Ch. 281..285: The Adorable Twins and Their CEO Daddy Chapter 281-285

Chapter 281

Under the gloomy night sky, a silver sports car streaked through the roads. All the other cars hurried swerved out of the way for fear of bumping into the lunatic who was speeding a luxury car through the city center.

That lunatic was none other than Maurice.

The moment he found out that something had happened to Eliana, he immediately got into his car and raced to the company.

On the way, he kept dialing Eliana’s number, only to be met with the same cold busy tone.

Maurice felt as if his heart was being grilled on a fire.

He silently prayed that Eliana could have the strength to hold on until she was found. She had to stay safe until then.

The moment Maurice arrived at the company, he saw Corbin waiting anxiously for him downstairs at the entrance of the building. Corbin had already gotten a call from Maurice earlier, asking him to get some firefighters to open the door.

Maurice got off the car and began striding towards Corbin in one swift motion. “How’s it going?”

The two of them entered the building together. Inside, the space was shrouded in pitch black darkness.

“Why are the lights off?” Maurice asked anxiously.

“Mr. Moran, the building is under maintenance, so power can’t be restored for the time being. We can only get someone to launch the emergency power. But…”

Corbin paused hesitantly, going pale.

“But what?” Maurice’s eyes narrowed. He could feel his heart leap to his throat.

“If we launch the emergency power, the elevator will either rise or fall rapidly. We have to get Eliana out first, but…”

“Just spit it out. What’s the problem?” Maurice was skirting on the edge of losing his temper.

“Mr. Moran, we still haven’t been able to identify which floor Eliana is on yet.”

Corbin lowered his head, feeling guilty.

“Then let’s search floor by floor.”

Maurice clenched his fists and stood straight like a mountain, without the slightest hint of trembling.

Corbin had been awed by Maurice’s unassailable demeanor countless time, but now, he felt like Maurice was bravely standing his ground on the edge of a cliff even though one wrong step would lead to his fall in an abyss.

Without the slightest fear or hesitation, Maurice followed the rescue team into the elevator shaft and searched floor by floor.

“Eliana! Eliana!”

She was not on this floor, nor was she on the next…

Every single time, Maurice’s hopes rose only to crash back down again.

‘Where on earth is Eliana? Is she hurt?’

Maurice desperately shouted her name again and again, but there was no response. In the quiet corridor, the only thing he could hear was his breath getting heavier and heavier. He felt like he had

fallen into a sinkhole, grasping at a branch to hold onto.

Panic surged through Maurice like a tide, suffocating him. This was the first time in his life that he had truly felt fear. He was afraid of losing Eliana like this.

Meanwhile, in the stuffy elevator, a petite figure was curled up on the floor.

The elevator had jerked to a sudden stop and been stuck at this place ever since.

In the dark, infinite fear overwhelmed Eliana. All the news headlines about elevator accidents she had seen flooded her mind at once.

‘Am I going to die here?’

At that thought, a terrible chill rose in her heart, and she hugged herself tightly.

In her wild panic, she began to make blind and disorderly conjectures. If she died, what would happen to Aileen and Adrian?

Eliana couldn’t imagine how the children would react when they saw her dead body.

‘No way! I can’t die like this. I should at least… leave something for my loved ones.’

Eliana hadn’t dared to turn on her phone before, because it was dangerously close to running out of battery, but at this moment, she finally took it out. These could be the last moments of her life. She had to hurry up and use them wisely. At the very least, she wanted to record… her last words.

“Aileen and Adrian, when you hear this recording, I might have left you. But don’t be sad for too long. Remember to grow up happily and do everything you like. I won’t ask you to become rich or powerful. All I want for you is to be safe, happy, and healthy. Nana, don’t cry too hard. You are the one I trust

most in this world. I know that you’ll take good care of my two children. I will bless you all the time in heaven. And… Preston, I shouldn’t have been so mean to you. You are a good man.”

At this point, the battery on Eliana’s phone had almost run out. There were only a few important people in Eliana’s life, and she had addressed all of them…except one.

Maurice.

At the thought of him, a bittersweet feeling came over Eliana. Now, under the premise that she would die in this elevator, all the feelings that she had suppressed until now exploded to the surface.

“Maurice, I have something to tell you. I…”

Just as Eliana began speaking, a familiar voice shouted from above.

