Ch. 216..220: The Adorable Twins and Their CEO Daddy Chapter 216-220

Chapter 216

Maurice walked forward to get a closer look.

Just when he got to the door of the shop, the strange man in blue turned around.

It was Nana!

Nana squatted down and gently straightened Aileen’s clothes.

Maurice sighed in relief.

It was just a false alarm. He thought that Aileen was calling Nana Mommy.

Meanwhile, in the shop, Eliana had the feeling that someone was staring at her. She looked around but did not see anyone suspicious. When she looked back, there was no one at the door.

“Eliana, what’s wrong?” Nana pushed her.

Frowning, Eliana asked, “Nana, do you feel as if someone is staring at us?”

Nana glanced around and saw that all the shop assistants and customers were busy with their own business.

“Eliana, I don’t see anyone staring at us. Could it just be your imagination?”

Eliana wondered if her brain was playing tricks on her.

She paused for a while. Then she remembered that this shopping mall belonged to the Moran Group. Maybe Maurice would show up again.

She shivered. “Let’s hurry up and get our shopping done,” she urged Nana. “We have to get out here as soon as possible. I can’t shake the feeling that something bad will happen if we stay here.”

“That sounds a bit over-dramatic.”

Nana was a little confused, but she didn’t object.

The two picked up the toys and clothes they had chosen and walked to the checkout counter to pay, taking the children with them.

“Ladies, I have good news. I just received a notice that you aren’t responsible for paying your bill today.” The female cashier smiled and helped them put the goods into shopping bags.

“We don’t have to pay?” Eliana and Nana exclaimed at the same time.

“Yes, today is our boss’s birthday, and to celebrate it, we are waiving the bill of the 100th guest. That happens to be you!”

“That’s great!”

Eliana was excited. She had been prepared to spend a lot of money. Now she wouldn’t have to spend a single coin. Why wouldn’t she be happy?

“Mommy, does she mean that we can get these things without paying?” Aileen asked excitedly.

“Yes. Isn’t that nice?” Eliana smiled.

“Yes!”

Maurice stood a short distance away and felt their happiness fill his own heart.

“Mr. Moran, I have done what you asked.”

The shop owner stood in the same secluded corner as Maurice.

“You did great. I’ll have my secretary send you three times the money they spent.”

There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world unless someone did something kind on purpose.

Maurice stared calmly after Eliana and smiled.

“Eliana, you are being paranoid,” Nana complained as they walked out of the mall. “You were in a hurry to leave because you thought someone was staring at us. We could have gotten more for free if we had shopped longer.”

“I can’t explain why, but I feel certain that someone was spying on us.” Nana’s words hadn’t calmed Eliana down. “Don’t complain,” she added. “If we hadn’t left when we did, we wouldn’t have been the 100th guest.”

Nana sighed. “I guess you’re right. It’s just a shame that we didn’t get more.”

“Well, let’s go.”

The four walked out of the mall, talking and laughing.

This time, they all failed to notice that there was a man staring at them.

Gerald’s secretary Sean was squatting in a quiet corner of the mall and watching them.

Once he saw them leave the mall, he quickly called Gerald and told him what had happened.

“Mr. Moran, I just followed Eliana in the shopping mall. She had two children with her. They seemed to call her Mommy.”

“What? Eliana has two children?”

Gerald was shocked. He had asked someone to investigate Eliana’s background, but they hadn’t found out about any children.

Who was their father?

Gerald had to know.

Chapter 217

“Sir, maybe Asher knows something about Eliana’s kids. Besides Hodge, he also assisted you in destroying the Pierce family, after all. Plus, he and Eliana used to be in a relationship. Maybe he’s the father of the kids,” Sean explained to Gerald.

“You’re right! How did I forget about him?”

Gerald was enlightened. He fell silent, thinking, and soon came up with a brilliant plan.

The very next day, he led a large group of men to ambush Asher’s house. His subordinate broke the door open with a ferocious kick.

