TRIPLETS KIDNAPPED A BILLIONAIRE STRANGER & DRAGGED HIM HOME FOR FATHER’S DAY TO MEET THEIR MOM…..
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A Father’s Day Surprise
In a bustling city, three stubborn triplets—David, Daniel, and Emma—were on a mission. They had spent the last few weeks piecing together clues about their father, a man they suspected was a billionaire CEO who had abandoned them. With Father’s Day approaching, the seven-year-olds were determined to confront him and demand answers. They devised a plan that involved drugging him at a restaurant and dragging him home to meet their mother, Dr. Vanessa Williams.
As they marched through the front door, their mother was in the kitchen, blissfully unaware of their scheme. The unusual silence that followed their arrival caught her attention. “Mama, we need to talk. Emergency family meeting,” Emma declared, her hands on her hips like a tiny CEO. Vanessa wiped her hands on her apron and walked into the living room, where her children sat in a row on the couch, looking serious.
“What’s wrong, my babies?” she asked, sensing the gravity of the situation.
“Don’t lie to us, Mama,” David said, adjusting his glasses. “We’re seven years old now, and we have serious questions.”
“Questions that require honest answers, not the ‘you’ll understand when you’re older’ nonsense you always give us,” Daniel added.
Emma stood up, her tiny frame radiating determination. “Mama, we want to know who our daddy is. We want to know now.”
Vanessa’s heart sank. She had dreaded this conversation for years, hoping to postpone it until they were older. “Sweethearts, we’ve talked about this before,” she said carefully. “Your father… it’s very complicated.”
“Everything is complicated to you adults,” Emma shot back. “But we’re not ordinary children. We can handle complicated.”
“Uncle Mark has been coming to our school for Father’s Day for seven years,” Daniel said, frustration creeping into his voice. “Everyone knows he’s our uncle, not our father.”
“Today, that coconut head Ruby called us the ‘b’ word,” David chimed in, his face scrunched in anger. “She said we don’t have a real daddy.”
Vanessa gasped. “She called you what? I’m calling your teacher right now!”
“Mama, focus!” Emma snapped. “The ‘b’ word isn’t the main issue here. We want to know our daddy. We have the right to know!”
David nodded, his seriousness palpable. “The Constitution says children have rights, and one of those rights is to know who our parents are, both of them.”
Overwhelmed, Vanessa sank onto the couch. “You’re still too young to understand,” she said weakly.
“Too young?” David’s voice cracked. “Mama, I can solve math problems that make my teacher cry! Daniel can read books that college students struggle with! Emma can negotiate with the principal until he gives us whatever we want!”
“It’s not about how smart you are,” Vanessa replied, her resolve faltering. “It’s about adult things, complicated adult relationships.”
Emma climbed onto the coffee table, looking her mother directly in the eye. “Mama, we are not going to school tomorrow or any day until you tell us who our daddy is.”
“What do you mean?” Vanessa asked, alarmed.
“We are officially on strike,” Daniel announced. “No school, no homework, no vegetables, no baths. This is a peaceful protest.”
David added seriously, “But we are very determined. We want our daddy, and we want him now. And we want him to come to Father’s Day at school on Friday. That’s in four days, Mama.”
Vanessa stared at her children, feeling her resolve crumbling. “Even if I told you about your father, he can’t just appear at school in four days. These things take time.”
Emma stood on the coffee table, pointing at her mother like a tiny lawyer making her closing argument. “Mama, we are seven years old, but we’re not stupid. If you told us who our daddy is right now, we could find him, talk to him, and convince him to come to school with us.”
“We are very persuasive,” Daniel chimed in. “Remember when we convinced the ice cream man to give us free ice cream for a whole month?”
“And when we convinced Grandma to let us stay up until midnight?” David added.
Vanessa shook her head. “This is different. Much more complicated.”
“Stop saying complicated!” all three children shouted in unison. Emma’s face turned red with frustration. “We don’t want to hear that word anymore. We are tired of complicated. We want simple. We want our daddy.”