“Eliana!”

Hearing that, Eliana frowned. Was she so absorbed in her thoughts of Maurice that she was now even hearing his voice?

“Eliana! I heard your voice. Save your energy. Don’t talk nonsense at this time.”

This time, Eliana knew that she wasn’t just imagining things. Maurice was here!

Chapter 282

Eliana slowly raised her head and saw Maurice’s worried face appear in the dim light of her phone.

“Maurice? Is that you?”

She squatted on the floor in a daze, fearing that what she saw at this moment was only an illusion before she drew her last breath.

“I don’t know what happened. Are you here to save me?”

Eliana felt her sanity slipping away. She was startled when Maurice suddenly appeared after she murmured his name.

“It’s me, Eliana. Everything’s alright now. I’m here to rescue you. Can you stand up?”

Maurice stared at the pale woman in front of him, fearing that she would disappear the moment he closed his eyes.

Just a few minutes ago, Maurice and the rescue team started on the first floor and worked their way up in search of Eliana. When they arrived on the ninth level, Maurice heard whispers from inside the elevator.

It turned out that the elevator malfunctioned and abruptly stopped between the eighth and the ninth floors!

After confirming that Eliana was stuck inside, the rescuers quickly sprang into action. They forced the emergency trap door open with great strength. Maurice peeked inside and saw Eliana curled up on the floor murmuring something.

She was still in a haze, obviously disoriented due to the stress and long period of isolation. Other than her disheveled appearance, it seemed that she was safe and sound.

Maurice finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Eliana, give me your hand. I’ll pull you out of there.”

Maurice stretched out his arm towards Eliana.

The frightened girl desperately wanted to survive. She stood up on her toes and tried to grab Maurice’s hand.

Just as their fingers were about to touch each other, an accident happened! One of the steel cables tied to the elevator suddenly snapped. In an instant, the elevator dropped a few feet below!

“Ah!” Eliana screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Eliana! Don’t make any sudden movements and listen to my instructions. Are you injured?”

Maurice peered inside anxiously and immediately threw down the safety harness. “Here! Put this on quickly!”

“I’m alright, I think.”

Trembling in fear, Eliana slowly moved over and picked up the safety harness that had fallen in the elevator.

But her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn’t fasten the straps of the safety harness around her body.

Suddenly, the elevator lurched downward again, causing Eliana to stumble sideways. It seemed that the remaining cables were about to snap at any moment.

Her legs were so weak that she squatted down and kept trembling.

After a series of close calls, she began to lose hope, and her body started to fail her.

“Eliana, pull yourself together! You have to be strong!”

If it went on like this, there was no way for them to rescue her. The situation was looking grim, and they were running out of time.

Thick veins bulged on Maurice’s forehead, and he didn’t even notice the sweat flowing into his eyes. The woman he loved was in mortal danger, and he had to figure out a way to save her at all costs.

“Maurice, I can’t do it! I’m too scared! Uh, hold on. I have an idea. Say something to me. Gossip! Yeah, tell me some gossip to distract me.” Eliana closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing.

Gossip?

How could Maurice know anything about other people’s personal affairs?

But then he suddenly remembered something.

“Did you know that Wyatt and Nicole were once a couple? They were together many years ago and then broke up. Now they meet again and are trying to rekindle their romance.” Without any hesitation, Maurice revealed his good friend’s secret.

“Is that so? My goodness!”

Eliana was surprised that Wyatt and Nicole had such a dramatic love story. It was the last thing she expected.

She was curious to know what happened, and her attention was immediately diverted. She stopped trembling and stared straight at Maurice, noticing his eyes soften towards her.

“But I’ve learned something valuable from Wyatt. When I meet the right person, I need to tell her how I truly feel about her and treasure her forever.”

The passionate look in Maurice’s eyes affected Eliana unconsciously and lifted her spirits.

Eliana gradually calmed down and finally strapped on to the safety harness without difficulty.

Above her, all the rescue workers alongside Maurice pulled on the rope together to pull her up.

As she got hoisted higher towards freedom, Eliana fixed her eyes on Maurice’s handsome face.

Finally, she was close enough to touch the man.

Once Eliana was lifted to safety, Maurice immediately pulled her to his side and held her hand.

