Ch. 511..520
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 511
Hearing those words got Zachary thinking. He knew that Spencer only said all those things for his sake.
When Zachary was a kid, he learned that he needed to see the big picture and make decisions for the greater good.
That was how he had been ever since, and that was how he got Divine Corporation to grow that much within a few years.
However, his heart overpowered his head at that time.
He was eager to give Charlotte and the kids a home and to throw a huge wedding. In fact, he craved it so badly that he didn’t really want to wait until Henry woke up.
Reality, however, was warning him.
Grandpa is gravely ill. Yet, he is still thinking about all these things. He even used the little strength he has to remind me repeatedly that I can’t let Lindberg Corporation win.
Zachary could let go of anything else but… Lindberg Corporation? That was something he refused to compromise on.
The Nacht family and the Lindberg family were nemeses. Hell, the Lindberg family was the reason Zachary’s parents died at such a young age.
The grudge from the previous generation had since been resolved in their generation, and they had little to no interaction with each other since.
However, the Lindberg family had come after the Nacht family once more, so naturally, Zachary had to go all out in that war.
That was also why he had to put the beautiful image in his mind aside and postpone everything.
“Mr. Zachary, you are the Nacht family’s only hope. Please don’t let your grandpa down,” said Spencer before he tilted his head down and went back into the room.
Zachary turned around to leave. It was only a few minutes’ drive, but thousands of thoughts had already run through his mind.
The Nacht family is facing internal turmoil as well as external threats. Our enemies are everywhere, and I have to put romance aside for a while. The most important thing right now is work.
Charlotte will understand that, right?
“Mr. Nacht, everything is ready,” reported Ben.
“Okay,” murmured Zachary before he entered the ward. Charlotte had already changed her clothes by then. She still looked weak, but she was happy because she knew that she would be seeing her kids soon.
“Let’s go home,” said Zachary as he offered her his hand.
Charlotte put her hand in his, and they grinned while looking into each other’s eyes.
Zachary took his coat off and draped it over her before they walked out of the ward together.
Ben and Raina followed behind with the other security guards and medical staff.
The aura he was radiating got every patient in the hospital and their families to turn around to stare. The patients moved aside nervously to make way.
The rain was pouring, so the security guard was holding a huge umbrella the entire way to the car. He was shielding Charlotte and Zachary from the rain and wind.
Zachary carried Charlotte into the car then helped her dry the rain off of her hair.
Charlotte relaxed in his arms. She fell asleep soon after.
“She’s sleeping again?” murmured Zachary as he touched her forehead. She doesn’t have a fever. Zachary whispered to Raina, “What’s going on? She’s been sleeping a lot over the past two days.”
“She’s probably just exhausted. It’s likely that she was too scared to rest well these past few days,” replied Raina softly, “Plus, she’s medicated, so she’s sleeping more lately. She should revert to her old self in a few days.”
Zachary held Charlotte tightly in his arms. He stroked her shoulders softly to help her have a better sleep.
Charlotte curled up in his arms like she was a kid. She fell asleep soon after.
Zachary was a little nervous because he sensed that something was off about her. He later thought about how the doctors had run all sorts of tests on her, but still couldn’t find anything off. Maybe she really is just tired and will be fine in a few days…
The car drove slowly and steadily so that Charlotte could sleep well.
They ended up spending over forty minutes traveling down a thirty-minute route. The kids were waiting by the entrance at the time. When they saw the car pulling up, they got so excited that they ran ahead. The nurses quickly stopped them.
“Kids, be careful. Don’t run over until the car is parked.”
“Violet, can you see them? Is Mommy in the car with them?”
Ellie was hopping and tiptoeing to try to see better. She wanted to check if her mommy was in the car.
“I can’t tell,” answered Violet after looking ahead. The windows were tinted, so they couldn’t see what was going on inside.
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 512
“We’re home,” informed Zachary softly.
Charlotte didn’t react.
Zachary tapped her face lightly to prompt her to open her eyes slowly. She asked groggily, “Are we there yet? Where are the kids?”
“They’re waiting for you,” replied Zachary as he helped Charlotte out of the car.
“Mommy!” called out Ellie. Her short legs ran over. She was so excited that she almost knocked Charlotte to the ground.
Fortunately, Zachary was there to steady Charlotte.
She crouched down immediately to pick up Ellie’s chubby figure and kiss the girl’s soft cheeks.
“Mommy, where have you been? I miss you so much,” said Ellie. Her voice turned thick with tears as soon as her lips parted, and crystal clear teardrops swirled in her eyes.
However, Ellie never let her tears roll down her cheeks because the kids had agreed that they would not cry.
“Mommy missed you too,” said Charlotte while hugging Ellie. The former’s heart was heavy with guilt when she apologized, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t take care of you.”
