Just once? And he conquered me?

Chapter 2. The triplets find a father for themselves.

Hayley, pushed out by Sam, looked at her three angelic children and fought back her tears. She took them to a hotel to stay temporarily. Just then, she received a call from the caregiver who was looking after her mother at the hospital.

"Miss Hayley, can you come to the hospital immediately? Your mother just suddenly stopped breathing, and the doctors are examining her now."

What! As if things couldn't get any worse, now her mother was in trouble!

"Okay, I'll be right there," Hayley said, her heart racing with urgency.

After hanging up, she tried to appear calm for her son, "Willis, mommy needs to go to the hospital to see grandma. Please, take care of your sisters for me."

"Okay, mommy, don’t worry, be careful on the road," Willis replied, his little face solemn, resembling a little adult.

Hayley stroked his head and kissed her daughters' cheeks, her heart softening. These were her triplets: one boy and two girls. The boy, Willis, and the girls, Linda and Lucy. The children were stunningly beautiful, almost as if they had stepped out of a comic book. Willis, especially, was exceptionally intelligent, a real little genius.

Though she couldn’t remember who the biological father of the children was, she had no regrets about bringing them into this world. They brought her immense joy.

Leaving the hotel, Linda and Lucy looked at Willis, their nearly identical faces full of confusion and anger.

"Brother, Uncle Sam is so mean, hitting mommy and you!"

"Brother, Uncle Sam kicked us out, does this mean we don't have a home anymore?"

Willis clenched his fists tightly, his little face grave. After a moment, he took a deep breath and made a decision. "Follow me!"

"Where are we going?" they asked.

"To find a leg to stand on!" he declared.

At the Howard Corporation, in the spacious and bright CEO's office, Stephen was dressed in a crisp white shirt and black trousers, exuding an air of aloof distinction. He sat in his executive chair, handling documents in one hand and a phone call in the other.

"Stephen, last night I let you use the suite that Zarek told me about. He said a client sent a woman to his room; you didn’t happen to encounter that woman, did you?" asked the voice on the phone.

Stephen, scanning the document, responded indirectly, "Is this all the information you found on Hayley?"

"No, why are you suddenly asking me to look into this Hayley? Was she the woman in your room last night?"

Stephen leaned back slightly, his eyes again scanning the photos of the children on the document. "Hayley's three children, they aren't her fiancé’s?"

"Yes, it says that right here," the voice replied.

Stephen’s eyes narrowed slightly, "It doesn’t say who the biological father of the children is."

"Look, brother, how am I supposed to find detailed information in such a short time? What I could find is all here."

"Hang up."

"Wait! You haven’t told me why we're looking into Hayley."

Stephen set the documents down, his thin lips uttering one word, "Marriage."

The other person was speechless.

At that moment, the assistant knocked and entered. "Mr. Stephen, someone is looking for you outside."

"Who is it?" Stephen asked.

The assistant looked slightly perplexed, "It’s three children. They say… you are their father."

Stephen was stunned. How could he, a confirmed bachelor, suddenly have three children?

Ten minutes later, in a small conference room, Stephen observed the triplets sitting in a row on the sofa, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Hayley's children had actually come to him!

"Wow, what a handsome hunk!" one of the girls exclaimed.

"Yeah, I like the new daddy!" added the other.

Willis sat up straight, his little face serious and his fists clenched, not quite as composed as he appeared.

Stephen listened to their adorable voices, feeling an unexpected softness in his heart. "Who sent you here?"

The two sisters looked at Willis simultaneously. "We came here on our own," Willis replied, his young voice steady and composed. Stephen observed the little boy, surprised by his poise, yet he did not reveal his true identity.

"Why do you say that Stephen is your father?" Stephen asked, his expression pausing for a moment when Willis's large, obsidian-like eyes fixed on him. "Aren't you Stephen?"

"No, I'm Stephen’s… assistant," Stephen answered, noticing the flicker of disappointment in Willis's bright eyes.

"Is Stephen here then?" Willis asked.

"He's out," Stephen responded, pressing for an answer to his previous question. Willis clenched his little fists, a look of determination crossing his face. "We want Stephen to be our dad."

Stephen shifted in his seat, intrigued. "Why is that?"

"Because the Howard Corporation is the leading company in Seacity, and Stephen is the heir to the Howard Corporation," Willis explained with a crisp, youthful voice. "He just returned to the country six months ago and revitalized the company with decisive measures, driving the company to new heights! He is the king of Seacity's business world!"

Only by clinging to the most powerful man in Seacity can Mommy never be bullied again. "How do you know all this?" Stephen asked, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Such a small child, usually still at the age of blowing bubbles with a milk bottle, yet aware of financial matters. For a moment, he saw a reflection of his younger self—mature beyond his years and out of step with his peers.

"Because big brother is a little genius, he knows everything!" Linda said proudly and admiringly.

"So, you want to be the children of a king?" Stephen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"No, because you are reliable!" the youngest, Lucy, piped up.

Stephen paused, "Handsome uncle, our mommy has been bullied, so we need to cling to the strongest person in the world to keep her safe."

Linda explained in her childish voice, and Stephen was taken aback that they sought him out to protect their mother—a genuinely interesting trio.

"Do you not have a father?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"No," the little girls shook their heads, sadness flickering in their big eyes.

"When will Stephen be back?" Willis inquired.

Stephen tapped his finger against himself absent-mindedly. "As far as I know, Stephen is interested in another woman; he won't marry your mommy."

The three little ones exchanged glances, their big eyes welling up.

"What do we do, brother? We can't cling to the strongest person!" Willis frowned, momentarily at a loss for words.

Stephen’s lips curled slightly. "Is your mommy pretty?"

"Pretty! Mommy is the prettiest mommy in the world!" Linda said enthusiastically.

Lucy nodded vigorously, pointing at her little face, "Mommy looks like me, everyone says I'm pretty!"

"No, silly, we look like Mommy!" Linda corrected.

Stephen laughed. "In that case, how about considering me? I just happen to be looking for someone to marry."

The three kids looked at him with big, round eyes.

"Brother, uncle is so handsome, and he wants to be our daddy!"

"Brother, I like handsome uncle to be our dad," Linda chimed in.

Willis's face remained serious, "No, can being handsome feed us? Can he protect Mommy from being bullied?"

Stephen's lips twitched slightly, "While I may not be the most powerful man in Seacity, I am Stephen’s assistant, second only to one above thousands. I believe I have the capability to protect your mommy."