But the exhausted woman ran out of energy and collapsed into Maurice’s arms.

All her weariness disappeared once she realized what had happened. She immediately panicked and accidentally undid some of Maurice’s shirt buttons. Because of the struggle, her hands ended up touching his broad chest.

The rescue workers stood nearby with their flashlights illuminating the area, but Eliana could only hear and feel Maurice’s steady heartbeat. It felt like they were the only ones there.

In the dark, Eliana’s other senses became more heightened to compensate for her lack of sight.

Her small hands were on Maurice’s hot skin. She could still feel his heart pounding under his chest.

However, there seemed to be something wrong with Maurice’s chest that immediately caught her attention.

As she traced the uneven mark with her fingertips, Eliana’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Wait a minute. Is this a scar? It seems to be exactly the same as the one on Preston’s chest!’

 

Chapter 283

How could Maurice have a scar on his chest? Strangely, when Eliana touched the scar, it felt exactly like Preston’s.

Eliana couldn’t help but touch him more to confirm her suspicion.

Maurice noticed it right away. “You just got out of an accident and now you want to flirt with a man,” he teased. “What are you thinking, Eliana?”

“Maurice, why is there a scar on your chest?” Eliana asked, raising her head and looking intently at him. “Why haven’t I seen it before?”

Damn it! He was far too reckless.

Maurice realized immediately that he had just exposed himself.

For the time being, he couldn’t let Eliana discover his two identities.

Maurice grabbed her hands that were touching his chest.

“Maurice! Let go of me!”

Since Eliana couldn’t break free from his grip, she then tried to get closer to him and see the scar on his chest clearly in the beam of the flashlight.

Suddenly, the entire building’s power was restored, and the lights were turned on.

Eliana had been in the dark for quite some time. Her eyes were uncomfortable when she suddenly saw the bright light, and she closed them reflexively.

The medical staff came up to her in time and blindfolded her eyes, freeing her from Maurice’s hold.

“Miss, please close your eyes so they don’t get hurt.”

As she fell into darkness again, Eliana was in a panic all of a sudden. Instinctively, she wanted to be held by Maurice.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m always here.”

Eliana calmed down instantly as she felt her hand being gently held by a big hand, as if she had found a harbor to protect her. She felt indescribably relieved.

The ambulance drove all the way to the hospital. Eliana was soon brought to a VIP ward for a thorough examination.

Maurice had been with her the entire time.

The doctor removed her blindfold and carefully examined her.

Maurice stood by the bed and asked nervously, “How is she, doctor?”

“Don’t worry, the patient is fine. She was just scared. In fact, she can now go through the discharge formalities at any time,” the doctor said with a smile.

Eliana wasn’t even listening to the doctor as she was preoccupied with the thoughts of Maurice’s scar on his chest. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the light, she moved closer to Maurice, who was standing beside the bed, and reached out to remove his clothes.

Were young people nowadays so daring? Was he invisible in her eyes?

The doctor had never witnessed anything like this before and immediately coughed in shock.

“Ahem, we’re still in the hospital. Behave yourself.”

Maurice held Eliana in place with one hand. But he didn’t use too much force because of her condition. He just restrained her from taking his clothes off.

His action just made Eliana more suspicious. She was so adamant that she insisted on seeing his chest with her naked eyes.

She struggled so hard that Maurice could no longer control her with one hand.

“Stop it. My hand hurts.”

Maurice frowned, one hand drooping by his leg. It hadn’t moved since he entered the hospital.

“You’re lying! You won’t fool me.”

Eliana demanded to see his chest. She accidentally hit Maurice’s left hand while struggling.

“Ohh…” Maurice gasped. His face twisted.

Only then did Eliana notice that Maurice’s left hand was drooping abnormally as if he had lost the ability to lift it.

She stopped struggling.

Seeing this, the doctor walked forward and gently lifted Maurice’s left hand. He examined it with a serious expression on his face.

Eliana couldn’t help but get nervous.

“Sir, you are so reckless! Your left arm has been severely injured and may be broken. It must be treated as soon as possible. Come with me so we can get an X-ray to see what the problem is.”

“I’m fine.” Maurice regained his cool, but sweat dripped from his forehead.

It was the first time that the doctor had seen a patient with a bone injury, who remained calm.