“Mommy,” said Robbie. He had run over as well, and his tiny, new boots stomped on the puddle as he hurried over. That caused water from the puddle to splash everywhere.
“Robbie!” called out Charlotte, who opened her arms immediately to hold him.
“Mommy, are you okay?”
Robbie’s eyes were reddened with tears. He was quite mature, so he had always presented himself in a tough and calm manner. Yet, he couldn’t conceal his weaker side when he saw his mommy there.
“Mommy is fine,” promised Charlotte while hugging Robbie. She kissed his hair and asked, “Robbie, I heard that you had an allergic reaction. How are you feeling?”
“I’m all better now,” replied Robbie. His tiny hand wiped the rain off of Charlotte’s face, and he seemed heartbroken to see how pale she looked. He asked, “Mommy, are you sick?”
“It’s just a minor issue. I’ll be fine,” answered Charlotte.
As she spoke, the nurse pushed Jamie over to them.
“Mommy, mommy!” called out Jamie excitedly from a distance.
“Jamie!” said Charlotte. She rushed over to hug Jamie and ask, “How is your leg? Are you feeling better? When did they take the cast off?”
“They took the cast off yesterday, and the doctor said that I am recovering well,” answered Jamie. He hugged Charlotte tightly and added coquettishly, “I miss you so much, mommy. I had a dream about you this afternoon, and I was so scared that you won’t come back anymore.”
“Silly boy. Mommy is back now, and I will never leave again,” said Charlotte. She pinched his cute cheek a little and added lovingly, “Alright, let’s go in. It’s pouring out here.”
“Okay,” said the kids. All three stuck to Charlotte’s side. Robbie held her skirt, Ellie held one hand, and Jamie held Charlotte’s other hand.
“Don’t pester your mommy now. She needs to rest, too,” reminded Zachary.
Without saying another word, Zachary picked Ellie and Robbie up and put them on his shoulders.
“Gah!” shouted Robbie, who almost fell down.
“Robbie, do this,” shared Ellie. Her tiny, plump hand was gripping Zachary’s hair. She even demonstrated how she steadied herself while sitting on Zachary’s shoulder.
Robbie saw that and copied her instantly. He grabbed onto Zachary’s hair as well.
“See? You won’t fall this way,” bragged Ellie, with her tiny head held high.
“You’re right. It’s so much safer this way,” replied Robbie, who then sighed a breath of relief.
Zachary was utterly speechless.
If he were in a comic, a series of sweat drops would be drawn on his head. He felt as if he had turned into an actual tree with two monkeys hanging off him.
“Mommy, mommy…”
Fifi flew over at that moment and sat on Zachary’s head. The little parrot scanned around like it was looking for its territory.
“I wanna hang on after my legs recover,” complained Jamie. It sounded like he thought that he was missing out on a lot of fun because he couldn’t join his siblings who were on Zachary’s shoulders at that moment.
Charlotte giggled aloud. Her eyes exuded warmth and love when she turned to Zachary.
“It’s not funny!” grumbled Zachary before he pinched her cheek. He held her hand with one hand and pushed Jamie’s wheelchair with the other. He was leading everyone into the house. “Let’s go home,” suggested Zachary.
“Yay, home!”
The three kids cheered with happiness echoing in their voices.
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The three kids circled around Charlotte after getting into the house. They spoke endlessly about what happened in the kindergarten over the past few days, as well as how awesome their new house was.
Ellie stuck to Charlotte and was hugging the latter’s neck when she spoke coquettishly. “My room is so big, mommy. There’s even a piano in there, and it’s so beautiful. Let me show you.”
“My room is really big too! There are tons of toy cars, model airplanes, and all sorts of toys,” shared Jamie eagerly. He crawled out of his wheelchair and onto the sofa because he wanted to be closer to his mommy.
“Jamie and I are staying in different rooms now. We all have our own room,” said Robbie. He couldn’t wait to tell Charlotte, “There’s a computer in my room, and there are tons of high-tech stuff in there.”
“That’s great,” replied Charlotte. She stroked their tiny heads and said lovingly, “But I’m a little tired today. I’ll go check your rooms out tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” replied the kids while nodding their heads.
“What’s wrong, mommy? Are you still sick?” asked Ellie. She placed her tiny, chubby hand on Charlotte’s forehead before comparing the temperature against her own head. “Hmm, but you don’t have a fever.”
“I’m just a little tired. I’ll be fine after resting a few days,” said Charlotte, while stroking Ellie’s chubby face.
“Let’s not bother mommy anymore and let her rest,” suggested the good boy, Robbie, immediately, “It’s Sunday tomorrow, so we don’t need to go to school. We’ll show you our rooms then.”
“Okay,” replied Charlotte. She nodded, then hugged her children before adding, “It’s over nine. Go shower and sleep now.”
“Okay. Goodnight, mommy.”
“Good night.”
Charlotte waved at her three kids and watched as the nurses took them up the stairs.
