I walked back over to the bed, gently tapping Clara’s soft cheek. "Love, wake up. It’s 9:00 AM already. Come on, sweetheart, time to get up."
After a few gentle nudges, Clara stirred with a sweet yawn, stretching gracefully before heading into the master bathroom for a warm shower. While she was getting ready, I pulled out my phone to check the morning headlines. Sure enough, news of the Smith family’s hidden crimes had already broken across several major online feeds. I knew this initial leak wouldn’t completely bring down a clan of their scale—with the Smiths’ vast political connections, sweeping a minor scandal under the rug was as easy for them as popping a balloon with a needle. But that wasn’t the goal; this was merely a calculated poke to rattle Patriarch Karon Smith and provoke the elder council just a little bit more.
After fifteen minutes, I set my phone down as Seraphina walked into the bedroom. I looked at her with a gentle smile. "What is it, love?"
Sera offered a warm, slightly hesitant look. "Julian, what are you up to right now?"
"Just checking some news," I replied. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, yes," Sera explained softly. "Sophia didn’t want to bother you, so she hasn’t said a word, but I saw Daisy holding a letter earlier. Today is the annual Parents-Teacher Meeting at Daisy’s school, and Sophia was planning on going all by herself."
I immediately sat up straight. "Don’t worry, Sera. I’m definitely going with them."
Just as Sera and I were talking, Clara stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed. "Let’s head down for breakfast," I said, putting my arms around both of them. "After that, I’m heading out to Daisy’s school with Sophia."
We walked down to the grand dining room together, where Belle, Sophia, and little Daisy were already seated at the long table. I took my place at the head of the table, looking over at Sophia with a raised eyebrow. "Love, why didn’t you tell me about Daisy’s Parents-Teacher Meeting today? Or do you think I’m not good enough to be introduced as Daisy’s father?"
Sophia’s eyes widened, and she shook her head quickly. "No, Julian! It’s not that at all! It’s just... over the past few days, you’ve been so incredibly busy managing all the corporate transitions and security matters. I simply didn’t want to disturb you with something minor."
"Do you really think I would ever prioritize work over my daughter?" I asked gently, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. "I’m coming with you, and that’s final."
A bright, beautiful smile broke across Sophia’s face, relief shining in her eyes. Beside her, Daisy kicked her little feet in pure delight, shouting, "Yay! Papa is coming too!"
Looking around the table at the four incredible women in my life, I cleared my throat with a warm smile. "Sera, Clara, Sophia, Belle... I have news. My middle-school friends, Tristan and Michael, along with their wives, are moving into the villa this coming Sunday. As you know, we’re expanding our operations to River City in three to four weeks, so I thought having them live here would be great company for all of us and my father-in-law, Mr. Lin. Plus, Michael’s wife is seven months pregnant, so living in a villa with 24/7 dedicated staff will be much better for her health. Do any of you have a problem with that?"
The four women exchanged glances before smiling softly. "No, why would we have a problem with that?" Clara answered for the group. Then her eyes narrowed playfully. "Though even if your friends move in, that doesn’t mean you can drink as much liquor as you did last night! We actually wanted to call you out on it last night, but we refrained because we knew you had heavy work on your mind."
I chuckled awkwardly, raising my hands in surrender. "Alright, I promise I’ll strictly control my drinking from now on."
After a heartening breakfast, I asked Sophia and Daisy to get ready for the school visit. While they went upstairs to change, I stepped down into the ground-floor study and summoned the shadow chief.
"How is everything proceeding with the anonymous tip I told you to send to the Smith elder council?" I asked, leaning against the desk.
"It has been delivered discreetly to every senior elder, sir," the shadow chief reported smoothly.
"Good. Establish a strict surveillance lock on both the elder council and Karon Smith. Once I return from the school, I’ll listen to the full update."
"Understood, sir. In fact, Karon Smith is currently en route to the elders’ mansion as we speak," the shadow chief noted.
"I’ll hear the details when I get back," I nodded, before adding another instruction. "In the meantime, purchase a private property for me where I can test and practice with heavy weapons and firearms without any interference or public attention. Make sure it’s fully equipped with a top-tier shooting range and every type of weapon available. I’ll transfer 100 billion Stardollars to your operational fund right now."
"Consider it done, sir," the shadow chief bowed, vanishing into the shadows to finalize the commercial acquisition.
Walking back into the grand living room, I passed Maya, our head housekeeper. She bowed politely, "Good day, sir."
"Oh, Maya, did you finish packing your personal items for the upcoming move?" I asked kindly.
"Yes, sir, everything is packed and ready," she replied with a polite smile.
When I reached the central hall, my eyes caught sight of Daisy wearing a cute, comfortable outfit, while Sophia looked breathtakingly gorgeous in an elegant designer dress I had gifted her, complete with the Starlight Edition diamond earrings and a matching diamond necklace.
Walking up to her, I looked straight into her eyes and whispered softly, "You look ravishingly delightful today, my love."
Sophia’s cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson, and she shyly looked away. Just as I leaned down to press a gentle kiss onto her lips, a tiny voice piped up from below.
"Papa, what about me? How do I look?" Daisy asked, puffing out her chest.
I burst into a warm laugh, scooping her up in my arms. "There is no one cuter in the entire world than my Daisy!"
The three of us walked out to the main courtyard, where our private driver was waiting beside our limited-edition Aurelius Executive custom sedan —one of only one hundred custom models crafted globally. We settled into the plush rear cabin, and the driver smoothly navigated out of the estate gates and merged onto the main road.