With that, the children burst into tears—tears that could melt even the hardest heart. Vanessa felt her heart breaking as she pulled them into her arms. “Please, Mama,” Emma sobbed. “We just want to know our daddy. We promise we won’t cause any trouble. We just want him to love us.”
Vanessa held her children tight, her mind racing. How could she explain that their father didn’t even know they existed? How could she tell them that she had been too proud and too hurt to ever contact him?
“I know you want to know about your father,” she said finally. “But it’s very difficult for me to talk about.”
“Why?” Emma asked, pulling back to look at her mother.
“Because it hurts,” Vanessa admitted. “Talking about your father makes me very sad.”
The children exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond. “Maybe talking about it will make you feel better,” David suggested gently. “Sometimes when we talk about things that make us sad, they don’t seem so scary anymore.”
Daniel nodded. “And we’re very good listeners. We won’t interrupt or ask too many questions… much.”
Vanessa looked at their hopeful faces and felt her last bit of resistance crumble. But instead of answering, she said firmly, “Go to your rooms now. I just told you no. We’ll discuss this when you’re older.”
The children’s faces fell, disappointment washing over them. “But Mama,” Emma started.
“No buts,” Vanessa said firmly. “Go to your rooms now.”
The triplets trudged upstairs, leaving Vanessa alone in the living room. They refused to eat dinner that night, but she maintained her authority, insisting it wasn’t yet time to tell them about their father. Later, alone in her bedroom, Vanessa lay in bed, feeling sad and worried. Her children were growing up so fast, and their questions were becoming more demanding.
Her mind drifted back eight years to that wild night at the graduation party that had led to three holy hurricanes with tiny legs and sharp tongues. Eight years earlier, in New York, Vanessa had been in her final year of medical school at Columbia University, determined to become the best surgeon she could be. Alexander Reed, the charming heir to a business empire, had swept her off her feet. They fell in love quickly, and after graduation, he had introduced her to his parents, declaring his intentions to marry her.
But three days later, everything changed. Vanessa had walked in on Alexander kissing his female best friend, shattering her heart. In her anger, she had run away, ignoring his pleas for explanation. A week later, she had packed her bags and moved back to Nigeria, cutting all ties with him.
A few weeks after returning home, Vanessa discovered she was pregnant—pregnant with triplets. She had made the decision to raise her children alone, never imagining they would one day demand answers with the determination of tiny prosecutors.
Across the hall, the three children were having their own meeting. “Since Mama has refused to tell us the truth, we need to get to the root of this matter ourselves,” Emma declared, pacing like a general.
“But how?” Daniel asked. “We don’t know anything about our father except that he exists somewhere.”
David, sitting on the floor with a notebook, said, “We need more information. We need to find someone who knows the truth.”
“What about Auntie Betty?” Daniel suggested suddenly.
Emma’s eyes lit up. “Auntie Betty! She’s been Mama’s best friend since secondary school. If anyone knows who our father is, it’s Auntie Betty.”
“But will she tell us?” Daniel asked doubtfully.
Emma grinned. “Leave that to me. Auntie Betty can’t resist our charm.”
The next day, after school, the children gathered in the living room with Vanessa’s tablet. “Remember,” Emma instructed. “We need to look pitiful. Sad eyes, droopy shoulders, maybe a few tears if necessary.”
“I can cry on command,” Daniel offered.
“Save it for if she starts to say no,” Emma advised.
David opened the tablet and found Auntie Betty’s contact. “Ready?”
The video call connected, and Betty’s cheerful face appeared on the screen. “My darlings! What a wonderful surprise! How are my favorite godchildren?”
“Hello, Auntie Betty,” Emma said sweetly, putting on puppy dog eyes. “We missed you so much. We need to talk to you about something very important.”
“Something terrible is happening,” Daniel added, his voice tinged with sadness.
Betty’s face filled with concern. “What’s wrong? Where’s your mother?”
“Mama is at the hospital,” Emma said, her lower lip trembling. “She doesn’t know we’re calling you.”
“We’re in a life-or-death situation,” Daniel said, his eyes beginning to water.
“A life-or-death situation?” Betty repeated, alarmed. “What’s happened?”
“Our lives are being ruined at school,” Emma said, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “The other kids call us names because we don’t have a father. They say we don’t have a real daddy.”