They were delighted about their mommy being home, so they were skipping as they walked. They even hummed.
Charlotte’s lips curved into a beautiful grin when she saw them skipping that happily.
“Why not spend more time with the kids?” asked Zachary.
He walked over with a glass of icy drink for himself and a cup of tea for her.
Charlotte sipped some tea and said, “I think the kids and I should move back to our place.”
“Why?” asked Zachary with a frown.
Charlotte shifted her attention to the maids and the security guards without saying anything.
“Leave us,” ordered Zachary.
“Understood.” Everyone left after that.
Charlotte only spoke up after the door to the room was closed. “Is your grandpa sick?” asked Charlotte.
“Yes. He’s being treated in Kindness Hospital right now,” replied Zachary. He had never planned on hiding anything from her.
“I think the kids and I should move back to my place until he regains consciousness. Let’s wait until he wakes up, and you can tell him everything about the kids. Once he accepted everything, we can…”
“The kids are mine, so it doesn’t matter if he accepts them,” interrupted Zachary before he revealed, “Besides, he had always liked the triplets. I’m sure he will be ecstatic to hear this news.”
“But…” murmured Charlotte uneasily, “I feel that it’s inappropriate. I’m moving in without an actual title or anything.”
“What’s inappropriate about it?” demanded Zachary while frowning, “This is my home, and I get to choose who I let stay here. No one can say anything about it, and you shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself, either.”
“Okay, I will accept that, but it’s not convenient for the kids to stay here. Their school…”
“I already hired a driver for that. Someone will drive them over and pick them up from school. The time taken to travel to school will remain the same because they won’t need to wait for the school bus,” shared Zachary, who had thought of everything. “You should rest up and heal at home while my grandpa is hospitalized. Once he wakes up, I will discuss the matter with him and prep for the wedding.”
“Wedding?”
Charlotte had never even considered that before. That night from four years ago, and their reunion four years later… So much had happened in between that she didn’t think she’d get to marry him.
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 514
“Why are you lost?”
Zachary was a little upset when he pinched Charlotte’s face. He thought that she should’ve been touched by the gesture and tear up. He was definitely expecting a warm hug and a passionate kiss.
But she’s just stunned there.
“It’s nothing,” replied Charlotte. She finally came around and grinned bitterly before saying, “I just felt like this happiness came too suddenly…”
“You’re not happy with it?” asked Zachary as he stared at her in confusion.
“No, that’s not it at all,” answered Charlotte. She reached out to hug him and rested her face against his chest. She enjoyed the rhythm of his powerful heartbeat before she sighed and claimed, “I’ve been through too much over the past couple of years, and I feel like happiness will always be beyond my reach. I am finally happy, and it feels surreal. It’s like I’m dreaming.”
“Silly girl. This is not a dream,” reassured Zachary. He hugged her tightly in his arms.
“I hope not…”
Charlotte buried her face by his neck and greedily inhaled his natural scent. She had been holding especially tight onto him lately because it felt like he would vanish if she let her guard down…
Zachary carried her and placed her onto the bed. He wanted to have her then and there, but he worried that her body couldn’t handle the fatigue.
Hence, he quietly held her and stroked her shoulder softly to coax her to bed.
“I’ll nap now and wake up earlier tomorrow morning to make everyone some breakfast,” murmured Charlotte wearily. She was like a cuddly kitten at that moment and was curled up obediently in Zachary’s arms. Her beautiful face was pressed against his heart, and she listened to his heartbeat as she slept. That made her feel especially warm and safe.
Zachary rested his head on his arm and stared at Charlotte, who was lying sideways by his side.
Back then, he found it annoying that she was noisy and troublesome. Turned out, her being quiet just got him to worry…
It’s like she’s completely changed after she got back. She’s starting to act lost and looks like she’s in a daze…
Am I overthinking this? Or is there something off with her body and health?
Zachary was nervous. However, when he saw her sleeping that soundly, he comforted himself. Maybe she’s just exhausted. She’ll be fine after resting for a few days…
Zachary kissed her, then fell asleep with her in his arms.
That night, the rain suddenly poured, and the loud thunder woke Charlotte up. It made her tremble in fear.
Zachary was obviously still asleep, but he instinctively held her closer and stroked her arm gently. His other hand covered her ears and pulled her face to his chest.
Charlotte listened to his heartbeat and slowly calmed herself down. She adjusted her position in his arms before she continued sleeping.
He was like her rock, and she felt like he was her protector that could shield her from everything.
I don’t need to be scared with him around…
The children’s gleeful laughter echoed in the morning. Zachary woke up groggily, and he instinctively reached out to his side. However, Charlotte was nowhere to be found.
He jumped out of his bed immediately to look for her, but she wasn’t in the washroom nor in the mini-study room.
