<h4>Chapter 244: Long Night VIII</h4>


    Ewan knew better than tough out the incredulity brimming within him like before. He had learned not to express, in any way, that he thought his son was lying, that the little protectived was trying to put his sister in a better light.


    Even though the little boy was making small talk now, Ewan had seen the seriousness in his eyes; Nathaniel truly believed that his sister was the better tech genius. But how could that be possible?


    Not that he was the kind of person to belittle women, but Kathleen, much as she was very smart, didn’t seem more inclined towardputers than Nathaniel with his serious demeanor and sometimes overly serious expressions. It would make more sense that Nathaniel was more adept in that area.


    Yet it didn’t really matter to him—he loved them equally—but...


    He paused in his thoughts, finally noticing the nervousness mixed with anticipation in Kathleen’s eyes. It effectively tore his disbelief into shreds and turned his skepticism toward Nathaniel’s im into curiosity.


    "Is your mother aware of this?" He asked.


    The twins shook their heads.


    "She thinks I am the instigator," Nathaniel exined, his tone earnest. "That I am the one in the forefront, that I am coaching Kathleen, but sometimes it’s the other way around. We both have our strengths and weaknesses."


    Ewan nodded slowly, getting ustomed to the well-constructed and mature words emanating from Nathaniel. "I understand. You are a good big brother. And I am proud of you."


    The moment those words slipped from his mouth, Nathaniel’s cheeks and neck flushed a bright red, as if he had just received an unexpectedpliment that filled a void he hadn’t consciously acknowledged until now. He gave a curt nod, the color deepening further on his face.


    "I had to do it in your absence."


    "And I am more grateful for that. Thank you, both of you, for protecting your mother and yourselves. I’m sorry once again for my absence all these years, but... you are not alone anymore."


    "So, what do you think of me?" Kathleen asked suddenly, digressing. Her childish curiosity shone brightly in her eyes, needing reassurance.


    Ewan chuckled, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease slightly. "You are really smart. Smarter than all the girls I’ve met."


    Kathleen’s face lit up, her happiness contagious. She bobbled her head enthusiastically. "So, do you still want us to work for you? Of course, you have to keep it away from Mommy?"


    Ewan furrowed his brows at Kathleen’s next question.


    "You know we received your message weeks ago..." Nathaniel chimed in, waiting for the realization to sink in, and when it did, he raised an eyebrow, continuing Kathleen’s question.


    However, Ewan shook his head.


    He had wanted to hire the elite workers who had hacked into hispany’s software to dig into Athena’s past, not knowing they were actually his children.


    <i>So</i><i>that</i><i>was</i><i>why</i><i>they</i><i>had</i><i>blocked</i><i>him</i><i>out...</i>


    He sighed. "It’s no longer necessary."


    "But why were you looking for a hacker?"


    Ewan pursed his lips, contemting whether he should lie his way out of this one. He ultimately decided against it. He had promised to always tell the truth to them. "I wanted the help of the hackers to uncover your mother’s past life. I needed to know what I was up against during the court battle..."


    Nathaniel hadn’t expected that response, hadn’t expected the honesty. His father was surprising him in many ways. The young boy could now understand why the good Mr. Sandro remained friends with Ewan.


    "So, what do you two think of me?" Ewan asked after a few beats of silence, clenching his hands together. He could feel a knot tightening in his stomach as he waited nervously for their response.


    "Do you think you want to spend more time with me? I am not perfect, and I don’t know much about parenting, but I can try."


    The twins exchanged curious nces before Kathleen muttered, "You are okay." A pause. "Better than I had thought," She eyed Ewan closely as if trying to decipher him. "How did you know to get me paint materials? Did Mr. Sandro somehow find out about that?"


    Ewan shook his head. "I just felt it in my gut as I stood in the children’s area. My gut never leads me astray."


    "You listened to it when you pushed Mom away?" Nathaniel asked, curiosity ring as his face reflected his feelings.


    Ewan sighed, resigning himself to honesty. "No. I didn’t listen to it. I was more consumed with Fiona’s supposed role in my life. I was consumed with anger at the world, anger at being manipted by her father. I didn’t stop for a moment to listen to my gut, even when Sandro pointed out some important things I had neglected."


