Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife: The Twins Are Not Yours!

Unfortunately for Athena, her plans for a hot bath, good food, and sleep—in that sequence—were interrupted when she stepped into the living room of the Thorne's mansion and saw that there were visitors chatting at the dining table.

It was only the mere addition of Antonio, Cedric, and his fiancée, Victoria, but it was enough to give her a headache. She didn't want more than she had been expecting: Old Mr. Thorne and his wife, her kids, and then her two friends.

Any more was a crowd, and she wasn't in the mood for it, not even when one was her new boyfriend. And from Ewan kissing his teeth, Aiden's heavy sigh, and Susan's short whistle, she knew that they, too, thought that the three were a crowd.

"Mom!!!" The twins' shouts dragged Athena from her melancholic thoughts to her children, who were hurrying toward her with wide, laughing mouths and twinkling eyes.

She squatted to their height and opened her tired arms wide to welcome them, aware, from the corner of her eyes, that Antonio had stood from his seat and was approaching her too.

No, no. She chanted inwardly, sensing the buildup of Ewan's unwelcoming energy. Not tonight. She really had no strength for unnecessary machismo at this point.

All the same, she dropped a kiss on each of her children's foreheads, smiling when they dropped wet kisses all over her face. She could never be too tired for these two.

"Mom! Did everything go well?" Nathaniel asked, breaking away from the hug, darting a glance at Ewan, who didn't know what to do with his hands under his children's sudden scrutiny, for Kathleen had followed her brother's lead.

"Yeah, everything went well," Athena replied, standing to her full height, her lips folding in when she noticed the apparent space and tension buildup between Ewan and the children.

"Won't you hug us, Father…" Kathleen finally muttered teasingly, breaking the tension, looking at her father with eyes still shining with the happiness that her parents had returned from the mission in a healthy state.

Ewan, who had been battling with his annoyance over Antonio's presence and the need to hug his children as Athena did, immediately sank to his knees, any form of annoyance fading away as Kathleen rushed into his arms, placing her head on his chest.

"Welcome, Father…"

Ewan smiled so much that it was a miracle his lips didn't touch his ears. This was the warmest welcome of his life!

Nathaniel joined the hug a second later. "Thanks for protecting our mother…" He whispered, only to the hearing of Ewan and his sister, right before his little hands wound around Ewan's body too.

Ewan was too emotionally overwhelmed to say anything in response. He rather tightened his hold around them, to the chagrin of Antonio, who hadn't seen this spectacle coming.

When had these fast strides been made?! He wondered angrily, gazing between Athena, who had such a soft look on her face as she gazed at the trio, that he wanted to wipe Ewan off the face of the earth.

He cleared his throat loudly to break off the emotionally laden atmosphere, but that didn't work; it rather brought Aiden's attention toward him—a scowl from Aiden that seemed to order him to keep his annoyance to himself.

Antonio bit down on his lips angrily and covered the distance between him and Athena.

"You took so much time, my love… was there a hitch?" He was utterly pleased when Ewan lifted his head then to glare at him, anger flashing across his features.

Before Athena could give a response, strung between the two men, Antonio dealt a soft kiss on her lips.

"You must be hungry, honey. Come this way… the table is already set…" He continued, his hand slipping into hers, taking her away from Ewan and the kids.

Athena, not pleased with this fiasco but having no choice if she wanted to enjoy a drama-free night, followed him. After all, didn't she accept him as her boyfriend? She might as well play the cards she had dealt herself.

Following her departure, Old Mr. Thorne hailed Ewan to the dining table, he with Aiden and Susan, needing to cover up the awkward atmosphere.

"You lot came at the right time…" The older male continued, even as he watched his wife scurry out of the dining room and into the kitchen, where she communicated with the butlers and cooks about the addition of more plates and food.

"So, how did the mission go?" Old Mr. Thorne started, needing to break the tension that had mounted immediately Ewan had taken his seat between the twins—the twins whose eyes were twinkling as they expected an answer from him.