Zachary panicked. He opened the door to search for her. At the very next second, he saw Charlotte in a casual outfit. She had an apron on and was putting breakfast on the dining table.
The kids were chatting away and discussing whether their mommy’s cooking had improved. Jamie was sitting in a wheelchair, so it was difficult for him to move about. He sat by the dining table and looked like he was tempted to taste-test everything.
However, Robbie halted him and ordered sternly, “No, we can’t eat until Mommy and Uncle Zack are here!”
“We may be kids, but we have to be courteous,” agreed Ellie in her baby voice. She even tilted her tiny head to Fifi and asked, “Am I right, Fifi?”
“Yes!”
Fifi had always favored Ellie, so the former would agree to whatever the latter said.
“Okay,” muttered Jamie. He retracted his hand obediently, but his eyes remained stuck on the hot cross bunnies. His saliva was borderline leaking when he commented, “I wonder when Uncle Zack will be up. I’m so hungry.”
“I’ll go get Uncle Zack…”
Robbie was about to walk up the stairs when he saw Zachary staring at them in the corridor. The former instantly called out, “Uncle Zack, come and have breakfast.”
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 515
“Mommy made hot cross bunnies and omelets. They’re really delicious,” said Ellie in her baby voice while waving her tiny hand at Zachary, “Come quick!”
“Don’t rush him. I haven’t finished making the waffles,” said Charlotte as she placed a fruit salad on the dining table. She smiled at Zachary and instructed, “Go change your clothes.”
“Okay,” replied Zachary with a smile and a nod. I’ve never started the day on such a beautiful note before…
“This is so great,” exclaimed Ben upon seeing all that. He couldn’t help it. A simple morning like that may seem nothing to the ordinary folks, but for the great Mr. Nacht, that was a luxury he had been craving ever since he was a kid.
He finally has it now. No wonder his eyes have been exuding the kind of warmth that had never shown itself before…
Charlotte had already served the waffles by the time Zachary changed his clothes and walked down the stairs. There were seven dishes and three drinks for breakfast, so it was a plentiful breakfast.
Robbie helped set the table. Like a pro, he instructed, “We’ll sit here, Mommy and Uncle Zack will sit there, and Fifi will sit at the end.”
“Thank you, Robbie.”
The nurse helped Ellie into her seat, but Ellie put the napkin on herself.
Jamie’s eyes were practically glowing, and he was salivating at the food. He clapped his tiny hands excitedly before exclaiming, “Everything looks so delicious for breakfast. Gah, I can’t wait any longer!”
Fifi was sitting at the end. It stared at the pet food on its plate, then at the gorgeous breakfast that everyone else was having. That got it to kick its plate in dissatisfaction and waved its wings while complaining, “Want breakfast, want breakfast!”
“Quiet!” ordered Ellie, while frowning her tiny brows. Her baby features made her look cute even when she was glaring and scolding, “You can’t eat these, okay? You have to eat pet food.”
“No, no!” complained Fifi. It spread its wings and tried to fly over.
“No!” said Ellie. Her tiny hands quickly shielded the food before she called out loudly, “Robbie, Jamie, come help. Fifi is trying to steal breakfast.”
“Fifi, return to your seat at once,” demanded Jamie, while frowning. He then threatened with a tiny fork, “If you don’t, I will lock you up in a cage!”
“Don’t! Don’t!” cried Fifi in a heartbroken tone. It stopped some distance away from them before it reluctantly moved away from all that delicious food.
“Come now, I will give you some extra walnut later,” cooed Robbie calmly, “Go back to your seat.”
“Here’s your walnut, Fifi. Come have your breakfast,” said Charlotte, who added some crushed walnut to Fifi’s plate.
Fifi finally returned to its seat reluctantly. As it walked, it proudly kept its head high as if it was saying, “Hmph, I’ve got walnuts, and I’m not sharing!”
“This parrot has a terrible temper,” commented Zachary.
He saw everything from the stairs and thought that it was interesting. The place had turned noisy because of that incident, but it also turned the place lively and warm.
“Uncle Zack, its name is Fifi!”
Robbie had set the cutlery in place. He tiptoed and climbed onto his chair before he spread his napkin like a gentleman.
“Why was it given that name?” asked Zachary warmly.
“So that our names match,” replied Jamie, as he tilted his head to the side. He later put on a straight face and added, “There’s Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie, so it’s only natural that we call it Fifi. To differentiate it from the rest of us, its name didn’t end with an ‘E’, though.”
“Oh, I see,” replied Zachary while nodding.
“I also have some barbie dolls, but I gave them repetitive names, like Deedee, Lulu, Kiki…” shared Ellie while counting with her fingers. Her tiny lips informed, “They are all precious and are so cute. I’ll introduce them to you someday.”
