The Triplets My Ex Never Knew About

Chapter 18: Mrs. Sloan Is Here

Editor: Henyee Translations

Everyone in the office turned toward the sound.

Estelle stood in the doorway in a sharp, professional suit. She looked composed and capable. Her curly hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her striking features drew more than a few lingering glances.

With two children at her side, Sam immediately recalled that a Yara Lockwood had contacted him the previous day. This must be her.

The moment Nathaniel heard her voice, his eyes snapped up, and his throat tightened. Memories surged back. The faint bite mark on his neck still served as a stark reminder that last night, he and this woman...

Estelle shot him a look of open displeasure.

’What rotten luck,’ she thought. She kept running into Nathaniel everywhere.

Rolling her eyes, she ignored him completely. "Hello, Mr. Miller. I’m here to enroll my children."

Sam quickly stepped forward. "You must be Miss Lockwood. Welcome. As for the children’s previous records, we’ll just put them—"

Before he could finish, a small figure suddenly darted past him. A clear, excited voice rang through the office. "Mommy! Here you are!"

Sam’s words died in his throat.

Christian had already slipped free from Nathaniel’s grip and thrown himself into Estelle’s arms. Looking up at her with bright, affectionate eyes, he said, "Mommy, what took you so long? Daddy and I have been waiting for you forever!"

The office fell completely silent.

Sam’s jaw nearly dropped. ’Wait... what? Christian just called Yara "Mommy." So this woman is his biological mother? But isn’t Noelle Lockwood supposed to be his mother, according to the rumors?

’Yet judging by the child’s reaction, he doesn’t seem to be lying. The rumors must have been wrong.’

His expression immediately brightened, and he said enthusiastically, "So you’re Mrs. Sloan! Perfect timing. We still need the mother’s contact details for Christian’s enrollment, so please fill this out."

Estelle’s eyes widened. What was going on?

Before she could process it, Mia suddenly stepped forward and opened her arms toward Nathaniel with a pitiful little whine. "Daddy, I want a hug! Why didn’t you wait for me so we could come together, Daddy? Hug me so I forgive you."

Estelle was completely speechless.

What was Mia doing?

At the same time, Christian added sweetly, "Daddy, Mia must be tired from walking all the way here. You should give her a hug. Mommy and I will handle the enrollment."

Sam looked at them fondly. "Yes, yes, what a kind child Christian is. Mr. Sloan, you should comfort your daughter first, and I’ll talk with Mrs. Sloan here."

Nathaniel was at a loss for words, but he had already seen through what the three children were doing.

His voice turned cold as he said, "She is not Mrs. Sloan. I will handle Christian’s enrollment myself."

Sam froze and instinctively looked at Estelle. ’Not Mrs. Sloan? Then who is she?’

"Daddy, how could you say that?" Mia’s eyes immediately turned red. "Is it because you and Mommy had a fight last night? Are you still angry? But you were the one who was wrong first! Mommy already forgave you, but you’re still secretly meeting Miss Noelle. I’m so sad about what you did."

A vein twitched at Nathaniel’s temple.

Zachery added, "A real man corrects his mistakes, Daddy. You already have Mommy. You shouldn’t keep involving other strange women."

Christian chimed in seriously, "Yes, Daddy. Don’t fight with Mommy, okay? I know Aunt Noelle is important to you, but you already have a family."

Estelle stood there with a blank expression. She understood every word the children were saying, but together, none of it made any sense.

Nathaniel exhaled slowly, clearly restraining himself.

What were these three children doing?

Then he realized it. Christian had insisted on coming to the kindergarten because they were trying to set him up.

Yet Nathaniel didn’t find it irritating, nor could he bring himself to get angry with Christian. Instead, he felt a surge of frustration, the kind that had nowhere to go and nothing it could accomplish.

He could tell that Christian disliked Noelle. The boy had even come up with this scheme to drive her away. But even so, Yara would never become Christian’s mother.

Nathaniel explained, "Christian, you’ve got the wrong idea about her and me. We’re just—"

Before he could finish, silent tears spilled from Christian’s eyes one after another.

Nathaniel immediately began to panic.

Mia and Zachery followed suit at once, wailing dramatically despite producing no tears.

"Daddy, you’re abandoning us for some strange woman! We’re so cute, smart, and clever, and you don’t want us to be your children. That’s so mean!"

Worried that the situation would spiral further, Sam hurriedly stepped in. "Mia, please don’t cry. Mr. Sloan would never leave you. He’s not the kind of person you think he is. Mr. Sloan, say something! The children are crying!"

Nathaniel pressed his lips into a thin line.

Meanwhile, Estelle glanced at Zachery, who was barely able to conceal what he was thinking. At that moment, his guilty expression said everything.

’So these two little traitors teamed up with Christian to scheme against Nathaniel.’

She slowly raised her eyes to Nathaniel in silence.

Originally, she hadn’t wanted to bring Zachery and Mia back here because she was afraid Nathaniel would recognize them and try to take custody of them.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was that even after Nathaniel had spent time with them, he still hadn’t realized who they really were. People always said that fathers and daughters shared a special bond, yet that didn’t seem to apply here.

’So Nathaniel doesn’t want Mia as his daughter? Fine. Mia doesn’t need him as a father either.’

Estelle took Mia’s hand and said, "We can just leave him."

Mia immediately seized the opportunity. "My daddy is so mean! I don’t want him as my daddy anymore! No!"

For some reason, something tightened painfully in Nathaniel’s chest. The sensation spread through his entire body, leaving him completely at a loss.

Why would Mia’s tears affect him this way?

Still, instincts didn’t lie. Before Nathaniel could think it through, he had already crouched down and gently wiped away Mia’s tears.

"Mia... please don’t cry anymore. I didn’t have a fight with your mommy. And I’m not choosing Noelle over you. She doesn’t have to come around if you don’t like her, okay?" he coaxed her.

Mia froze in the middle of crying.

He was actually trying to comfort her? What was she supposed to do now?

Seeing the situation improve, Sam smiled in relief. "That’s right, Mr. Sloan! That’s what a father should do. You should properly apologize to the three children and to Mrs. Sloan. Then we can put this matter behind us."

Then, slipping into the role of peacemaker, he turned to Estelle. "Mrs. Sloan, it’s true that a man sometimes needs to be taught a lesson, but you can’t leave with the children in a fit of anger. That would only create an opportunity for the mistress. Besides, I don’t think Mr. Sloan cares about Miss Noelle at all. You really shouldn’t dwell on it."

Nathaniel had intended to explain that Sam had completely misunderstood their relationship, but he ultimately remained silent. Under the circumstances, there seemed little point in clarifying anything.

Sam smiled and gave the three children another pat before returning to the paperwork.

Just then, a young teacher rushed into the office. "Mr. Miller! There’s a woman outside claiming to be Mrs. Sloan, Christian’s mother. She insists on coming in, and we couldn’t stop her!" freewёbnoνel.com

The pen slipped from Sam’s hand. "What?"

That couldn’t be Noelle Lockwood, could it?

Sam turned to Nathaniel with a look of disdain. It was no wonder his wife and children wanted to leave him. He had allowed the mistress to become this brazen.