“Where’s Asher?! Call him out!”

Gerald strode in arrogantly with his subordinates in tow. With the way things were at the moment, he looked no different than the leader of a gang of violent thugs.

Erica was lying on the sofa, drinking without a care in the world. Gerald and his men’s sudden appearance caught her unawares.

The shock turned her sober. She screamed in fear before taking flight and rushing to her room.

“Get her, men!” Gerald ordered, not about to let her escape. His men obeyed immediately and sprang forward to subdue her. Erica was caught in an instant, denied any means of escape.

“I’ll ask again. Where’s Asher?”

Frightened by Gerald’s cruel and merciless behavior, Erica couldn’t retaliate. She stammered a reply, her voice shaky, “H-He… He’s upstairs. W-Who are you? What do you want?!”

“Oh, what a surprise! Hello, Mr. Moran. How can I help you?”

Asher appeared, and rushed downstairs with a smile.

“H-Honey, help me!” Erica immediately turned to him for help, her face pale.

But Asher had no pity for her. Instead, he glared at her in disgust and said to Gerald, “I don’t know what my wife did to upset you, but rest assured. I’ll have her apologize to you right away.”

Gerald sneered, “It’s not your wife. It’s you.”

Asher broke into cold sweat, fear gripping his heart. “What do you mean by that, Mr. Moran?”

Gerald took his time to reply. He said nothing and sank into the sofa, making himself at home.

“Don’t be so nervous. I just have a small question for you.”

Asher, however, felt nothing but nervousness. He hastily wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile, “I’ll tell you everything I know, Mr. Moran.”

“Very well. I knew Eliana is your ex-girlfriend. I came here today just to ask you this one thing: Who’s the father of her children?”

Gerald’s question momentarily stunned Asher. Immediately after, he fell into panic.

Why did Gerald know that Eliana had children? How did he find out?

And… Why did he care so much about it?

Asher was well aware of Gerald’s atrocity. Subconsciously, he wished to cover up for Eliana and protect her from him.

Unexpectedly, it was Erica who spoke first. Before Asher could say anything, the hateful woman yelled, “I know!”

Asher’s face turned pale in an instant. He turned to her angrily and barked, “Shut up!”

However, Gerald was interested. “Let her go. Let her talk.”

At his behest, the men let go of her. She staggered to her feet and flashed Gerald a vicious smirk.

“Eliana’s nothing but a slut! She slept with a gigolo working in Imperial Golden Club and had the children right after. Rather being ashamed, she actually likes the brats very much! After that, she hooked up with the CEO of Moran Group. I bet Maurice doesn’t know that Eliana has two kids!”

The more Erica spoke, the more excited she became. It seemed that whenever she belittled Eliana, she would get momentary pleasure and feel better about herself.

However, her happiness was short-lived. Asher slapped her across the face, hard, rendering her stunned.

“You… You slapped me?” She stared at him, slack-jawed and filled with disbelief.

“I just did. Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?” Asher was trembling with anger, his chest heaving up and down.

“You bastard! I knew it. You’re are still protecting that bitch. I’ll kill you!”

Erica let out a crazed roar and sprang forward to scratch Asher’s face, much like an infuriated cat whose tail was stepped on. She looked cruel and vicious, devoid of any humanity, as if she wanted nothing more than to disfigure Asher.

“You crazy woman!”

Asher couldn’t stand it anymore. He had despised her for a long time, and right now, his patience had reached its limit. The accumulated grudges between him and Erica, new and old, surged out.

Trying his best to control the crazy woman, he howled, “I can’t stand you anymore, you stupid bitch! I’m going to divorce you. You’re not taking away the kid!”

His declaration worsened Erica’s fury. She grew even angrier and burst into ear-piercing screeches.

“Ha! I know you’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Do you think that if you dump me, you can make up with that bitch again? Let me tell you, it’ll never happen! I won’t let you go, even if I die!”

The couple broke into a fight and began attacking one another, uncaring about the fact that many eyes were on them.