“Sure,” replied Zachary with a smile. Even though he was looking at his children, he still had a hard time believing that he was actually a father. It’s like a dream…
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 516
The kids used to call him old man, and that infuriated him. They had since changed and started calling him Uncle Zack, but that made him a little uncomfortable as well. He wanted them to call him dad, but he didn’t know how to make that request.
Maybe I should build a better rapport with them first…
“Come dig in,” said Charlotte. She placed a cup of freshly made coffee in front of Zachary.
“Thank you,” said Zachary before he sipped some coffee. He shifted his gaze to the kids and tested the water by asking, “How about I drive you guys to the kindergarten today?”
“Really?” asked Ellie, who was pleasantly surprised. A cheerful smile lit up on her beautiful face as she added, “That’d be awesome!”
“I think so too,” agreed Jamie excitedly, while having his tiny arm up to cast his vote, “Mommy is usually busy and can’t drop us off at the kindergarten. I’m always so jealous when I see how the other kids have their parents at the kindergarten with them.”
Hearing those words got Charlotte to feel guilty. He’s right. I rarely drop the kids off at school, and I thought that they are okay with it. I never realized that they are envious of the other kids…
“Uncle Zack, won’t that make you late for work?” asked Robbie, who was more considerate.
“Not at all,” replied Zachary before he turned to Ben and ordered, “Go set everything up.”
“Huh?” blurted Ben. He was stunned because he didn’t know what was there to set up. He’s just dropping the kids off at the kindergarten, right? All he has to do is to tell the driver where to go. There’s nothing to set up.
“How many kids are there in your kindergarten?” asked Zachary as he sipped his coffee.
“Huh? That is such a tough question.”
Ellie had a cute ponytail on her head, and her tiny lips pouted as she thought about it. Unfortunately, she still couldn’t figure the answer out.
“All I know is that there are nineteen students in our class,” answered Jamie after he swallowed one of the hot cross bunnies. His tiny lips were oily, and his cheeks were bulging a little when he added, “There used to be twenty students, but Timothy went to another school, so now there’s only nineteen.”
“Oh,” murmured Zachary while nodding.
“I know the answer to that,” replied Robbie. He sipped some juice before counting with his fingers and answering, “The kindergarten divides its students into four age groups, and each age group makes seven classes. With each classroom comprising twenty students, there are five hundred and sixty students in total.”
Robbie paused for a moment before adding, “Also, there are five teachers in each class, and that makes it a total of one hundred and forty teachers.”
“You are brilliant!”
Zachary was astonished. In addition to having high EQ, the kid’s logical thinking and mathematics are on point as well. He’s not even four, but he can analyze situations and make deductions quickly. He’s such an adorable genius! As expected of my son!
“Thank you,” replied Robbie. He was already used to receiving compliments like that, so he asked calmly, “Why do you want to know, Uncle Zack?”
“Because the idiot standing behind me doesn’t know what to do,” replied Zachary, before shooting a frosty glare at Ben.
“I got it,” said Ben, who quickly nodded. He finally understood what Zachary meant by setting everything up. “I’ll go work on it right away.”
Ben later bowed politely to everyone before rushing out of there.
“What’s going on?” asked Charlotte in a confused tone.
“You don’t need to worry about anything,” promised Zachary as he got some hot cross bunnies for her, “All you have to do is rest up at home. I’ll take everyone out for a stroll after you’ve recovered.”
“Okay,” murmured Charlotte. She nodded with a smile. She never knew that Zachary had a softer side, and seeing how he interacted with the kids and planned to send the kids to school…
I don’t need to worry about anything at all.
“What else do you like aside from logical thinking and mathematics?” asked Zachary while looking at Robbie.
“Anything to do with technology,” replied Robbie as he stirred the vegetable broth in his bowl, “I like gadgets, so Mr. Henry got me a computer. He also hired someone to teach me foreign language as well as some basic technical know-how.”
“Basic?” repeated Zachary with his brows raised.
“Yeah. At first, I thought that everything he taught was interesting, but I later found the content to be too simple. I kept dozing off during his class…” shared Robbie before yawning. He looked like he was bored and frustrated.
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“Here,” offered Zachary, who turned on an app on his tablet and handed it to Robbie, “See if you can understand everything here.”
“Okay,” replied Robbie. The second he saw the content, his eyes glowed, and he informed, “This is a VR proposal and design for an electronic gadget! Where did you get it?”
“You actually understand it?” blurted Zachary in amazement, “This is my company’s design for our new product. It is meant to be an educational device for kids, but we have encountered a few problems that we still can’t solve…”
“What are the issues you faced?” asked Robbie as he played on the tablet.
“The R&D department hit a blind spot,” lied Zachary to lead the boy to think, “I haven’t pinpointed the exact issue. Try identifying it. If you can pinpoint the issue, I will grant you one wish.”
“Really?” asked Robbie. He had always kept his cool, but at that moment, his little face lit up with a level of excitement that no one had ever seen before. His eyes glowed with a bizarre light when he asked, “Can I ask for anything?”