Leaning back against the leather seat, I turned to Sophia. "Why was this Parents-Teacher Meeting scheduled so suddenly? Is everything alright at school?"
"No, no, nothing is wrong at all," Sophia reassured me, placing a hand on my knee. "It’s just a routine progress check. But since you’re here... should we officially discuss transferring Daisy to the River City branch starting next month?"
"Don’t worry about the administrative details," I smiled, patting her hand. "I’ll handle everything with the administration today."
Sophia nodded softly, whispering, "Okay, love," before resting her head comfortably against my shoulder while Daisy sat happily on her lap.
After a smooth fifteen-minute drive through the city, the luxury vehicle pulled up to the front gates of Metro City’s elite private academy. I stepped out first, gently carrying Daisy in my arms while Sophia stepped out beside me, wrapping her arm securely around mine.
As we walked through the grand archway toward the elementary wing, the school principal suddenly caught sight of us. Recognizing my face immediately—since national news networks had been broadcasting my corporate takeover of the Young family assets for weeks—he came running over in a complete panic, wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
"S-Sir Vance!" the principal stammered, bowing repeatedly. "Is there an issue that required your personal presence today? Did our staff make a mistake?!"
I kept my expression calm and polite. "Not at all, Principal. Isn’t today the scheduled Parents-Teacher Meeting? Furthermore, I am expanding my business operations to River City next month, so I require you to process a smooth, immediate transfer for Daisy to your River City campus without any bureaucratic delays. Do you understand?"
Sweating profusely, the principal nodded frantically. "Of course, sir! Right away! Is there anything else I can personally assist you with today?"
"Yes. Show us to the room where Daisy’s meeting is being held. We passed her regular classroom, but it was empty."
"Ah, yes! Miss Daisy’s regular classroom is currently undergoing minor maintenance, so her meeting was moved to the central conference hall," the principal explained hastily.
"So," I remarked coolly, "do I need to write out a formal written application, or are you going to lead the way?"
The principal laughed awkwardly. "No need for paperwork at all, sir! Please, right this way!"
He guided us down the polished hallway and opened the heavy doors to the conference hall. Inside, several teachers were sitting at individual tables. When they saw the principal personally escorting someone with such humble deference, they all stood up in curiosity—until every single teacher in the room recognized my face from the financial news.
A wave of nervous shock washed over the room as the teachers quickly looked away, not daring to meet my eyes directly.
"Is there an issue?" I asked quietly, looking around the room.
"N-No, sir! Not at all!" the teachers chimed in unison.
"Good. Then let’s begin the meeting, unless you plan on staring at my face all morning," I said, taking a seat across from Daisy’s primary instructor, with the principal standing dutifully beside our table to ensure everything went perfectly.
The teachers quickly resumed their routine, calling up students and their parents one by one to review academic progress and future development plans. Soon enough, Daisy’s name was called.
As we sat down across from her lead teacher, the instructor offered a nervous smile. "Sir, Madam... Daisy is an absolute top-tier, excellent student in all her academic subjects. However, we noticed something unusual during her recent art assignment. When we asked the children to draw a picture of their family, she drew this."
The teacher turned a drawing around on the table. It was a sweet, colorful crayon painting depicting me, Daisy, Sophia, Clara, Seraphina, and Belle all standing together in front of Grandview Villa.
"What seems to be the problem with this drawing?" I asked calmly.
"Well, sir," the teacher explained hesitantly, "we asked Daisy who these ladies were, and she stated that all four of them are her mothers. She said they all live together and that she calls them all Mom. We were concerned about her domestic environment..."
I looked at the teacher with a cool, unbothered expression. "And what exactly is the issue with that?"
"How can a child have four mothers?" the teacher asked cautiously.
"Because I am her father, and all four of those lovely ladies—including Sophia here—are my fiancées," I stated plainly. "Do you have a personal problem with my family structure?"
Before my tone could darken any further, the principal hurriedly stepped in, sweating bullets as he glared at the teacher. "Miss! Don’t you recognize that this distinguished gentleman belongs to an elite hidden family?! It is completely normal and customary for figures of his stature to have multiple noble fiancées! Mind your tongue!"
I stood up from the chair, smoothing down my suit jacket. "Is there anything else regarding my daughter’s academic performance, or can I get going? I have important corporate matters to attend to."
The principal spoke up instantly before the teacher could utter another word. "You are completely free to go, Sir Vance! Everything is in order! Miss Daisy is officially the brightest, most outstanding student in our entire institution!"
"Good," I nodded. "Handle her transfer paperwork personally and send the official documents home with Daisy once everything is processed."
"Understood, sir! Have a wonderful day!" the principal bowed low as we turned and walked out of the hall.
We returned to the waiting executive vehicle, climbing into the comfortable rear cabin. As the car smoothly pulled away from the school gates, Sophia let out a quiet sigh of relief, leaning her head back against my shoulder while Daisy fell asleep peacefully on her lap.
Looking down at Sophia’s beautiful, glowing face, I couldn’t resist. I leaned down and brought her lips into a slow, deep, and passionate kiss, expressing all the love and gratitude I felt for her.
While we were sharing that quiet, affectionate moment, my phone buzzed softly in my pocket with an encrypted notification.
Pulling it out, I saw a message from the shadow chief containing a precise GPS coordinate: Sir, I have successfully acquired a massive, fully private underground weapons testing range on the outskirts of Metro City. All preparations are complete.
I quickly typed back a brief response: Good work. I’ll head over right after dropping Sophia and Daisy back at the villa.