Gerald stared, incredulous. For a moment, he was at a loss and didn’t know what to do.

“Whatever. Let’s go.”

He had already known what he wanted to know, so there was no point caring about the couple. He turned around and left with his men, no longer sparing the couple another glance.

On the way back, he thought over the newfound information. There was something strange about what Erica had told him.

Maurice owned Imperial Golden Club. Meanwhile, Eliana’s partner and the father of her two children was a gigolo working for the club. What an incredible coincidence!

After a few moments of pondering, he dialed Sean.

“Keep investigating who the biological father of Eliana’s children is.”

“Yes, sir.”

He then hung up, and a wicked smile appeared on his lips.

Gerald couldn’t wait to tell Maurice that the woman he loved dearly had sired another man’s children. What would Maurice’s face look like upon receiving the news? Gerald was certain it’d make for an amusing sight!

Chapter 218

Eliana was once again jobless after finishing her part-time position as Nicole’s stylist. Nana got new employment and went to work daily.

Eliana, the matriarch of the household, had been feeling down lately.

She dropped the kids off at school, as usual, this morning. The two youngsters noted that Eliana was acting strangely on the route.

Aileen yanked Eliana’s clothing and gestured for her to crouch as they prepared to part ways.

Aileen moved forward and kissed Eliana on the face after she squatted. “Do not become disheartened, Mommy. Be upbeat!”

Eliana was taken off guard. What she didn’t anticipate was for Adrian to walk up and give her a quick kiss on the forehead also.

“Mommy, keep your head up. Always, you’ve been the finest,” Adrian said in hushed tones and then arrogantly turned his head.

Eliana’s gloomy thoughts suddenly vanished, as if she were lying in the light.

“Sincerely, I’ll give it my best shot.”

Eliana felt a tremendous surge of energy as she held the two kids in her arms.

As she was driving home, she got a text from Preston.

“Are you still looking for the ring?”

Eliana was a little perplexed for a second.

What! How unbelievable! She was so close to forgetting!

Eliana scratched her head and recalled that she went to work at the restaurant because she noticed a dog like Bowling in the area.

However, she had been so preoccupied with earning a living that she had forgotten about the dog.

Eliana felt a pang of remorse as she reflected on this.

Her phone rang again before she had a chance to think of a response.

“Hello?”

“The first time you resigned, Eliana, didn’t you promise to reimburse me? Where is the cash? Is that something you’ve forgotten about?”

Maurice was the one calling.

How could she have forgotten such a big deal?

The mere notion of the two guys made Eliana’s day miserable. A feeling she didn’t desire to have for even a second. But so were things!

Although Eliana had just finished two jobs and earned some money, the money had already covered her children’s tuition.

Paying Maurice back at this time was clearly next to impossible.

Embarrassed, Eliana gripped the phone and didn’t know how to respond. Unintentionally, her gaze strayed.

Her eyes expanded unexpectedly.

She spotted a familiar canine standing right in front of her!

Bowling, indeed! It was the dog she had to look for!

Eliana massaged her eyes as she peered at the dog. She was quite certain that she was correct!

She ran into the dog’s owner and the dog again on the street.

“I just got an important task to do. Allow me to get back to you later.”

Eliana didn’t waste any time hanging up the phone and sprinting toward the guy.

He and his dog abruptly vanished around a bend as she got closer and closer.

Eliana couldn’t figure out what was going on.

She glanced around, but a pair of hands immediately snatched her.

Her mouth was covered with a hand as she was shoved against the wall.

“What do you want from me? What are you doing following me?”

The guy who seized her had a blue cap and a large mask that almost covered half his face.

“Hmm… Hmm…”

Eliana was completely unaware of his identity.

She exerted every ounce of energy she had.

When Eliana ripped off his mask, the guy didn’t think she’d be that strong.

Eliana glimpsed the man’s face as soon as the mask fell. She was speechless.