Betty’s heart broke for the children. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
“It is, Auntie Betty,” Emma said desperately. “We just want to know who our daddy is. We won’t cause any trouble. We just want to meet him once. Just once. Please, Auntie Betty,” Daniel begged. “You’re our favorite godmother. You’re our only hope.”
Betty sighed deeply, torn between her promise to Vanessa and her sympathy for the children. “Your mother will kill me if she finds out I told you,” she said slowly.
“We won’t tell her,” the children promised simultaneously. “We’ll take the secret to our graves,” Emma added solemnly.
“And you promise you won’t cause any trouble?” Betty asked, her voice filled with hesitation.
“You’ll just see what we do with this information?” Emma assured her. “We’ll handle it like the mature, sophisticated individuals we are.”
Betty looked at the three hopeful faces and felt her resolve weakening. “His name is Alexander Reed,” she said finally.
The children tried to look surprised, but they weren’t very good actors. “Alexander Reed,” David repeated carefully, writing it down.
“What does he look like?” Emma asked innocently.
“He’s very handsome,” Betty said. “Tall with green eyes and dark hair. He has a nice smile.”
“Does he look like us?” Emma inquired.
“Yes, sweetie. He looks very much like all of you,” Betty confirmed.
After they hung up, the children went into research mode. “Okay,” Emma said, grabbing the tablet. “Let’s see what we can find about Alexander Reed.”
David typed the name into the search engine, and hundreds of results appeared. “Look at this,” Daniel exclaimed, pointing to the first result. “Alexander Reed, CEO of Reed Industries. One of Nigeria’s youngest billionaires.”
The children’s eyes grew wide. “Our daddy is a billionaire,” Emma whispered.
“Look at his picture,” David said, clicking on an image. There, on the screen, was a man who looked remarkably like all three of them. “That’s definitely our daddy,” Emma said with certainty. “He’s so handsome and rich.”
“Very, very rich,” Daniel added practically. “Look at this house,” David exclaimed, scrolling through images of Alexander’s mansion. “It’s like a palace. We could have been living there this whole time.”
“Why was Mama hiding him from us?” Daniel wondered aloud.
“Maybe she thought he wouldn’t want us,” David suggested.
“That’s ridiculous,” Emma declared. “Look at us! We’re amazing! We need to find him,” Daniel said suddenly. “We need to talk to him.”
“But how are we going to do that?” David asked. “We can’t just walk up to a billionaire and say, ‘Hi, we’re your children.’”
Emma was already scrolling through more search results. “Look, here’s an article about his company. It says his office is downtown. And look at this. He eats lunch at Jeppe’s Italian restaurant every Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Today is Tuesday,” Daniel pointed out. “And it’s almost noon,” David added, looking at the clock.
The children exchanged determined glances. “I think it’s time to call Uncle Mark,” Emma declared.
An hour later, Uncle Mark arrived at their house for what he thought was their usual Tuesday outing. “Uncle Mark,” Emma ran to hug him. “We found our daddy.”
Mark’s eyes widened. “You found your father? Your mother finally told you?”
“Sort of,” David said evasively. “We got the information from a very reliable source. And we want to meet him. Today.”
“Today?” Mark repeated. “Don’t you think you should talk to your mother first?”
“Uncle Mark,” Emma said, looking up at him with her most persuasive expression. “This is an emergency. We’ve been waiting our whole lives for this moment. Our psychological well-being is at stake.”
Mark looked at the three children and felt his resolve weakening. “Where is he?” he asked reluctantly.
“At his office downtown,” Emma said quickly. “But he’s probably at lunch right now at Juiceeppy’s Italian restaurant.”
“Juiceeppy’s? That’s a very fancy restaurant. Are you sure about this?”
“We’re absolutely certain,” the children said in unison.
“Please, Uncle Mark,” Daniel begged. “We’ve been waiting seven years for this. That’s like 70 years in kid time.”
“Okay,” Mark said finally. “But we need a plan.”
“We have a plan,” Emma assured him.
“What kind of plan?” Mark asked nervously.
