Chapter 7

Ethan rubbed his chin like a little adult, thinking out loud, "Do you remember his name?" "Uhhh..." Ella scratched her head for a bit before it clicked. "Yeah! James Bennett! My godmom mentioned it once." If Maria overheard this conversation, she’d probably be seriously shocked. She had never brought up James in front of them. The only time Ella heard his name was when Isabella blurted it out without thinking. The little genius Ethan quickly grabbed the tablet on the table and typed in "James Bennett" in the search bar. The very first image that popped up made him freeze for a second. He hadn’t gotten a clear look at the matchmaking event, but now that he could see the picture clearly… this guy looked exactly like an older version of himself. Ethan kept scrolling. He found out James had gotten married seven years ago and divorced five years back. Even though Maria’s name wasn’t listed under his relationship history, the timeline totally lined up. There was a high chance she and James were their parents. The two kids were thrilled. He had to be their dad! For the sake of their family getting back together, they had to help their mom and dad reconnect. Back in her room, Maria hadn’t quite fallen asleep when she suddenly rubbed her ear with a frown. “Weird,” she muttered. “Why are my ears burning? Someone must be talking about me.” Her phone rang at that moment. She picked it up, "Daniel? What’s going on?" "I just saw Mom and Dad," Daniel said, his voice shaking slightly. "I saw them at Night Palace. I swear it’s really them." Maria froze for a moment, then quickly snapped back to reality. She jumped out of bed and started putting on her shoes while trying to steady her brother, "Stay calm, and don’t do anything rash. I’ll head over right now. Keep me updated if anything new happens, got it?" She changed quickly, then rushed to the kids' room to give them a few instructions. The kids nodded obediently, not making a fuss. As she left, Maria locked the door behind her, then sped off in her car, GPS guiding her to Night Palace. North City had changed a lot—past five years had turned it into a whole new place. Tall buildings rose everywhere, roads were wider too. Shops lined the streets, and even in the middle of the night, the whole area was brightly lit. It really was a city that never slept. Life here moved fast. If you had some skills, you'd want a shot here. But surviving wasn’t easy—just being talented wasn’t enough. You had to hustle hard. Some made it, a lot didn’t and were barely getting by. Maria didn’t care about any of that right now. She just wanted to get to Night Palace as fast as she could. Night Palace sat smack in the heart of North City’s busiest district—high-end, sleek, and packed with people cutting business deals. Maria hadn’t been back in five years, but thanks to Isabella’s live updates, she knew the place well enough. As soon as she parked outside the entrance, she called her brother, followed the GPS, and found the private room where Daniel Lewis was waiting. The second he saw her, Daniel rushed over and pulled her into a corner, lowering his voice and pointing, “They’re right over there.” With the dim lighting and the distance, Maria couldn’t make out much—just barely recognized their outlines. “What are they doing?” she asked. “Talking business. See that guy across from them? Big shot in North City’s business scene. No clue how they even got in with someone like that.” His tone was dripping with disdain. Maria frowned. Back then, James’s mother had said Richard and his wife had gone bankrupt and vanished. So where was all this money coming from now? “You keep eyes on them. I need to make a call,” she said, walking off. She contacted her people from Shadowglint to look into where the couple’s sudden wealth came from, though she didn’t expect much—they’d been digging for a while with zero luck. Still, she added another instruction: Investigate the businessman sitting with them too. “Maria, what do you think they’re doing back in North City this time?” Daniel asked, sipping his drink. She was still wrapped up in thoughts of how they’d abandoned her and her brother. Absent-minded, she replied, “Who knows?” “We’ve been looking for them for five years. I just… can’t wrap my head around it—how any parent can walk away from their kids like that. This time, I’m getting answers.” Daniel was usually the tough one. Only around his sister did he show a softer, more vulnerable side. Out of everyone, Daniel had taken their parents’ sudden disappearance the hardest. First, their parents bailed after going bankrupt, then Maria got forced into divorce by her mother-in-law. Blow after blow—it nearly broke him. Even now, just remembering those days made Maria’s chest tighten. She’d never seen her brother that shattered. Maria had always banned him from drinking, but that night, she handed him the bottle herself—tossed back a shot without a word. She’d said, “I’m planning to move overseas. Come with me. A change of scenery might help clear our heads.” Daniel stared at her for a bit, then took a long gulp. He didn’t say no. That night, the siblings drank themselves into oblivion. The next morning, the restaurant owner had to wake them up. They ended up crashing at a nearby hotel for a few days. During that time, Maria withdrew Daniel from school. She had wanted him to at least say goodbye to his friends, but he flat-out refused to step outside. Maria understood—he just didn’t know how to face them. So, she didn’t push him.