“Yes,” answered Zachary while nodding.
“Okay, I’ll try,” said Robbie. He had lost all interest in his breakfast and focused on the tablet immediately.
“Robbie, finish your breakfast first,” reminded Charlotte sweetly, “You can play with it after you’ve eaten.”
“Mommy, I’m full,” replied Robbie.
He never looked up, and his tiny finger kept swiping on the tablet as he examined the blueprint of the new product.
“You had one hot cross bunny and didn’t even drink a drop of milk. You haven’t eaten your oatmeal either. How can you be full?” said Charlotte in an annoyed tone, “Finish your breakfast now, or I’ll confiscate the tablet.”
After that, she scolded Zachary, “Look at what you did. Getting the kid all excited during breakfast. You made it so that he won’t even eat properly.”
“Uhm…” That was the first time Zachary got scolded in front of everyone else, but he didn’t dare to object to anything. He could only remind Robbie sternly, “Come now. You can play with it later. Finish your breakfast first, or your mommy will lose her cool.”
“Okay,” murmured Robbie. He had no choice but to put the tablet aside and focused on his breakfast.
“Uncle Zack, I want a wish too,” requested Jamie. He was jealous of Robbie, but he didn’t sound too confident when he admitted, “I am not as smart as Robbie, and I cannot understand complicated electronic components, but I am a good fighter. I can do martial arts!”
“Really?” asked Zachary with his brows raised, “You know martial arts despite being so young?”
Kids at the time would, at most, go for a few low-level taekwondo lessons. Martial arts was not popular, and it was rare for anyone to practice it.
“It’s true! I can do it. I’ll prove it to you.”
Jamie got a little agitated. He swung his tiny fist to prove his words, but his legs hadn’t recovered yet, and he was on a high chair, so his moves were restricted.
“Now, now, you still haven’t finished your breakfast,” reminded Charlotte as she got some more food for Jamie. She later smiled at Zachary and informed him, “He actually knows martial arts. An elderly master lives in Mrs. Berry’s village, and he taught the boy martial arts.”
“Ah, no wonder,” said Zachary with a grin, “Then you gotta heal up soon. We’ll compete with one another after you’ve recovered.”
“You know it too?” asked Jamie excitedly.
“My training was specialized, and I’ve never learned martial arts before,” replied Zachary. He sipped some coffee before adding, “Still, every fighting technique in the world is founded on the same basis. There is plenty I can teach you.”
“Really? That’d be amazing,” cheered Jamie, but he soon said in a worried tone, “But I am not as smart as Robbie. Will you be frustrated with how stupid I am?”
“Every genius has his journey. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, so there is no need to compare yourself against others. Robbie has his strengths, but so do you. All everyone has to do is to work on their own strengths,” advised Zachary.
He handed some fruit to Jamie.
“Thank you, Uncle Zack!”
Jamie was so touched that tears welled in his eyes. He looked exactly like Robbie, but the latter was much smarter, so he never really got compliments from others.
As time passed by, Jamie’s confidence took a hit.
It was a sudden revelation, but he finally realized that he had qualities that others admired as well.
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“What about me?”
Ellie had been eating her breakfast the entire time, so her lips were all dirty. Seeing Robbie and Jamie receiving compliments from Zachary inspired her to voice up, too. She raised her tiny, plump hand and was eager to brag.
“I-I can dance, sing, and paint…”
“That…” said Zachary in a troubled tone, “I honestly can’t help with.”
He could teach the boys some technical knowledge and combat skills, but he knew nothing about Ellie’s hobbies.
Ellie pouted her tiny lips. Her cute, round face crumpled together as her eyes shone with sorrow while staring at Zachary.
“I-I can play the piano. I’ll teach you that,” coaxed Zachary immediately.
“Mommy can teach me how to play the piano,” said Ellie in a disappointed tone. Her tiny hand held the hot cross bunny but she had lost her appetite. “Uncle Zack only likes Robbie and Jamie. You don’t like me,” murmured Ellie.
“That is not true,” insisted Zachary. He didn’t know how to comfort the kid, so he nervously nudged Charlotte to ask for help.
Charlotte suppressed her laughter and explained sweetly, “Uncle Zack is a boy, Ellie, so naturally, he can only teach the boys their hobbies. Mommy is a girl, and I can teach you whatever you like.”
“But there are boys in our class who can dance, sing, and paint,” refuted Ellie, whose logic was flawless. She pouted her tiny lips and stared unhappily at Zachary, “Is Uncle Zack a lesser man than the boys in our class?”
“Uh…” blurted Zachary. He couldn’t actually refute any of that.
“Lesser! Lesser!”
Fifi flapped its wings and danced. It even raised its voice and acted like it’d enjoy the show even more if things escalated.
