance.

When I asked what the problem was, I was told the children did not want to play with anyone. I picked them up and boarded a cab that took us back home.

I bathed the children, dressed them, and gave them some cookies to snack on before putting them to rest for a while.

For their meal, I made potato balls and milk tea. For myself, I prepared mashed potatoes with some meat because I had heard they taste great together, especially when the potatoes have cheese in them.

I sat down to eat beside my kids, who devoured their food rapidly and asked for seconds. I had to refill their plates five times before they were finally satisfied, by which point I hadn’t even tasted my own food yet.

I made them sit and watch their favorite show—well, technically Amy’s favorite—a show called Joker.

It was about a deranged criminal in Gotham obsessed with defeating a wealthy man who was secretly a superhero at night, whom Andrew called Batman. One thing I couldn’t understand was whether that Joker guy was mutated, because I had no idea what the chemical he jumped into was meant for.

The only part I truly enjoyed was Joker’s girlfriend, Harley Quinn, because she was awesome and flexible with her hyenas.

I sighed and prepared to eat while watching with the kids. My thoughts wandered as I tried to make sense of what was going on.

How could water be kept in a flower when flowers couldn’t spray water? Why did Joker cackle as though he had a bad cough? And those minions—why were they so useless and clueless?

I guess kids loved things like that as long as it was colorful and amusing.

At some point, Aaron changed the channel to a movie I didn’t expect from him. It was titled Despicable Me, about adorable yellow aliens who didn’t speak English and worked for a villain, his wife, and three adorable little girls.

I laughed with the kids throughout the movie. I had to admit it was the best show I had seen since I started watching movies with them.

Eventually, I changed the channel to a horror romance movie and left the kids to grab a snack.

I heard Neon’s voice from the door. Amy opened it for him, and he came in, walking past the sitting room straight into the kitchen. I greeted him with a hug and took the items he was carrying—fruits and snacks for the kids—which I put into the fridge.

“I’m exhausted,” he exclaimed after downing two glasses of water in one go.

“Have a bath and join the kids. I’ll dish out your food,” I told him, turning to take the leftover potatoes from the fridge to whip up another batch of mashed potatoes for him.

I heard him whistle as he walked down the hall until his voice faded.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Frowning, I wondered who would be calling me so late—it was almost midnight, only five minutes to go.

I picked up the call and nearly dropped the phone in shock at what the caller said.

“Is this Miss Melissa Gray?”

“Yes, I am. Is there a problem?”

“No, but we’d like to inform you that you are now the new owner of Floral Enterprises. All the money willed to you will be transferred to your account. We’d greatly appreciate it if you sent the required details to our office so we can begin the transfer process.”

The voice paused, then the caller chuckled softly.

“You’re really lucky, ma’am. The old lady wanted to die with her fortune because she never wanted to give it to her children after everything they put her through.”

“That is, until you came along and gave her a reason to live—or maybe to die peacefully. Congratulations, ma’am.”