The children exchanged glances. “We’re still working out the details,” Daniel admitted. “But it’s a very good plan.”
“A foolproof plan,” Emma concluded.
Mark immediately regretted his decision, but it was too late to back out now. The drive to Jeppe’s restaurant was filled with nervous chatter from the children and increasingly worried looks from Uncle Mark.
“What if he doesn’t like us?” Daniel worried during the drive.
“Impossible,” Emma declared. “We’re adorable and brilliant.”
“What if he’s mean?” David asked.
“He won’t be mean,” Emma said confidently. “Mean people don’t become billionaires. Only smart, nice people become billionaires.”
“I don’t think that’s necessarily true,” David said doubtfully.
“It is true,” Emma insisted. “I read it in a book.”
“What book?” Daniel asked.
“A very important book about billionaires and their personalities,” Emma said vaguely.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Mark parked across the street, and they all peered through the windows. “I see him,” Emma whispered excitedly, pointing through the window. “There at the table by the window.”
Indeed, there was Alexander Reed sitting alone at a corner table, looking exactly like his photos but somehow more real, more human. “He’s even more handsome in person,” Daniel observed.
“And he looks sad,” David noted.
“That’s because he doesn’t know he has three amazing children,” Emma said matter-of-factly. “Once he meets us, he’ll never be lonely again.”
The children had been whispering among themselves during the drive, and now Emma turned to address the group. “The plan is simple,” she announced. “Uncle Mark, you’re going to pretend to faint in the alley behind the restaurant. We’ll run inside and tell him that our father collapsed and needs help.”
“That’s lying,” Mark protested.
“It’s not lying,” Daniel corrected. “It’s creative problem-solving.”
“Plus, you will faint,” David added. “You’ll just be pretending, but you’ll still be on the ground. When he comes out to help you,” Emma continued, “I’ll blow sleeping powder in his face.”
“Sleeping powder?” Mark’s voice rose an octave. “Where did you get sleeping powder?”
“We asked Mama about it,” Emma said innocently. “She told us all about it for our science project. We may have gotten some from the pharmacy,” Daniel added quietly.
“You what?” Mark exclaimed.
“Don’t worry,” David said quickly. “We researched it thoroughly. It’s completely safe… for horses,” Emma added helpfully.
“Horses?” Mark shouted.
“Relax, Uncle Mark,” Emma said calmly. “We calculated the dosage for humans. We’re very good at math.”
Before Mark could protest further, the children were already getting out of the car. “Don’t worry, Uncle Mark,” Emma called back. “This is going to work perfectly.”
“What if it doesn’t work?” Mark called after them.
“Then we’ll improvise,” Daniel replied. “We’re very good at that, too.”
The three children marched across the street with the confidence of tiny generals leading their troops into battle. Inside Juiceeppy’s restaurant, Alexander was trying to enjoy a quiet lunch after a particularly stressful board meeting. The restaurant was peaceful, and he looked forward to some time alone with his thoughts.
That peace was shattered when three children suddenly appeared at his table, all talking at once. “Sir, please help us,” Emma said breathlessly. “Our father just collapsed,” Daniel added urgently. “He fainted outside,” David finished.
Alexander looked up from his pasta, startled. “Your father collapsed? Where?”
“Outside. In the alley behind the restaurant,” Emma said, tears starting to form in her eyes. “He was taking us back from school when he just fell down. Please, sir, Daniel begged. We don’t know what to do. Can you help us?”
Alexander immediately stood up, his food forgotten. “Of course. Show me where he is.”
The three children led him quickly through the restaurant and out the back door into the alley, where they found Uncle Mark lying motionless on the ground. “Oh my god,” Alexander said, rushing toward the figure. “Sir, are you okay?” He knelt beside Uncle Mark, who was doing an impressive job of pretending to be unconscious.
“Sir, can you hear me?” Alexander asked, gently shaking Mark’s shoulder. “Should I call an ambulance? Is he going to be okay?” Emma asked, her voice trembling with perfectly acted fear.
“Are you a doctor?” Daniel added hopefully.
“I’m not a doctor, but I have first aid training,” Alexander replied.
