Chapter 478 Shane’s Unexpected Encounter with Charles
Standing at the entrance, Shane gazed at his granddaughter's complex, feeling a swirl of indescribable intense emotions. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself, trying to calm his trembling hands. When they were ready to enter, a security guard stopped them.
"Excuse me, who are you here to see?" the guard inquired.
Impatient, Shane said, "We're here to see Martin and Patricia."
The residents here were affluent, and Martin was known to be exceptionally so, prompting the guard to be extra cautious upon hearing his name. He asked, "What is your relation to them? Mr. Langley didn't mention expecting any visitors today."
"We've come all the way from overseas. Please, could you make an exception and let us in?" Shane pleaded.
The guard replied, "One moment. I'll need to make a quick call for verification."
Seeing the guard reach for the phone, Shane hastily intervened, "Wait, no. I intended to surprise them. If you call ahead, the surprise will be spoiled."
The guard frowned and stood firm. "I can't let you in without their say-so. It's a matter of resident safety."
Shane hesitated, torn.
Ariel suggested, "Grandpa, let's play it safe. They can't just let people through. I'll call Patricia."
Shane, realizing the guard was just doing his job, nodded.
Ariel was just about to dial when the guard suddenly called out, "Charles, Randy, they say they're friends of Mr. Langley and Mrs. Watson. Do you recognize them?"
Ariel paused, phone in hand. All three of them looked over as the guard addressed two young boys standing at the entrance of the guardhouse.
The boys were identical and even dressed alike. They both sported cool denim jackets, black joggers, shiny little black shoes, and neat, slightly tousled short hair. Their eyes, a sparkling black, hinted at a cleverness beyond their years.
"There are two?" Shane's eyes widened with curiosity as he studied their familiar features. It was uncanny. They were the spitting image of his friend, Martin, but in miniature form.
It wasn't just Shane who noticed; Jeremy's expression lit up with excitement as if he had just stumbled upon some rare creatures as he picked up Ariel.
Charles instinctively pulled Randy behind him and gave them a once-over without making a sound. Then, his lips curled into a sweet smile. "So, you're Shane, Ariel, and Jeremy?"
Randy looked utterly baffled, scratching his short hair with a puzzled expression. Did his brother know these people? How come he didn't?
"You know who we are?" Shane said, his voice tinged with delight.
Charles nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Daddy and Mommy always talk about you."
"Your mother is Patricia?" Shane's voice wavered slightly.
Grace and Martin's engagement party came to mind, where Patricia had mentioned she had children with Martin. But since she never brought it up again, everyone just sort of forgot about it. Shane never imagined Patricia would have such an adorable set of twins. These boys were his great-grandchildren.
"Yeah, my mommy is Patricia, and my daddy is Martin. I'm Charles and this is my brother, Randy."
Even though Shane had suspected as much, a wave of excitement rushed over him when it was confirmed. His hands trembling, he reached out and gingerly patted Charles' head as if touching a precious gem. "That's wonderful... just wonderful..."
Jeremy and Ariel were equally amazed. The Koch family had no history of twins, yet Patricia had given birth to such a beautiful, charming pair of boys.
Jeremy gently pulled Randy from behind Charles and inspected the boy from all angles. He tried to spot any differences, wondering how Patricia usually told the two apart.
"You two are like carbon copies; people must get you mixed up all the time, huh? C'mon, tell me the secret to telling you apart," Jeremy said, unable to contain his excitement. He was clearly fascinated by the sudden appearance of twin nephews.
Ariel rolled her eyes at his ridiculousness. She turned to Charles and said, "We came especially to see your parents. Can you let us in?"
Charles nodded with enthusiasm. "Of course. But my parents aren't at this house right now. I can take you to where they are."
Randy was perplexed, but Shane didn't doubt Charles. He nodded decisively, saying, "Alright, lead the way."
Ariel was more composed than Shane, and looking past Charles at the neighborhood behind him, she asked puzzledly. "If your parents don't live here, how come you came out of this house?"
Charles responded confidently, "It's not that they don't live here; they're just not here right now. We were about to go find them. Of course, if you guys are tired, you can wait here. We should be back by evening."
At this point, since the homeowners weren't around, they had no choice but to agree. "Alright then, take us to your parents."
"Sure thing!" Charles grinned sweetly.
Shane, Jeremy, and Ariel were completely disarmed by his charm and followed without a shred of suspicion.
The security guard watched them leave and couldn't resist scratching his head. "Did Mr. Langley and Mrs. Watson go out today?"
He had been on duty all day; how could he have missed them?
Charles led Shane and the others to the Ellenstein Villa District, where they used to live. Although they had moved, the Ellenstein Villa District was unchanged and showed no signs of their departure.
The butler, seeing Charles return with three strangers, hurried over, looking bewildered. "Charles, Randy, what brings you back? And who are these people?"
Charles faced the butler with his back to Shane, winking repeatedly. "Butler, where are my parents? They might be upstairs, right? These three came to see them."
The butler stared back, puzzled. Charles shot him a look, his eyes widening with impatience. "Hey, are my parents upstairs?"
The butler understood in an instant, and he nodded quickly. "Yes, but they're busy at the moment, so you might have to wait a bit."
Charles gave the butler an appreciative glance, then turned to Shane. "Why don't you guys take a seat on the couch? Mommy and Daddy will be down once they're done with their stuff."
Shane settled onto the couch with Jeremy and Ariel. The butler had the staff serve them some drinks. Seeing that he had successfully lured them over, Charles no longer wanted to stick around; his mommy was waiting for him to bring back diapers for Maria.
"Shane, please wait here for a while, okay? I'm gonna play in the backyard with my brother."
Reluctant to let them go so soon after their arrival, Shane suggested, "How about I join you in the garden?"
Charles shook his head. "No, that's alright. You're not as young as you used to be, and it would be a hassle if you hurt yourself. We'll be fine on our own."
Shane looked down at his legs. They hadn't been working as well since he woke up last time. They weren't maimed, but they did start hurting after a few steps. Hence, he let go reluctantly.
Charles and Randy took off, leaving Shane, Jeremy, and Ariel sitting alone in the living room. The butler watched the trio with a bemused smile, puzzled by the situation.
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