If the female patient hadn’t been pressing, he wouldn’t have told anyone that he was in pain.

The doctor crossly took Maurice away, leaving Eliana alone on the bed.

Maurice was badly injured.

Did he get injured while saving her?

Chapter 284

Sitting on the bed inside the hospital ward, Eliana felt emptiness in her heart. She was still unsure if there indeed was a scar on Maurice’s chest.

Amidst the recent events, one nagging thought never left her mind. Eliana believed that Maurice might actually be Preston.

Otherwise, how could all these coincidences be explained? Something wasn’t right.

She had presumed that Maurice and Preston were one and the same. But since the two men appeared simultaneously on a previous occasion, her suspicion didn’t seem possible.

However, there were still too many coincidences between them. They also had the same scar. In Eliana’s mind, such details were hard to ignore.

Deeply lost in thought, Eliana’s eyes wandered the room until she spotted a shiny black object on the sofa.

As she leaned forward to get a better view, a look of recognition suddenly flashed across Eliana’s face. It was Maurice’s phone!

He must have left in a hurry, so he forgot to take his phone with him.

It was the best chance to finally learn the truth.

Eliana’s eyes immediately lit up. She leaped from the bed and hurried towards the sofa. Her fingers were mere inches away from the phone.

However, something unexpected happened. The door suddenly swung open and Corbin entered the room.

“Eliana, how are you feeling? I didn’t expect you to be up and about so soon.”

In an instant, Eliana withdrew her hand and put it behind her back. Wearing a wry smile on her face, she said with nonchalance, “Corbin, what a surprise! Is Maurice doing okay?”

“Oh, Mr. Moran is still being examined. He forgot to take his phone and asked me to bring it to him. Have you seen it anywhere?”

Subconsciously, Eliana took a glance at the phone on the sofa. Corbin noticed her reaction and turned his head in the same direction.

“Oh, there it is.”

Eliana could do nothing but helplessly watch Corbin pick up the phone from the sofa and put it into his pocket.

Seeing Eliana open her mouth but hesitate to talk, Corbin raised his eyebrows. “What is it? Is there anything you want to ask me?”

Since Corbin stayed with Maurice all the time, he certainly must be privy to his boss’ private affairs.

“Corbin, do you know if Maurice is hiding a big secret from me?” Eliana asked tentatively.

Her question caught Corbin off guard. He looked flustered for a moment but immediately regained his composure.

“None that I know of. You think too much.”

Corbin was so good at lying that he didn’t change his serious expression at all.

He turned around to leave and paused at the door.

“Eliana, if you are feeling better now, you can go back home. The VIP ward is very expensive, and the company will not reimburse the additional charges if you stay longer.”

Judging from his distant tone and aloof behavior, it was clear that something was wrong.

Eliana knew deep inside that Corbin didn’t tell the truth. He immediately changed the topic and asked her to return home as soon as possible.

But he did have a point. The VIP ward was too expensive for an ordinary employee like her.

The harsh reality of poverty outweighed her curiosity. She decided to investigate Maurice later on when the opportunity presented itself.

Finally, Eliana went through the discharge formalities and left the hospital.

She arrived home shortly after with a spring on her step, eager to be with her family again.

The moment Eliana walked inside the door, she went straight to the room of her two children. As she quietly observed their lovely sleeping faces, an unsettling thought entered her mind.

If something bad had happened to her today, she might never have had the chance to see her children again. It was heartbreaking.

Eliana covered her mouth to prevent herself from crying out loud.

A few seconds later, the kids woke up and rubbed their eyes. It seemed they had sensed their mother’s presence.

“Mommy, you’re home.” Aileen yawned in a daze and greeted Eliana in a sweet voice.

It sounded so pleasant and adorable that Eliana’s heart almost melted.

“Mommy, we missed you. Don’t come back so late again,” Adrian scolded her with a straight face like an adult.

Embracing the two children in her arms, Eliana kissed them on the foreheads and looked at them affectionately. “Okay, I promise you that I will be home early from now on.”

“Oh, I remembered something.” Adrian suddenly broke free from Eliana’s arms and sat up straight. “Mommy, Silas wants to come to our home in a few days to play with us. He’s our good friend. Is that okay?”

“Silas is my best playmate. Mommy, please let him come over.”