“Sir, what’s your name? Can you tell me what happened?” As he leaned closer to check Mark’s pulse, Emma stepped up behind him and quickly blew a handful of white powder directly into his face.
Alexander immediately began coughing and sputtering. “What the—?” But before he could finish the sentence, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the ground next to Uncle Mark.
“It worked,” Emma exclaimed triumphantly.
“He’s sleeping like a baby,” Daniel observed with satisfaction.
“A very big, rich baby,” David added.
Uncle Mark immediately sat up and looked around nervously. “Is he okay?”
“Please tell me we didn’t kill a billionaire,” he said.
“He’s fine,” Emma said, checking Alexander’s pulse like she’d seen doctors do on TV. “Just sleeping. The powder we used is designed to make large animals unconscious for exactly 30 minutes. Since he’s much smaller than a horse, he’ll probably wake up in about 20 minutes.”
“20 minutes?” Mark asked in panic. “What are we supposed to do with an unconscious billionaire for 20 minutes?”
“Take him home to meet Mama?” Emma suggested as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
“We can’t kidnap a person,” Mark protested.
“We’re not kidnapping him,” Daniel corrected. “We’re relocating him for a family meeting. It’s completely different.”
“Kidnapping is when you take someone for money,” David added. “We’re taking him for love.”
“That’s still kidnapping,” Mark hissed.
“Uncle Mark,” Emma said patiently. “We’ve come this far. We can’t give up now. Help us get him to the car.”
“This is the worst idea in the history of bad ideas,” Mark muttered. But he was already helping the children lift Alexander’s unconscious form.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Daniel said as they struggled with Alexander’s weight. “It’s a creative solution to a complex problem.”
“Daddy is heavier than he looks,” David observed, puffing with effort.
“That’s because he’s tall and muscular,” Emma said approvingly. “Good genes for us.”
Somehow, they managed to get Alexander to the car and into the trunk, which was the only space large enough for a full-grown man. “Should we tie him up?” Daniel asked as they arranged Alexander’s limbs in the cramped space.
“Definitely,” Emma said, pulling rope from her backpack. “We don’t want him to escape when he wakes up.”
“Where did you get rope?” Mark asked weakly.
“Boy Scouts,” David replied. “We’re always prepared.”
“You’re not in Boy Scouts,” Mark reminded them.
“We should be,” Emma said, efficiently tying Alexander’s hands and feet.
Ten minutes later, they were driving through the streets with an unconscious billionaire tied up in their trunk. “Turn up the music,” Emma instructed from the back seat. “We don’t want people to hear if he starts making noise.”
“What kind of noise?” Mark asked nervously.
“You know, shouting, banging, demanding to be released,” Daniel said casually. “The usual kidnapped person noises.”
“We are not kidnappers,” David added quickly. “We’re children arranging a surprise family reunion.”
“That sounds much better,” Emma agreed.
Just as they pulled into Vanessa’s driveway, they heard muffled sounds coming from the trunk. “He’s awake,” Daniel announced.
“Right on schedule,” Emma said, checking her watch. “22 minutes. Very precise.”
The sounds from the trunk were getting louder and more agitated. “Let me out!” Alexander shouted. “Who are you? What do you want? Do you know who I am? My men are going to find me in the next few minutes. If I don’t return to the office in the next five minutes, my people will start looking for me!”
“He sounds angry,” David observed.
“He’ll feel better once he meets Mama,” Emma said confidently.
They opened the trunk to find Alexander looking disheveled and furious, his expensive suit wrinkled and his hair messed up. “Who are you people?” he demanded, struggling against the ropes. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
“Yes,” Emma said, stepping forward with her hands on her hips. “You’re Alexander Reed, CEO of Reed Industries, and you’re our daddy. We want to know why you abandoned us and our mama all these years. You should learn to take responsibility for your children.”
Alexander blinked in confusion. “I’m your what? Abandon you? I don’t understand.”
“Our daddy,” Daniel repeated firmly. “Our father, our paternal parent, the man who helped make us,” David added with scientific precision. “And then disappeared from our lives,” Emma added accusingly.