    There was a pause. "It came up, that restlessness within me, every time I hurt her emotionally, especially when I sent her away. But I pushed it aside; I pushed the guilt away. The worst mistake of my life, and I will regret it until I die."


    Ewan, who had bowed slightly while reciting this response, looked up to find nkness on the faces of his children. He felt uncertain about what to make of their expressions. Did they understand him? Did they hate him even more for hurting their mother?


    He didn’t waste his strength worrying about that; he deserved whatever wasing to him.


    He watched them exchange another nce, one that conveyed little to him, yet something unspoken passed between them.


    "You are honest," Nathaniel finally said, breaking the silence. "And for that, we are okay with seeing you during the allotted time monthly. As for an increased time though, our mother has the final say. We wouldn’t want to hurt her."


    Ewan nodded, tears of happiness glistening in his eyes, surprising the children, who didn’t know how to react.


    Finally, they stood up awkwardly, their hands fidgeting in uncertain gestures.


    Ewan stood up after them, a swell of hope filling his heart. "Thank you for giving me a chance. I promise not to misuse it, to move at your pace and your mother’s, and never to hurt you all again."


    The twins said nothing. They merely looked at him after his earnest deration, then headed toward the door. It appeared that their conversation was over.


    Even though Ewan longed to hug them tightly to his chest, he found sce in the thought that they had listened to him and that they didn’t think he was unbearable.


    At the door, however, Nathaniel paused and turned to him. "And Mr. Ewan..."


    "Yes?" Ewan answered, eager to please.


    "Can you get along with our father?"


    Ewan flinched at the mention of that man—Antonio—as their father. A man who thought thatics would dull the genius brains of his children. A man who didn’t care in the least about the children’s hobbies. Still, he nodded. "Sure, I will try, for your sake and your mother’s."


    Kathleen smiled at him. "Come walk us out. I’m sure Grandfather would like that..."


    Ewan furrowed his brows as he covered the distance toward them. "Grandfather?"


    "Yes, Mr. Thorne adopted us. Mother had him promise to remove us from the will though, if he should write one. She didn’t want us at loggerheads with his real family."


    Ewan’s brows raised to their peak. Adopted? So, Athena was Old Mr. Thorne’s daughter then? He shivered involuntarily. It was fortunate these matters had been resolved before the old man could wreck him and hispany to the ground, disregarding their old rtionship.


    "That’s great!" He eximed heartily. Not even the gang could harm Athena and the children at this point, not with the people surrounding her. She had even spoken with the president yesterday.


    Ewan sighed and shook his head, feeling a twinge of pity for the gang, having a strong sense that their days were now numbered.


    "Let’s join the others. I think dinner has been set." As he spoke, he opened the door, letting the two kids outside.


    As they walked into the dining hall, every conversation ceased abruptly, their presence snuffing out life from the atmosphere.


    "Are you all done?" Athena asked finally, her eyes trailing over her children, as was her habit.


    The twins nodded.


    She subtly raised an eyebrow when she saw the thin smile on Kathleen’s lips and the rxed shoulders of Nathaniel. It wasn’t bad after all. Just as Old Mr. Thorne had told her and as she had suspected, Ewan would be a good father to his children.


    "Good then,e on and sit. Dinner is ready."


    Meanwhile, in a farawaynd, in a secluded ce, in the ck cells, Alfonso was writhing in pain, crushed beneath the weight of an iron shaped like a brick—twenty of them, stacked precariously on his shoulders.


    He trudged slowly along a thorny path devoid of life, save for the thorns that pricked and sank into his bare feet, now gruesomely scarred from just a few hours spent in this hellish ce. Was it truly only a few hours? Time seemed to blur beyond his perception.


    A sudden crack of a whipnded across his bare back, jolting him from his daze. He screamed, falling forward but managing to hold his ground, more concerned about keeping the bricks in ce rather than the thorns sinking deeper into his feet, their punctures making him dizzy.


    He knew well the consequences of letting the bricks fall; he had learned that lesson the hard way and wasn’t about to face it for a third time.


    "Want to move or not?!" came the sharp demand from the taskman, his masked face looming ominously.


    Like he had a choice, Alfonso thought bitterly, pressing forward under the oppressive weight.