Aileen tugged at Eliana’s arm and acted like a spoiled child.

“Of course. He’s welcome here anytime.” Smiling fondly, Eliana caressed the heads of her two children. “I also like Silas very much. If he wants to come and play, that’s fine with me.”

“Hooray!” Aileen and Adrian cheered loudly.

The three of them cuddled together and looked very happy.

Chapter 285

As usual, the world continued on. As if nothing had occurred, Eliana went to work the following day as normal.

When she entered the elevator, she was greeted by Maurice’s face. The white plaster on his left arm drew attention, despite his regular appearance of a straight suit and great stature.

His left arm seemed to have been severely injured.

As Eliana looked at Maurice’s arm, she couldn’t help feeling terribly guilty.

She was ready to approach him and inquire about his well-being when she saw Harriet walking fast towards Maurice.

Eliana’s perspective had completely changed, and she had no desire to continue. She made a U-turn and walked away, feeling dejected.

Harriet rushing to Maurice was the last thing she saw before she turned around.

“What happened to your arm, Mr. Moran?”

Harriet reached out to grasp Maurice’s hand, her face contorted in distress.

Maurice dodged to the side, his gaze icy and piercing. “There was a power outage and maintenance yesterday night, and someone in the Design Department was aware of it. Can you explain that? Miss Stone?”

“Oh my God! Who could possibly be unaware? Did anything happen?”

Harriet maintained her innocence charade.

“Do not play such tricks on me, Harriet, I tell you. There are repercussions that you can’t afford.”

Maurice had a history of cruelty and vengeance. When someone crossed his red line, he exploded into a rage that no one could control. Eliana was the crux of his case now.

“Mr. Moran, you must have misconstrued what I said. I had no idea we hadn’t notified everyone about the power outage and maintenance yesterday…”

Harriet resisted the need to lash out and instead spoke apologetically.

Even though she wanted to be the hostess of the Moran Group, she had to determine whether Silas was Maurice’s son before she could forward with her next plan.

Maurice then disregarded Harriet and entered the elevator.

Due to her “excellent” connection with Cheryl previously, Eliana had already drafted numerous bracelet designs based on her preferences and submitted them to Cheryl through email.

Eliana then headed to the pantry to have a cup of coffee to revive herself.

When she pushed the coffee maker’s button, nothing happened.

What was the problem?

Eliana tapped the coffee machine twice, and then a letter dropped to the floor.

The coffee machine had a problem and couldn’t be used for the time being, according to the note.

Could she be having such a bad run of luck?

Eliana was at a loss as to what to do with the cup she had in her hands.

Lilian, who had been feuding with Eliana, and a group of female coworkers entered the pantry at this point, laughing and talking. Eliana’s presence quickly silenced the other people.

Only Lilian grimaced, “Someone was so ignorant that she didn’t even realize she couldn’t use the elevator while it was out of service for repair. I have a feeling she did it deliberately. That was simply a fantastic opportunity to have Mr. Moran come to her rescue by pretending to be in a bad position.”

Eliana had always been a target for Lilian’s wrath. It was only natural for her to make fun of Eliana after she learned about her ordeal yesterday.

It was a shame that Mr. Moran had shown up in person to help Eliana. What a happy accident!

In the beginning, Eliana was awestruck. She regained her composure after hearing Lilian’s remarks.

Clearly, Lilian’s ruse was to blame for what transpired the day before.

Eliana then realized that when Lilian came to her desk yesterday, another female coworker looked to be trying to say something, but Lilian stopped her.

These specifics sprung into her head. Lilian, Eliana felt certain, had concealed the notification regarding the power outage and maintenance from her.

Eliana felt a burst of rage in her chest as she clenched her fists in wrath.

It wasn’t a hoax at all. She wouldn’t have only been terrified if Maurice hadn’t gone to such lengths to save her.

She may have been a goner.

Lilian’s loathing for Eliana grew as the latter froze in place.

“Exactly what are you doing there? Unless you need that coffee maker, get out of the way!”

Lilian shook her cup she was holding with her hand. Eliana politely moved aside as she remembered what was written on the note.

“Of course.”

Lilian rolled her eyes and sneered at Eliana.

She went over to the coffee maker and hit the power button.

Coffee blasted out of the machine and into Lilian’s face in an instant. Like a hurricane!