“Fifi!” growled Robbie while deliberately putting a stern face on before criticizing strictly, “Don’t add fuel to the fire.”
Fifi made a face at Robbie for that.
“Hmph,” pouted Ellie. She put her cutlery down and harrumphed angrily, “Uncle Zack is playing favorites, and you only like boys.”
“N-no, that is not true. I honestly don’t know how to do any of that,” denied Zachary nervously.
“You can learn,” insisted Ellie with her head tilted up, “Mommy said that everything is possible if we put our minds to it. You can master it if you are willing to learn, and you are too smart to not master it in time!”
Zachary was utterly speechless.
He had been put on a pedestal and felt like it was virtually impossible to get off of it.
He was troubled, but he had no choice, so he steeled himself up and agreed, “Okay, I’ll learn!”
“Hooray!” cheered Ellie happily, with her tiny, plump arms in the air. She then added, “Starting today, I will be your teacher. I will give you singing, dancing, and painting lessons every day. You don’t need to pay for these classes, but you must work hard and learn well, okay? If you don’t, I will hit you.”
“Uhm…”
Zachary was stunned. Did that tiny little thing just trick me? And have me cornered?
He quickly covered his face and turned to Charlotte. “Help!” mouthed Zachary.
Charlotte shrugged with a grin on. She looked like she couldn’t help him, even if she wanted to.
“Mommy, please buy me some colored pencils, some paper, a piano music note today. Oh, and please get me a teacher’s pointer as well. I will be giving Uncle Zack lessons today,” requested Ellie with a smile. Her big, round eyes shone with glee and anticipation.
“Okay,” replied Charlotte with a smile and a nod.
“It’s fine for you to give lessons, Ellie, but you’re not allowed to get in the way of Uncle Zack giving me fighting pointers,” said Jamie quickly. He was worried about Ellie monopolizing Zachary’s time, so he reminded, “Uncle Zack doesn’t just belong to you. He’s mine and Robbie’s too!”
“Okay,” agreed Ellie with a straight face on while nodding, “Good things are meant to be shared, anyway. How should we divide his time?”
Zachary couldn’t speak.
Good things are meant to be shared? Seriously?
Zachary raised his brows in exasperation. When did I become an object that was supposed to be shared among the three siblings?
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 519
“We’ll let Robbie decide,” suggested Jamie, who was smart to hand the task to Robbie.
“How about this? From now on, we will each get one hour of his time at night. Is that okay, Uncle Zack?” asked Robbie, after considering the matter. He was being serious when he divided the time equally among them.
Zachary could feel cold sweat running down his back. He felt like his entire life had just been taken over.
He thought about how he had to work with the nerds at the office during the day and now he had to rush home after that to accompany his wife and kids.
Is this how my life is going to be from now on?
“No, that won’t do,” interrupted Charlotte immediately to help Zachary out, “Uncle Zack is busy with work, and he doesn’t have that much time to spend with you guys.”
“Then, can we have half an hour each?” asked Robbie while staring eagerly at Zachary, “Can we, Uncle Zack?”
“Robbie…”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” said Zachary suddenly while nodding, “We’ll set it for every night from eight to nine-thirty. Everyone gets half an hour.”
“Yay!”
The three kids cheered together and high-fived each other. It was as if they had just gotten an especially precious item and could share it among themselves.
After that, they talked about who would get the first shift, the second shift, and the third shift.
In the end, they decided to go in accordance with their age. Robbie would go first, then Jamie, then Ellie.
The three of them were talking away when Fifi suddenly flew over and flapped its wings. It called out excitedly, “Fifi goes fourth. Fifi goes fourth.”
Yep, even the bird wanted to share Zachary.
Charlotte had been watching from the side, and she couldn’t help laughing aloud. Her crisp laughter filled the entire living room.
“You’re so mean for laughing. You actually left me for dead,” complained Zachary before reaching out to pinch her cheek. He was tempted to bite her for that.
“This is just the beginning,” warned Charlotte while smiling, “It’s not easy taking care of kids, and you really should prepare yourself.”
“Don’t worry. I can topple an army, so dealing with three kids is nothing,” bragged Zachary, “I will definitely do a great job taking care of the kids. Just you watch.”
“Okay, then. Thank you,” replied Charlotte before inching forward and kissing his forehead.
She was thanking him from the bottom of her heart.
She never realized that Zachary could be that patient with the kids and that considerate toward them.
He took their pride into consideration and protected their desire for learning. First, he pretended to be testing Robbie when he was actually training the boy’s mind.
When Jamie eagerly shared that he was a good fighter, Zachary immediately recognized that talent. The latter was observant and saw the lack of confidence in Jamie, so he encouraged the kid in the most delicate manner.
Lastly, he set his pride aside and agreed to learn singing, dancing, and painting from Ellie just to gain the tiny thing’s approval.
Any one of the three activities could drive the man nuts, and the fact that he would have to get lessons from Ellie only made things worse.