The man’s attractive, angular face was immediately identifiable. In his demeanor, he seemed to be an intimidating figure.

The guy resembled Preston in every way.

Her day couldn’t get any worse!

Chapter 219

“Preston! Is this a new way to tease me?” Eliana asked, annoyed. “Look, it’s not funny at all. Let go of me now!”

‘There is something strange about this woman. Is she not right in the head?’ the man thought.

“What are you talking about? Who’s Preston?” he asked, clearly puzzled.

Eliana immediately realized that something was amiss. Confused, she asked tentatively, “Umm, aren’t you Preston?”

“Huh? My name’s Eli. I don’t know who Preston is. And you… Don’t you know who I am?” Eli seemed more surprised at the fact that there was someone who genuinely didn’t recognize him.

“Sorry, I don’t know you,” Eliana admitted honestly.

“I’m Eli! Eli Goodwin? Doesn’t that ring a bell? Look carefully. How can you not recognize this face?” Eli neared Eliana, determined to get as close to her as possible as he showed her his handsome face.

Eliana stared at his facial features. She realized he looked just like Preston, except that he was paler and thinner than Preston.

Despite the startling resemblance, Eli insisted that he wasn’t Preston.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t know you,” Eliana repeated.

Unbeknownst to her, her honesty stung Eli deeply. He was now a popular star, with posters displaying his face practically everywhere. Plus, he had a lot of fans. Was this woman living on Mars? Didn’t she surf the Internet at all?

“Excuse me, Mr. Goodwin, but please let go of me first,” Eliana grumbled, shaking off Eli’s hand.

Unwilling to give up, Eli insisted, “If you don’t know me, why are you following me?”

“I didn’t follow you. I just happened to mistake you for someone else.”

Eli was doubtful. He raised his eyebrows and asked again, “You mean, the man called Preston? I don’t believe you. I bet you’re just looking for an excuse to get close to me.”

Eliana rolled her eyes. “I said I’ve made a mistake, didn’t I? If you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it to you.”

Having said that, she immediately took out her phone and dialed Preston.

Meanwhile, Maurice was in his office when his phone suddenly rang. Seeing that Eliana was calling Preston, he was slightly unhappy.

She had hung up on him without reservations just moments ago, and now, she was calling Preston. Did she really prefer the gigolo?

Damn it! Maurice was seething. Why was he jealous of himself again? This was ridiculous.

Maurice picked up the call, in a bad mood.

“Hey, Preston. Where are you?”

Maurice casually made a lie on the spot. “I’m in the club. Why, something wrong?”

“I just want to make a video call with you,” Eliana said.

A video call? Maurice was curious. What did she want this time?

Before Maurice could answer, Eliana hung up and sent him a video call request.

Maurice was speechless. Quickly, he put on his mask and went to a corner before picking up the video call.

On Eliana’s side, Preston’s handsome, deeply-lined face appeared on her phone screen.

She was delighted to see him. Preston answered her call!

Still, why did his background seem a little strange?

She frowned and stared at Preston in the video, squinting her eyes. Rather than a club, Preston seemed to be in Maurice’s office, of all places.

“What are you doing? You’re calling me, but you’re not saying anything.” Maurice grew slightly impatient when Eliana remained silent for a long time.

Eliana pushed aside her suspicions and she picked up her phone to get a good look at Preston’s face. She then turned to look at Eli, who was standing next to her.

Their likeness was incredible! No wonder she confused Eli with Preston.

“Look at him! I didn’t lie to you, did I?”

She hurriedly showed her phone to Eli. The two men stood face to face, eyes on one another.

“Oh my god… You’re right! Who is this man?”

“Who are you?”

Preston and Eli spoke at the same time. Oddly enough, even their shocked expressions were very similar.

Eli, rather startled, blurted out, “Is… Is he the man you called Preston?”

Eliana nodded.

Eli was astonished. “We really do look alike!”

If Eli hadn’t confirmed that he really was the only son in his family, he would probably think he had a twin brother who went missing for many years.