Alexander stared at the three children. His anger momentarily forgotten, he began to see something familiar in their faces, something that made his heart skip a beat. “That’s impossible,” he said slowly. “I don’t have any children. I never abandoned anyone.”
“Well, you do now,” Emma said matter-of-factly. “News flash: we’re your children that you didn’t know about,” Daniel explained helpfully. “Mama never told you about us, but we found you anyway.”
“Your mother,” Alexander’s voice was barely a whisper. “Who is your mother?”
“Dr. Vanessa Williams,” Emma said, watching his face carefully.
Alexander’s face went completely white. The name hit him like a physical blow, bringing back eight years of memories he had tried to bury. “Vanessa,” he breathed.
“You do know her?” Daniel exclaimed excitedly.
“So, you are our daddy?” Emma asked hopefully, her accusatory tone softening slightly.
Alexander looked at the three children again. “Really?” He looked at them this time. “Emma has my green eyes. Daniel has my smile. David has my thoughtful expression.”
“How old are you?” he asked quietly.
“Seven,” they said in unison.
Alexander’s mind raced back eight years to that graduation night. “The timing was perfect. She never told me,” he whispered. “I didn’t abandon you. I didn’t even know you existed.”
“So, you are our daddy?” Daniel pressed.
“I think… yes, I think I am,” Alexander said, his voice filled with wonder and pain.
“We found you!” Emma shouted. “We found our daddy!”
Just then, they heard Vanessa’s car door slam, followed by her voice calling out, “Emma, Daniel, David, where are you?”
“Mama’s home!” Emma said excitedly. “Time to meet Mama!”
Vanessa had just returned from work and didn’t see the children in the house. She thought Mark had probably taken them out for ice cream, but she was shocked to hear the loud bang on the front door. When she opened it, she saw Alexander bound and perched on Uncle Mark’s wheelchair, dragged to the front of her house.
She froze in shock. “Alexander,” she whispered.
“Hello, Vanessa,” Alexander said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. “Long time no see.”
“Surprise!” Emma announced cheerfully, spreading her arms wide like a game show host. “We found Daddy. We kidnapped him for you,” Daniel added proudly, as if he were presenting her with a birthday gift.
“Well, not kidnapped exactly,” David corrected with scientific precision. “More like forcibly relocated for a family meeting.”
Vanessa’s legs gave out, and she sank down onto the front steps, staring at the impossible scene in front of her. “What? How? When?” she stammered.
“Hi, Mama,” Emma said brightly, completely unfazed by her mother’s shock. “Say hello to our daddy. Isn’t he handsome?”
“We definitely got the good genes,” Daniel explained matter-of-factly. “We researched him on the internet.”
“Did you know you used to date a billionaire?” David added, pointing to his own face and then to Alexander’s. “The resemblance is undeniable.”
Vanessa looked back and forth between Alexander and her children, her mind struggling to process what was happening. “How did you find him?” she asked weakly.
“We got the information from a very secure source,” Emma said carefully, not wanting to get Auntie Betty in trouble.
“Someone who cares about our family,” Vanessa immediately knew. “Betty,” she said, closing her eyes. “Of course it was Betty.”
“Then we Googled him,” Daniel continued the explanation. “Did you know he’s famous? There are pictures of him everywhere. He’s like a celebrity but for business.”
“Then we went to his favorite restaurant and drugged him,” David concluded matter-of-factly, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
“You what?” Vanessa shrieked, her voice reaching a pitch that could probably shatter glass.
“Just a little sleeping powder,” Emma said quickly, holding up her fingers to show a tiny amount. “We calculated the dosage very carefully.”
“We’re not amateurs, Mama,” Daniel added. “We researched it thoroughly. We even asked you about it, remember? For our science project.”
“You used that information to drug someone?” Vanessa asked in horror.
“We used it to reunite our family,” David corrected. “It’s completely different.”
Alexander, still tied up and watching this exchange, couldn’t help but be impressed by his children’s complete lack of fear about having kidnapped a grown man.
“Vanessa,” he said quietly, interrupting the chaos. “We need to talk.”
“Talk?” Vanessa’s voice cracked. “You want to talk? You’re tied up in my driveway because my children drugged and kidnapped you, and you want to talk?”