Perhaps many would think that the independent and cruel Mr. Nacht would never lower himself and do something like that. However, he proved them all wrong.
That was not just a show of his fatherly love. It also proved that he was a responsible man who could shoulder all sorts of burdens.
Charlotte was genuinely appreciative of Zachary. She was even ashamed of her previous concerns. She used to think that Zachary was too violent and wild to be a father…
Now I see that he is a better father than most.
He didn’t drive the kids away just because he didn’t have a father growing up. Instead, he took the initiative to get closer to them.
Moreover, he didn’t disregard his duties, just because he was inexperienced. He went out of his way to learn how to communicate with the kids.
To top it all off, he didn’t back away in the face of hardship. He faced it head-on and was willing to set his pride aside just to make the kids happy. He is willing to try assuming a new role for that.
This is the man I love and the father of my children.
Charlotte was proud of him and was truly happy for the kids.
Mistaking a Magnate for a Male Escort Chapter 520
After having breakfast, Zachary led the kids to the car.
Ben had prepared an especially extended Rolls-Royce and a fleet of cars following behind.
Seeing all that got Charlotte to tug at Zachary’s shirt nervously and ask, “You’re just taking the kids to school. Is there really a need for all that?”
“Of course,” insisted Zachary, “I heard about how the other kids had bullied them at school. Some even questioned whether they have a father or not. Today, I want everyone in the kindergarten to learn exactly who their father is.”
“But…”
Zachary helped the kids into the car before Charlotte could finish her sentence.
Ben was directing the others from the side and said, “Get all the presents into the car. Oh, and remember to separate the teachers’ gifts from the students’.”
Charlotte massaged her head and was left speechless.
I should’ve known. This is how Zachary had always done things. He would go overboard once so that he won’t need to deal with the matter the second time.
Unfortunately, Charlotte had no choice but to let him be.
Gah, never mind. At least he and the kids are happy.
That particular Rolls-Royce’s interior design was similar to that of a private room, and the kids were surprised. Their eyes shone with curiosity as they looked around.
“Has Mr. Henry never driven you around in this car before?” asked Zachary, while sitting in the car. He accepted the iced drink from Ben.
“He took us for a drive in a huge and beautiful car before, but this is not the one. This car is too amazing,” exclaimed Jamie. His eyes bulged and went starry as he looked around.
“You’re right. It’s so beautiful,” said Ellie. She was looking around as well. She later kicked her tiny legs to crawl onto the seat and jumped on it to test it before claiming, “It’s so comfy. I can even sleep in here.”
“You actually can take a nap,” informed Zachary after checking his watch, “It’s a forty-minute drive to the kindergarten.”
“Uncle Zack, the tablet is locked,” said Robbie before handing the tablet over for Zachary to unlock.
“Aren’t you going to rest a little?” asked Zachary after inputting the password and handing the tablet back to Robbie.
“Nah, I want to check it out some more,” replied Robbie.
He sat obediently on the cushy seat and started examining the blueprint carefully.
“Fifi, don’t act up!”
Jamie was playing with Fifi earlier, but it suddenly flapped its wings and flew around the car. It seemed excited.
Jamie couldn’t even catch the bird.
“Fifi, come here!” ordered Ellie. She extended her tiny, plump arm and scolded in her baby voice, “If you don’t, I won’t take you to kindergarten anymore.”
Fifi flew over immediately and rested on her arm.
Ellie stroked its fur with her plump hand and cooed sweetly, “That’s a good bird. Be good, okay?”
“Be good. Be good.”
Fifi mimicked Ellie and called out, but its eyes were stuck on Zachary’s alcohol.
“Uncle Zack, what are you drinking? Can I try?”
Jamie was staring curiously at Zachary’s drink. The former had seen the latter sipping that every day, so he assumed that it was tasty. I wanna try.
“You can have one sip. Don’t drink too much,” instructed Zachary before handing the drink over.
Jamie was surprised and ecstatic. He ran to Zachary on his stubby legs and accepted the drink with his tiny arms. After that, Jamie sipped cautiously.
“Gah, it tastes so horrible!”
Jamie frowned and closed his eyes in distaste. His plump face had crumpled up by then.
“Hahaha,” laughed Zachary. Kids really are curious and want to try everything.
“Try it. Try it..”
Fifi flew over at that moment and dunked its beak into the glass before chugging the drink.
“Ah, Fifi, no!”
Jamie was furious and tried to chase the bird away, but Fifi refused to leave. Its small figure stuck to the glass, and it drank greedily.
“I’m so sorry, Uncle Zack,” apologized Jamie immediately, “I got your drink all dirty.”
“It’s fine. I can just get another one,” said Zachary. He didn’t think that it was a big deal and had Ben pour another drink. Zachary even remarked, “Let it drink if it likes alcohol that much.”