Anastasia knew Herman was ready to take it all down with him if it came to that— he''d never let anyone else win without a fight.


    She rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at the stars. "Honey, the sky''s beautiful tonight."


    They sat together, hands entwined, enjoying the quiet peace of the night. For now, everything felt calm.


    They''d always been a team-husband and wife, side by side. Whatever Autumn tried next, they''d face it together.


    The next morning was a riot. Emmie and Nancy, their two little troublemakers, were bickering over who got to sweep the floor. It was a sight that could make anyone smile.


    When Anastasia came downstairs, she saw Herman lounging on the couch while the girls, armed with a mini broom and a cleaning rag, were hard at work "cleaning" the living room.


    The housekeepers hovered nearby, looking nervous. Cleaning was their job, not the girls'', but Herman had told them to let the kids handle things today. So, the staff just stood by, unsure what to do.


    Nancy, always quick and efficient, gave the floor a solid sweep, then marched right up to Herman with her hand out. "Daddy, where''s my pay?"


    Anastasia nearly burst outughing-so that''s what this was about: earning money for chores.


    Emmie, clutching her rag, scampered over too, her voice all sweet and earnest. "Daddy, I wiped all the tables! Pay me, please!"


    Anastasia sat down with them, grinning. "Looks like your business sense runs in the family-they''re already working for cash!"


    Herman was still a bit puzzled. He''d just finished his morning run when the girls insisted he sit and watch while they cleaned. He just went along with it. Smiling, he pulled out his wallet and handed each of them a crisp $20 bill. "Here you go, girls. You both did a great job today."


    "Payday!" Emmie squealed, her eyes lighting up. "Now I can buy a lollipop!"


    Their nanny Salma sometimes


    snuck them a sweet treat, but only when Katelyn wasn''t looking. If


    Katelyn saw, she''d start in with the lectures-no candy, no junk food, all that. Not everyone agreed on parenting, and it led to the usual little shes.


    Nancy, ever the skeptic, held her bill up to the light and examined it closely. The whole act had Anastasia in stitches. "Nancy, do you really think your dad would trick you? Do you even know how to check if it''s real?"


    Nancy piped up, "Daddy says you have to be honest in business. So I trust dad. Trust dad!"


    That made both Herman and Anastasia pause-surprised, but proud. Not even two years old, and their girls could already chatter away in twonguages, while most kids were still babbling.


    The bilingual lessons had really paid off. The girls switched between English and Chinese without missing a beat. At their age, they picked up everything like little sponges.


    Anastasia remembered when she was pregnant, scrolling through TikTok and seeing a toddler named Crystal who could speak perfect English with her dad. "Now that''s a genius kid," she''d thought. "I just want mine to be happy and healthy." Cóntent belongs to swnóvel


    She''dughed at thements "Out of all the ways to humble someone, why use a toddler?" and "Forget the starting line, I lost at the factory." One stuck with her: "A dad is a child''s best teacher."


    Herman grinned. "That''s my careful girl. You remember-honesty is everything in business. You''re already sharper than your Uncle Flynn That guy gets scammed so


    often, he''d help you count the


    money after you sold him something fake."


    Right on cue, Flynn walked in, pping his hands. "Hey, I heard that from the hallway! Talking about me again?”


    He reached out for Emmie. "Come here, sweetheart! Give your uncle a hug!"


    But Herman swept Emmie up into his own arms, giving Flynn a look. "If you want hugs, go get your own kid, buddy."