“Well,” Alexander said reasonably, “we clearly have some things to discuss. Starting with the fact that I apparently have three children I never knew about. Could someone please untie me first?” He added politely, “I promise I won’t run away.”
“Though I have to admit, I’m not sure where I would run to at this point.”
“See,” Emma said to her brothers. “I told you he wouldn’t run. Daddies don’t run away from their children.”
“Can we trust him?” Daniel asked seriously, as if they were negotiating a hostage situation.
“He’s our daddy,” David said logically. “Of course we can trust him.”
Uncle Mark finally found his voice. “Vanessa, I am so, so sorry. They convinced me to help them, and before I knew it, we were committing multiple felonies.”
“It’s not a felony,” Emma protested indignantly. “It’s a family reunion with drugging and kidnapping,” Mark added weakly.
“Those are just minor details,” Daniel said dismissively. “The important thing is that we successfully located our father and brought him home.”
Vanessa stood up slowly, her legs still shaky, and walked over to Alexander. For a moment, they just looked at each other—eight years of hurt and longing passing between them.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered.
“I can’t believe I have three children I never knew about,” Alexander replied quietly. “Three brilliant, insane, incredible children.”
“Can we untie Daddy now?” Emma asked impatiently. “This is supposed to be a happy reunion, but it’s hard to have a proper family hug when someone is tied up like a criminal.”
Vanessa looked at her three determined children and realized she had no choice but to deal with this completely insane situation. “Fine,” she said, kneeling down to untie Alexander’s hands. “But you three are in so much trouble. More trouble than you’ve ever been in your entire lives.”
“We know,” Emma said cheerfully. “But it was totally worth it.”
“Completely worth it,” Daniel agreed. “The best trouble we’ve ever been in,” David concluded.
As soon as his hands were free, Alexander stretched and rubbed his wrists. “That’s much better,” he said. The children immediately swarmed him, all talking at once.
“Daddy, are you okay?” Emma asked, checking him for injuries.
“Did the sleeping powder give you a headache?” Daniel wanted to know.
“Are you mad at us for kidnapping you?” David asked.
Alexander looked down at his three children and felt his heart swell with an emotion he had never experienced before. “No,” he said softly. “I’m not mad. I’m amazed. You three are the most resourceful, determined, brilliant children I’ve ever met.”
“We get it from both sides,” Emma said proudly.
“Definitely,” Alexander agreed, looking at Vanessa. “We should probably go inside. The neighbors are starting to stare.”
Indeed, several neighbors had come out of their houses to see what the commotion was about. Inside the house, they all settled in the living room. Alexander sat on the couch with the three children clustered around him while Vanessa sat in the armchair across from them, still looking shell-shocked.
The silence was thick. Everyone was waiting for someone else to speak first. Alexander kept staring at the children, amazed at how much they looked like him and Vanessa. These brilliant, determined little people were his children.
“So,” Alexander said finally, “what happens now?”
“Now,” Emma said, standing up like a tiny CEO. “We need to discuss our family situation.”
“Our family situation?” Alexander repeated.
“Yes,” Daniel said seriously. “You’re our daddy. She’s our mama. We’re your children. That makes us a family. A family that should live together,” David added pointedly. “In your big house with a swimming pool,” Emma concluded hopefully.
Alexander looked at Vanessa, who was blushing furiously. “Guys,” Vanessa said gently. “It’s not that simple. Your father and I… we’re not married. We’re not even dating.”
“So start dating,” Emma said as if it were obvious. “Then get married. Problem solved.”
“It’s not that simple,” Vanessa protested.
“Why not?” Daniel asked. “Do you not love Daddy?”
Vanessa felt cornered. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated?” All three children groaned loudly. “We hate that word,” Emma declared. “Use simple words, Mama,” David instructed.
Vanessa took a deep breath. “Your father and I had a fight eight years ago. A big fight. I was very hurt and angry.”
“What kind of fight?” Emma asked.
“I thought your father was kissing another woman,” Vanessa said quietly.
“Were you?” Daniel asked Alexander directly.
“Another woman kissed me,” Alexander replied. “But I wasn’t kissing her back. I was trying to push her away when your mother saw us.”
