CHAPTER 119
ROBERT’S POV
The lady’s eyes were wide with awe as though she’d seen something extraordinary.
“Boss, I think we should leave immediately before she alerts the school security,” my chauffeur whispered in my ear from behind. “We can come back another day after we have better information on how to find the kids’ classes.”
“No…” I grimaced in disagreement. “I came here today to see my kids and I’m not leaving until I do that. I think we should ask her about them. She might know something.”
From her decent and studious look, she might be a teacher in the school or something else important so she definitely should know something. Now that Lily wasn’t here to prevent me, this was my chance to see my kids and get to know them better. I won’t lose it for any reason as I might not get the chance again.
Standing firm on my decision, I stepped forward to approach her. But before I could reach her, she jollied over to us, her eyes still shining with awe. I wondered why she was looking at us like that. Specifically me.
“You’re Mr. Robert from the Wilson family,” she brought her hand forward for a playful handshake which I reluctantly took, my brows furrowing. For a moment, I thought she wanted to kiss the top of her fingers. “Your family is doing a great job with all the charity visits and community outreach programs. I must say it’s an honour to have you visit our school. And you look even more handsome in person.” She blushed in admiration, her cheeks dusting pink.
Given my family’s prominence in the world of business and philanthropy, it wasn’t unusual for people to recognize us, especially those who followed the news online. So I wasn’t so surprised she knew who I was.
“Excuse me…but do you work in this school?” I couldn’t help asking.
“Yes, of course,” she nodded proudly. “I’m a teacher here, a fourth-grade teacher.”
I glanced back at my chauffeur, a smile curving my lips as the look in my eyes said, “Told ya she could be of help.”
He smiled dryly, feeling a little defeated.
All I just needed to do was ask this lady about Liam and Lila. From the way she was staring at me, it was quite obvious she was infatuated with me and would probably lick the floor now if I told her to. I just hoped she knew Liam and Lila and would tell us something useful about how we could find them.
I turned to face her, about to ask the question when she started blabbing away.
“So, to what do we owe this honourable visit? Are you here to donate to us, fund a scholarship program or…. even better enrol your kids? I can help you with that. I saw your wedding online. It was a blast! So glamorous I couldn’t help watching the entirety of it. Your wife, Scarlett Milson is so beautiful. You two looked perfect for each other. I started following her IG after the wedding. I love watching her get ready with me videos. They’re so dope. But her account has been inactive for a while. I wonder why…”
“Actually, my kids do school here.” The enrollment of the kids part was the only thing I managed to catch from everything she said.
She gasped in shock. “Really?…”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“I have been a teacher in this school for as long as I can remember and this is the first time I’m seeing you here. Do you mind if I get the names of your kids and their classes?” She asked politely, paying close attention to me.
“Liam and Lila…Jones.” I figured if Lily didn’t bear my last name like I had seen in that document Will showed me a week ago then the kids won’t either. She made everything in such a way no one would know they were mine. Ours.
“Oh my goodness…” she gasped even more, staring at me as though a spider was crawling on my face. “Mr. Robert… are you been serious with me right now?”
I nodded, wondering why she was so freaked out. Did something happen to them, something that maybe… Lily had been hiding from me all along? I couldn’t help asking her.
“They’re my students…” she blurted. “They’re in my class.”
My brows lifted in surprise. I glanced at my chauffeur who gave me a small encouraging smile before looking back at the lady, breathing out in huge relief. I knew she’d help us find them.
“Please can I see them?” My voice was almost breaking as I was unable to contain the joy brewing inside me. I couldn’t wait to see their cute little faces and hear their tiny voices.
“But something is not adding up here,” her brows furrowed as she gave me a slightly suspicious look. “How come their mother never mentioned you? While enrolling them, she made it known to the school management she was a single mother. Even the kids’ classmates think they don’t have a father and that has caused some issues in the past. What happened? Where have you been all these years?”
I let out a sigh, smiling awkwardly as her question had put me in a tough spot. If I’m to convince her to let me see my kids, then I’ll have to act natural and play it cool so she won’t suspect anything and refuse to help me.
“My wife and I separated a long time ago and the court granted her custody of the kids. But we are working towards resolving our differences and getting back together.” I said, keeping it as brief as possible while leaving out important details.
She glanced away with a puzzled expression on her face as trying to place the puzzle pieces together. Having witnessed me and Scarlett’s marriage online, she must be wondering when I married Lily because I had referred to her as ‘my wife’.
But I didn’t let her think too much and ask me difficult questions as I quickly repeated, “Please can I see them?” with a nervous but charming smile.
“Fine,” she breathed out. “We don’t usually allow students to leave their classrooms before break period unless they want to use the toilet. But I’ll see what I can do. Having been away from them for this long, you must dying to see them.” She added emphatically, looking at me pitifully.
“Thank you,” I said, filled with gratitude and she left to go get them.
Though my heart was filled with joy, I was also nervous as I paced the hallway restlessly. My mind was racing with a crazy mix of hope and fear.
Will the kids accept me? Will they reject me? What if they tell their teacher I wasn’t their daddy? That I was lying. That I was just a strange man who showed up at their house yesterday night from nowhere, kneeling in front of their mum and disturbing her peace. Now, all of a sudden I show up at their school claiming to be their daddy.
Their teacher wouldn’t just be disappointed because she held me in high regard-she’d think I was a fraud, or worse, a kidnapper, and she’d call security on me and my chauffeur.
Now that I was thinking about it, I wondered if Lily told the kids anything about me. Even if it was just my name or at least showed them my picture. With the intense hatred she had for me, I knew that was out of the question. Instead, she was building a secret relationship with that Noah, using him to make me jealous and planning for him to take my spot in their lives as her husband and the kids’ daddy. I can’t let that happen. As long as I was still alive, I wouldn’t let anyone take them from me.
My jaw tightened in fury. I clenched my fist, feeling the veins bulging out of my arm, making my knuckles turn white with rage.
“You have to calm down boss,” my chauffeur said, noticing how disturbed I seemed. “You’re overworking yourself and will only end up scaring the kids.”
“You’re right,” I let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose to calm myself.
But I couldn’t help it. Whenever I remember that Noah and the thought of him taking Lily and the kids away, my blood boiled with so much rage it could melt a metal. For the sake of the kids, I had to bring myself together and stay calm.
“They’re here,” my chauffeur said, prompting me to look ahead.
I saw the teacher approaching with Lila and Liam. Turned out their class wasn’t even so far from where we were. On sighting them, my eyes shone. A wave of relief and solace washed through me, my rage subsiding completely. They looked so smart and cute in their respective uniforms, I wanted to hold them close and squash their cheeks.
However, I noticed the baffled look they had on their faces. I wondered what their teacher might have told them that their daddy wanted to see them. I forgot to tell her not to say that, that this was a surprise visit.
“Liam look,” Lila said, pointing at me. “It’s the man from yesterday.”
Liam’s face hardened with fury and he ran over to me. I thought he wanted to hug me but my hope was dashed as he kicked me hard.