Return with My Kickass Triplets

Chapter 5 Paying a Visit

Harrison hadn't seen Simon in three days.

And during those three days, he hadn't answered a single call from her.

This was completely unlike him.

The more she thought about it, the more she was consumed by fear—a gut-wrenching terror that everything she'd fought so hard to achieve was about to vanish into thin air.

"Hello? Secretary Ethan? It's me, Harrison. Is Simon at the office? I'm not feeling well, and I…"

"Miss Harrison," Ethan Hayes cut her off crisply, "Mr. Morgan has been completely swamped trying to deal with your plagiarism incident. If you want to help, I suggest you avoid adding it to his plate. Once he's done and wants to see you, I'm sure he'll head over to the Weston home himself."

"I'm innocent! I didn't plagiarize!" Laura's voice cracked, tears streaming down her face like a classic damsel in distress. "I've been nothing but a guest in the Weston family, living under someone else's roof. That work is mine—always has been—but my sister took it from me! I didn't know she'd gone so far as to notarize it. If you don't believe me, I'm willing to confront her!"

"I don't doubt your side of the story," Ethan replied coolly. "But whether Mr. Morgan believes you or not? That's another matter entirely."

The call ended abruptly, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Laura slammed her phone down, her tearful expression evaporating in an instant. Cold determination filled her eyes instead, mingled with meticulous calculation.

Ethan Hayes neatly organized a stack of documents and handed them to Simon for a final review.

Simon glanced over them with the same intensity that had made his business reputation legendary. Ethan, standing by the desk, didn't dare ask why Simon was suddenly digging into a case from six or seven years ago. The evidence had been airtight back then—surely there was no chance of overturning it now.

Just as Simon set the papers down, the sharp trill of his phone cut through the room like a knife. He picked it up, only to be greeted by his grandfather's booming voice.

"Simon! The press conference has been moved to next month. I expect a draft to be submitted to the board by next week! Do you have any idea how much damage this scandal has done to the Morgan Group's reputation?"

"If you hadn't forced me to marry Laura back then, none of this would have happened," Simon replied icily. His tone was so detached, one might have thought he was speaking to a stranger rather than the patriarch of the Morgan family.

The elder Morgan was momentarily stunned. "What's the point of bringing that up now? I don't care about your personal grudges! But if the company suffers because of your incompetence, don't think I won't bring your uncle back from Sundra to replace you!"

"Sundra's a booming region. Let Uncle enjoy his retirement there. If you miss him, I'd be happy to arrange for you to join him," Simon said smoothly before ending the call, cutting off his grandfather's tirade mid-sentence.

A short while later, Ethan Hayes delivered another file—this one containing Laura's full dossier. Her current address, phone number, and even candid photos were all laid out in detail.

Simon's gaze sharpened as he flipped through the pages. One photo in particular caught his attention: Laura, newly returned to Zane City, flanked by three children.

Three.

He memorized the building number in a heartbeat, grabbed his keys, and strode out.

The drive was fast, the engine growling in the tense silence until the car skidded to a halt in front of a modest apartment complex.

The security guard at the gate approached, ready to note down the visitor's details, but froze mid-step when he recognized Simon. The man stepped aside hastily, not daring to delay him.

The complex was one of the Morgan Group's lower-end developments, located in a quiet but less desirable part of Zane City. Affordable and practical. Clearly, Laura wasn't exactly thriving—otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen a place like this.

Simon knocked firmly on the apartment door. Inside, the children who had been playing noisily went silent, their instincts on high alert.

Eliot, the eldest, climbed onto a stool and peered through the peephole. His eyes widened. "It's Simon," he whispered urgently. "Mom's not home. Should we let him in?"

Lila's face lit up with excitement. "Whoa! I've only seen him on TV. He's our daddy! Isn't it rude to leave him outside?"

"We're not letting him in," Carter, the middle child, said with steely calm. "Mom told us never to open the door for strangers when she's not home. Biologically, he's our dad, but otherwise? Total stranger."

While the three debated, Simon knocked again, his patience fraying. "Open the door, or I'll get the landlord to unlock it. If you want to make things harder for Laura, be my guest. Three, two…"

Before he could finish, the lock clicked from the inside.

Eliot cracked the door open cautiously, his small face peeking out to meet Simon's piercing gaze.

Behind him, Lila piped up in a sweet, sing-song voice, "You won't hurt us, right?"

For a moment, Simon was speechless. It was as if six years of searching had led him to this singular moment.

His voice softened—uncharacteristically gentle. "Never."

Meanwhile, Laura had been waiting for hours outside the prison, her eyes swollen from crying, only to be turned away. The rules were unyielding: visitation day was the 15th.

Sniffling, she trudged home with groceries in hand, determined to make her kids their favorite dinner as a distraction from the day's failures.

When she opened the door, she called out cheerfully, "Mommy's home! Tonight, I'm making slow-braised pork ribs, and I even bought pumpkin pastry twists…"

Her words trailed off when she turned and saw Simon standing in her living room.

Her brain short-circuited.

The next second, she screamed, "Simon? What on Earth!"

Simon, unperturbed, set Lila down gently and watched as Laura scrambled to grab a fruit knife from the kitchen counter. Shielding the children behind her like a lioness, she pointed the knife at him, her hands trembling.

"Simon, you've got no right to barge in here! This is illegal! You could get three to ten years in prison for breaking and entering!"

Her panicked reaction only confirmed his suspicions. These three children—they were his.

"Good argument," he said, smirking slightly. "But the kids let me in. I didn't force my way in."

Laura froze, glancing back at her children, who looked guiltily at the floor. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and faced Simon again.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

Simon's expression darkened. Taking a step forward, he loomed over her, backing her against the wall.

The kids huddled nearby, ready to intervene.

"This is just like in the romance shows!" Lila whispered excitedly. "He's totally going to kiss her now."

But Simon had no such intentions. Instead, his voice was icy as he growled, "That's my question. You stole Muse's Tears, wrecked my contract, and pissed off my shareholders. Tell me, Laura—what the hell are you up to?"