Would wonders never cease?

While Eli was having the shock of his life, Maurice was just as stunned.

Preston’s face was fake, but he had specifically customized the mask. It should be completely unique; one of a kind. There shouldn’t be a man who looked like the mask in this world.

Yet, why did the man on the screen look so much like Preston’s fake face?

 

Chapter 220

Now that she was clear on the situation, Eliana ended the video call.

“Well, your name is Eli Goodwin, right? I’m sorry that I confused you with someone else just now.”

Eliana’s apology was sincere.

Eli was a little embarrassed by her sudden politeness. “It doesn’t matter. I was rude because I misunderstood why you were following me. What is your name?”

“Eliana Pierce,” Eliana said.

“Miss Pierce, I’m sorry.”

Neither of them knew what to say then.

“Woof woof…”

A dog’s bark suddenly broke the silence.

A puppy ran over from close by.

“Lucky! What are you doing here?”

When Eli had thought the person following him was a stalker fan, he left his puppy in a corner close by for safety. He was surprised when the puppy ran over by itself.

Eli squatted down and stretched out his arms for his dog to run into.

The puppy ran with clear excitement.

Then…

He passed by Eli and went straight to Eliana.

What? He mistook its master?

Eli was stunned when Lucky ignored him and ran to Eliana.

Lucky circled around Eliana, rubbing excitedly against her legs.

“Bowling!”

She squatted down and rubbed its head. She was now 100% sure that it was Bowling.

Eliana picked up Bowling. “Mr. Goodwin, was this dog a stray when you met it?”

Eli had finally come back to his senses after his dog’s betrayal. “Do you have a dog that looks exactly like Lucky?” he asked in disbelief.

“No,” Eliana said quickly.

“Good.” Eli breathed a sigh of relief.

“In fact, I think your Lucky is the dog I lost. I called it Bowling.”

Eli paused for a moment and asked, “What?”

“To tell you the truth, my dog Bowling went missing a few months ago. And before he went missing, he swallowed my ring.”

The ring…

Eli touched his necklace subconsciously, thinking that the ring Eliana spoke of might be around his neck at that very moment.

Three months ago, Eli found a puppy by the roadside and took him home out of kindness. A few days later, when he was cleaning the doghouse, he was surprised to find a ruby ring in his new dog’s poop.

Then, something magical happened. Before he rescued the puppy, he was nobody. After, he became famous overnight. He got many opportunities to perform and became a hot topic in the entertainment industry.

Because of this, he saw the dog and the ring as his good luck charms. He named the dog Lucky and took the ring with him wherever he went.

Now this strange woman was telling him the dog and the ring were hers and she wanted them back. He couldn’t go along with this.

“I’m sorry, Miss Pierce. You must be mistaken. I bought Lucky myself. I don’t know anything about the ring you mentioned either.”

After hesitating for a moment, Eli chose to lie.

Eliana didn’t suspect Eli was being untruthful. She was disappointed by what he said.

“It’s just a misunderstanding. I’m leaving with Lucky.”

Eli picked up the barking dog and turned away.

Before he took more than a few steps, he heard someone shouting.

“Look! That’s Eli Goodwin!”

“Go after him!”

Paparazzi and fans rushed towards him like a pack of dogs on the hunt.

“Damn it!”

Eli ran back to Eliana. He grabbed her arm with one hand, while the other still held the dog.

“Run!”

Eliana followed the command without thinking.

“What’s happening?”

“Look behind us!”

Confused, Eliana looked back and gasped.

Gosh! Those people were chasing after them like zombies!

“It’s all your fault. They found me because you were talking to me in public! If they get photos of us and claim that we are lovers, I will have to pay my company for the loss! Would you compensate me for that?”

Compensate?

That was the word she hated most in the world!

She would never pay for him!

Eli had hardly finished speaking when Eliana quickened her pace and passed him.

“Run! Come on!” She looked back and glared at Eli.

Eli was stunned.

This woman was so horrible!