“So, it was a misunderstanding,” David said thoughtfully. “And Mama ran away before you could explain,” Emma added.
“And then Mama found out about us but didn’t tell you because she was still hurt,” Daniel concluded.
The children looked at each other, then back at their parents. “That’s the dumbest thing we’ve ever heard,” Emma declared.
“Emma,” Vanessa gasped.
“Well, it is,” Emma insisted. “You both made mistakes. You both said sorry. And you both still love each other. Problem solved.”
“How do you know we still love each other?” Alexander asked, amused.
“Because you’re both looking at each other like people do in movies,” Daniel said matter-of-factly. “And because you haven’t tried to leave yet,” David added.
Alexander and Vanessa looked at each other, both realizing their children were reading them perfectly. “Listen,” Alexander said, “I want to be in your lives. I want to be your father. But your mother and I need time to figure things out.”
“How much time?” Emma pressed.
“We don’t know,” Vanessa said.
“Well, figure it out fast,” Emma said firmly. “Because Father’s Day at school is on Friday, and we want you there.”
“Father’s Day?” Alexander repeated.
“Yes,” Daniel said. “We’ve been waiting our whole lives to have a real daddy come to school with us. We’re tired of Uncle Mark pretending to be our father.”
David added, “Will you come?”
Alexander looked at their eager faces. “I would be honored to come to Father’s Day at your school.”
The children erupted in cheers.
The next few days were a whirlwind. Alexander came over every evening to spend time with the children and slowly get to know them. He learned that Emma was the natural leader, Daniel was the peacemaker, and David was the logical thinker. Meanwhile, the children were planning Father’s Day with military precision.
“Daddy,” Emma said on Thursday evening. “We need to discuss your outfit for tomorrow. We want you to look successful and rich,” Daniel added.
“So Ruby and her brother know our daddy is better than theirs,” David concluded.
Friday morning arrived, and Alexander showed up with his most expensive car and a convoy of security guards, exactly as the children had requested.
“Perfect,” Emma said approvingly. “You look like a movie star.”
The ride to school was filled with nervous excitement. “Remember,” Emma instructed. “When people ask who you are, say, ‘I’m Emma, Daniel, and David’s father.’”
As they walked into school together, heads turned. The children stood taller, their chests puffed out with pride. “That’s our daddy,” Emma announced loudly.
“He’s a CEO,” Daniel added.
“And a billionaire,” David concluded.
Ruby and her brother stared in shock as the family walked past. “Good morning, Ruby,” Emma said sweetly. “I’d like you to meet my father, Alexander Reed.”
Alexander bent down to shake Ruby’s small hand. “Hello, Ruby. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Ruby was speechless, her mouth hanging open.
“Cat got your tongue?” Daniel asked innocently.
The Father’s Day celebration was everything the children had dreamed of. Alexander participated in every activity and beamed with pride. During the presentations, Emma took the microphone. “We have the best daddy in the whole world,” she announced.
“The absolute best,” Daniel agreed.
“And he’s ours,” David added.
After school, they went for ice cream to celebrate. “That was the best day ever,” Emma declared. “Can we do it again next year?” David asked.
“Every year,” Alexander promised. “I’ll be there for every important moment.”
Over the next few weeks, Alexander became a constant presence. He picked them up from school, helped with homework, and attended soccer games. But the children weren’t satisfied with just co-parenting; they wanted their parents back together.
They discovered that both Alexander and Vanessa were dating other people. The first obstacle was Dr. Martin, Vanessa’s colleague at the hospital. One night while Vanessa was sleeping, Emma snuck into her room, took her phone, and typed a message to Dr. Martin: “Hi, Martin. Alexander is back in our lives now, and we’re planning to get married soon. Please stay away from me. We don’t want a stepfather.”
She sent the message and deleted it from the sent folder. The next day at work, Martin gave Vanessa the cold shoulder. She didn’t understand why he was suddenly being so distant.
The children kept bombarding Martin with messages from Vanessa’s phone, always deleting the evidence afterward. A week later, Martin broke up with Vanessa. She thought it was because he didn
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