Chapter 133 Let's Make a Deal
"Jasper, I've missed you so much."
In the bedroom of the villa, Stella closed the door and hugged Jasper from behind.
"All those years out there, I nearly lost the will to live multiple times, but the thought of you and the kids kept me going.
"Thankfully, now, I'm back with you and the kids."
Her tears soaked Jasper's clothes, dampening his back.
Jasper's heart felt an unbearable ache.
He turned around and embraced her. "Don't worry. From now on, I won't let you suffer anymore."
"Mmm."
Stella sniffled, "I hope the woman who took our children will face the law soon."
She lay in Jasper's arms, tears falling freely, "Even today, you saw Lauren and Bennett side with her. They are unwilling to recognize me.
"The kids may accept me if she’s convicted sooner."
Jasper's brow furrowed.
The image of Adeline being taken away by the police, the look of despair on her face, floated into his mind.
His heart skipped a beat.
After a moment, he exhaled deeply, "Let's think this through."
For some reason, despite all the evidence against her, he still felt Adeline had her difficulties.
He had seen with his own eyes how she had saved Lauren and protected Bennett.
Her past actions, although they don't excuse her misdeeds, mattered to the kids who still cared about her.
Solving her situation too quickly might leave an even worse memory in the children's hearts.
Stella frowned slightly in dissatisfaction.
She nestled in Jasper's embrace. "But I feel that with her around, the kids will never warm up to me."
"You have to trust our kids."
Jasper gently rubbed her head. "Be good."
The woman hesitated for a moment, "Okay."
Then she lifted her head, her arms wrapping around his neck and eyes tender, "Jasper, I've missed you so much."
The air was charged with an unspoken tension.
There she was, the woman he hadn't seen in six years.
Jasper struggled with restraint as he leaned in, instinctively wanting to seal the moment with a kiss.
But he stopped when their lips were barely an inch apart.
Perhaps the separation had been too long.
Suddenly, he found himself unable to kiss the woman before him.
"Daddy!"
A child's sharp voice cut through from the doorway.
Jasper quickly looked up to see teary-eyed Lauren standing there.
"I want to sleep with you tonight."
Stella frowned in disapproval. "Lauren, you're six years old now. Girls your age shouldn't sleep with their dads."
"Who says I'm grown up? I'm still a kid!"
With that, she glared at Stella and retorted, "I'm going to sleep with my daddy. Are you jealous or something?"
Her words brought a helpless smile to Jasper's face.
The man stood up, walked to the door, and lifted her into his arms. "Mommies don't get jealous of their little girls. Daddy's going to stay with you tonight."
At his words, Stella bit her lip, her face the picture of pity. "But Jasper, tonight's our first night together in six years..."
Jasper, holding Lauren, chuckled lightly. "There will be more time for us. Tonight's for Lauren. You should go to bed early."
With that, he carried the little girl off, turning away from Stella.
The girl in Jasper's arms twisted around and, from a distance, stuck out her tongue teasingly at Stella.
Infuriated, Stella shot Lauren a glare, then flopped down on the bed to sulk.
She had finally gotten close to Jasper, finally been the remarkable woman on his mind, Mrs. Jasper—only to have two kids and a surgically altered Adeline show up!
She slammed the door and furiously dialed a number on her phone.
"Hello, Monroe. Handle it. Adeline dies in her cell."
Then, a knock came from outside.
"Talk later."
She hung up and managed a forced smile as she opened the door. "Who is it?"
"Miss Collins, it's me!"
There, clad in his little duck pajamas, stood Bennett with his head cocked, innocently gazing at her. "I was looking for Daddy. He said he's staying with Lauren tonight and told me to come keep you company."
Under the hallway light, the little guy looked utterly harmless and lovable.
Stella hesitated for a moment but finally stepped aside. "Come in, then."
Just as Bennett crossed the threshold, Stella shut the door behind him.
The little guy's smile faded as he gracefully took a seat on the chair. "Miss Collins is the spitting image of my mother."
Stella swiveled to sit on the bed, feigning tenderness as she gazed at Bennett. "Of course, I am your real mother."
"Mmm."
Bennett nodded calmly with a smile, "Well, in that case, how about our family of four gets a paternity test done tomorrow?"
"We’ll do the test and recognize each other as family right then and there? Sounds good?"
Stella's smile vanished in an instant at the little guy's words!
A paternity test with Jasper would blow her cover immediately!
She narrowed her eyes. "What are you implying with that, kiddo? Are you doubting that I'm your real mother?"
Bennett shifted into a more comfortable position, "A paternity test will help convince me and my sister. If the test confirms that you are indeed our birth mother, we'll start calling you 'Mom'; how about that?"
Stella stared at him for a long moment.
After a while, she let out a cold laugh, "Are you deliberately trying to undercut my authority?"
This little guy was smart; he went straight for the jugular with his paternity test talk.
He must be well aware that she was an imposter to be so bold.
"I'm here to make a deal with Miss Collins."
Bennett yawned, his gaze indifferent, "Miss Collins sent my mother to jail right upon arrival. If you're skilled, you must have an accomplice on the inside.
"I'm concerned for my mother's safety, and you're worried about being exposed by a paternity test."
Stella stared coldly at Bennett's face.
"So you want to wheel and deal with me over this?"
"Hmm."
The little guy crossed his legs confidently. "We both have our needs. Otherwise, if we get desperate, we could insist Mr. Jasper go for the paternity test.
"I think he'd agree to it for me and my sister."
Stella narrowed her eyes, locking onto Bennett's.
The little guy met her gaze without fear.
After a while, Stella chuckled lightly, "Are you sure if I release Adeline, you won't expose me?"
"It's not about exposing you. It's about not playing the paternity card."
Bennett chuckled softly, "You won't promise to ever go after our mother again, right?
"We just need to cooperate for the time being."
With that, the little guy yawned, "I'm getting sleepy. I'll give you five more minutes to think it over."
Stella clenched her molars tightly.
He was definitely Jasper's son—wise to a fault.
After a moment, she narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "There's something I'm curious about."
"Why won't Adeline accept that she is Adeline? Why continue with her current identity?"
She wants to go back to Jasper; wouldn't it be faster to do it as Adeline?
Why the secrecy?
Bennett narrowed his eyes.
Clearly, this woman was oblivious to Blake's situation.
If she knew, no doubt there would be trouble brewing.
So, the little one smirked and said, "Because we have something to take from Jasper first, then we're out of here."
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