Ewan was so overwhelmed with this attention from his children that he lost track of whatever was happening at the table, whatever were the next words of Florence or Aiden; only basking in the attention of his children.

If only it were not rude to leave the dining table, he would have gone to a separate room to be with his kids, and maybe Athena—Athena, who was sitting beside Antonio. The simple thought was enough to lift Ewan from the 'happy haze.' He became aware that Athena was speaking.

"It went well. Better than we had expected," She was saying, a smile on her lips, her gaze gentle as she talked with Old Mr. Thorne—so gentle that you couldn't reconcile this version of hers with the one that had gone vengeful on Morgan.

"Ewan, are you okay?" There was worry in Old Mr. Thorne's voice as he wondered at Ewan's silence; as he wondered how Ewan was dealing with the news of Antonio being Athena's boyfriend; the over-cheerful male hadn't stopped talking about it since he had come for dinner, thinking Athena was around. He had even told the kids!

"Yes, I'm fine. How's business, and Florence?"

Old Mr. Thorne laughed. "You can ask her yourself…" His eyes shining as he watched his wife ruffle Ewan's hair, as he caught Ewan's surprise right before the latter turned to meet the amused countenance of Florence.

"You took longer than you told us… you kept us all waiting…"

"Well, there was a little hitch," Ewan answered, enjoying the attention. "But it's as Athena said, it finally went well, better than we expected."

His smile widened when she instructed the staff who were bringing more food to the dining table to bring more for Ewan. "My son looks hungry. I'm sure he is. Athena too…"

All this while, Cedric and Victoria felt a little out of place, especially as small talk about business and politics started to dominate the dining.

Victoria more so, because this wasn't her turf. She wasn't pleased either that Athena seemed to be handling it well—worse, her two friends too.

She had come with Cedric to make apologies, considering the last dining event, which had ended in a mild ban from the Thorne's household, maybe even to spend a night; but seeing the crowd, she didn't think so.

She cursed softly as she stabbed the meat on her plate. Maybe she should deal with Athena once and for all. Show her who was the boss.

"So, Cedric, how are you preparing to take over the leadership of the Thorne's business?" Antonio asked, drafting Victoria's attention to the current topic. "I'm sure you're aware of the heavy responsibility that comes with leading the Thorne empire."

Victoria put on a humble smile, as was required, the same with her fiancé, who wore the humility cloak as if it was part of him.

"I'm just learning the best I can from my grandfather. I don't think I will ever learn enough…"

A good laughter echoed through the table—well, all except from Ewan, who had a confused expression on his face.

"He is the one taking over the companies?" He asked, killing the laughter and creating a mildly tense atmosphere in the lovely dining room.

Ewan, of course, had no issues with Cedric, only that he never agreed with some methods of the young man and was privy to some ugly details too. Knowing his old man, the latter must have researched his next-in-line… Or was it because he was the only younger Thorne left?

"I'm not sure," Old Mr. Thorne finally answered somberly. "I've not made my final decisions. But Cedric is a good businessman."

Ewan shrugged his shoulders. "I guess that makes sense considering his position in the family and in the business. Nathaniel and Kathleen can make do with a couple of shares then, considering they are young… As a matter of fact, I prefer that…"

Athena inhaled sharply, even as Cedric frowned, not understanding Ewan's statement. The others in the dining room were just as confused.

Ewan, who was busy scooping food into his mouth, wasn't even aware of the mounting tension. And when he felt Kathleen tap him on his thigh, he thought it was because of his fast rate of eating.

He should eat like a gentleman, he thought; he should be a model for Nathaniel, right before he continued.

"You know, old man, you owe me some dues, adopting my kids as your grandchildren. Doesn't it mean you are indirectly campaigning for more time with them?"

Ewan, smiling now at his joke, looked at Old Mr. Thorne, hoping for an amused countenance. However, his smile dried up when he saw none of that, when he noticed the silence at the table.

He stopped eating. What did he miss?